The Pivot Point: How One Moment Transformed My Marketing

My marketing strategy changed on January 14, 2022. How do I remember it so clearly? That was the moment that my Facebook account was hacked. That one event started a domino effect. Overnight I was deactivated on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. I learned a painful lesson at that moment: you do not own anything on social media platforms. I lost over 8,000 followers and content due to no fault of my own.

The Aftermath of a Social Media Hack

I went through the extensive process of trying to get reinstated on Facebook and Instagram, but to no avail. What I learned through this process is that this situation is quite common. I posted a blog on the Emotional Damage of a Social Media Hack and received so many comments. Small businesses came out of the woodwork.

Like many small businesses, I had spent a lot of time cultivating relationships on social media. Our e-commerce site was even linked to each platform, and we received a lot of sales. But what I am thankful for is that I had developed an email marketing strategy.

The Power of an Email List

The morning after the hack, I sent a newsletter out to our community. I explained that The Marketplace was hacked and that we were not able to access our accounts on Facebook and Instagram. What happened after that was nothing short of a miracle. I received countless emails back saying they would pray that we would be able to regain access to our accounts and that they would support The Marketplace. That weekend we had one of our largest online sales days!

I had spent years cultivating our email followers. Initially, I was not as consistent. I would send one newsletter a month until show season started in September, then all bets were off! Once January rolled around and shows slowed down, I got back on the one-newsletter-a-month train. In 2019, I got serious and sent one out every month.

Lessons Learned During the Pandemic

We all know what happened in March 2020. Covid forced a lockdown, and many small businesses suffered. Shows were canceled, and many small businesses did not have online stores, social media, or an email list. The Marketplace was fortunate to have an online store and a consistent newsletter following. While many small businesses suffered, we were able to pivot to be fully online. We had spent years building an engaged community. From that point on, we became fully online, and I began sending 2 newsletters a month.

Owning Your Marketing Strategy

While the social media hack was hard, it did not destroy us. While I spent a lot of time on social media marketing, I learned that my main focus needed to be on what I owned: my website and my email list. While social media has a place in your marketing strategy, it should never be your main focus. It’s a great way for people to discover who you are, but your main goal should be to drive them to your website and onto your email list.

Quality Over Quantity

Having run a small business for 11 years, I understand how much time marketing takes. I also understand the importance of consistency. Stop listening to the influencers who tell you that you need to post daily and multiple times a day in stories. I used to do that, and I will be honest, how I didn’t burn out is beyond me. When I reopened my Instagram account, I decided I would only post 3 days a week and shoot for 3 days in stories. Guess what? I had the same number of sales from Instagram with fewer followers than I did when I had 8,000 followers between both Facebook and Instagram. What I learned was while 8,000 people followed us, they were not supporters. They were just there for the content. So the big question is, did I really lose 8,000 followers?

Let’s Rethink Your Strategy

If you are interested in rethinking your marketing strategy or maybe actually starting one, I would love to help. Learn from all of my mistakes. I can help you customize a strategy that will work for you based on how much time you have. I always say, start small. Just start today.