Diversify Your Online Presence: The Risks of Social Media Platforms

March 6, 2023
Posted in Social Media
06 Mar 2023
Social Media
March 6, 2023 BRKLYN Creative™

Diversify Your Online Presence: The Risks of Social Media Platforms

TL;DR

[29 OCT 2023, updated to list more social media outages for 2023]

The recent Twitter link outage on March 6th, 2023, has once again highlighted the vulnerabilities of relying solely on social media platforms for your online presence. This incident is a stark reminder that depending exclusively on social platforms exposes your business to various risks, including account hacking, platform changes, and algorithm updates that can significantly impact your online presence and visibility. Safeguard your business from potential danger with a dedicated website. We will discuss the importance of diversifying your online presence and how having a dedicated website can help mitigate these risks.

In this article, we review the following:

Critical Questions to Ask Yourself:

    1. Do you rely solely on social media platforms?
    2. Do you have a website or landing page?
    3. Do you have a “link in bio” for your social media pages or funnel leads?
    4. Do you have a marketing funnel that moves leads from social media to your website?
    5. Where is your branding kit?

End State:

Don’t believe the hype. Relying solely on social media platforms for your business makes you locked into another entity. By diversifying your online presence and owning your website, you gain greater control over your content and expand your reach and credibility. Invest in a dedicated website to ensure your business’s long-term success and stability in the ever-changing digital landscape.

The Deep Dive

The recent Twitter outage is a stark reminder of diversifying your online presence. It highlights businesses’ potential risks when relying solely on social media platforms. One of the key risks is the vulnerability to account hacking, which can lead to unauthorized access and misuse of sensitive information. Social media platforms are known for frequently changing their algorithms and user interface, which can directly impact a business’s visibility and reach. Despite a strong following on a particular platform, your content may not reach your intended audience due to these changes.

Moreover, the outage also underscores businesses’ need for a dedicated website. A website provides a more stable and secure online presence and gives you more control over your content and branding. It is a central hub where customers can find accurate and up-to-date information about your products or services. By diversifying your online presence and investing in a dedicated website, you reduce the risk of being solely dependent on social media platforms prone to outages and other unforeseen issues. In conclusion, the Twitter link outage on March 6th, 2023, serves as a wake-up call for businesses to prioritize establishing a dedicated website alongside their presence on social media platforms.

A Loose Analogy

Social media platforms are today’s online malls of the 80s and 90s. You make a short-term lease and immediately begin competing with many competitors. Your potential customers enjoy having a place to loiter, window shop, compare prices, and even enjoy free parking. Still, those patrons also experience dated décor, potholes in the parking lot, an occasional power outage, and some vendors going out of business, leaving a large, empty storefront next door. The mall has locked you in a lease. Depending on their hours, location, and success, you rely on the mall to bring leads in, which may impact your potential customer base.

The fact is you cede vast amounts of control to another.

As we said, it’s a loose analogy.

While social media platforms play a crucial role in our digital landscape, it’s essential to recognize their limitations and take proactive steps to protect our businesses. Diversifying your online presence by investing in a dedicated website is a smart business move and a strategic one that ensures your brand remains visible and accessible, regardless of any social media outage or platform changes that may come our way. Expand your reach, safeguard your future, and embrace the power of a diversified online presence.

Diversifying Your Online Presence: An Essential Strategy

Considering the risks associated with relying solely on social media platforms, diversifying your online presence is an essential strategy for safeguarding your business’s future. One effective way to achieve this is by investing in automation and using social media as outreach. By using a social media management tool, you can immediately address any issues across all your channels and platforms. Next, make your website the focus of your brand and marketing efforts. A dedicated website provides a stable and independent online presence that is not subject to the whims and shortcomings of third-party platforms. It allows you to showcase your products or services in a customized and professional manner while giving you complete control over the content, design, and user experience. You can build trust and make your customers build good digital habits where they know to visit your website first. Last, be an expert in your field. You can position yourself as an authority in your industry by providing valuable content, showcasing testimonials or case studies, and offering a seamless user experience (Rivera 2022).

Need more proof? Nike. Anytime you see a Nike image, sponsor, or collaboration on social media, it is a deliberate marketing campaign that directs visitors back to the Nike website. Social media is a tool.

