Don’t Rely on Facebook or Instagram to Build Your Business (and Don’t Use It as a Comms Tool)

In this episode of The New School of Marketing Podcast, I explore why building your entire business on Facebook or Instagram is a risky move. Sure, social media is great for creating awareness and engaging your audience, but relying on it as your primary business tool or communication platform? Not so much.

I’ll break down the key reasons why this strategy is unpredictable and why you don’t have as much control over your audience as you might think. From algorithm changes to account hacks, social media is a place where you’re always at the mercy of something external. I’ll also talk about the importance of diversifying your marketing and using strategies that you own and control, like email marketing and paid advertising, so you’re not putting all your eggs in one fragile social media basket.

Tune in to learn how to layer your marketing strategies for more predictable outcomes, and why social media should be just one piece of the puzzle—not the whole thing.

Tech mentioned:
MailerLite - email marketing software
LeadPages - landing page creator

Connect with me

Website: www.newschoolofmarketing.com
Facebook: @newschoolofmarketing
Facebook group: @newschoolofmarketing
Instagram: @bianca_mckenzie

Learn from me:

🟣 FREE MASTERCLASS: Sell more of your online course with Meta Ads
https://www.biancamckenzie.com/masterclass

🔵 AIMFUL ADS ACADEMY: Tools, resources & 1:1 support to attract more ideal clients and make more sales with proven, easy to follow Facebook & Instagram ad strategies for any budget. https://www.biancamckenzie.com/aimful-ads/

🟢 FACEBOOK ADS PREP SCHOOL: Find out what you need to know and do before spending money on ads. https://www.biancamckenzie.com/prep-school/

🟡 INVISIBLE AD FUNNEL PLAYBOOK: A practical step-by-step guide to making a big impact with a tiny budget. https://www.biancamckenzie.com/playbook

🟠 FUNNEL FUNDAMENTALS: Building effective sales funnels that drive conversions and grow your business. ...

