Marketing Lessons from the Facebook & Instagram Outage
October 4, 2021, a day that will live in social media infamy. Do you remember where you were when the world stopped turning, or should we say scrolling? And by that, I mean the Great Social Media Blackout of 2021…
Social media users around the globe were frantically checking their wifi, restarting their phones, and anxiously scrolling to refresh their Facebook and Instagram feeds. All attempts were unsuccessful for six hours. Or, if you’re an influencer, what felt like decades. What did this mean for brands with a heavy Facebook and Instagram presence? Silence.
What did we learn during the Great Social Media Blackout of 2021 and what can brands do to better prepare if this happens again?
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
You wouldn’t invest all your money in one stock, so why would you invest all your social media marketing in one platform? While many businesses create a Facebook page, they often forget about other important platforms for their brand.
Twitter, social media’s stepchild, was living its best life on October 4. While Facebook and Instagram were dark for hours, users flocked to Twitter to receive the fresh content they were craving. Many brands took advantage of this as an opportunity to poke fun at the blackout and offer content on this collective experience. Twitter is a great platform for sharing of-the-moment commentary and positioning your brand to be relevant during the trends. It is also a simple way to engage with your consumer base.
Google My Business is an excellent platform for small businesses. Do you know what the first thing people do when they are looking for a place to eat, shop or visit? They Google it! If your business doesn’t have a Google My Business, you are missing out on an opportunity to get in front of people organically searching for you or your competitors. On Google My Business you are able to create posts, promote upcoming events, and offer specials directly to your target audience.
LinkedIn puts the “networking” in social networking, this platform is great for business-to-business relationships. Creating a business page on LinkedIn is crucial for establishing your brand’s core values and building your credibility with potential customers. With over 600 million users, LinkedIn is the largest most extensive professional network in the world.
Don’t forget about old school marketing
Traditional marketing is often written off in today’s world of digital marketing, but during the social media blackout, many marketers went back to basics. Your business could likely benefit from traditional marketing channels such as a direct mail campaign, billboards, bus wraps or commercials. Traditional marketing can be more memorable and impactful than digital marketing because it is permanent. Since traditional marketing has no direct interaction, it can be hard to measure. The best marketing plan is to include a mix of digital and traditional marketing into your strategy.
Don’t rely on Facebook as your website
You wouldn’t build your dream home on rented land so don’t build your website on a social media site that can go down for hours. Before the blackout, many businesses didn’t see the need in having a website when they have a Facebook or Instagram. These platforms have made it easy for consumers to shop directly through your social media pages, but what happens when these platforms are down and your customers want to shop? You never want to turn customers away. It is important to have your website on a platform you can easily access and control even during a social media outage.
While websites are seen as mostly transactional, you can interact with your customers on a blog. Blogs are a great way to showcase what you have to offer and helps position you as an expert in your field. They are also great to repurpose content on your social media once it is up and running.
We understand that the thought of creating social media profiles across multiple platforms and creating a website can be intimidating. Let the digital marketing experts at CONRIC pr + marketing help make this a smooth process for your business. We can help you develop a marketing strategy composed of both digital and traditional marketing to expand your reach, even during a blackout. Give our marketing experts a call at 239.690.9840 or schedule a free consultation at conricpr.com.