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Beyond Facebook: Six ways to diversify your digital marketing strategy

Do you have more than one way to communicate with your customers and team? If the Facebook outage in October taught us anything, it’s that we are very heavily reliant on the FB… oops, we mean Meta… family of social media apps — Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. It also likely (re)inspired business owners to diversify their digital marketing efforts. Because… what if it happens again? Or worse, the apps become obsolete? *shudder*

The network was down for a whopping six hours. While this may not seem like a big deal for a casual user, the prolonged gap in services affected businesses big and small around the world.

As a business owner, and after some initial panic, you possibly got productive in other ways. (Your inbox hasn’t been this organized in years, right?) Or you took the outage as a sign to back away from your computer, put your phone down, and get outside. Or you read an actual book. And when the apps were back up, you rejoiced. But again, we ask you: What if it happens again? (It did, a few days later, but for less time.)

So let’s look beyond the blue F at other platforms that can diversify and bolster your content strategy. Be sure you can communicate with your target audience at any point!

1. Email marketing

Your email list is G-O-L-D. It’s yours and yours only. It’s really the best way to communicate to your customer base and get mega ROI for your efforts. Why? To give you one example, for every $1 you invest in email marketing, you can expect to make $42. We’ve shared three top email marketing tips for clicks and conversions here.

2. LinkedIn

In our humble opinion, LinkedIn is underused and underrated. It’s truly a brilliant place for small businesses to share info and connect with potential customers, partners, and collaborators. Don’t be afraid to use it as a sales tool and shine bright with your industry knowledge.

3. Twitter

Facebook has a Twitter account. That’s how they communicated during the outage, keeping people on track with what the heck was going on. Twitter is the place to share quick, concise info. And any time Facebook goes down, we picture Twitter as Mr. Burns tapping his fingers with menacing delight.

4. TikTok

The power of video content is mighty enough for TikTok to have gathered 1 billion users and grown faster than any of its big brother and sister apps. More and more brands are utilizing this platform in creative ways and it’s ultimately about how you can make it work for you. (Don’t feel like you have to keep up with the TT influencers — you do you!). Take a trend and make it your own, or create a new one altogether. The platform rewards creativity. It’s also important to note that while TikTok videos and Reels are similar, they are very different.

5. Internal Comms Tools

For any business owner who uses Messenger or WhatsApp for office group chats and to communicate internally and/or with customers, the FB outage wasn’t great news. Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Google Chat are all great alternatives — with most included in your business software, or free. (As are good old text messages.) As for keeping the channels of communication open with customers, click here to scroll back up to email marketing. but more so an internal comms backup tool.

We stand by our stance that you don’t need to have all social media apps — it doesn’t make sense for every business. But the need to have more than one network to communicate with your customers is clearly there. Diversify your digital marketing so you don’t get caught short (again).

6. YouTube

As mentioned with TikTok, video is a powerful engagement tool. YouTube is a great channel to sprinkle into your marketing efforts but can seem a bit daunting. See our checklist to effectively set up your YouTube channel.

Did the Facebook outage make you amp up another channel or app? We’d love to know your experience — share in the comments below. And if you need support in diversifying your digital marketing, we can help! Pop us a note here.

How to use LinkedIn as a sales tool

LinkedIn is so much more than a job-finder or talent acquisition tool. Like other social platforms, LinkedIn gives people a place to connect, share ideas, and build relationships with likeminded people. Let me repeat that LinkedIn is a social platform — one with a professional lens.

For a salesperson, LinkedIn is an amazing tool to introduce yourself to others, position yourself as a thought-leader, and have clients find you!

Below are the steps to setting up a notable, discoverable profile. One that will turn your expertise into leads.

*Don’t feel like reading? Watch the video.*

Optimize your profile

First thing’s first: your profile. Not only is this the first thing people see when they click your name, but it’s also driven by keywords and other important factors that will get you discovered.

Make sure to have:

A professional profile picture. Ideally headshot style, bright and recent, warm and personable, no cocktails in hand. (Unless you’re a booze rep!)
A personalized header image. This could be a company branded graphic or a photo of the amazing balcony view from your favourite hotel in Cabo.
An up-to-date headline. This is your two seconds to tell someone what you do before they scroll down to read more or decide to exit your profile altogether.

Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Crush that ‘about’ section

Chances are you haven’t updated this since you were looking for a job, in which case it would have been used like a cover letter. But now, it’s about growing your business, building trust, and breaking the digital barrier so people know what it’s like working with you.

This is your opportunity as a sales professional to create a strong sales funnel with a personal touch. Take your headline and expand that. Tell the reader who you are and what you do with a mix of personal and professional detail.

Get recommendations

The ‘recommendations’ feature on LinkedIn is a bit underrated, mostly because it’s often at the very bottom of most profiles. You might not even know it exists! (Pro tip: You can move this section up in your profile page.) You want potential customers to know how amazing you are to work with — so find it, and use it to reach out to three people in each of the following categories:

Current colleagues. Reach out to two or three colleagues, offering to write one in return. Remember to phrase it in a fashion that you want to update your profile to attract more clients to the company. You are not job-hunting.
Personal connections. This can be a bit tricky because you want the recommendations to be more than, “My daughter is amazing!” When reaching out to personal connections, consider those who you’ve worked with in some capacity, like a volunteer project. This is a chance for your biggest cheerleaders to talk about your character and the kind of person you are.
Past clients. Testimonials from past clients are valuable currency. Don’t be afraid to reach out. An example:

“Hi [past client], it was great to work with you on the [project] for your company. If you could take a moment to leave a recommendation of your experience of working with me at [company], I’d appreciate it. I’d be happy to return the favour!”

Curate your connections and who you follow

Follow leaders, influencers, competitors, topics, and key brands in your industry. Why? So you can engage! Engagement is so important. Remember, it’s called social media.

From the connections you make, your newsfeed will populate with posts from industry leaders. Like, make a thoughtful comment, and share to boost your connection so others can see the post.

Get a seat at the table

You have a lot to share, so don’t be shy — share! Dovetailing from your curated connections and engagement, now it’s time to show your expertise. This can lead to opportunities outside of sales, like speaking opportunities that can shine a light on you and your company.

Get involved in industry and other relevant conversation by sharing articles — remember to include a comment on why you think it’s interesting.
Take your marketing departments initiatives like blogs and share them with a lens from your role or territory
Answer the FAQs your customers have
Offer value and tips to grow your notoriety

Remember the rule of thumb:

3-5 shares per week, and two 15-minute sessions/day of engagement.

The point here is to show that you are a leader in the industry and that you’re a real human being. This will make people curious about who you are and get them to click on your profile page. If you’ve optimized your profile with the tips above, you’re sure to pique interest in the right audience and customers.

Think of Linkedin as your digital conference space. It’s free, the resources and leads are plentiful, and it’s an ideal networking space for sales professionals. The key is to be social.

*Head over to our blog for more tips on personal and business branding and marketing.*