What Are the Risks of Relying Solely on Social Media Platforms?

To be clear, you need to use social media platforms, but relying solely on social media platforms for your business exposes you to several risks. Here are a few reasons:

  1. Account Hacking: Relying solely on social media platforms exposes your business to the risk of account hacking, where unauthorized individuals gain access to your accounts and can potentially misuse them for their purposes.
  2. Platform Changes: Social media platforms are constantly evolving, and they can change their algorithms, policies, and features without prior notice. Some modifications to a platform can impact your visibility and reach, making it harder for your business to connect with your audience.
  3. Algorithm Updates: Social media platforms often update their algorithms, determining the content users see on their feeds. These updates can affect how the platform displays your posts and potentially decrease your organic reach, making it more challenging to get your message across.
  4. Dependency on Third-Party Platforms: Relying solely on social media platforms means your business depends on these third-party platforms. If any of these platforms were to shut down or face technical issues, you would have significant problems maintaining your online presence and ability to connect with your audience.
  5. Lack of Control over User Experience: When using social media platforms, you have limited control over the user experience. You are subject to the platform’s design, layout, and functionality, which may not align with your brand identity or specific business needs.
  6. Limited Customization Options: Social media platforms provide limited customization options for your business profile or page. This can restrict your ability to create a unique and personalized online presence that matches your brand image.
  7. Data Privacy Concerns: Social media platforms collect and store user data, including information about your business and audience. This raises concerns about data privacy and security and potential misuse or unauthorized access to this data. Additionally, you do the work, and the platform gets your customers.
  8. Lack of Long-Term Stability: Social media platforms can come and go. While some platforms have been around for a long time, others have emerged and disappeared relatively quickly. Relying solely on these platforms puts your business at risk of losing its online presence if a platform were to cease operations.
  9. Communication Limitations: Social media platforms are primarily designed for one-to-many communication, meaning your interactions with your audience are often public. This can limit your ability to have private and direct conversations with your customers or clients.
  10. Brand Perception: Relying solely on social media platforms may give the impression that your business is not established or professional enough to have a dedicated website. Having a website can enhance your brand perception and credibility in the eyes of your audience.

Social media platforms impact your visibility and reach, making it easy to maintain an online presence under their brand, platform, and store with their analytics. These platforms also make maintaining a consistent, on-brand online presence challenging. Lastly, algorithm updates can drastically affect how your content is displayed to your audience, potentially diminishing your engagement and overall effectiveness on the platform.

How Can a Dedicated Website Mitigate the Risks of a Social Media Outage?

A dedicated website provides a solid foundation for your online presence and helps mitigate the risks of relying solely on social media platforms. You are not limited by the constraints imposed by social media platforms, allowing you to create a unique and tailored experience for your audience.

  1. Continuous online presence: A website ensures your business remains accessible to customers even during a social media outage. It provides a reliable platform for customers and serves as the nexus to find information about your products or services.
  2. Control over content: With a dedicated website, you have complete control over the content you publish. You can showcase your brand, products, and services without being limited by the algorithms and restrictions imposed by social media platforms.
  3. Direct communication with customers: A website allows you to establish direct communication channels, such as contact forms, chatbots, or email. This way, you can maintain open lines of communication regardless of any social media issues.
  4. Brand credibility: A dedicated website adds credibility to your business. It shows that you are serious about your online presence and provides a professional platform for customers to engage with your brand. Side note: we are highly concerned by the number of companies using [email protected] as their official email. Yes, Gmail is free, but again, you are not building credibility. Plan on spending some money to keep your branding consistent throughout your digital footprint.
  5. Search engine visibility: We can help you optimize your website for search engines, making it easier for potential customers to find your business through organic search results. By expanding your business to the Internet, we help mitigate the risk of relying solely on social media platforms for visibility(Horton 2014).
  6. Data ownership and security: You have ownership and control over your data, which reduces the risk of losing important customer information or business data in the event of a social media outage or account hacking. That said, you must be careful with this information and employ your data protection measures.
  7. Adaptability to changing platforms: Social media platforms constantly evolve, and their algorithms and features can change unexpectedly. With a dedicated website, you can adapt to these changes and ensure your business remains visible and relevant online.
  8. Integration with other marketing channels: A website can be a hub for all your online marketing efforts. It can be integrated with other channels, such as email marketing, content marketing, and advertising, providing a comprehensive approach to reaching and engaging with your target audience.
  9. Long-term investment: While social media platforms can be effective for reaching a broad audience, a dedicated website is a long-term investment in your online presence. It provides stability and control over your online assets, reducing the risks of relying solely on social media platforms.
  10. Brand differentiation: A dedicated website lets you showcase your unique brand identity and stand out from competitors. It allows you to create a customized user experience that aligns with your brand values and resonates with your target audience.

