Last week, Facebook and Instagram were down for over six hours, an outage large enough to reverberate even into the stock market. Disconnecting from a social media feed means disconnecting from the ads used to finance a user’s free scrolling. While outages of this length are rare, they are still common enough to occur just when you’ve launched a digital marketing campaign.
So how to you work around platform outages? We’ve got some suggestions.
1.) Build a strong landing page
Your landing page is one of your most useful touch points in the visitor to consumer process. Landing pages can be developed through a web builder such as WordPress or a CRM like Sharpspring. Format your landing page with visually appealing features, then fill it with your brand messaging, and finally, include a form fill submission box to draw in new leads. This list of form fills can be automated for an email campaign without Facebook or Instagram ever making an appearance, unless they happened to be the platform utilized for the post or advertisement.
2) Explore Other Channels
Instagram is owned by Facebook, hence the frequency with with outages occur simultaneously in both platforms. But there are other social media forums to consider for your digital marketing.
- Youtube: With the development of “Shorts” you can do short ads up to a minute in length with a call to action hyperlink leading to your landing page.
- TikTok: Certainly on the newer side of social media platforms, but did you know you can include website links in the profile, caption, and comments?
- LinkedIn: With post and ad hosting capability, LinkedIn is a solid alternative, especially if your brand is oriented towards the business professional.
- Twitter: Twitter also runs ads and posts, independent from Facebook and Instagram. Promote yourself, but keep the messaging brief!
3). Roll Out the Classic Email Push
Digital Marketing existed before the implementation of social media platforms in 2005, and it will certainly outlive them. If social media seems to be a no-go, head for the traditional route: getting the word out with your existing customer base! Design a fun and interactive email with an incentive for them to share it to their friends and family, either a coupon or survey entry with an individual prize. Word of mouth has a digital counterpart: text of hand! Personal recommendations are a surefire method of gaining new leads, so nurture strong relationships with your existing customers.
4). Google Ads
Google Ads are one of the first investments that every company should make in their brand. Affordable and reliable, Google is the powerhouse of modern digital marketing. The hyperlink which you embed in your Google Ad can easily be attached to a landing page to gain new leads. And thanks to Google Analytics, you can track the clicks on your ads, gauging success as you go.
There are many ways to market on the Internet without relying on Facebook and Instagram. Interested in delving further? Get started at Pearl Marketing by chatting to one of our team members! We’re looking forward to it!
