You may have noticed that Facebook was down for a L – O – N – G time today. So was Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp (all Facebook apps, or “crapps,” as I call them – LOL).
To most of the world, this would bother them. It certainly bothered some heavy FB advertising folks. I suspect the real loss today was in the billions.
FB stock lost about $50 billion in market cap. OUCH.
But the real question is this: Did it affect you? Did it affect your business?
If it did, is there anything you can do to mitigate future losses?
The answer is a resounding “YES!”
I've harped on this and at you for over a DECADE now – OWN your own real estate. Don't be a sharecropper. When you run your business on another company's platform, their demise could be yours as well. Plus, they can kick you off their platform at any time for any reason.
Just ask former President Trump. (Not to be political, but FB and YouTube kicked him off their platform and there was nothing he could do about it – their platform, their rules. But I digress.)
If they kick you off their platform, how much content will you lose? I mean, really lose? How many “friend” and “followers” will you lose? How much in sales will you lose if you can't run ads anymore?
Are you getting the point?
Well, is there a solution? If so, what is it?
As in everything in life, “it's complicated.” (No, not really.)
1. Build your own website. THAT is your platform. No matter what your webhost does, you own your content. And if you make regular backups, you will always have it.
2. Keep a copy of all your emails. Don't keep the only copy of emails you send AT your email service provider. What if you wake up tomorrow and your ESP went belly up? What if they kick you out? What if you forgot to pay your bill?
Will all your emails sent and contacts be GONE?
I get a copy of EVERY email I send. Know how? I belong to all of my own lists!
Read the next point to find out what to do with your email contacts.
3. Export (backup) your email lists on a periodic basis. If your email service provider kicks you to the curb (for whatever reason), you can always import that list (or lists) to another email service provider. I use Aweber for most of my email “heavy lifting.” I give it an A+.
Building your own website (i.e., your platform) is the LONG game. It won't grown super fast (unless you're the rare bird who grabs a huge following over night.
But you can rest assured it won't fall by the wayside like MySpace. And if you're diligent about regular backups, you won't ever lose any content.
You could literally pick up a new webhost this second and move everything over.
It's that simple.
BONUS TIP: When you write your emails, post it as a blog post, too. Tag it with “email.” That way, you'll have all your sent emails IN your blog.
If this feels like “putting all your eggs in one basket,” it is. But a wise man once said, “Put all your eggs in one basket and WATCH THE BASKET!“
Backups are critical. I use UpdraftPlus. You should, too!
Don't let a crappy business ruin your business. Build your own platform.
Watch it grow. And know that NOBODY can ever take your content – unless you willingly give it to them without a backup.
The article was originally published here!
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