A website provides a solid foundation for your online presence and helps mitigate the risks of relying solely on social media platforms. Your website gives you greater control over your content, design, and functionality. You are not limited by the constraints imposed by social media platforms, allowing you to create a unique and tailored experience for your audience. Additionally, by owning your website, you reduce the vulnerability to account hacking, as you can implement robust security measures to protect your site and customer data.

What are the benefits of diversifying your online presence?

Diversifying your online presence with a dedicated website and social media profiles offers several benefits. Namely, it provides an additional channel for your audience to discover and engage with your brand. Not everyone may be active on social media, so having a website ensures you are accessible to a broader range of potential customers. Secondly, a website allows you to showcase your products, services, and brand identity comprehensively and in a customizable way. You have the flexibility to create compelling content, optimize for search engines, and provide valuable information to your audience. Lastly, a dedicated website establishes your credibility and professionalism, demonstrating that you invested in maintaining a robust online presence and are not solely reliant on social media platforms.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Dedicated Website?

Companies nowadays are embracing the power of online-based businesses, recognizing the vast opportunities within the digital realm. Companies can tap into a much larger pool of potential customers by creating a dedicated website for their brand, propelling their growth and success to new heights. Regardless of whether it’s a personal website or one for a business, establishing an online presence has become a necessity in this modern era. A dedicated website offers many advantages that can significantly benefit any organization.

Here are a few benefits:

  1. Increased visibility and reach: A dedicated website allows you to get a wider audience and attract potential customers who may not have otherwise discovered your business.
  2. 24/7 availability: Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar stores, a website is always accessible, allowing customers to browse and make purchases conveniently.
  3. Cost-effective marketing: Online marketing strategies such as search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing can be more cost-effective than traditional advertising methods, helping you save on marketing expenses.
  4. Credibility and professionalism: A well-designed website can enhance your business’s credibility and professionalism, making gaining the trust of potential customers easier.
  5. Showcase products and services: With a dedicated website, you can showcase your products and services visually appealingly, providing detailed information and enticing customers to purchase.
  6. Customer convenience: A website offers convenience to customers by allowing them to research your products or services, compare prices, and make purchases from the comfort of their own homes.
  7. Customer feedback and interaction: Through features like contact forms and customer reviews, a website offers a platform for customers to provide feedback and interact with your business, helping you improve your offerings.
  8. Global reach: With a website, customers can access your business worldwide, allowing you to expand your customer base and explore international opportunities.

From increasing brand visibility and credibility to expanding market reach and facilitating effective communication with customers, a dedicated website is a powerful tool for businesses to thrive in the highly competitive online landscape. Additionally, it provides a platform for showcasing products and services, improving customer engagement, and implementing effective branding strategies. In summary, the benefits of having a dedicated website are numerous and indispensable in today’s digital age.

Taking Control: Showcasing Your Brand on Your Terms, Build Your Online Presence

It’s crucial for you to dominate your digital domain by taking control of your online presence through diversification beyond traditional social media platforms. While these platforms offer undeniable benefits, they also come with limitations that can impact the success of your business.

You can start your showcase by understanding what makes your brand. Is it the cheeky pop of colors? Do you offer a niche service or product? Is your dedication to quality second to none? Regardless, you need to have a consistent brand in message, colors, style, and overall production. No one mistakes McDonald’s bright red and yellow colors with the classic arch. We say the same of Chanel’s classic font and imagery or Publix’s dedication to quality service and legendary grocery sub sandwiches.

