What do you do when your entire business is based online, and social media is down? Well, if you remember, earlier this month, we couldn’t use social media for several hours. Naturally, businesses were freaking out because most of their sales and marketing happens on these social platforms. Here are 5 ways to market when social media is down so you can keep up with your business and don’t lose your social media audience:

1) Blogging – The simplest thing you can do when social media isn’t working is to blog. Now, you should always have a blog to get cold traffic to your website, but in this case, it’s important to rely on it. A blog post about the product or service’s features and a description of what sets it apart from others in its class works wonders. Keep it fun, educational, and a reminder of why someone should do business with you.

2) Emails – Another simple yet effective way to market your business and retain customers is through email marketing. Send out an email to customers about the social media issue and the date social media will be back up (if you know). Also, include your blog or website address in the email so they can check it out in the meantime. And if they have questions, they can call you directly or reply to your emails.

Traditional Marketing Strategies

3) Offline Marketing – You may want to try some offline marketing strategies. Handing out flyers or even having a stand on your property (if you are a brick-and-mortar) can be very effective ways of getting the word out. Sometimes, you have to whip out the good old-fashioned marketing strategies when situations like this happen.

4) Calls – Making telephone calls to clients and customers can be another effective marketing strategy. Cold-calling is often the LAST thing people want to do, but it can be practical when technology isn’t on your side. Make sure you are prepared to pick up the phone and polish up your sales pitch so you never miss a sale.

5) Referrals – Finally, referrals are another individual marketing strategy you can use. Get in touch with all of your current and past clients and ask them for referrals. When they refer new business to you, mention that this was a referral from someone who found you because social media was down when they were looking for businesses like yours.

In conclusion, there are many ways to market your business when social media isn’t quite cooperating. Which ones you use depend on your business and the industry it belongs to. The key is not to panic! Keep calm, have a plan of action for each scenario, and implement the marketing strategies that best suit your business needs. Remember, social media will be back up soon, and you will need to be prepared for when it does.

Need more ideas on ways to market and sell for your business in the case of a social media emergency? Check out our courses at cardoneuniversity.com. 

Be Great,

Grant Cardone