What Caribbean Businesses Can Learn From The TikTok Ban!
Can What‘s Happening With TikTok Hurt Your Business?
Yes, but not in the “platform-dependent/create a brand ecosystem” way you may think!
*Have you ever been in a situation where, no matter how hard you tried to express your feelings, they weren’t being acknowledged?
The feeling is mutual when a brand betrays the interests of its target audience; they, too, feel like they’re not being heard!
Listen from 20:00 -21:55
*Have you ever felt like your needs were being advantaged because you were in a dependent position?
As a 1–3 man show, whether this takes the form of:
- Using one group to serve another, you consider more
- Playing it safe so you can fit in, or
- Delivering on the veiled interests of investors so you can make more money
Your target audience, the people who made you relevant, experiences the monopolization of the conversation as a breach of trust and, by extension, feels used, hurt, and disrespected!
We’re all tired of brands that are horses of a different color on the other side of the relationship!
It’s like that Tamia song — you feel like the brand doesn’t know you!
There’s no bigger turn-off than realizing yet again:
- It’s not about the customer experience but who you could outdo!
- It’s not about shining light on the nuances of a topic but who you can piggyback on to be SEEN!
- It’s not about the voice of the people but about the voice of the money!
In 2017, Pepsi tried to have a one-sided conversation, and in mere minutes of two million people viewing it, five thousand people liked it while it made thirty thousand people livid.
This is why one hundred and seventy million American TikTok users would rather learn Mandarin than return to Facebook and Instagram— the conversation is one-sided, the bottom line is forced, and it’s making them angry!
Have you ever felt pushed to do something that didn’t feel natural to you? What was your visceral reaction? What impact did it have on the relationship between you and the pusher?
Could you picture another brand telling a better story and your stock tanking (that’s code for going out of business for 1–3 man shows) if your business forced its agenda upon its target audience?
Who will be the first to lead by example — Walk the Talk!
Read: Differentiation: Why It’s “So Difficult” To Figure Out!
Recently, a friend of mine walked out of a supermarket in the Gulf City area angry. Despite its grandeur, ambiance and being open for two months, there were no seating accommodations for staff.
This is why my content is dedicated to spotlighting the not-so-thinly-veiled attempts by businesses in Trinidad and Tobago to capitalize on the illusion of a brand — this alienates buyers who value follow-through.
Hence why, that establishment lost a customer that day. This guy and a few other people who care about labor rights canceled their subscriptions with Amazon because of the living conditions of their workers in Tijuana Mexico.
This is an oversight 1–3 man shows can’t afford to have!
So, to all small Caribbean businesses, consider the TikTok ban a lesson you never knew you needed: failing to walk your talk has consequences.
I am the Founder and Visual Brand Strategist at The BrandTUB
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