Why Relying Solely on Social Media for Your Marketing is Not the Best Marketing Strategy
Many businesses, including small ones, often prioritise social media as their primary marketing tool to attract new clients to their websites, and it’s easy to see why. Today, we will discuss why relying solely on social media for your marketing is not the best marketing strategy.
With a staggering 4.48 billion people using social media worldwide, it is an attractive avenue for marketing efforts. However, exclusively banking on social media can be a substantial error, especially for small businesses like ours.
When you establish your presence on social media, you operate within someone else’s domain. Yes, you may get great engagement but do not control it. What you post and share doesn’t technically belong to you and can vanish instantly.
Suppose you devote all your resources to building an impressive social media presence without any backup plan. In that case, you’re exposing yourself to the risk of losing everything. This vulnerability arises because social media platforms have the authority to ban, restrict, or penalise your company at their discretion without necessarily providing an explanation.
You might think such actions rarely affect small businesses, but that’s only partially accurate.
What’s allowed and not on social media is continually evolving. Nowadays, even innocuous content can lead to a ban or restriction. Sometimes, individuals face consequences solely because their niche doesn’t align with the platform’s image. This has had a huge effect on small businesses over the years and business owners still seem to ignore it or not realise that relying solely on social media for your marketing is not the best Marketing Strategy
Additionally, social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram can inadvertently flag or ban posts due to the occasional confusion of their artificial intelligence systems.
Given these considerations, it’s worth reevaluating whether building your company’s entire marketing strategy on someone else’s platform is wise. Is it still your preference to rely solely on social media for marketing and promoting your small business?
Here are nine essential reasons why relying solely on social media for your marketing is not the best marketing strategy and that diversifying your marketing efforts beyond social media is crucial:
Loss of Control
Social media platforms are owned by third-party companies. This means you have limited control over your presence, content, and the platform’s rules and algorithms. These platforms can change their algorithms or policies at any time, impacting the visibility of your content or even shutting down your account without notice.
Vulnerability to Hacks
As you mentioned, social media profiles are vulnerable to hacking attempts. A hacked account can lead to the loss of valuable content, a tarnished reputation, and a potentially compromised connection with your audience. Recovering from a social media hack can be a time-consuming and costly process.
Follower Loss
Social media platforms can suspend or terminate accounts for various reasons, often without clear explanations. Losing access to your social media accounts means losing all your followers and the relationships you’ve built. This sudden loss of followers can significantly disrupt your marketing efforts and customer engagement.
Algorithm Changes
Social media algorithms are constantly evolving. What works today may not work tomorrow. Changes in algorithms can decrease the organic reach of your content, making it easier to connect with your audience if you pay for advertising.
Limited Data Ownership
While social media platforms provide some data on your audience, you don’t own this data. Building your own customer database through a website and email marketing allows you to have more control and ownership of valuable customer information.
Competition and Noise
Social media platforms are inundated with content and competition. It can be challenging to stand out and reach your target audience amidst the noise unless you invest significant time and money into paid advertising.
Lack of Brand Authority
Having a website gives your business a sense of legitimacy and authority. It serves as a centralised hub for all your content, products, and services, showcasing your brand’s professionalism and credibility.
Diversification
Relying on a single marketing channel is like putting all your eggs in one basket. Diversifying your marketing efforts across various channels, including SEO, content marketing, email marketing and social media, helps spread the risk and ensures a broader reach.
Long-Term Stability
Your website is a stable and long-term asset you have complete control over. As long as you maintain your domain and hosting, your website will remain intact.
While social media can be a valuable element of a small business’s marketing strategy, it should not be the sole focus. To mitigate risks and ensure long-term success, small businesses should invest in building and maintaining their websites, growing email lists, and diversifying their marketing efforts across multiple channels. This approach provides more control, ownership, and stability in the ever-changing digital landscape.
If you would like to know more about how you can create a multi-channel marketing strategy that doesn’t just rely on social media for your marketing, book a free discovery call today https://bit.ly/2XHITqW
