Regardless of your stance on the ‘should TikTok be banned or not’ debate… or your general position on government involvement in personal affairs… a major lesson to be learned from this fiasco is that you do not OWN your social media platforms… you RENT them.
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and any other public platform controls the rules… not you. As we’ve seen several times over… without a moment’s notice they can totally change the guidelines, parameters, and algorithms.
As the insightful and poetic DMX once growled, ‘When you’re in the house you play by house rules.’
The same can be said for someone that has a business dependent on EBay or Amazon or YouTube. If they own the platform, and your business is 100% dependent on them, then they own your business.
Now, Amazon and YouTube are Goliaths… they ‘ain’t goin’ anywhere’ – so your Amazon sales and YouTube subscribers are mostly likely safe… but it’s the principle. You should still diversify your revenue streams in the event something changes (like YouTube drastically changes the way you can monetize your channel).
With all of that said… I am still a huge advocate of using social media to promote and increase awareness to yourself, your organization, and your brand. I also believe social media is an unparalleled tool for sharing, learning, and engaging/connecting.
And while I most certainly don’t foresee any catastrophic changes to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn… I also didn’t predict the COVID-19 global pandemic! Meaning, ANYTHING can happen.
So, I recommend you use your social platforms for all of the above AND to drive your tribe to, and encourage them to opt in, to your email list and direct mail database, as well as so subscribe to your blog/podcast.
If you’re gonna build your dream house… make sure you own the land!
