TikTok ban threatens local businesses’ marketing strategies | Homepage [Video]

The Supreme Court has ruled that TikTok will be banned in the U.S. if its China-based owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell its U.S. operation by January 19. This decision will affect 170 million users, including local businesses that rely on the platform for marketing.

Shawn Idom, owner of Hair Science Barber Shop and Barber School, says that TikTok has played a significant role in client acquisition, particularly for his business. He added that the TikTok algorithm has been effective in targeting local customers.

“In the beginning, I bootstrapped everything, I didn’t even have a website. My business cards had Facebook on them,” said Idom. “So social media has always been a thing that has played a part in our marketing. How we get to the people, how we tell them about not only the things that we’re doing on the business side, but also outreach.”

Idom opened his barber shop in 2008, fueled by his passion for the profession. What began as …