Like it or not, each of our businesses is inter-connected to others. Proactive supplier partnerships can spawn new products and services and add spectacularly to a company’s profitability. On the flip side, non-delivery by suppliers can be catastrophic.
Integrated communication channels
The Internet has integrated communication channels and messaging into modern business operations. Consider digitisation’s impact on the entire marketing mix. Distribution networks run off the back of social media platforms and Amazon grew without stores. Products are augmented with auto-updates, instruction tutorials, expert assistance from anywhere in the world and on-demand customisation.
Are they reliable?
How reliant are you on platforms like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok? It’s easy to become dependent without much concern. It’s a bit like the automakers who use microchips to control functions in modern vehicles. A single vehicle can rely on 1 500 to 3 000 chips. When the world’s supply of semiconductors dried up, it caused production cuts around the globe and carmakers are estimated to have lost 19.6 million vehicles out of their production schedules between 2021 and 2023, according to Autoblog.
That staggering figure is a reminder of how co-dependence can pull the rug out from under even the slickest operators.
Social Media Platforms
Heading back to communication and the internet, blogger and author, Cory Doctorow, has written a brilliant essay on his website, Pluralistic.net which was republished in Wired (the name of which I won’t quote here), explaining what he has observed as the lifecycle of social media platforms. And it never ends well for users.
This isn’t an anti-social media tirade. If companies can use a platform during the stages of its lifecycle that work for them, go for it. But be ready to cut the cord when it’s time. It’s worth making a clear distinction between what you own and what you are giving away. Doctorow says that all social media platforms start out on a mission to gain followers and end up manipulating and ‘monetising’ to their users’ detriment.
One example he quotes is how Facebook manipulated traffic to media outlets – firstly by pushing their feeds and then throttling them, persuading outlets to post their articles on the platform, rather than as a link to their websites. Once the channel has been secured, it becomes a game of blackmail: no payment, no exposure.
News 24
Have you noticed how News24 uses social media to drive traffic to its own portal. Yes, very little. The shareholders, Prosus, who also own shares in Chinese giant Tencent, understand where the value lies in their media business.
What do you own? Not your fans or followers or platform analytics. You own your website, your app if you have one (although Google and Apple are gatekeepers), and your database of contacts. All your social media efforts should be directed towards creating opportunities to open a direct channel of communication with buyers and potential buyers.
How can we help you?
Social media platforms are powerful, useful tools and we’d love to help you use them to build your business, not theirs.
You can read Cory Doctorow’s full article here: https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/
Photo by Rahul Chakraborty on Unsplash
