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Besides the fact that third-party cookies may eventually disappear, there's something else that sometimes makes me question the wisdom of fully investing in social media as a marketer. This doubt stems from the fact that platforms like Facebook and Instagram regularly make drastic changes to their algorithms. This can cause the organic reach of business profiles to plummet overnight. Posts that performed well yesterday yield virtually nothing today.
Social media has brought us so much, such as unprecedented reach for our content and brands, countless targeting options, and more bang for our marketing buck. It's important to realize that:
All the data collected about YOUR customer, their online behavior, and all their buying signals, doesn't belong to you. It's all owned by Facebook. Or Google, or LinkedIn, but not by you.
you are subject to the editorial and commercial rules of these platforms and have no influence on them.
The consequences of your community on social media
So why do we still invest so much time and resources in building our brand and our community on social media? What happens (and this is doom-mongering, and I happen to be very good at it) if, for example, the increasing number of privacy scandals ultimately doom Mark? Exactly. Say goodbye to your carefully cultivated fan base and your well-performing advertising campaigns.
In other words, in the words of content strategist Cor Hospes :
Fully committed to social media?
As mentioned, it would obviously be an exceptional situation if one of the mobile database major social media platforms were to go under. And this certainly doesn't happen overnight. Don't get me wrong, I'm the last to say it's not important to be visible on social media and build a strong brand.
I do believe that this alone isn't enough. You'll also need to actively build a community on your own channel. What I'm really trying to say is that, just like in Domino Day (who remembers it?), you need an extra lifeline. A protective safety net of pebbles that keeps moving if the first line of pebbles is unexpectedly knocked down by a flying sparrow .
What are the benefits of having your own community?
Building a community on your own channel has several advantages. Below are just a few:
You're not dependent on any of the tech giants. Facebook getting sued again for yet another privacy scandal? Not my problem !
The data you collect about your customers is truly YOUR data. A tip I'd like to give you: store all this data centrally, for example, in a CRM solution . This allows you to gain a 360-degree view of your customer and then easily launch targeted campaigns.
You're in complete control of your community. You don't have to conform to the editorial or commercial demands that Uncle Mark has set for his Facebook.
