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Potential TikTok ban could affect local businesses and operations

Posted at 11:42 AM, Aug 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-04 12:42:50-04

Early August, President Donald Trump made remarks about possibly banning the popular social media application TikTok in the United States due to security concerns.

However, some businesses find the app, made in China, useful in their operations.

Our KRIS 6 News reporter Jeremiah Marshall spoke to a local realtor who says if TikTok were banned, that his business might suffer.

Mirabal Montalvo & Associates real estate agent David Edwards says social media is a powerful tool to help businesses thrive. Back in May Edwards saw TikTok as a new avenue to reach clients.

“I had no followers and I just did a video and it was actually a mistake how I did it, I meant to save it to put it only on my Facebook, and then all of a sudden it started blowing up,” said Edwards.

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Within a short amount of time, Edwards, known as @dealswithdavid on TikTok, gained over 100,000 followers and some of his 15-second videos reached millions of viewers across the nation. Edwards says he really wasn’t a fan of the app in the beginning, so he made the app work for him. Now, he records videos of homes for sale in Corpus Christi on his cell phone and uploaded them on TikTok to get potential buyers.

“I got quite a few clients, a lot of interest, of course, you know a lot of direct messages then I got people buying and selling, definitely, off of TikTok, it’s crazy,” said David Edwards.

Edwards says if he plays his cards right, he can show others what Corpus Christi has to offer and sell more homes.