You know when Facebook and Instagram crashed in March 2019? Yep – it was a rather stressful time for anyone who manages any social media platform. Well… stressful, might be the wrong word, frustrating as I know I didn’t know when it was coming back on (or what I’d then need to do with the posts that were scheduled to post but couldn’t!). However, the Facebook and Instagram crash, as I’m calling it, was actually a good thing. Why? Because it highlighted a few key things to business owners, and ones that we shouldn’t forget in a hurry as we should all be building on this…
Five reasons the Facebook and Instagram crash was a good thing…
1- It reminded us all that businesses that don’t have their own website are at risk. I know I’ve said this a million or so times, but if your whole business relies on a platform/s that you have zero control over whether they work or not, you’re exposed. And seriously exposed at that. Websites cost SO little nowadays that it’s madness not to have one if you have a business and you’re even remotely serious about it.
2- It made us remember that mailing lists are important. You may have lots of lovely fans and followers on Instagram and Facebook but they aren’t yours… and you can’t speak to them if the platforms stop working. Mailing lists, however, are quite different. GDPR scared people when it came to mailing lists but they can still be built and grown… and more than that, they should.
3- It nudged us to look for ways to grow our mailing lists. Connected to the point above, now’s the time to take mailing list growth seriously.
4- It reminded us to make real connections. Yes, social media is amazing on every possible level – I love it and use it for me and my clients each day, but use it to form real connections. You know I talk about engagement a lot? This is such an important part of making real connections. Use the amazing platforms to find people to work with and to make genuine connections with, not just gather likes to boost your ego.
5- For me, it confirmed that social media is really amazing. Didn’t expect that one, did you? Yes, the great Facebook and Instagram Crash reminded me how incredible social media is. Yes, it has its fair share of flaws and niggles and we like to moan about it – but actually, we shouldn’t. With over 2.2 billion people using Facebook each month and over 1 billion people using Instagram, social media provides us with the most amazing opportunities to grow our business for no or little cost. So let’s put the time into using it properly and well. Let’s not focus on cheating the algorithm, let’s work with it, shall we?
