NOW. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. At five o’clock. TIKTOK COULD BE BANNED IN THE US BY SUNDAY. THE SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS THE LAW BANNING THE APP, WHICH WOULD AFFECT MILLIONS IN THE COUNTRY WHO ARE ON TIKTOK. MANY BUSINESS OWNERS IN CENTRAL IOWA UNDERSTAND KCCI. KAYLA JAMES SPOKEN WITH SOME WHO SAY THE LOSS OF TIKTOK PERMANENTLY LIMITS SOME THINGS. KAYLA LOVES THE EXPOSURE. LAURA, BOTH BUSINESS OWNERS I SPOKE WITH, ALL SAY THAT THEY HAVE HAD PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY SAW A VIDEO ON TIKTOK. BOTH EVEN TOLD ME THEY HAD PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE AREA FROM DIFFERENT STATES WHO FOUND THEM THROUGH THE MAYBE SOON BANNED APP. WHETHER THEY COME FOR COFFEE OR FOR TREATS. VINTAGE ROAD COFFEE OWNER MELANIE CLARKE KNOWS IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO VISIT HER STORES IN MERCYONE, WEST OF MADRID, AND THE MOBILE TRAILER THAT KEEP THE FOUR-YEAR-OLD BUSINESS. I spent AYRESVILLE dancing and her Tiktok videos like this one, showing an employee preparing one of the drinks on the menu. THIS REALLY HELPS ATTRACTING COFFEE LOVERS, AND PEOPLE COME ASKING FOR THE DRINKS WE MAKE, SO WE KNOW IT WORKS, SAYS OUR FAVORITE POP TARTS. CLARKE SAYS SHE KNOWS NEARLY 1,000 TIKTOK FOLLOWERS. THEY HAVE. IT’S NOT A LOT, BUT THE VIDEOS THEY POWER THROUGH THE APP REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THEY REACH 80% ADVERTISING FROM NEW PEOPLE VERSUS 20% ADVERTISING FROM OUR PEOPLE WHO ALREADY FOLLOW US. THIS IS WHY CLARKE SAYS BANING TIKTOK WILL IMPACT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. Even though lawmakers have taken action due to national security concerns, there really is no safe place for your data. I feel like a lot of the time, you know, you run that risk when you put yourself out there. IT’S IT’S DIFFICULT. THIS IS A TOUGH SITUATION FOR BUSINESS OWNERS, A TOUGH SITUATION. CASSIDY MARKS, OWNER OF STACEY’S BRIDAL BOUTIQUE, KNOWS WEDDING AND PROM DRESSES SO WELL. BE BRAVE, BE BOLD. FIND A STATEMENT PIECE AND MORE. MARK SAYS THE SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM HELPED THE SHOP GET NEARLY 250,000 TIKTOK FOLLOWERS, WITH THIS VIDEO SHOWING ONE OF THEIR MODELS IN A DRESS, EARNING 2 MILLION VIEWS. I AM REALLY AWARE OF WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS DOING TO YOUNG MINDS AS A HUMAN, I AM AWARE OF THE FACT THAT OTHER COUNTRIES COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION, BUT AS A BUSINESS OWNER WE WILL LOSE OUR GREATEST ABILITY TO CONNECT TO OUR CUSTOMERS. MARKS SAYS ONE THING SHE AND HER TEAM REALLY FOCUS ON IS BODY POSITIVITY, ESPECIALLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WITH THE TIKTOK BAN READY TO COME INTO EFFECT, ON SUNDAY, MARKS AND OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS USING THE APP NOW HAVE A WISH SOMEONE HURRY UP AND FIND AN ALTERNATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM. JUST LIKE TIKTOK. IT’S BASED IN THE UNITED STATES. Why hasn’t this happened yet? NOW, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SAYS HIS ADMINISTRATION WILL NOT ENFORCE THE LAW WHEN IT TAKES EFFECT. ON HIS LAST DAY IN OPERATION AFTER A SUPREME COURT RULING IS GIVEN TODAY, PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP SAID HE NEEDS TIME TO REEXAMINE THE SITUATION. LAURA. WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. KAYLA. THANK YOU. KCCI HAS FOLLOWED THIS STORY SINCE THE TIKTOK BAN WAS FIRST PROPOSED. WE TALKED TO LOCAL INFLUENCERS BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT’S RULING REGARDING THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PLATFORM. YOU CAN FIND THIS
Iowa business owners who use TikTok share what banning the app could do for businesses
“What I wish is for someone to hurry up and find an alternative social media platform, just like TikTok, based in the United States,” said one business owner.
