3 Things I Learned From The Facebook and Instagram Outage Last Thursday

Wake Up Call For Entrepreneurs and Internet Marketers

If your business was affected by the outage on Facebook and Instagram, this should be your wake-up call!

Last Thursday (March 13th, 2019), Facebook experienced an outage on its main platform, Instagram and WhatsApp. During that time, thousands of users had issues posting, commenting, and accessing content.

Yikes! Especially for marketers and entrepreneurs (like myself) who use social media for our business!

Why?

Well, there is no doubt that thousands of businesses lost revenue with this outage.

How do I know this?

Well, I experienced it first hand and saw the outcry from advertisers all over social media screaming #facebookdown.

For those like me who pay for advertising, and rely on ads to generate revenue, well our ads just weren’t reaching potential customers.

Businesses and influencers who rely on posting to Instagram, Facebook groups and business pages, well they also lost out on loads of revenue because they couldn’t use the strategy that they so desperately count on.

So here are 3 things I learned as a Marketer and Entrepreneur from the Facebook outage.

Build your own platform.

In this Digital Age that we live in, every entrepreneur needs two important assets to build a thriving business. As an entrepreneur, it is vital that you build your own website and cultivate a growing email list. Because at the end of the day these two assets ARE YOURS!

When you build the foundation of your business on other people’s platforms — such as social media — you are giving up all of the control of your business.

Think of your website and email list as your secure little nest egg, that can keep you afloat in times of disparity.

Have a diverse marketing plan.

A strong marketing plan mixes in many elements and different platforms. This way you aren’t reliant on just one thing, because as we’ve just seen, that can be dangerous.

Yes, digital marketing is important because there are billions of daily users on Facebook and Instagram. However, even within these platforms are different ways to market to your audience. You can post organically, pay for ads, use live video or chatbots. And the list goes on!

To be effective with marketing you should know who you’re trying to reach and what problem you‘re trying to solve for that group. You then look to where that audience hangs out and you create a message directed right at them.

So, choose the platforms that make the most sense for your business. Don't rely on any one thing — you need to add layers and diversity to your plan. Create a marketing mix that survives outages.

Never stop growing your tribe.

The ability to reach your audience is what determines the success of your business. If you truly want your business to to grow, your audience must grow. It’s hand and hand.

The efforts you take into building your audience — especially online — will add dollars to your bottom line.

Try to deliver free content that educates your tribe. So they can share it with friends and family. Be active in your outreach efforts — become an authority on the platforms where your audience hangs out.

And network with other professionals — collaborating with other like-minded entrepreneurs can drive more growth to your business.

This way when an outage like this happens again, your business won’t be affected because you’ve built your audience in multiple places and ways.

So what are the key takeaways?

Well, if your business was affected by the outage on Facebook and Instagram, this should be your wake-up call!

It’s time to build a foundation that’s yours and one that isn’t absolutely relied on by someone else (like Facebook).

Build your business around a diverse marketing plan and that has multiple revenue streams coming in. This way you can protect yourself as much as possible for those uncertain times and outages!

Good Luck!

How were you affected by the outage?!

Please share your experience or opinions in the comments below.

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