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Are you wondering how to run a social business with the Facebook changes? You rely on Facebook for your business & you're not the only one. So, what happens when Facebook glitches out & goes offline for most of the day? Or when it changes & the features you depended on are no longer functioning the way you need? What then? How do you stay (or get!) successful? How do you run a social business with these Facebook changes?!
Facebook is a SOCIAL platform.
It is important for us to remember, first & foremost, that Facebook is a social platform. Even moreso, it is a FREE social platform. You're thinking, Yeah, yeah, Reta Jayne. I know this! Duh! Way to state the obvious! What does that have to do with anything?! Here's the thing. People get to come onto Facebook FOR FREE to be entertained. They want to find communities in which to belong & people with whom to connect.
People do not go to Facebook to be sold to.
Notice in the reasons listed above there isn't anything about shopping or listening to sales pitches? People simply do not go to Facebook to be sold to. They do not want to log into their Facebook account to see promotional content every other post. They want to be entertained. Your business is a social business. You should be asking yourself how to run your SOCIAL business with these Facebook changes; cursing the changes in the first place does no one any good.
Facebook's changes are for the good of the user.
If you really think about it, all the changes Facebook has been making really are for the good of the user. They might be a pain in the you-know-what for many small business owners trying to make a buck or two. BUT, they are a RELIEF for users as a whole. Why do you think that is?
Small business owners were taking advantage of other Facebook users.
When Facebook started limiting changes to group names to once every 28 days, it stopped unnecessary forced notifications to all group members. The feature was being abused to advertise frequent sales. Similarly, now new group members have to ACCEPT a group invitation within 30 days of an invite. If they don't, they'll be removed from the group. This clears up user's feeds of unwanted content. A lot of small business owners were “group-napping” members by mass adding (or encouraging the mass adding) people to their groups without permission! Then, Facebook users would be stuck having to opt-out — LEAVE — groups they never even consented to be in! How rude! And, those are just a couple of examples.
There are plenty of ways to work with the Facebook changes.
Facebook isn't against small business owners; they're simply for all users, as a whole. As business owners, we need to remember we get this amazing SOCIAL platform to use FOR FREE. And, there are plenty of ways to work WITH the changes Facebook is making. They are all to the benefit of users as a whole, so why wouldn't we WANT to get on board with figuring out how to make them work for us too?
Focus on relationships over sales.
It might seem counter-productive. BUT, as a small business owner, that is one of the things you have working in your favor anyway. You are a real person behind the business. You aren't just a logo; you're a human. Act like one! Talk to people! Engage! Ask questions. Get to know people on Facebook — both in your groups & on your business page & on your personal profile. Even go interact on other people's profiles & groups & pages. Be geniune! I swear; it works. Y'know. Being human đ
Do NOT put all of your eggs in one basket.
In other words, if you are solely marketing your business on Facebook, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you are MOSTLY marketing business on Facebook, you are setting yourself up for failure. Diversify. BUT, do so strategically. Find platforms YOU enjoy where your ideal client will be as well. Quit trying to follow the fad & think about who YOU are & who you really want to attract. Who is she & where did she go when Facebook was down, for instance? (For me, blogging, emailing, & texting is a huge part of how I've chosen to diversify, for example.)
It IS okay to stay on Facebook as PART of your marketing strategy.
If you DO stay on Facebook (preferably if it is still PART of your marketing strategy), work WITH its changes. You cannot “beat algorithms” or outsmart whatever changes are coming down the pipeline. Videos are king. Okay, sure, but if you suck at videos & don't like them enough to get better at them, crappy videos still aren't going to do you any good! I'm just saying!!! BUT, if you have the personality for it or the tenacity to go & LEARN to do it well, by all means, do so. Don't follow the masses because someone told you to — especially if you don't enjoy what you are doing or don't understand WHAT or WHY you are doing it. It's inauthentic & your audience will see right through that. None of that is going to bring success.
Basically, it's good to be plugged into what is happening, but you should already be doing what is right for YOU.
And, ONE platform changing shouldn't be detrimental to your business. If it is, at least you have a sign that something REALLY needs to change in how you've structured your online presence…
I'd love to! Email me at retajayne@confidenceandchaos.com or shoot me a private message.
And, of course, if you're looking for a “direct sales home,” talk to me about NoFilter Global. Just contact me via the methods above. We have a community like no other, the Sweet Minerals compensation plan is phenomenal, & we put a lot of thought into our training — both through the company & within my team & upline.