In recent weeks, there has been a lot of negative news about Facebook. However, our attention is mainly focused on the latest #facebookdown outage. You know, the one that brought the world of social media to a halt. The fact that this occurred with Facebook, one of the most popular networks, surprised many people. However, surprises aside, it did happen, and with it came losses for businesses.
How is that possible? The problem is that many businesses receive a large amount of traffic from Facebook and related social media platforms like Instagram and Whatsapp. Because of this, these outages can have dire financial consequences.
So how do you avoid this happening in the future? That’s simple. Engagement on various digital channels across the digital marketing landscape is key to a robust digital marketing campaign.
Social media channels alone are too limiting. Therefore, even if one or two platforms go down, you will still be able to reach your audience. I’m sure that the recent site outage has made you nervous if you are heavily dependent on Facebook or any of its apps for your business.
However, on the upside, hopefully, it can serve as a wake-up call to ramp up your digital marketing efforts and skills across the board.
So What Actually Happened?
The world of social media came to a halt at around 11:40 in the morning on October 4th, 2021, UTC. As a result, people worldwide lost contact with family and friends. They suddenly found themselves facing an uncertain period without social media. The outage lasted approximately six hours and affected businesses as well as the private sector. According to one article in the New York Times, there have been reports of patients not being able to contact their doctors. In addition, online stores were not able to sell their products, and restaurants were not able to sell on their connected Apps.
As it turned out, it was down for quite a few hours. When Facebook did come back on, apparently, it was reported that the outage was due to changes in Facebook’s underlying internet infrastructure. The company stated that interruptions in communications influenced other data centres and halted services. As it turns out, the hardest hit by the outage was, in fact, Facebook itself who reported losing approximately 60 million in revenue.
It was only after a group gained access to Facebook’s servers at a data centre in Santa Clara, Calif., that service was eventually restored. Once the servers were reset, the service was once again restored. Phew!!
Was your business one that was constantly checking the screen to see if the thumbs-up had been received? If you were, you have learned the hard way that relying solely on one marketing strategy is not the best option. Particularly when you start losing revenue from that one strategy, and you’re not sure what’s going to happen next.
Please read on if this strikes a chord with you.
What Can You do to safeguard your business in the future?
“I don’t need a website; I can use Facebook and Instagram Shopping” is not something I predict that you will be hearing a lot of anymore.
Your customers are the foundation of your online business. Therefore for any business, growing a customer base is an essential ingredient to success. In fact, this is what could make or break a business.
If you have only used social media up to now, it may be time to learn or implement some of these digital marketing techniques. By the time the next Facebook outage happens, you will have mastered new levels of digital marketing and avoided any future panic of #facebookdown.
In the event of another #Facebookdown, here are some of the best ways to market your business
Websites
As an alternative to a website, social media has its place, but not as a replacement.
A website is essential to building customer trust. The idea that social media alone is sufficient may seem attractive, but it’s not recommended.
Your website acts as your online calling card. It displays your products, services, and expertise. If someone googles you or searches for your product, industry or service, it will be the first thing they see. Therefore it is essential to make sure it’s informative, easy to navigate, and professional.
Social media can be used for advertising and customer service. Still, it does not replace the need for a website, which is the hub of your online presence.
A well-designed and consistently branded website gives your business an air of professionalism. It says I’ve taken the time to build this site, and I’ve made it very functional and informative, which is why I plan to stay awhile.
Google Ads & Email Marketing
Okay, so you can get more people to click on your ads with paid advertising. However, suppose you’re not able to capture their contact details and convert them into customers. In that case, you’re just shooting yourself in the foot.
Nevertheless, obtaining people’s email addresses can be challenging. Online scams have created a sceptical public. You should therefore learn how to use email marketing effectively.
The following methods will help you grow your list:
- Create forms on your website so visitors can sign up for your newsletter or other offers directly on your website. If you do this, make sure it’s apparent within their field of vision, so they know what you’re asking for when they fill it out. Be transparent and advise them that they can opt-out at any time and that you promise not to spam them.
- Use pop-up forms on landing pages designed to sell something else, like an eBook or checklist, for instance. These pop-ups are not intended to get people to subscribe to your newsletter (but don’t be surprised if they do); instead, they are meant to give them something of value. For you, the value comes from the ability to remarket to them in the future.
What are the benefits of using different digital marketing channels for your business?
By including several digital marketing channels in your marketing campaigns, you reach a larger audience. You communicate with them in the way they prefer. Some people don’t like social media, so you need to find a way to reach them. Additionally, if your customers are primarily social media users, what happens when the algorithms change? Alternatively, in the event of another scenario such as the recent #facebookdown? Your business will be in a much better position to prepare for any eventuality.
Here’s what you can do now
Can you imagine a #Facebookdown situation like that on Black Friday? Imagine you didn’t send out any emails to existing customers alongside your Social Media Campaign. Wouldn’t that be devastating? The time for upskilling yourself in digital marketing is now, so you can prevent a similar occurrence in the future. It will be beneficial to you to know how it all works, even if you are not planning to implement it yourself.
Closing
So many people focus on social media as a channel to market their business. Still, it isn’t the only channel that you should be using. If social media was your only channel, you might risk losing out on a lot of targeted traffic. If any of the social networks go down again, or if they decide to ban your account, you won’t be able to reach your audience at all.
Therefore, a business needs to have a website and learn to optimise its website for search engines (SEO). Email marketing campaigns should also be planned in conjunction with any promotions and implemented. One more way to market to people on the move is through mobile marketing.
At NZIE we believe that to be effective in marketing your business, you should acquire knowledge and experience in all the different aspects of the Digital Landscape.
This is why we offer the following subjects :
- Digital Marketing Principles and Practice
- Content Marketing and Media
- Digital Designs Principles
- Websites and eCommerce
- Mobile Marketing
- Social Media Marketing and Email Marketing
- Search Engine Marketing
- Data Analysis and reporting
Why Study with NZIE?
As industry experts, NZIE tutors bring real-world experience to their classes. Getting ahead in the digital age requires practical skills that are effective and current.
As a result of this investment, you will have a deeper understanding of Digital Marketing. Moreover, all courses are offered online, so you can study from home without affecting your current schedule.
