Own Your Audience

Many people would argue that social media is the best, hottest, most relevant place to promote your brand. And while platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are fantastic touch-points to grab new customers and to grow your fan base online – always remember that they are all rented property.

What do we mean? Think of it like renting an apartment. It’s owned by your landlord (let’s say in this case, Facebook) who collects your rent, handles all maintenance, and has final word over what goes on within that apartment. You have some say about how to decorate and live, but the landlord ultimately has control. Any small change by the almighty Facebook, and all of your audience engagement could go down the drain overnight. Or rent (ie. ad spend) could go up dramatically. There are no rules these social platform giants are obligated to play by!

When Facebook changed its algorithm to limit organic reach last year, many businesses felt the burn of having their audience reach cut, some by over 50%. What does that mean in practical terms? It means to stop putting all your eggs in one basket and diversify. You need to own your audience.

Your email list is the only audience that you truly own, and it’s the only place you can truly control what your audience sees. It’s generally more stable and full of customers who are far more likely to convert than your online audiences because it’s a warm list of people who have already expressed interest in your brand. So when someone tells you email marketing is dead – don’t listen to them! Just smile and nod, then continue to to grow your email list with lots of value and engaging content and watch the customers roll in.

PS – Your social content may not be getting the same kind of organic mileage as it once did, and reach could continue to decline or change. But simply cutting the budget and leaving your page to gather dust is unlikely to do you any favours either. Have a strategy in place that integrates social with your other marketing channels for a strong brand presence.

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