Once you solidify your brand, you can create campaigns that employ it alongside your product or service. Additionally, use social media as one of many platforms to extend your reach to your customers. You can modify your campaign by social channels. But the fun does not stop online. You can promote your brand IRL using any of the following:

  • Custom uniforms can span from simple colors and logos to the more unique ones.
  • Host a booth at a local community event or fair.
  • Sponsor a local team or event. If you are a local gym, co-sponsor a local race or similar competition.
  • Merchandise is a mixed bag, but it is a great marketing tool for some businesses. Give promotional items at trade shows or conferences, such as branded pens or t-shirts.
  • Partner with a local charity or organize a fundraising event.
  • Run a contest or giveaway on social media with prizes related to your brand.
  • Collaborate with local influencers or bloggers to promote your brand.
  • Host a pop-up shop or store within a high-traffic area.
  • Create eye-catching signage or billboards in strategic locations.
  • Offer discounts or special promotions to local businesses or organizations.
  • Host a workshop or seminar to share knowledge and expertise related to your brand.

You do not need a big budget; you can promote your brand physically or digitally. Add your brand to your email signature block and collect open rates and other analytics. Add your brand to your business card or your shopping bags. Using various versions of your logo can help you save on cost. By investing in a dedicated website, you can showcase your brand on your terms and ensure that it remains accessible regardless of any social media outage or platform changes that may occur. A diversified online presence safeguards against unexpected disruptions and allows you to expand your reach and establish a stronger connection with your audience.

Building Trust and Establishing Expertise through a Website

Your website allows you to build trust and establish expertise in your industry. You can position yourself as a trusted authority by consistently providing valuable content, sharing insights, and showcasing your knowledge (Dino System 2022). You can demonstrate your expertise through blog posts, case studies, or whitepapers and offer solutions to your audience’s pain points. Your website builds credibility and fosters trust, making it more likely for potential customers to choose your products or services over competitors.

What Are the Limitations of Social Media Platforms?

While social media platforms have revolutionized the way we connect and engage with others, it’s vital to recognize their limitations. Relying solely on these platforms can leave businesses vulnerable to unexpected disruptions and changes beyond their control. Social media platforms are subject to glitches, algorithm changes, and malicious attacks. These factors can significantly impact a business’s visibility, reach, and success. By diversifying your online presence beyond social media platforms, you mitigate these risks and ensure your brand remains strong and resilient.

  1. Lack of ownership: When you use social media platforms, you essentially rent space on someone else’s platform. This means you don’t have complete control over your content, and there is always a risk of losing access to your account.
  2. Security risks: Social media platforms can be susceptible to hacking and security breaches. This puts your business and customer data at risk.
  3. Limited customization: Social media platforms have limited customization options for your profile or page. This can make it challenging to create a unique and branded online presence.
  4. Over-reliance on follower count: Many businesses focus on growing their follower count on social media platforms, but this metric alone does not guarantee success. Engaging with and converting followers into customers is often more important than sheer numbers.

Remember, having a website can help mitigate these limitations and give you more control over your online presence.

Conclusion: Safeguarding Your Future with a Diversified Online Presence

The outage is a wake-up call for businesses relying solely on social media platforms. It highlighted the risks of not diversifying your online presence and exposed the far-reaching consequences of unexpected disruptions. Investing in a dedicated website and embracing the power of diversification can protect your business from account hacking, platform changes, algorithm updates, and other risks associated with relying solely on social media platforms. A diversified online presence allows you to take control of your brand, build trust and establish expertise, expand your reach beyond social media platforms, and safeguard your future. Don’t let a social media outage or platform change leave your business vulnerable. Take proactive steps today to diversify your online presence and ensure you remain visible and accessible to your audience.

 

Image Credit

    1. Photo by ilgmyzin on Unsplash

Works Cited

    1. Dino System. 2022. Digital marketing options you should think about. February 14. https://www.dinosystem.com/digital-marketing-options-you-should-think-about/.
    2. Horton, Colby. 2014. How To Improve Content ROI. October 31. https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/237405/how-to-improve-content-roi.html.
    3. Rivera, Jose Antonio. 2022. How Can I Increase Visibility On A Website. December 29. https://brightstartmediamo.com/blog/.

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