'It’s disheartening.' Local companies say TikTok ban will hurt business - East Idaho News
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‘It’s disheartening.’ Local companies say TikTok ban will hurt business

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IDAHO FALLS — As a ban on the popular social media site TikTok looms, small businesses in east Idaho may be affected.

“TikTok has been instrumental in reaching my audience and growing my business,” said Brindi Webster, a hairstylist at Mystic Misfits in Idaho Falls. “I’ve seen more success here than any other platform. It’s disheartening to witness individuals losing their livelihoods due to a potential ban.”

Mystic Misfits started advertising on TikTok in 2021 and has over 500 followers. Their business model is made up of multiple people who have varying specialties. Their content on TikTok is a springboard to their website and Instagram.

RELATED | Supreme Court upholds law banning TikTok; will shut down Sunday if not sold

TikTok provides the company with organic reach that utilizes the algorithm’s scrolling structure and tailored “for you page” based off location and interest. Webster uses TikTok to showcase her work, create video tutorials, and reach a larger audience.

“I’ve been able to network with other stylists and brands in the industry that I probably wouldn’t have been able to without the app,” Webster said. “When people are searching for an alternative hairstyle, a lot of the time it is through TikTok. I have had people from other states find me on TikTok and end up sitting in my chair.”

Webster says that although she pays for advertising on Facebook and Instagram, she hasn’t had the need for paid reach on TikTok. Webster has been using TikTok since 2019.

“Personally, I understand that most companies are using my data, and a foreign entity seems less important and relevant to my personal life,” Webster said. “Other apps like Facebook seem like echo chambers and scammers. I don’t have the bots like that on TikTok. I also use Temu and SHEIN, which are foreign entities, with no issue.”

Webster isn’t the only local business that uses TikTok for advertising. Zac Martin, owner of Pick Me Up Drinks, has done over 100 weeks of “roll for soda” videos that combine Dungeons and Dragons with creating a specialized soda flavor. Martin has over 170,000 followers and 1.7 million likes on his TikTok page. The views on his videos range from thousands to his most watched being 5.2 million.

Martin started using TikTok to advertise the opening of the Ammon Pick Me Up location in 2023 and took over the weekly “roll for soda” videos from the main account. Despite being Martin’s personal account, he is active in promoting his brand and considers himself a self-proclaimed “business nerd.” The main account for Pick Me Up Drinks has over 57,000 followers, which is five times as much reach as their Instagram account. This passion for business has made TikTok a lucrative venture for Martin.

“We are actually monetized, so if the TikTok ban were to go through, we’d lose out on that additional revenue stream of a couple thousand dollars, which would be a bummer,” Martin said. “And we aren’t even the biggest monetized local business in the area.”

In the U.S., TikTok is used by about 170 million people, and 272 videos are posted every second, according to eMarketer.

Some of the other local businesses frequenting TikTok include Paisley Cakes, Wray Dermatology, Tami Fairchild of Heartland Real Estate, and Oh Key Escape Room Games. These businesses have between 100 and 300 followers, but their content has a larger organic reach to people who don’t follow their accounts.

“We feel like TikTok is a great tool for not only finding new patients but also fostering relationships with current patients and helping them feel more comfortable with our clinic,” said Adam Wray of Wray Dermatology.

Talk of a TikTok ban began in 2020, when President Donald Trump initiated the idea. President Joseph Biden continued the discussion, and both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed bills to ban or sell TikTok.

The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning the social media app beginning Sunday unless it’s sold by its China-based parent company. The justices say the risk to national security posed by Tiktok’s ties to China overcomes concerns about limiting speech by the app or its 170 million users in the United States.

“I honestly don’t get what the concern is,” said Rachel Waltz of Blackfoot, who uses the app to promote her at-home baking business. “Americans should be allowed to choose when they opt-in to giving their information to companies. I know that no one reads the terms, but I’m just selling bread, not sharing government secrets.”

While the impact on a local economy might be hard to quantify, the businesses that do use TikTok will have to switch their strategies to focus on other social apps.

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