Did you suffer from Facebook Problems like…well….pretty much everyone else yesterday?
Facebook and Instagram both had massive outages yesterday. Whenever something goes down with Facebook or Youtube or one of the other heavy hitters, Twitter blows up with “Hey, Facebook is down, so I’m posting here for a bit”, so I was hanging out some there instead.
However, I also noticed the majority of my contacts are on Facebook. Not all, mind you. Misfit is on all the major networks, from LinkedIn to Twitter to YouTube, Instagram, and of course, Facebook and the soon-to-be-dead Google +. However, the majority of my interactions are through Facebook, so if it is down, my contact reach suffers significantly.
It definitely opened up my eyes that I need to better utilize ALL of my social networks more in order to build my network there for when a system may go down. I’ve already been focusing on LinkedIn a lot over the last month (an article is incoming on that), so I have a solid following there that almost matches Facebook. Twitter grows slowly and Instagram is always fun for the visual stimulation.
So do you rely mainly on Facebook for your social interaction with your follows? What would you do if it were suddenly gone?
Would your business suffer? Probably, if you were active and had a decent following.
My recommendation is to start branching out and trying new social networks you may not have used before or may not be used to. Don’t shy away from using LinkedIn for business (trust me, it provides a ton of value). Learn how to reach customers on Twitter and YouTube. Interact with your followers on all network so that if one of them goes down, you still have the ability to put out good or viral content to be shared.
And of course, if you’d rather not have to manage your own social media, we do offer social media management services.
Here are some ideas on how to expand your social reach when there are Facebook problems again:
LinkedIn: One of the most prolific platforms for B2B advertising, LinkedIn is growing by leaps and bounds lately. Not only did they just launch their LinkedIn Live functionality, but they also purchased Lynda.com to provide a massive online learning platform with LinkedIn Learning. You should be talking business on LinkedIn, plain and simple.
We’ll create a separate article about all the benefits of LinkedIn for your business, but for now, at least start getting your business situated on the platform and get ready to rock the B2B sphere.
Twitter: The go-to place for when everything else is down. Twitter is pretty solid in its foundation, though its reach through business is not as easy to utilize as Facebook.
The benefit of Twitter though, is you can pinpoint users in your general area and respond to them about inquiries or questions they have, even if they don’t relate to your industry at all. Being helpful on social media helps your business stand-out. You can see what people are talking about that live in your area.
Instagram: The sub-sect of Facebook, Instagram is also growing largely among creatives. Since they use the same advertising platform as Facebook, it’s easy to reach the same demographics, but with more of a creative flair.
Instagram requires images to post, and you can’t post links in your posts, so people rely heavily on stories and hashtags to find content. Make sure you are utilizing both for business.
YouTube: If you have a business, you should be creating video content. Whether it’s talking about a new project, providing free advice and education, or just showing the processes of your industry, you can find something to create a video about.
And Google owns YouTube and likes ranking videos in its search results. How can you go wrong?
Pinterest: Pinterest is like an idea board for people wanting to take on projects. Businesses have also utilized it for educational articles and even selling products. Don’t negate the power of providing something of value on Pinterest and having thousands of users pin it to their boards (which then shows to their friends, and so on).
If you can create an infographic about your industry or can teach your users something, you have a value you can place on Pinterest.
Don’t negate e-mail lists!
E-Mail lists are still a massively successful method for not only keeping in contact with your followers but educating them and providing value to them on a regular basis.
While you don’t want to spam them, keeping your brand visible once a month or so will allow you to stay fresh in their minds. Utilizing your website to harvest e-mails of people who contact you with questions or quotes is also another way to continue to grow your lists.
Of course, your website is always your biggest tool!
If social media goes down, your website is still your best asset to find your clients and get your name out there. If you aren’t blogging or updating static pages with fresh content regularly, you are missing out on a lot of potential traffic.
Think of your website as your online business card. It makes a lasting impression and is always where your users can find you and contact you.
