💡 Don't Rely on Social Media! (Issue 121)
Start building your email list now
If you’re reading this, you are a small business owner or want to become one. Today, I will encourage you to build your email list instead of relying on social media or paid traffic.Â
I currently have three newsletters on Substack for my career coaching, business coaching, and a fledgling life coaching business. Thank goodness I started them many years ago when I saw what was happening with Facebook, Twitter, etc.
If you live in the U.S., you’ve been seeing the chaos resulting from billionaire tech CEOs who are ruining the social media platforms we’ve come to rely on for so long. Note: I really don’t want to get into an argument about your political beliefs.
What I am sharing today is purely a business-driven recommendation. You don’t want your customer acquisition to rely on dying channels.
Zuckerberg’s behavior is causing many users to leave Meta’s services (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Threads).
Musk’s bizarre behavior has already made Twitter stumble and fall.
TikTok was recently banned in the U.S., then reinstated (so, how can you trust that channel?).
However, your email list is yours forever. You can take it with you!
I used to be on Mailchimp, then I moved to ConvertKit, and now I’m on Substack. If Substack goes sideways, I’ll move my email list somewhere new. You can’t do that with your followers on social media.
Another quick tip: Don’t be afraid to take a stand for what you believe in.
I usually try to avoid discussing politics. Some of you are new to this newsletter, so you probably found me through a post where I was definitely discussing politics and corrupt tech leaders. Sorry about that. I finally had enough and posted my thoughts online.
I know I lost followers and subscribers. That’s okay. I don’t want to do business with people like that, anyway. But, I gained a lot of new followers and subscribers who supported my post. I’m so happy to find new people who understand how I’m feeling.
As of today, it looks like I’ve gained more than 1K new followers and subscribers over the past few days. These are my people. You are my tribe. Thank you for joining me on this journey to build our business together.
Being authentic is good for you and your business. Be willing to take a stand. And be sure to guide people to your newsletter to build an email list vs. being held hostage by some social media platform.
Yes, I use Bluesky, too. But I will never rely on it as a primary marketing channel. I’ve been in tech long enough (e.g., started in 1993) that I’ve learned to never trust any social media platform.
I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. My wife and I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe.