Possible TikTok ban could restrict how small businesses connect with customers [Video]

The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published on News5Cleveland.com under a content-sharing agreement.

TikTok could be banned in the United States on Sunday, which could impact how many Ohio small businesses reach customers.

Hoggy’s BBQ, which opened in 1991, has been using TikTok since 2020 and posts daily videos that gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant. Their videos range from breaking down their recipes to going through various items on the menu.

“We’ve worked really hard on it,” said Kyle Turner, the restaurant’s director of marketing and business. “It’s not the end of the world. We will survive and we’re on the other platforms, which will help with marketing, but it will limit our reach. It’ll definitely hurt our marketing capacity a little bit.”

Small businesses have used TikTok to connect with customers in new ways.

“To have (TikTok) just sort of taken away all …