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What the TikTok Ban Taught Me About Real Marketing
103 Plays3 months ago
In this episode, I’m sharing the unexpected lesson I took from the recent TikTok ban scare and why it was the reminder we all needed. If you’re relying solely on social media to grow your photography business, this episode is your wake-up call. I’m breaking down what you actually own in your business, what you don’t, and how to create a long-term marketing strategy that keeps working no matter what happens online.
Key Takeaways:
1. Social Media Is Rented Real Estate
- You don’t own your Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook accounts.
- They can change, glitch, or disappear without warning—and there’s no customer service to help you recover it.
- The algorithm isn’t responsible for your success—you are.
2. Focus on What You Can Control
- Your website and your email list are platforms you own.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) gets you in front of people actively searching for your services.
- Email marketing gives you a direct line to your audience with far better visibility than social media.
3. Diversify Your Marketing Strategy
- Social media is a tool, not the whole toolbox.
- Your marketing should include SEO-optimized content and a consistent email strategy.
- Real business growth happens off social media.
Final Thoughts:
If the TikTok ban showed us anything, it’s that putting all your eggs in the social media basket is a dangerous game. It's time to focus your energy on platforms that are within your control—your website and your email list. This is how you build a resilient, long-lasting photography business.
Resources & Links:
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to New Season
00:00:01
Elena Blair
Hey everybody, welcome to a brand new season of the Empowered Photographer Podcast. I now have these little video clips that are going to go along with it. I'm not even sure if I'm going to be sharing those on YouTube or whatever. We're making it happen as we go. Kind of sounds a little bit like me, right?
00:00:18
Elena Blair
This is the first season that is going live on the um
TikTok Ban and Emotional Impact
00:00:23
Elena Blair
platforms that are available. So on ah Spotify and Apple and I'm just so grateful so if you are here and you are listening and you're a long-time listener Please take a moment to leave us a five-star review so that we can get more ears and eyes on this podcast But today i want to talk about what ah that tick-tock ban What it taught me what it reminded me of and I want to bring forward that to you my audience so that you can really start thinking about your long-term
00:00:55
Elena Blair
business success, your long-term marketing success.
Control Over Social Media
00:00:58
Elena Blair
So the TikTok ban happened when I was with my three teenagers and one of them literally went into tears. And we all know now it came back. It came back like 12 hours later, but her, she said, my type my entire childhood is gone. Obviously it's only been a couple of years that she's on TikTok, but it was the truth, right? What she had there felt personal and it was just gone like that.
00:01:21
Elena Blair
And I get it, right? I get it. That is a really emotional place to feel like something that you've created or something that you've been consuming has been taken from you.
00:01:32
Elena Blair
I'm glad it's back up, but I hope that for all of you, it was a huge wake-up call. Because what we all have to realize is that we are not in charge of what happens on social media.
Vulnerabilities in Social Media Marketing
00:01:45
Elena Blair
In fact, we have zero control over it. We cannot complain when the grid goes vertical, nor can we complain if the app gets shut down. They never guaranteed to us that this was for life.
00:01:58
Elena Blair
We can blame our lack of business on algorithms if we want, but it's not this algorithm's job to bring us business. It's our job. we were never in charge of the social media space it is rented real estate you do not own your social media platform so if you are putting all of your marketing efforts into that basket if you are relying only on social media You are leaving yourself in a very vulnerable place.
Focus on Controllable Marketing Strategies
00:02:27
Elena Blair
You are opening yourself up to this disaster that is somebody deciding that your account isn't worthy anymore. You know how sometimes that happens? i don't know if you've heard of that. People's accounts will just like randomly get shut down.
00:02:38
Elena Blair
Customer service does not exist in the social media world and they're just kind of screwed. um The government or whatever could shut down one of the platforms. The sky's the limit. And of course, the other thing is that they want you to pay for ads, right? You are not in charge.
00:02:52
Elena Blair
So what should you do instead? Social media can only be part of your strategy. It's more of like the introduction. And it in fact, for my photography business, social media is actually a very minimal part of our strategy.
Effectiveness of Email and SEO
00:03:04
Elena Blair
and There are two things that you can control. You control the content on your website and you control your email list. When you send an email, twenty 20 to 30% of the people who you send it to will open.
00:03:20
Elena Blair
When you get shown on the first page of Google for somebody looking for what you are trying to be found for, like for me, Seattle family photographer, if you can get your search engine optimization up to snuff,
00:03:34
Elena Blair
The person who landed on that page is 60% likely to take action on your link. If you post something on social media, 1 to 3% of your followers even see it or engage.
Free Email Resource and Conclusion
00:03:48
Elena Blair
that is enough that those numbers are enough for me to want to focus my efforts on my email list and to want to focus my efforts on my search engine optimization in my mastermind we teach you how to create a website that is high functioning and that converts clients because i'm going to teach you how to send clients to your website with good search engine optimization.
00:04:08
Elena Blair
and But right now, i have an offer, of a freebie for you. If you want to get started with email, if you would like to get started with your email list, you can comment. Actually, you don't have to comment. You can ah in link in show notes. We will link the opt-in for you to get started with your email list now.
00:04:27
Elena Blair
And it's three easy ways to get started with your email list, or it might even be five, right now so that you can start that marketing tactic that is so much more effective and that you're in total control over. So remember, you are not in control of the social media algorithm.
00:04:41
Elena Blair
I would stop putting all of your eggs in that basket and work on things you can't control, your website content and your email list. So we will link the email list opt-in there. And also, if you're curious about my mastermind, I do have applications open right now.
00:04:56
Elena Blair
um And I would love to see you apply. All right. Thanks for listening.