Kate Andersen |
03.14.19 |
2.5 min read How the 24-hour Facebook and Instagram Crash Affected Businesses
If you've ever wondered if social media was the best platform to run your business online, yesterday's Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp crash should have given you an answer. Social media certainly showed us its vulnerability through this event, as well as the recent news of more hacking. It also highlights the danger of one company buying up so many popular platforms.
First of all, what caused this massive meltdown? Engineers and developers have been feverishly trying to sort it out. And, as of this moment, the only official statement was that a 'server configuration' crippled the entire enterprise.
In the meantime, many businesses sat around all day wringing their hands and hitting refresh every hour on the hour, while others rushed to platforms that were working, like Twitter. Brands and influencers tried to add some comic relief to the situation.
First of all, what caused this massive meltdown? Engineers and developers have been feverishly trying to sort it out. And, as of this moment, the only official statement was that a 'server configuration' crippled the entire enterprise.
In the meantime, many businesses sat around all day wringing their hands and hitting refresh every hour on the hour, while others rushed to platforms that were working, like Twitter. Brands and influencers tried to add some comic relief to the situation.
instagram and facebook are down but Denny's is always open
— Denny's (@DennysDiner) March 13, 2019
Instagram and Facebook are down so here we are. Crossing my fingers this is my best performing tweet yet 🤞🏾#instagramdown
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) March 13, 2019
There were even a few hilarious suggestions to try and help.
Have you tried turning it off and back on again?
— Eric du Toit (@ericsdutoit) March 13, 2019
What it all boils down to, though, is the need for diversification. We've actually talked about this in a previous post, but in light of recent events we'll re-establish the need here.
If you're running a business or managing a brand, you must have a diverse presence both online with a reliable website and offline with real-world marketing efforts. You've heard the phrase not to put all of your eggs in one basket. That's exactly what we're saying here.
If you run an e-commerce business solely through social media, you were probably most impacted yesterday. We don't need to explain that you missed out on a solid day's worth of sales. We're bummed out about this as much as you are. We love seeing online brands grow and thrive, which is why we're in this business.
Even if you don't rely on online transactions to make sales, let's say you're a service business (or restaurant like Denny's). If the only way you communicate with customers is on social media, you could have left a lot of people in the dark about any news you had to share. So, if you don't already have a blog that you update regularly or other marketing efforts beyond social, now is the time to get that started.
True story, we have a client who is hosting a special event and they wanted to quickly get the word out. We planned on using social media to share the details, but like everyone else in the world we were stifled because of the crash. Because we had a broader plan in place, we had pitched the event to the media. As a result, we received news coverage and were still able to get the word out. And with a fairly big event like Facebook crashing, it's safe to say more people than usual tuned in to last night's news.
As a takeaway, if you truly respect and value your business, you would diversify your marketing. Invest in a solid web presence that gives you more control of what you share, how you share it, and when you share it with your customers. Also, look for ways to meet your customers out in the real world. Then if something breaks, you're not left sweeping up a mess.
If you're running a business or managing a brand, you must have a diverse presence both online with a reliable website and offline with real-world marketing efforts. You've heard the phrase not to put all of your eggs in one basket. That's exactly what we're saying here.
If you run an e-commerce business solely through social media, you were probably most impacted yesterday. We don't need to explain that you missed out on a solid day's worth of sales. We're bummed out about this as much as you are. We love seeing online brands grow and thrive, which is why we're in this business.
Even if you don't rely on online transactions to make sales, let's say you're a service business (or restaurant like Denny's). If the only way you communicate with customers is on social media, you could have left a lot of people in the dark about any news you had to share. So, if you don't already have a blog that you update regularly or other marketing efforts beyond social, now is the time to get that started.
True story, we have a client who is hosting a special event and they wanted to quickly get the word out. We planned on using social media to share the details, but like everyone else in the world we were stifled because of the crash. Because we had a broader plan in place, we had pitched the event to the media. As a result, we received news coverage and were still able to get the word out. And with a fairly big event like Facebook crashing, it's safe to say more people than usual tuned in to last night's news.
As a takeaway, if you truly respect and value your business, you would diversify your marketing. Invest in a solid web presence that gives you more control of what you share, how you share it, and when you share it with your customers. Also, look for ways to meet your customers out in the real world. Then if something breaks, you're not left sweeping up a mess.
