Tick-tock goes the clock, as a possible TikTok ban creates a flock to other social networks for short-form video content marketers.
If you've followed the news in the last couple of weeks, you know that the government has proposed a law (the RESTRICT Act) that limits certain technologies in the United States. One technology in the crosshairs is China-owned TikTok, which faces the risk of being restricted from accessing users in the US. This isn't the first time the platform's US presence has come under fire, as a ban was originally proposed in 2020 but was later overturned. After the 2023 debacle of the Chinese spy balloons, however, this ban is looking as if it might come to light.
Many businesses and influencers in the United States have built a following on TikTok and rely on it for lead generation, meaning that they will need to scramble to replace this as their preferred distribution channel for short-form video if the ban goes into effect. While TikTok has undoubtedly become one of the most popular social media platforms with over 80 million users in the United States, there are still plenty of other alternatives to explore.
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Instagram:
Instagram has introduced several features to support short-form video, including Reels and Stories. Reels allows users to create and share videos up to 60 seconds long, while Stories are brief videos or images that disappear after 24 hours. Instagram has 1.318 billion global users in 2023, 79.6% of which are between the ages of 18 and 34.
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YouTube Shorts:
YouTube Shorts competes head-to-head with TikTok. It also allows users to create and share short-form videos (up to 60 seconds long) and has a ton of editing tools and music options embedded. Plus, google loves YouTube (because they own it). YouTube Shorts boast 1.5 billion users monthly in 2023 with an outstanding growth rate of 135% growth year over year. Their demographic leans toward males (54%) evenly spread across age demographics.
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Snapchat:
Snapchat is a social media platform that focuses on short-form video and image sharing. They invented the feature that made content incredibly time-sensitive because it disappears within 24 hours. Snapchat currently has over 375 million users, approximately 62% of which are between the ages of 18 and 34.
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Twitter:
Twitter isn't typically associated with short-form video, but in October of 2022, the platform introduced a scrollable video feature called Twitter Fleets to keep up with all the others. As of January 2023, Twitter has 436 million monthly active users (80 million of which are in the US).
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Facebook:
Facebook Stories and Facebook Reels are both supportive formats for short-form video. Facebook Stories allows users to create and share brief videos or images that disappear after 24 hours (just like every other network), while Facebook Reels stick around a little longer. Not only is Facebook the oldest social media network, but also the largest. It has accumulated 2.963 billion users (67% of which log in daily), leaning a bit more toward female users.
Short-form video is here to stay and all of us are guilty of hours of mindless swiping as we watch new dance crazes, silly animals, cooking tips, or whatever our fancy is on the platform. Even if TikTok is banned, our obsession (and limited attention spans) will keep this media popular. As the countdown to the RESTRICT law continues, marketers can proactively explore alternative social networks for their short-form video needs. Only time will tell how this will impact the landscape of social media and digital marketing, but one thing is for sure: the race is on to find the next big thing in short-form video content.