Social Media's Hidden Dangers: Break Free & Rise Above the Noise

Why you should diversify your online presence

Social media platforms are arguably the best and worst online tools invented in the modern days of the internet.

Even though social media allows you to get in touch with potential customers and grow your audience, it's still important to have other ways to reach prospects.

For a long-time success, you need to be able to control your online presence.

Why do all prominent creators have a website, newsletter, or private community? They are smart!

But why should you do something about it as a small creator or freelancer?

Because there are some serious drawbacks if you're relying on social media:

1. Lack of control - you depend on their rules, policies, and algorithms that dictate what content is displayed, who can see it, and how it can be monetized.
2. The frequent change in the algorithms affects the reach and visibility of your content.
3. The platform owns the user data, making it challenging to access valuable information about your audience for business purposes.
4. Social media profiles and pages offer limited customization options, making it challenging to create a unique and consistent brand identity.
5. Privacy issues are a constant concern on social media platforms, which may discourage some users from engaging with your content or sharing personal information.
6. They can censor or remove content they deem inappropriate or violating their terms of service, sometimes without warning and by "mistake.
7. Relying on social media makes your online presence vulnerable to changes in the platform's popularity, stability, or existence.
8. These platforms are full of content competing for attention, making it difficult for your message to stand out and reach your target audience.
9. Content has a shorter lifespan and can quickly become buried in users' feeds, while content on a website or email list is more persistent and easily accessible
10. Many social media platforms rely on advertising for revenue, which means that organic reach is often limited, and businesses may need to pay for ads to reach their desired audience.
    

It's a good idea to use both social media and your own platforms to get the best of both while avoiding their drowbacks.

Create your own online space

This part can be scary if you're a non technical person but I'm here to tell you, it shouldn't be.

If you're on a budget, there are easy to learn tools that can get you going in no time. Carrd landing page builder or WordPress for more serious websites, paired with a drag and drop plugin like Elementor are 2 examples.

Those has a low barrier of entry and can help you create your own landing page or website to build an email list, newsletter, or blog.If you're serious about your presence, I recommend hiring a professional to build you a high converting landing page or future proof website using Webflow or other professional platforms.

Weekly challenge

This week challenge is easy. Block 2 hours and assess your priorities. Analyse the above 3 options and see which one is the best fit for you.

Alocate the needed time to put it into practice and take action. Your future self will thank you.

Extra 3

Here are 3 bonus tools and resources I believe you'll find helpful as well:

• You don't have the technical knowledge or time to build your own website or high-converting landing pages? Loo no further. Digital Finest, my very own Web Design business has your back.
• Did you choose to use WordPress and do it yourself? You will need a reliable hosting provider. SiteGround and Cloudways are my favorites.
• Users leave a website if it doesn't load in less than 3 seconds. Luckly NitroPack is an easy to use plugin that sits on top of any platform and does all speed optimizations automatically.