Transcript

Hey, welcome back to the new School of Marketing podcast. As always, I am so, so grateful to you for tuning in. Before we dive into this episode, I would love to pay my respect and acknowledgement to the Palawa people of lutruwita who are the traditional owners of the land on which my business operates. I pay my respect to their elders, past and present. Thank you so, so much for tuning into yet another episode. I am actually sitting in my beautiful, sunny office today. I'm really excited to record this episode for you. I'm also really excited about the really nice, sunny weather. It's been so wet in Tasmania. So yeah, this is great. I know, boring talking about the weather, but trust me, when you live in Tasmania and it's wet for like a lot of the time, sunshine can be great. And I know that this is just only to start from now on, the weather will just get better and better and oh, Tasmania is so beautiful when the sun's out. Spring's amazing, summer's amazing. I can't wait for it. Today. I actually want to talk about something that's been on my mind for a while, and I do talk about it regularly, or maybe just not enough on the podcast, but I do talk about it regularly, especially in my work with people, especially when I'm mentoring in the local community, small businesses. So, yeah, I want to talk about why relying on Facebook or Instagram alone to build your business is so super risky and what I think you should be doing instead. I know social media is an amazing, amazing tool, but it's far from perfect, which you probably know. And it is actually just really risky, especially when it comes to building a sustainable business. So let's have a chat about why you shouldn't rely solely on social media. And another thing, another bugbear is when people use it as an. As a communication tool. So I'm going to talk about that as well. So let's dive in. So, first off, let's clear up a common misconception. Just because you have a strong following on social media doesn't mean that you own that audience. In fact, you don't. You're basically renting space on someone else's platform and you're at the mercy of their rules, their algorithms, their policies. And it means that tomorrow your reach can plummet, or worse. And I've seen this happen. Your account can get shut down or hacked. And guess what? There's nothing you can do about it. So don't rely just on having social media. You do not have ownership. You do not have control over it. And some of you might already have learned this the hard way. And there are so many better ways and different ways you can build your business. Yes, social media can play a part in it. I do think that there is space for social media, obviously, but I feel so, so strongly about using just social media to build a business. And I know, and this is because I operate in a local community as well, I know there are so many people who only use, for example, Facebook to build a business. It's what they do all of their communications through. It's the only way to promote their business. And the minute you get hacked, or your account gets shut down, or there's an algorithm change that you have no control over, your business gets literally almost wiped off the map. It's like you have to start from scratch, and I don't want you to. So just be aware of those risks. Like I said, social media has its place. But what if your account gets shut down? Or what if there's an algorithm change? I just think it's super, super, super risky. I know of local businesses that have been locked out of their account and can't post anymore, and they have to start again. And customers or people that are followers, they don't know, because you can't access your old account to say, hey, I've been hacked. So they don't know. They go on, and it's like, oh, it's ghost town. Wonder what happened to the business, not knowing that they might have started another page. So, yeah, super, super risky, because you do not own it. You do not have control over it. Another point I want to make is social media is volatile. Algorithms can change overnight. So, you know, one day you might be killing it with engagement, and the next, it's like your posts are invisible. Might have happened to you, right? Like, I I know so many people who have had really, really good engagement, and the next day, it's like, poof, gone. And you have zero control over how many people see your content unless you're willing to pay for it. And, you know, even then, you still have to play by their rules. So any algorithm changes can reduce your reach. Like, you can, you know, get in front of hundreds of people one day and the next, it's like two. So very, very volatile. And if you are relying on a social media platform for visibility, you just like, you have no control over that at all. It's literally up to them and their algorithms. And I don't know about you, but I would be mega frustrated if I spent all this time creating amazing content only to have it seen by like a fraction of your audience. And that's what's happening. Only a fraction of your audience is going to see it. So you might have this amazing offer for them, and only a few people see it, and you're like, nobody wants it. And like, you tell yourself that story around that, like, nobody wants your offer. No, no, nobody. Or not enough people have seen your offer. They might want it. They might really, really want it, but they might not have seen it. So please do not rely on social media for your business. And as I said before, and this is kind of a biggie, social media shouldn't be your main way to communicate with your customers. It's great for awareness, but not so good as a communication tool. You probably know how messages can get lost in a flood of comments, DM's posts, and look, it is just hard to build a solid relationship with customers when you're relying on a platform that's designed for short attention spans. So why did I add this one in? This is why. My daughter's school, and I've seen this with a lot of things in the community, they use social media as a communication tool. Sure, some of them might also use other methods, but I've seen it like, time after time where businesses literally put on social media, hey, sorry, we're closed today. And like, people don't know, people don't see that. They won't see it until they rock up and kind of go, hang on, what? And with school, if there's a really, really important announcement, I would prefer to get that in my email inbox rather than not knowing about it. And then later on hearing, oh, yeah, it was on social media. Here's the thing. The algorithm often doesn't show it until a day or two later. So if it is a really important message, you should not rely on