I’ve had the same hairdresser for years.
When he started out, he worked for a popular chain that had many outlets in the country. After a few years he had built a good client base and felt confident enough to go out on his own.
I followed him, of course. The salon he moved to was owned by a lady who operated what is commonly known in the industry as rent-a-chair model. She charged rent for use of her premises.
What inevitably happened at that salon became the story of his life. The landlady saw just how prosperous his business was and doubled the rent, wanting a bigger slice of the fat and juicy pie. His business model stopped being profitable, forcing him to move to not-so-greener pastures.
This taught me one important lesson: Landlords are fickle!
What is digital sharecropping?
Building your business on social media alone makes you no different from my hairdresser. Its risky and downright dangerous!
Unless you own Facebook or Twitter, any content you post on these platforms is not yours. Digital sharecropping is relying on a platform you don’t own to host your content.
You’ll always be at the mercy of that platform. If the rules change, there’s nothing you can do but comply. You are growing their business, not yours.
Similar to building a house on rented land. The land owner can show up and demand their land back and there isn’t much you can do about it.
What are the risks
Facebook closed 5 billion accounts in 2019 alone. That’s huge! Depending on the reason for the deactivation, your account may never be re-instated. And they are not the only ones. Most social media platforms delete accounts, change the way we interact with our followers without consultation.
How would you reach your audience if that happened to you?
Also, the social media world changes so quickly. There is always a new platform being launched, taking over in popularity and traffic. Many platforms come and go and you will have no control over that.
So, what can you do?
I’m obviously not suggesting that you close down all your social media accounts. Social media is a powerful tool. But, it must be part of your content marketing strategy, not the whole strategy.
Build your own website or blog to publish your content. There a lot of self-hosting platforms out there. Our website is hosted through WordPress. It really doesn’t matter which platform you choose, just choose one.
Your website should be the hub or home of all your content. Use it to showcase yourself, your company and products and services. Use social media to reach your audience and drive traffic to your website.
Signing off
As a business, never underestimate the power of controlling the narrative when it comes to your audience. To control the narrative, you need to control the content and the platform. Your website is the best place for this.
Are you a digital sharecropper? Let us know how your business is being affected in the comments below.
