DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS INTO FACEBOOK’S BASKET (OR ANY OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS)

When it comes to social media it’s time for all small business owners to be prepared for anything.

Why am I saying this? Well, once again, I’ve had the pleasure of helping a client get their suspended Facebook and Instagram (Meta) accounts reinstated.

 

At the time of his suspension, I researched and found hundreds of other people stumped by the fact that their Facebook and Instagram accounts had also been suspended that same day. This is something that is happening more and more.

Your account was suspended because your linked Meta account doesn’t follow our rules.

 

 

 

 

(By the way, those accounts were suspended because Oculus Meta got hacked [per Cybernews], and instead of telling people this was what happened, they left people panicking and wondering what they had done wrong. Meta sent these people around in circles, giving them link after link to resolve the issue – many of which did not work. These people kept reaching out for support, filled out reinstatement forms at auth.meta.com and auth.oculus.com, filled out other links found in Facebook’s Help Center, Meta’s Help Center, and Instagram’s Help Center, and even uploaded various forms of identification. Though they tried everything they could think of, they were repeatedly denied reinstatement. Meta eventually reinstated some of those accounts without any explanation or even an apology. My client, like others, just woke up one morning almost a week later and saw that his Facebook and Instagram accounts had re-emerged.)

If you are a business owner who relies solely on Facebook to promote your products and services or maybe you use both Facebook and Instagram or even Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) or another social media platform, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you may need to reconsider your strategy. How so? I’m glad you asked! 🤓

 

By building your email list.

Why email, Romona?

• Think about it, just about everyone has an email address. Not everyone is on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn. Yes, there are still some people who avoid social media like the plague.

• There is power in marketing through email. For example, you may have heard my story. When I got the idea to hold my first LinkedIn class, I sent an email to twenty people. Guess who showed up? Five people who I didn’t know. When I asked how each of them found out about the class, they each said someone forwarded the email to them. How awesome was that? The class was a hit and here I stand almost 15 years later still teaching LinkedIn and other social media and digital marketing classes to small business owners!

• You own your email list, which includes the email addresses of your clients and potential customers. You don’t own your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn followers’ data – and as I mentioned above, your account could get suspended or shut down at any time.

• As I always tell my class attendees if you’re not doing any form of marketing you should at least be doing email marketing. After all, it is said, Facebook posts only reach 2% of your audience while email has an average open rate of 15-25%.

That’s why you need to start building that list!

NOW, HERE’S HOW TO GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST:

First of all, there are 3 categories of email list growth.

• In-person (while people are making a purchase, when helping someone on the phone or in your office, at in-person events, such as workshops, conferences, tradeshows, or networking events.)

• Online (with pop-up and signup forms on your website, on social media share a link to a sign-up form in posts or include it in your profile bio or about section, run Facebook or Instagram email list growth ad campaigns, add a link to your sign up form in your email signature, ask customers to sign up during the online donation process, or create a landing page campaign where you can offer something valuable such as an ebook or discount code in return for email addresses.)

• Print (put sign-up information on signage at your location such as a text-to-join number, add QR codes to your business cards, on flyers, brochures, direct mail, car magnets, window decals, and anything potential customers may see or hold.)

HOW CAN YOU GET STARTED ON BUILDING YOUR EMAIL LIST?

You can start building your list and designing your marketing emails by using an email marketing service like Constant Contact. [Click the link to sign up today and save 50% on your first 2 months when you use Promo Code MARCH50. The deal ends on March 31, 2024].

What is Constant Contact?

Constant Contact offers marketing tools for small businesses and nonprofits – such as email marketing, email automation, and social media content planner and scheduler to name a few.

To get started with Constant Contact for free, click here. Remember to use Promo Code: MARCH50 to save 50% off 2 months!

This is the third email I’ve sent urging you to prepare for what may be coming to the social media world. I pray you will take action today! 🙏🏾

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5 Email Marketing Statistics You Need to Know:

When you invest in marketing, you want to know that every dollar you spend is making a difference. With more digital marketing options than ever before, does email still hold its value when it comes to generating revenue? ABSOLUTELY! Email marketing is worth the investment.

1. For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $36. Social media generates an estimated return of $2.80. [Source: Neal Schaffer]

2. Email is used by over 4 billion people — that’s over half the world’s population!

3. 60% of consumers say they’ve made a purchase as a result of a marketing email they received.

4. 21% of opened emails are opened within the very first hour of delivery — by the end of hour 3, it is up to 41%.

5. Email open rates from mobile devices have grown by more than 100% since 2011.

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