The recent shutdown of TikTok has served as a wake-up call to businesses and creators, highlighting the risks associated with reliance on a single platform. Within hours, thousands of influencers raced to secure their digital presence elsewhere in what proved to be a brutal lesson — if brands don’t build independent ecosystems, they risk losing it all in a single day.
To identify the strategies a brand should use to future-proof itself, I spoke to five experts in various fields to discuss the tactics they think would give a brand ownership of the future. These included building community, adapting to the trends of tomorrow, and taking actionable steps towards becoming more regulatory-resistant.
Owning Your Audience: Reducing Platform Dependence
Patrick Bet-David, Visionary Entrepreneur and Host of the PBD Podcast, emphasizes the importance of brand influence in creating a self-sustaining business ecosystem:
"This last ball conference we had with The Rock during a CEO session, which is a smaller one—it wasn’t all but 6,000 people—I broke down how your brand becomes the engine to your flywheel. Let me say that again: Your brand, your influence, becomes the engine to your flywheel. For example, PBD Podcast feeds Minnect, the Minnect app that gives me questions feeds our consulting firm—that’s a flywheel, but it all starts off with the brand. PBD Podcast, and Instagram, and Twitter (X), LinkedIn, feed into our merch. Our merch—we sold two years ago, three years ago, 690 pieces all year—last year, we sold 120,000 pieces of merch because of the influence of the brand. So you need a big brand to drive your flywheel of businesses that you’re doing. By the way, the same goes as well with podcasts—the bigger the brand you have, the better the guests you’ll get, the better the guests you’ll get, the better the sponsorships you’ll get, the better the sponsorships you’ll get, the better the opportunities you’ll get."
Brand influence isn’t just for big names—it’s essential for any creator or business seeking long-term stability. While Bet-David highlights the importance of the brand as a flywheel, Gunny Scarfo, Co-Founder of Nonfiction Research and Co-Author of the largest open-market study of online creators ever done in 2021, provides insight into how creators can reduce their dependence on external platforms and build actual ownership over their audience.
“Creators & marketers need social media platforms, but they’re looking to make their livelihood less vulnerable to the ups and downs of those platforms. They don’t want to risk their income on surviving the next algorithm change, or the next TikTok shutdown. They’re looking for ways to own their own content through subscriptions, memberships, and tips. Creators are putting community and subscription platforms they own (like Substack and Mighty Networks) at the core of their business, and use social media platforms to reach new people. Then they feed those new customers back into the community they actually own. It makes them less vulnerable. In the study, we call them independent creators.“
According to Scarfo’s study, From Dependence to Independence: The Rise of the Independent Creator (2021), "77% of creators worry about being dependent on social media platforms for their earnings."
Joe Rogan’s success highlights the power of audience ownership. After growing on YouTube, he secured a $100M+ Spotify deal, maintaining control over content and revenue beyond ad-driven platforms. Despite content moderation concerns, his loyal audience follows him across platforms, proving ownership shields brands from shifting platform rules.
Actionable Steps for Ownership:
Build a Brand Flywheel: Whatever you produce, content, products, or services should generate demand for the others.
Monetize Beyond Social Media: Don’t rely solely on ad revenue; create direct income streams such as subscriptions, memberships, merchandise, and digital products.
Own Your Audience Connection: Develop email lists, direct messaging platforms, and own communities to maintain complete control over audience relationships regardless of algorithm changes.
Building Authentic Communities
Owning an audience is just the start—future-proofing comes from nurturing those relationships. An engaged community transforms followers into brand ambassadors to help drive trust, loyalty, and long-term equity.
In an algorithm-driven landscape, engagement and loyalty matter more than follower counts. Alia Almarri, founder of DIG agency, emphasizes:
“To stay ahead in today’s fast-changing social media landscape, brands need to have a less transactional experience with consumers and instead see them as humans. By tapping into consumer insights, understanding your target audience, and analyzing data, brands can adjust their strategies and find new ways to connect with their audience more accurately and effectively even with the evolving landscape.“
Brands like Gymshark and Tesla have built strong communities through unique strategies. Gymshark fosters loyalty with creative marketing, exclusive events, and brand ambassadors. Tesla’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) model, referral programs, and online forums engage customers, creating a self-sustaining system that thrives on organic growth and long-term loyalty.
How to Build Loyalty Within Your Community:
Engagement Over Follower Count: Focus on fostering meaningful interactions rather than chasing numbers.
Own Your Platform: Use your blog or website as your content hub.
