Did your business suffer from the Facebook shutdown? If so, you are one of the entrepreneurs who will not easily forget last Monday, October 4. In addition, this social network, WhatsApp and Instagram, also stopped working for about seven hours. However, what is worrying is the three services belong to the conglomerate Facebook, Inc. In other words, there were millionaire losses, both for these networks and billions of users. And these users support their businesses on these platforms. 

According to Facebook, a change in the configuration of the trunk routers caused the downtime. In other words, “a failure in the links that allow network traffic to pass between data centers.”* It is catastrophic in terms of online business because it affects communication, conversions, and transactions. 

A system associated with these social networks that were also affected was the chatbots. And as we saw in our article “Leverage the using chatbots for marketing your business,” these correspond to a technology that helps customers establish a conversation through messaging systems. Then, as if that were not enough with the reduction in sales, relationships with users fell for more than six hours.

On the other hand, this is not the first time this year that at least one of these networks has gone down. Downdetector, the website for real-time monitoring of different platforms, issued a statement that said that WhatsApp fell at least ten times in 2021. For example, February was its first failure, and once every month stop working. 

Not only did your business suffer from the Facebook shutdown, but the losses were also immense for thousands of ventures

It was a shame that your business suffered from the Facebook shutdown, as well as millions of others. It is a blow that forces us to rethink our strategies beyond digital. I mean, take a look at how Facebook shares lost 4.89 percent in the stock markets at the end of its trading. It dragged with its losses in businesses of all kinds. In addition, those who, due to the Covid-19, moved all or a large part of their operations to social networks. 

It undoubtedly leads us to modify our marketing plans in the digital sphere. It also alerts us not to leave in oblivion those traditional marketing tactics that made many businesses great in the past. But, to not let an upcoming Facebook shutdown surprise us, take a look at what the following tips tell us. Remember that with or without social networks, life and business go on.

1) Facebook and its associated services are not the only option

If you are one of those who base a large part of your online business on Facebook, you should rethink your marketing strategy. The Facebook shutdown makes us turn our eyes to our websites and landing pages. In other words, boost these resources with more facilities such as:

• Payment gateway alternatives.
• Own chatbots are not necessarily linked to social networks to keep in touch with users.
• Online chats with trained personnel
• Constant updating of product and service catalogs
• Creation of content fixed on the web or with links to other platforms, such as YouTube, Twitch, blogs, Telegram
• Optimized contact forms according to the needs of users 

In conclusion, as the grandparents used to say: “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” In other words, diversification is the key to know how to spread the risks. Besides, and not let them accumulate in one or a few options.

2) Faced with the Facebook shutdown, it is necessary to turn to open technologies

The Facebook shutdown also led us to delve into a concept that is worth revisiting. It is a “closed technology,” which mainly includes its associated services. To better understand this concept, the executive director of Fundación Sadosky, Fernando Schapachnik, asked the following question: “What can we learn from the fall of WhatsApp?”*. He answered that “closed technologies limit diversity and are therefore more susceptible to fall.” 

Schapachnik explains that the most obvious comparison is e-mail, one of the first resources developed on the Internet. The advantage of e-mail is that it uses open protocols so that whoever wants to connect can do so with their tools. It is also unlikely that e-mail services will break at the same time. “In contrast, platforms like Whatsapp need absolute control to retain the data that circulates. For that, they need ‘closed technology’ and on their servers,” Schapachnik clarifies. In conclusion, with the Facebook shutdown, all services linked to it crashed too. 

3) Strengthen your network of friends, allies, and customers

or its associated services define the usefulness of the Internet. In other words, this doesn’t have to put your business in check in the digital environment. But the Facebook shutdown is a wake-up call to cultivate both digital and “analog” diversification. See what it’s all about and draw your conclusions.

Do you remember when in your marketing training they talked about reputation? And “word of mouth” communication? Then you should know that, as in any trade, sales have support by the good practices. One of them is the collegiality represented in the strengthening of an already established network of friends. In other words, this is more convenient than a new network built from scratch, and you will see why.

The clearest example is a product that has the backing of enormous capital represented in profits and reputation. Although they are also affected by the Facebook shutdown, they do not forget the relationship with their customers and establish it through other means. It invites us as entrepreneurs to look for those other means that allow us to communicate. It also motivates us to develop a network of contacts with our guild with ample possibilities of finding invaluable business opportunities.

If you were one of those affected by the Facebook shutdown, share your experience in the comments section below. Also, tell us what you did to move forward with your business. 

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