A Glitch In The Matrix
Lessons From A Social Media Shut Down
If you were not aware, there has been a global temporary shut down of Facebook, Instagram & WhatsApp…
At the time of writing this, these platforms are still shut down with zero indication of when they will be back online.
Therefore, knowing that you all operate online businesses that heavily rely on social media, I wanted to share some thoughts to comfort & motivate you during this time.
So, let’s delve into a few details.
First of all, SAFETY NET.
During times of crisis, you need an emergency fund and a cash buffer. I like to refer to this as your warchest, exactly for this reason.
I do not want to get into the inflation and investing topic, but you need cash in your business. As a rule of thumb, the goal is to accumulate 6 months worth of business operating expenses in cash. Arguably with an online business and the speed at which it can grow, 3 months can be enough.
During times like this, having cash set aside for rainy days is essential.
Second of all, OPPORTUNITY.
As difficult as it may be, when the world around us is falling apart and burning, as business owners we have to see these events as opportunities.
‘You are in charge of how you react to the people and the events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead.’
Now, you may not be choosing happiness, but you can choose to use this as leverage.
You can choose to use this as a new challenge.
You can choose to see this as a blessing.
I suspect you have learnt about abundance & scarcity before, and it is exactly times like this that we have to put these principles to play.
This is your opportunity.
Be mad about social media shutting down, and the world around you burning, but only for 5 minutes.
Then, it is time to stop, think and implement a plan.
Control what you can control, and take action.
Third, we have to look at RISK MITIGATION.
Risk mitigation is putting the foundations and processes in place, so that you can be as prepared as possible for the unknown.
With your marketing for your online fitness business, we want to focus on developing an audience on multiple platforms. You may have the majority of your following on Instagram, which is not an issue, but we want to be able to bring this audience across to the other social platforms too. Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Tik Tok etc.
Ideally, we want to be building an email list as the main priority. This is an asset to your business, one which we can develop over time and something that you own should anything happen to the social media platforms.
Moving forward with your business, let’s look to develop your email list and accumulate an audience by developing high quality conversion tools for your business, like 7 day trials, ebooks, 5 day challenges, calorie calculators, trainings and free resources.
One thing to note, there is always opportunity in the chaos.
Adapt fast & take action.
I am creating this resource for that reason.
Let’s now look at sales…
You can use this opportunity to tidy up your pipeline and complete the admin that you have been putting off…
You can take the time to phone the leads that never got your full attention.
You can take the time to refine your scripts, processes and follow up systems.
The biggest takeaway here is to use this time to your advantage.
Finally, fulfilment.
In times like this, it displays the importance of tracking data about your clients. When social media gets shut down, it can often be the only source of communication you have previously had with clients.
Safely storing the email address, phone number, address etc of your clients can be extremely valuable. It allows you to still contact your paying clients should you need too.
On top of this, we want to have multiple methods to communicate with clients should we need too. Aside from using social media, you can look to use other softwares like PTDistinction, Slack or Discord. These take communication away from social media and to a safe, secure and professional place.