Real-World Bridges: Host meetups, workshops, or live Q&As to create deeper audience bonds.
💡An engaged community transforms followers into brand ambassadors, but how you communicate visually can make or break that connection. Discover how small design elements impact brand perception in marketing communication:
Adapting to Social Media and Influencer Trends
Building a community goes beyond engagement—it’s about staying culturally relevant. This means shaping your approach according to social media trends and consuming real-time content.
With ever-changing algorithms, brands must stay agile. Genesis Cosme, Senior Event Marketing Designer, emphasizes the importance of continuous learning:
“The key to staying ahead in an ever-evolving digital landscape involves constant consumption and learning. Immersing yourself in the same content spaces your audience occupies - whether it’s social media, podcasts, or other trending entertainment - provides first hand insight into what resonates emotionally and how storytelling techniques are evolving.
Beyond just keeping up with trends, observing how language, humor, and cultural references shift over time as a passive observer helps you develop an intuitive sense of relevancy and authenticity. This understanding isn’t just helpful for content creation and adapting to platform changes, it’s essential for building meaningful connections in an environment where attention spans are short and competition is fierce!“
Brands that have recently made national waves—like Supreme with limited-edition drops and influencer collaborations or Stanley with its classic tumbler turned viral sensation through TikTok trends and influencer marketing—highlight the power of cultural relevance.
How to Stay Ahead of Social Media and Influencer Trends:
Partner with Micro-Influencers for Authentic Engagement: By partnering with micro-influencers, brands can connect with niche audiences with more genuine, relatable content and build stronger trust and connection.
Diversify Content Across Platforms: With algorithm and platform rules constantly changing, don’t depend on a single platform. Utilize content on different platforms to drive maximum reach and stability.
Monitor and Adapt to Audience Behavior: Stay ahead by analyzing how consumer preferences shift regarding content format, platform usage, and engagement trends.
💡With social media trends constantly evolving, your branding must remain adaptable yet consistent. Learn more about the foundational elements of branding and why it’s the key to long-term success in my article:
Navigating Government Regulations and Brand Adaptability
As digital marketing continues to evolve, brands must stay current on trends and respond to new rules that shape how they interact with audiences. Adhering to stricter privacy laws and changing content guidelines builds trust with your audience and ensures success.
Regulations and algorithm changes aren’t just roadblocks—they’re reminders that brands need control. Companies prioritizing direct audience relationships over dependence on social media or search platforms will remain resilient amid industry shifts.
Anthony Miyazaki, Brand Strategist and Marketing Educator, emphasizes the importance of direct communication channels:
“Future-proofing a brand starts with becoming a trusted source of expertise and dependability; when audiences see you as both meaningful and memorable, loyalty follows. Long-term success also requires control over your customer relationships and messaging rather than relying solely on social media platforms. This means building direct communication channels—such as email, texting, apps, or other owned platforms—so that when social or search algorithms change, your ability to engage and connect remains intact. Brands that prioritize these strategies won’t just adapt to shifts in the digital landscape; they’ll thrive in them.”
Patreon enables creators to interact directly with audiences via subscriptions. While brands have come to depend on social media algorithms, Patreon users build self-sustaining communities that give members power over engagement and messaging. This aligns with Miyazaki’s insight—ownership is the key to future-proofing success.
Strategies for Navigating Digital Regulations:
Develop First-Party Data Strategies: Brands should focus on building owned email lists, direct messaging, and private communities to avoid relying on third-party data.
Diversify Revenue Streams: Create various income streams, such as subscriptions, memberships, and products.
Stay Proactive with Compliance Changes: Implement continuous monitoring for changes in platform policies, industry regulations, and data privacy laws for end-to-end stability and compliance.
The uncertainty of digital platforms underscores a critical truth—brands that don’t take control of their ecosystems will always be at the mercy of shifting algorithms, regulations, and platform shutdowns. The TikTok ban was a wake-up call, proving how fragile a digital presence can be when built on rented land. Proper stability comes from ownership—establishing direct audience relationships, diversifying platforms, and ensuring that no single change in the digital landscape can erase years of effort overnight.
Future-proofing sets the stage for long-term influence. By building strong communities, earning trust, and embracing adaptability, brands will survive disruptions and shape the digital world's future.
Resilient brands don’t just keep up with change—they create a strong foundation for thriving no matter where the market moves next.
💡Regulations and changing platform policies aren't just challenges—they're reminders of why brand control and financial strategy matter. Want to ensure your business remains profitable amidst uncertainty? Explore my insights on contribution margin and breakeven analysis in: