Last weekend (1/18/2025), TikTok went dark in response to the ban, and it left many creators and businesses worried. While TikTok came back, it was a big reminder of something super important—you don’t really own your followers on social media.
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are great for reaching people, but they can change anytime. Whether it’s new rules, your account getting shut down, or the whole site going offline, depending only on social media can be risky for your business. This is why you need to engage in email list building now.
Why Relying Only on Social Media is Risky
If TikTok going down made you feel nervous, you’re not the only one. Here’s why depending only on social media can be a bad idea:
- Changing Rules: Social media sites often change how they show posts, and fewer people might see your content.
- Account Problems: Your account could get hacked, banned, or deleted, and you might lose all your followers.
- Not Everyone Sees Your Posts: Even if you have lots of followers, only a small number may actually see your posts.
- No Direct Connection: Social media is great for sharing, but it doesn’t let you connect with people in a personal way like email does.
Why You Should Use Both Email and Social Media
Social media is great for finding new people, but email helps you stay connected and in control. You should use both to help your business grow.
Here’s why email marketing works so well:
- You Own Your Email List: No one can take it away from you.
- Direct Contact: Emails go straight to people’s inboxes, so you can reach them anytime.
- More People Pay Attention: Emails are more likely to be read than social media posts.
- Better Sales: Emails help turn followers into paying customers.
- Long-Term Relationships: With emails, you can stay in touch and provide helpful content to your audience over time.
How to Start Email List Building
If the TikTok outage made you think about how to stay in touch with your audience, now is a great time to engage in email list building. Here are some easy steps:
- Give Something for Free: Offer a free guide, checklist, or something helpful in exchange for email sign-ups.
- Promote Your List on Social Media: Use your social media to tell people about your email list.
- Make It Simple to Sign Up: Add sign-up forms to your website and social pages.
- Send Valuable Emails: Share tips, updates, and useful content that people will want to read.
- Organize Your List: Group people by what they like so you can send them the right content.
- Welcome New Subscribers: Set up automatic welcome emails to introduce yourself and your business.
How Email and Social Media Can Work Together
Instead of choosing just one, use both social media and email marketing together. Social media helps bring in new people, and email helps you stay connected and turn them into customers.
Take Control of Your Business
Social media is a great tool, but it shouldn’t be your only one. Start your email list today to keep your audience engaged and grow your business for the long run. Need help getting started? Reach out and let’s work on it together!
Start building your email list today and take control of your audience!