social media to let your audience know. Sure, put it up there. You know, I would say put it out there through all the communication channels that you have, but do not only put it on social media if it is an important message, one, there's missed opportunities. If it is something that you know is super relevant. For example, if you have a one day sale. Don't post it just on that day. I see that a lot with local businesses where two days later I say, I see a post that says, we're at the this and this market, come and see us. I'm like, well, it's two days late now. I don't see it. And I look back at their page and go, where are all the posts? Building anticipation that you are going to be there. Don't just post it on the, on the actual day telling people we're here, they are not going to see it. So don't use it as a communication channel because you will miss opportunities. And if it is a super, super important message that you have, and sometimes schools, community clubs, those kind of things, they have important messages. Use reliable alternatives. Use things like email marketing, SMS, or a community platform where you actually have control over the communication and not, you know, put it out there and you think people are going to see it. They are not going to see it. They will not know another one. Road closures. Yes, sometimes it's a little bit tricky to let people know, but yeah, SMS, email marketing, I just think that there are so many missed opportunities. But also don't use it as a communication tool, thinking that people will see it because they will not see it. But I just want you to know that if you are only posting on the day, you will miss out on opportunities. You will not get people to come because they might have other plans already. So use different communication tools. I think an email on the morning of reminding your audience that you're going to be at a certain market is way more effective than putting it on social media, crossing your fingers. And honestly, most people see it one or two days later. Look at your own social media feed and look at the posts and just see when it was posted. Most of the times it's a few days late and you'll miss out on things. So if that is your business, you would be missing out on opportunities. Now, you can't rely on social media alone. I've said that enough. Now what should you do? You need a multi layered marketing strategy. So yes, social media can play a part of that, but I also suggest that you have a solid website or at least a landing page, a home for an online digital home for your business. I also suggest that you build an email list so people can say, yes, I want to hear more from you. I want to hear more about your business. I want to hear more about things coming up, events, all of those kind of things. I also think that collaborating with others in your industry can really work in your favor because together you can get in front of more people. And yes, even incorporating paid ads, the key is diversification. Social media can be a part of your strategy, but it shouldn't be your only strategy. You want to have other places where people can find you, where people can get in touch with you, where you can get in touch with your people. Because like I said, if your social media page gets hacked or shut down, how are you going to get in front? How are you going to contact all the people that were following you? You can't, you have no way of doing that. So you spend all this time building an audience that you then cannot access. And this is why I am such a strong advocate for email marketing. Build an email list so that you can get in touch with people. Also, you can create a much stronger connection with people through email versus social media. Because social media, like I said, you are at the mercy of the algorithm. It's not up to you when people see what you post. So you actually can't really build a super strong relationship. Whereas with email, you can send them specific content that is designed to nurture them, to educate them, to show them your brand, what you do, how you do it, how you interact, potentially in the, in the community. You can build, really build that connection and a strong foundation. I think you need an online home. So I do really strongly believe that having a website can be, no, not can be, is vital and very beneficial for your business. And if you're a local business, make sure that you fill out your Google, my business profile, because that is how people can find you. Because people use Google and they can find your location and what you do and then have a website link to that, not just a Facebook page. Because like I said, volatile. You do not want to rely on social media. So I think social media has a place, but it is really, really risky to just build your business there. I. My number one priority for any business would be a website or at the minimum, a landing page, even if it's like a one page kind of website. So a digital home and an email marketing list, those would be your main assets as part of a business. And yes, I see them as assets, and that's what I'm going to move on to next. So having an owned asset, your email list is gold. Honestly, gold. Unlike social media, it is an asset that you actually own. No algorithm is going to decide whether your subscribers see your emails. It's literally a direct line of communication that you control. You can nurture relationships, you can share exclusive content and you can have that peace of mind that no third party can take away. That's what I'm saying. It's an asset. A website and an email marketing list are the bare minimum of what you would need to build a sustainable business. And I can do a whole episode on starting and growing an email marketing list and all of that, and I probably will. But yes, it is something that you own and that you can build over time and it becomes a sellable asset too. So if you at some point are selling your business, that is an asset. Just to give you an example. So I'm in Tasmania, which you probably know, and at the moment there is a business for sale in Tasmania. They deliver, they create and deliver vegetable boxes. So awesome product because everyone loves to get, you know, farm fresh veggies delivered straight to their home. The issue is, or the issue that I have with this business is they do a lot, a lot of the communications through Facebook, a lot of ordering through Facebook messenger. There isn't a website, there is some form of email marketing, I believe. But the main thing, as at least from an outsider is everything's done through Facebook. And that to me is really scary and risky as a potential buyer for a business because that is not an owned asset. What