With the very distinct possibility of TikTok going away, I’m sure content creators are really taking a deep look at their business models and frameworks. As a brand strategist, I’m always recommending that people diversify and definitely build their own because at the end of the day social media platforms come and go. I experienced that with Periscope and didn’t save any of my content. I did not have the tech at that time to do so. While I have most of my TikTok content, I have not really started repurposing it on YouTube which has been my intent for a while.
YouTube Is probably one of the most stable social media platforms and from what I’ve heard from clients, it can also provide quite a good yield once you develop a decent subscriber base. I’m definitely going to be looking into it and hopefully it has a robust environment I can use on my phone because that’s primarily what I’m on, especially since my laptop is currently taking a siesta.
What led me to create this post though was something God told me several years ago, which was, “Build your own.” It happened prior to the pandemic and He was basically telling me about a time that there would be famine in the land. Of course in the Bible Joseph was one example of how a famine situation could lead to prosperity not only for yourself but your family.
So, I want to talk about building your own online version of a brick and mortar, your website. Now I’m transitioning from GoDaddy, which I used for years, because their monthly rates got outrageous, but I still want to maintain my own website because it gives you some stability in an increasingly volatile digital world.
Even if you don’t have the money to pay someone to build your site, there are a number of free options that you can definitely explore. (You can do a class with me so I can help you navigate that.) In any case, I definitely encourage you to diversify your social media footprint.
In short, don’t rely on one platform to get subscriptions, follows, etc. When I was reading an article about the potential TikTok ban, there was an example of a person who quit their 9-to-5 and primarily relied on TikTok for their income. I think they also hired their mother-in-law. He was recounting how much a ban of TikTok will affect his income. I don’t believe he is the only one. Indeed, if TikTok goes away it is going to have a serious impact on the United States economy because small businesses really are helping a lot of people get through increasingly disloyal employment situations.
So back to you! I suggest that if you have a hobby or something you love that can generate income that you start exploring starting a business so you have back up income. I will definitely talk about that in future blog posts because entrepreneurship is something that I feel strongly about.
For those of you who already have a small business, here are a couple tips for insulating yourself against the ebbs, flows and permanent dissolution of certain social media platforms:
Make sure people can contact you outside of social media platforms by creating your own mailing list.
Create your own website and share all of the ways that you can be contacted, including possibly a PO Box, just in case all of the social media platforms go away and we have to actually go back to a real postal mail! I’m not going to say the zombie apocalypse is going to come in the next 10 years, but preparedness is key.
Repurpose your content in fun and engaging ways and share it regularly to several different social media platforms.
Store your own content offline and create backups.
Be safe out there in these internet streets!
You can connect with me on many social media platforms with the handle @msrisingstar.