The Perils Of Free Platforms

  I've said it before and I'll say it again. Free platforms can come at a much greater cost than just shelling out for your own web properties to begin with.

What free platforms?

Facebook, Google+, Twitter, YouTube, Blogger, Typepad, WordPress.com, etc. are all free platforms with their own rules and restrictions. What do they all have in common? They make the rules and their terms (which most people don't bother to read) clearly state: These rules are subject to change without notice. It is your responsibility to make yourself aware of changes by occasionally coming back to reread them.

What's the danger?

It's their ball, their yard, their rules. Anything you do is subject to losing everything you have there. And you never know when the rules are going to change or if you'll arbitrarily be found in violation. When the rules can change from one day to the next and what was not a problem is now verboten, you can end up like this guy. He had a free blogger account and google shut down his account erasing 14 years of work.

But Rob, don't You use these platforms?

I do use some of them like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and YouTube. But I do not rely solely on them. These are channels of distribution for me, nothing more.

How would you fare?

If one of these platforms decides to change the rules, or in this case, delete your account today, what would that do to your marketing? Could you just unplug that channel and plug in the next? What about all of your content?

How to use any free site

This isn't just about social media sites, but any website you don't own. Sites you don't own should only be built up for three main purposes. Those are:

• Driving traffic to your site
• Brand exposure
• Social proof

Social media sites have one HUGE advantage over your website:

That is where the people are going naturally, constantly, and consistently. Conversion rarely takes place on social sites. That's why you want to drive traffic back to your website so you can convert that traffic to sales.

Have the home field advantage

Having your own site means you don't have to comply with strict, arbitrary, and ever-changing rules that can shut you down. Your own website gives you options when it comes to adding on systems that benefit you without begging or waiting for them to become available. And if you want to do something, it's just a matter of can it be done and finding the right person to do it. You don't have to then try to figure out how can it be done within their sliding scale of compliance. A few months back, I did a training session for a marketing automation company where I spoke specifically about the solution to this problem. Click the button below to see the training.