The outages of Facebook + Instagram make us wonder, what kind of backup plan does your company have for a social media blackout?
In some cases, missing a day or two of social posts might not seem like a huge deal, but for companies and e-commerce businesses where a majority of their revenue is generated directly from social media, blackouts cause a significant loss in revenue.
As professionals in integrated marketing, we strongly advise our clients against putting all of their proverbial eggs in one basket. So, when social media is down, here are a few ways to ensure your message is still received.
Social media users flocked to Twitter to find out what was going on when Instagram and Facebook went black, and engagement skyrocketed. Since they couldn’t post on those two channels, they made sure their messages were still available on other channels. This strategy only works if you are currently on Twitter and have an engaged following so we recommend a more robust plan than just tapping into another social channel that isn’t down. It helps to have a policy in place for doubling up on Twitter, LinkedIn or other channels when Instagram or Facebook goes down. This is also a great opportunity to plan some fun, spontaneous messaging on other channels letting your audience know you’re still alive and posting!
In the event of a social media blackout, utilize your website and make sure your customers still have access to your key information. This is also a great opportunity to post to your blog. If you can’t share information on Facebook + Instagram, you can share it as a short blog post so customers can easily access updates from your business. You can also add a temporary pop-up on your home page or a slider image to post timely info during a blackout.
We tell our customers over and over again that they do not own their social media fans and followers, but you do own your newsletter list. Put as much effort into building your newsletter subscribers list as you do to build your Instagram or Facebook following. Newsletters also offer intuitive analytics so you can track and manage your messaging and subscribers lists. When social media goes down, newsletters are a quick and easy solution for updating customers and you know the folks you’re updating are a captive audience because they have chosen to subscribe.
If you are a restaurant who pushes daily specials + features out by social media, dedicated customers will still want to know what to expect even when social media is down. Newsletters let you stay in touch with your fan base immediately, without a great deal of effort. You will also want to make sure your specials are broadcast on all of your other channels and add a temporary pop-up to your website so customers can easily find out what your daily specials include. However, none of this is going to happen unless you have a plan in place, and now you do!
We can help you get your digital marketing in tip-top shape so you’re not sitting in the dark wondering how you’re going to talk to your customers + fans when the next blackout occurs. As integrated marketers who focus on thoughtful strategy, we are here to help ensure your business has multiple marketing tactics in place for relaying information to your customer base. Because best practices during a blackout are actually integral tools for a healthy marketing strategy.
Don’t wait for the next emergency to get set up! Let’s get to work.
