As a savvy business owner, you use today’s tech and tools to get the word out about your business. Social media is an amazing set of tools to get you noticed by new people, and to build trust among the fans and followers you have.  

With the ability to create videos, blogs, post photos, join groups, and have more than one business page — it seems the whole world of business marketing is right there for you to enjoy on social media. And if you want to take it further, buying ads on any of the social media channels is typically affordable compared to an ad in a magazine or newspaper (remember those?). 

If you can sense a big BUT coming, you’re right.  

BUT you don’t own Facebook or LinkedIn or Instagram or Twitter or any other social site. Therefore, you don’t have control over any of it. This means that any of your groups, posts, videos, photos, can all disappear tomorrow or in the flash of an instant. Let’s put it this way – you rent a lovely apartment. Are you going to spend $20,000 on renovating the kitchen in a rented apartment? Of course not – because you don’t own it. FB is that rented apartment.  

You do not own whatever YOU post in your own social media channel.  

I’m dismayed at the folks who say they have 16 billion followers on [insert channel here] and that all their marketing is through this channel. If that platform goes away tomorrow or goes down because of a technical glitch or they just want to pull your stuff, then all your followers and videos and uploaded material and photos go away. Poof. 

I am not telling you NOT to use social media – it has its advantages and benefits. I’m telling you to look at it with open eyes. If you rent an apartment or condo, your landlord can come by at any moment and tell you to leave. Social media is your rental unit. With all the love and care and hard work of all your marketing assets and pages and groups and followers, it all counts for nothing when the rug gets pulled out right from under you. 

What should you do instead? 

Use what you do own – your website, your email list, your memberships to associations and networking groups. These investments give you ownership. Grow your email list, place your videos, photos and downloadables in your website. Work your networking group and participate in your membership organization. Those belong to you, you paid for them.  

Take action RIGHT NOW. Go through your social media channels: 

  • Gather the email addresses of all those loyal fans and upload them into your email marketing list. Let them know ahead of time that you’re going to continue giving them access to all the cool stuff you were sharing, but for security’s sake, you will be sharing via email.  
  • Whatever materials you were uploading to social media, upload instead to specific pages on your website. Share the URLS with your fans. 
  • Have backups of everything in your own computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, whatever you prefer.  

I hope this helps! You’ve worked too hard on all those marketing activities to have it all taken away from you without any control.  

As a small business consultant, it’s my business to help you become more efficient at your business. Systems and processes are critical for sustainability and growth. If you are not sure why your business isn’t growing at the rate you’d like, it could be pointing to an issue in your operations that you cannot readily see.  

I invite you to schedule a phone call with me. Let’s talk about what you love in your business and what you know needs improving. If I’m not the best fit to work with you, chances are I can point you to other resources. 

Start here: https://calendly.com/susana-f/phone-consult