happens if he gets hacked? It's like everything's gone. So yes, if you have an email marketing list and at least a website, but more an email marketing list, a way to contact customers, a way to contact potential customers, that is an asset. It is worth so much when you are selling a business. But also it is literally the foundations of a sustainable business because like, literally everything can go like, if every single social media platform disappeared right now, you'd have your email, your email marketing. And for a long time people were saying when social media just started, like coming up, oh, email is going to disappear. No, it's not. Email's only gotten stronger. It is literally, like I said, it's a direct line of communication. You have control over that. You don't have control over who opens your emails because you know, that's at the other end. But if you write really interesting subject lines and your audience is invested in what you offer and getting to like hearing from you, getting your emails, then they will open those emails, whereas social media, you just have no control over that at all. So, yes, and I also wanted to touch on paid advertising. So I'm not saying to ditch social media altogether, far from it. But if you're spending all that time creating content, why not make sure that it actually reaches more people. And one of the smartest way to do that is by leveraging paid advertising. And you don't need a massive budget. So that's the one thing I want to really make clear. You do not need a massive budget. You can actually, with like just a dollar or two a day, extend the life of your posts and make sure that your content gets seen by your audience. So, yes, you have. You, you spend all this time creating content only for them to go cross your fingers that your audience will see it. Why not use a dollar or two to actually get your best content seen? Like, you take charge of, like, making sure that it gets seen, and still it won't get seen by everyone, but a lot more people will see it than if you do the cross your fingers approach. So at the end of the day, if you want to build a sustainable business, you need to think long term. And relying on social media likes and followers won't cut it. Your focus should really be on creating a model that is not dependent on the whims of platforms that you don't control. Focus on your customers, focus on providing value, and focus on building assets that you own. And that could be digital assets. The other thing is, yes, social media is amazing, but you're not actually focusing on repeat customers, on loyalty, on long term business growth. That's why you need to have some assets in place, digital assets that can help you with that. An email marketing list is one of the, like, honestly, it's, please get it, please start email marketing and actually use it. Don't just, you know, start it and not use it. But that's the way to create that loyalty, to build that relationship, to nurture people, to get repeat customers. So please start an email marketing list. I will record an episode about this as well. And just make sure that you diversify your marketing approach. Don't just put all your eggs in the one basket and then that, you know, those eggs and baskets might disappear. Like, what if you only were relying on Facebook and Instagram and you had this like, really pivotal moment come up, like, really important sales period, and then the platform went down. It happens. It really, it happens. And people go into a panic. I have no panics about that because I just go, cool, I'll just email my people, right? So focus on diversification. So to wrap it all up, while social media is an amazing tool, it should not be the foundation of your business. And I, like, you can probably hear it in my voice, I get so angry about this. Please, people, don't put your livelihood at risk by putting all your eggs into social media bar basket. So focus on building a diversified, multi layered strategy that gives you more control so that you can reduce that risk but also you build lasting relationships with your audience. You can build that like that loyalty, get repeat customers rather than having to go, I'm going to put this post out there. I hope people see it and buy from me. No, no. Start really building that diversified, multi layered approach so that you can get those repeat customers so you don't have to constantly look for the next and the new customer. Your business will be so much stronger. Cool if this episode has resonated and my apologies for ranting a little bit. I get really, really ranty about this because I think it's just because where I live and I see so much of it and it breaks my heart. Every single time I have to mentor someone who goes, my Facebook page got shut down or I got hacked. What do I do now? It just, it breaks my heart. So I really want you to listen to this and take action. If it has resonated, please share it with other business owners. Please make sure you subscribe and don't forget to check out the show notes. Yes, this is just, it's so important. It's so close to my heart. I've just seen too many people fall into that trap. So to wrap up, feel free to get in touch. Feel free to dm me, Bianca Mackenzie on Instagram or email me helloiancamackenzie.com. you can email me if you have any questions about this or if it has happened to you and you don't know what to do and you don't know how to get out of it, you don't know how to get started. Please feel free to get in touch because honestly, this is. Yeah, it's so close to my heart. Other than that, thank you so much for joining me on this episode. I hope you found it helpful and I'm excited to share more marketing tips and strategies with you next week. And if you're ready to take your business to the next level with Facebook and Instagram advertising, make sure you head to newschoolofmarketing.com where you can find practical free resources. And if you want to grow your business and don't want to spend all your time on slow and unpredictable social media, then the aimful ads academy is for you. It's the place to learn how to be seen by your audience, how to attract the right people as leads and turn them into paying customers. With my proven for ad stack method. Plus, as part of the program, you'll have one on one access to me and I'm a marketing strategist for over ten years of experience so that you don't have to navigate ads alone. I am here to help you be seen, to attract leads, and to get more paying customers. And remember, make sure you subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode. I can't wait to keep this journey going with you. Until next time, take care and market your business every day.