Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went offline for eight hours on Monday and too many small business owners lost their minds. I pivoted and worked on a blog post draft. When I shifted to social media, my Twitter feed was filled with questions, finger-pointing and realizations that maybe there is more to having an online business than sharing posts on a Facebook Page.
Yep.
If you run a business, claim your real estate online so you’re not dependent on social media platforms as the sole connection to your audience. Why? You have no control over when social media sites will go down for maintenance, or for how long.
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Having your own website is the answer.
It can be one or two pages of information about what you do and how to contact you. Or, it can be an in-depth resource for readers. Whatever it is, it is yours and you (pretty much) control when it will go down for updates or maintenance. I currently use WordPress hosted by Siteground for both of my websites. Siteground, by the way, has amazing customer service both online and by old-fashioned telephone calls.
It’s also a good idea to create an email list of subscribers.
I use a service called Aweber to collect names and emails from my writing website and my lifestyle blog. When a website or social media page goes down, you can land in your subscribers’ email inboxes with an update on what’s going on and how to reach you. Your networking capabilities may hit a road bump, but it’s better than dropping off a cliff!
I’ve been working online full-time for the past 13+ years. Learning to diversify your web presence is critical for building and maintaining an audience. When one pillar goes down, have several others to lean into. It’s like the old ‘eggs in a basket’ analogy. Have many. Social media is just one egg.
Here’s where I’m at online, beyond social media.
WebWritingAdvice.com is my home base. You can learn about my writing services, project availability, who I work with and pick up some writing tips via the blog. There’s also a Contact page with my email and social media handles.
If you’d like an email each time I publish a new blog post on the Web Writing Advice blog, you can sign up here.
I also write at CupcakesAndYogaPants.com. That’s my personal lifestyle blog where I share my journey with autoimmune disease. It’s been up for over six years! If you have a chronic health condition, you might find some of my tips and ideas helpful too.
If you’d like an email each time I publish a new blog post on the Cupcakes and Yoga Pants blog, you can sign up here.
I also regularly update three online writing portfolios where I share articles, blog posts, e-books and other things I’ve written online for my content marketing clients and websites.
Feel free to browse these at:
Is it time to evaluate your online presence? How can potential business partners, readers and clients find you? If your number one social media feed goes offline tomorrow, do you have additional ways to connect with your clients and readers online?
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Note: This post was last updated on November 1, 2022.
