For the first time in history, Facebook, Instagram and Messenger all crashed for more than 6 hours
This crash was the number one trending topic in the world with 5 million plus searches in the first hour…
While the world is complaining, some smart people will use this as an opportunity to grow their brands and businesses (the ones that will read and implement this)
The crash immediately reminded me of something which happened 9 months ago
The day when I lost my BIG BLUE account and I nearly went crazy during that period.
It was barely two weeks to our event #Afrikpreneur2020 and I can’t stress how much we survived because we OWNED a list and could still reach out to the community independently of other platforms
But again, I had to come back and start from scratch (with a new Facebook account which is 6 months old) so I know what it means like to forcefully start from zero and that’s why I’ve been talking about ‘building skyscrapers on a borrowed land’
My friend, if the BIG MAN decides to permanently disable your account today, would you still be in business?
If you run a business and you’re not building an email list of your prospects and customers, then you’re not building a solid sustainable business and you can crash any time the BIG MAN goes down
I see a lot of my friends, influencers, businesses, they have such such good following online with incredible content and they’re happy with the likes and comments they get…
Or bloggers who create Facebook pages and toil for years updating them without a website or create a list of their readers
I hope you now see that without your own list (emails, phone numbers), you are a slave to the ever-changing BIG MEN and you must dance to their tune
In 2013 when BIG BLUE was offering to buy 3 year old Snapchat for $3 billion, it wasn’t because her experts could not build an app like Snapchat or something better
In fact, it’ll take those guys a couple of minutes to create something that will stun the world
They were offering to buy the lists, the data, the millions of users who had already signed up and were using Snapchat daily
When you’re on a borrowed land, remember that the goal is to convert those fans, followers and readers into a home that you OWN and can CONTROL at any time (a lot of you have watched me do this every time)
So what exactly should you start doing differently from today?
1. Create an email list and start to keep record of your prospects, fans, readers, followers and customers
When Burna Boy released ‘Twice As Tall Album’ and hit millions of streams in few days, I remember digging to learn the marketing strategy behind the album success
Aside his personal brand, one of the things I discovered was that Puff Daddy who executively produced the album, used his email list with millions and millions of people to run a campaign promoting the album
Can you imagine getting an email from your favorite artist asking you to check something out?
If you’re a coach, business owner or entrepreneur, create a list of your followers. If you’re into fashion, create a list of your customers and prospects, if you’re a writer, create a list of your readers and start to build a home that will stand when the wind comes
My friend, if you’re anything like me, the goal is always to create content here that people love and relate with – and immediately feed off the attention you generate to drive people into something you OWN and CONTROL at will (your lists)
I wouldn’t end this without pointing you back to my favorite email software I trust and use to build my own email and phone number lists – Active Campaign. I’ve used AC for the last 2 years to build lists, set automations and constantly run campaigns
I have tried all the other famous ones, more than 10 of them (you know the ones I mean) and this one wins by far for me…
If you’re building a business, please head on to Active Campaign, create a trial account and start to keep a list of your clients and prospects.
2. Consciously start to build a the list every day
My friends, keep creating the content you create now, but here’s what I want you to do differently…
Go to AC, copy a subscription form and paste to your website. if you don’t have a website, get the same link into your posts and add them to the incredible content you create. Your real followers will take note and start to follow your land, they will become your tribe
You can see an example here:
When you do so, start to share your work, your story, your journey and your products with your lists regularly
That’s how you can control your business and totally have your say in your hand
I’d say it again my friends, when you’re on a borrowed land, remember that the goal is to convert those fans, followers and readers into a home that you OWN and can CONTROL at any time
I really believe any entrepreneur, business or brand without an online strategy won’t survive, I can almost promise it!
If you’re not yet to subscribe to my smart newsletters, this is going to be your one chance to join me and my 21,000 friends who always talk about the value I share with the community.
Most of the secrets I share in my emails (or the details I add to them) do not make it to my regular social media. Click here to join my community now!
arreybate.com/smartfriends
Once again, here’s the sign up link and I hope this article does not fall on deaf ears:
arreybate.com/smartfriends
Tag and share this with a friend who is an artist, a comedian, a fashion designer, a makeup artist, an entrepreneur, a business owner and pretty much anyone who is building a brand
Arrey Bate
Internet Entrepreneur | Journalist | Author