Facebook amassed users, then sold our eyeballs to the highest bidder. At first people thought that social media was this massive microphone, but decreased organic reach has significantly turned the volume down. The idea went from getting "Likes" to figuring out how to make sure the people who had "Liked" your page could actually see what you were posting. The page turned, and people who had thought ahead were already creating great content via newsletters that were chock full of value.
I, personally, am annoyed at how long it took me to see the light with respect to this exact pivot.
The takeaway for me has been about making sure we're agile enough to understand the platform (whatever it is), how it fits into our overall strategy, then see where it's going and adapt preemptively.
The questions for any business owner with respect to digital strategy are:
- What is our digital strategy?
- What components does it include and in what proportions?
- How often do we evaluate the strategy?
- What indicators will we use to measure effectiveness?
And perhaps most importantly, how will this work best connect us with interested partners, collaborators or clients?
Outreach, marketing, and advertising are never free, and the cost goes up without a strategy.