You check in with her as soon as you wake up. She dominates the conversation over your morning cup of coffee, and you’re busy with her on and off throughout the workday. Bored? Why not check out what’s happening with her, it’ll only take a second…
We get it— on a personal level, your relationship with Facebook can be pretty hot and heavy. As business user, your Facebook presence and relationships likely take up more time than you realize…or more time than what benefits your business.
The truth is, a long-term committed relationship with Facebook won’t necessarily have the long-term payoff that your business is looking for.
Recent articles have surfaced predicting the death of Facebook—one such study says the social network will lose 80% of its peak user base between 2015 and 2017. If you’re a business owner, the predicted drop off isn’t too far away.
While it’s important to grow your social media presence, be it the allegedly doomed Facebook, the short and sweet Twitter or the rampant Pinterest, you need to take a big(ger) picture approach to your online marketing strategy. Doing so will ensure you’ll be thriving regardless of the social media flavor of the week (or decade).
Here’s what we recommend:
1. Be active on more than one platform. The standbys are great—Facebook and Twitter—but have you considered making short how-to videos for YouTube or Vimeo? Could your business benefit from Tumblr, the blogging platform that allows you to quickly repost and follow sites or brands you love? Invest in multiple sites where you can post rich, dynamic and engaging content.
2. …and blogging is a simple, straightforward means to doing that. Investing in well-crafted, creative and intelligent content is, bottom line, the bare minimum for ending your long-term relationships with Facebook. Start with blogging to ease the transition into or out of any social media “relationship.” Blogging gives you immediate access to content that represents your brand, company and style. And did we mention it can be a crucial component to supporting and driving great SEO?
3. Most importantly, stay faithful to creating, connecting with and supporting great content. It will, for the foreseeable future, outlast many short-lived themes and trends in social media and online marketing. With content that’s true to your business, you’ll serve not only your clients and potential clients, but search engines as well.
So don’t be dismayed by the passing of Facebook, or get overly invested in any one particular social network. Use the ones that work best for your business, diversify, and focus on creating solid on-site content. Don’t worry—you’ll rebound.