SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The fate of TikTok is currently in the hands of the Supreme Court as the Justices consider the legality of a law that would ban the platform if its China-based owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell off its U.S. operation by January 19th. The viral video app has 170 million American users, many of whom use it for marketing their business or selling products.
You may not guess it from the outside of a body repair shop in Sioux Falls, but the work that goes on inside has caught the attention of thousands of people on TikTok.
“One of the main videos that went viral at first was an accidental posting,” Jack Bucknell, owner of Sioux Falls Dent Repair, said. “Like a video that was in the process of being edited and I accidentally hit the ‘post’ button and just left it. Then it got over a million-plus views.”
Jack Bucknell, owner of Sioux Falls Dent Repair, says he’s seen the impact social media can have on small businesses.
“I’ve had guys bring motorcycle tanks from Colorado. I’ve had people from Minnesota — two, three, four hours away,” Bucknell said. “I just did two cars earlier this year that were from Watertown.”
He says personally he doesn’t want to see TikTok get banned but for his business, he’ll find a way to pivot.
“Switch gears to another platform and pursue that more,” Bucknell said.
As the clock ticks on TikTok, Bucknell says he’ll likely focus more on Facebook and YouTube, but he has these marketing tips for other small businesses no matter the platform.
“Showcasing what you do, maybe what sets you apart from other industries or other businesses for that matter is all really important. And also showcasing your face,” Bucknell said.
President-elect Donald Trump has said he opposes banning TikTok and has asked the Supreme Court to delay their decision.
According to a September 2024 report published by Oxford Economics in collaboration with Tik Tok, eight thousand businesses in South Dakota actively use Tik Tok and 46 percent of small to mid-sized businesses say the app is critical to them.