Updated: 7:34 p.m. CST January 17, 2025
As the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law banning TikTok starting Sunday, business owners who use the app to grow their business and visibility are concerned about the change. Some of these business owners live right here in Iowa. Whether people come for the coffee or the treats, Melanie Clark, owner of Vintage Road Coffee, knows it’s the people who visit her stores in MercyOne West, Madrid, and the mobile trailer that keep the business going. “People come in and ask for the drinks we make, so we know it works,” Clark said. Clark opened her business in 2021. The business’s TikTok page has nearly 1,000 followers. Although she knows the audience isn’t big, Clark says the videos she and her staff post on the page really make a difference. “The videos we put out reach about 80% audience from new people, compared to about 20% audience from people who already follow us,” Clark said. Business owners believe the TikTok ban will impact them, even though they know lawmakers took the action for national security reasons. “There’s really no safe place for your data,” Clark said. “I feel like a lot of the time you run that risk when you expose yourself.” “It’s tough. It’s a tough position for business owners to be in,” said Cassidy Marks, owner of Stacey’s Bridal, Prom & Formalwear in Urbandale. Marks has owned Stacey’s Bridal, which has been around for decades, for three years. They sell wedding dresses, prom dresses, men’s formal wear and much more. “One of the things we do here is really, really focus on self-esteem and body image,” Marks said. “Being able to get people to come in and buy their daughters and say in tears, ‘Do you even have something that will fit my daughter? Other stores stop at size 10.’ I have a big smile on my face and I say, ‘Let me show you all the sizes: triple 0 to 30.'” Marks says the social media team helped the store’s TikTok account win nearly of 250,000 subscribers. Just recently, a video featuring their model was viewed two million times. “I’m aware of the fact that other countries could potentially have access to information that we don’t really want them to have ours,” Marks said. “However, as a business owner, we would lose our greatest ability to connect with our customer base.” With the TikTok ban set to go into effect on Sunday, Marks and other business owners using the app now have one wish. “What I would like is for someone to hurry up and find an alternative social media platform, just like TikTok, based in the United States,” Marks said. KCCI ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter
With the United States Supreme Court enforce the law banning TikTok from SundayBusiness owners who use the app to grow their business and visibility are concerned about this change. Some of these business owners live right here in Iowa.
Whether people come for coffee or for treats, Vintage Road Cafe Owner Melanie Clark knows it’s the people who visit her stores at MercyOne West in Madrid and the mobile trailer that keep the business going.
“People come in and ask for the drinks we make, so we know it works,” Clark said.
Clark opened her business in 2021. The business’s TikTok page has nearly 1,000 followers.
Although she knows the audience isn’t big, Clark says the videos she and her staff post on the page really make a difference.
“The videos we put out reach about 80% audience from new people, compared to about 20% audience from people who already follow us,” Clark said.
Business owners believe the TikTok ban will impact them, even though they know lawmakers took the action for national security reasons.
“There’s really no safe place for your data,” Clark said. “I feel like a lot of the time you run that risk when you expose yourself.”
“It’s tough. It’s a tough situation for business owners,” said Cassidy Marks, owner of Stacey’s Bridal, Prom and Evening Wear in Urbandale.
Marks has owned Stacey’s Bridal, which has been around for decades, for three years. They sell wedding dresses, prom dresses, men’s formal wear and much more.
“One of the things we do here is really, really focus on self-esteem and body image,” Marks said. “Being able to get people to come in and buy their daughters and say in tears, ‘Do you even have something that will fit my daughter? Other stores stop at size 10.’ I have a big smile on my face and I say, “Let me show you all the sizes: triple 0 to 30.”
Marks says the social media team helped the shop’s TikTok account gain nearly 250,000 followers. Just recently, a video featuring their model was viewed two million times.
“I’m aware of the fact that other countries could potentially have access to information that we don’t really want them to have ours,” Marks said. “However, as a business owner, we would lose our greatest ability to connect with our customer base.”
As TikTok ban set to come into effect on SundayBrands and other business owners using the app now have one wish.
“What I would like is for someone to hurry up and find an alternative social media platform, just like TikTok, based in the United States,” Marks said.
KCCI ON SOCIAL MEDIA: