Unless the U.S. Supreme Court rules otherwise, a law banning TikTok nationwide will take effect Sunday, and some Iowa small businesses will be forced to rethink their marketing strategies.

Maddie Palmersheim, who runs a plant-based bakery in Cedar Falls, says the app brought her support and exposure, but it didn’t always translate to increased sales.

Palmersheim says she plans to take a more traditional marketing approach if the app goes away.

“It’s just a tool for us,” she says, “and like everything in our business, we have to diversify the tools.”

Palmersheim says she’s managed to build a following on the app by documenting the process of opening her bakery.

“I just decided to post a video of the first week,” she says, “and pretty much as soon as I posted it, it started getting a lot of traction.”

TikTok has around 170-million American users, including some seven-million small business owners. Officials with the app say it drove $15-billion in revenue for small businesses in 2023.

(By Josie Fischels, Iowa Public Radio)

 

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