Social media relies on being viral, being trendy, and fleeting. Invest heavily and solely focused on those channels, you lose when something changes. Whether it’s a algorithm change, a dramatic change in management direction, a sudden monetisation policy, or an audience that’s fleeing the platform.
Owned channels like websites and email marketing are fundamental to businesses to create stable programmes to build and communication with their audience and buyers.
They are also more controllable than social media because businesses have more decisions over the content, design, and distribution of their messages. Here are a few reasons why:
- Customization: With owned channels like websites and email marketing, businesses have complete control over the design, layout, and content of their messages. This means that they can tailor their messages to their specific audience and ensure that their brand messaging is consistent across all channels.
- Targeting: Owned channels allow businesses to target specific segments of their audience with personalized messages. For example, businesses can use email marketing to send targeted messages to subscribers based on their behavior, preferences, or interests. This level of targeting is not possible with social media, which is more of a broad-based platform.
- Distribution: With owned channels, businesses have complete control over the distribution of their messages. They can choose when and how to distribute their messages, and can measure the performance of their campaigns using analytics and other tools.
- Data ownership: With owned channels, businesses own the data they collect on their audience. This means that they can use that data to create targeted and personalized campaigns, and can maintain control over their customer data.
In contrast, social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are owned and controlled by the social media companies themselves. This means that businesses have less control over the content, design, and distribution of their messages, and must comply with the rules and policies set by the social media companies. Additionally, businesses do not own the data they collect on their social media followers, which can limit their ability to create targeted and effective campaigns.
Overall, owned channels like websites and email marketing are more controllable than social media, allowing businesses to tailor their messages, target specific segments of their audience, and maintain control over their data.