Imagine this...
You wake up tomorrow morning, make your tea/coffee, pick up your phone and...
Facebook is down.
Instagram won't load.
Your business page has disappeared.
No posts.
No messages.
No followers.
Panic stations?!!
It might sound dramatic, but it's happened before, and it will almost certainly happen again. Whether it's a temporary outage, an account being hacked, or an algorithm deciding not to show your content, relying solely on social media to communicate with your customers is a risky strategy.
The question is...
Would you still be able to contact your customers if social media disappeared tomorrow?
If the answer is no, it's time to start building an email list.
Your followers aren't actually yours
You may have 500... 5,000... or even 50,000 followers, but they don't actually belong to you.
They're Facebook's audience.
They're Instagram's audience.
Those platforms simply allow you to borrow their attention.
Algorithms change constantly, meaning only a small percentage of your followers will ever see your posts.
An email list is different.
Those contacts have chosen to hear from you, and you can reach them directly whenever you need to.
No algorithms.
No fighting for visibility.
No hoping people see your latest update.
Email is one of the highest-converting marketing tools
Despite what people think, email marketing is far from dead.
In fact, it's still one of the most effective ways to nurture relationships and encourage repeat business.
Why?
Because people have invited you into their inbox.
They've already shown an interest in what you do.
That makes them far more likely to engage than someone who casually scrolls past your latest Instagram post.
Many business owners worry they'll have nothing to email people about.
The truth is, your emails don't need to be complicated.
You could share:
-
Helpful tips and advice
-
New products or services
-
Seasonal offers
-
Upcoming events
-
Customer success stories
-
Behind-the-scenes updates
-
Business news
-
Monthly newsletters
Think of your emails as a conversation, not a sales pitch.... don't bombard people with emails either!
Start collecting emails now
One of the biggest mistakes is waiting until you need an email list.
By then, it's often too late.
Start collecting email addresses now, even if you only gain a few each week.
You can add sign-up forms to your website, encourage newsletter subscriptions on social media, or collect details at networking events and exhibitions (always with permission, of course).
Every subscriber is someone who has chosen to stay connected with your business.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Social media is brilliant - I love it - it helps build awareness, create community and showcase your business.
But it shouldn't be your only marketing channel.
The strongest businesses use social media to attract people...... and then encourage them to join an email list where they have a direct line of communication.
It's about protecting your business for the future - especially if you may want to later sell your business (the client base is one of the things that make your business worth anything!)
Ask yourself these three questions:
-
If Facebook disappeared tomorrow, how would I contact my customers?
-
Do I have a list of people who actually want to hear from me?
-
Am I building a business that I own, rather than one that relies on someone else's platform?
If those questions have made you think, perhaps this month is the perfect time to start building your email list.
Your future self will thank you.
