WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE INSTAGRAM OUTAGE (HINT, WE ALL HATE INSTAGRAM!)
So, Instagram was down. And while marketing agencies worldwide panicked, most of us seemed…relieved?
I mean, let's face it, we've been frustrated with Instagram for years. Professionals, general everyday users, we all are a bit over it.
My Twitter TL was split three ways
1) The people who used the outage as a way to push building offline clientele for brands.
2) The people who were super relieved not to spend any energy on IG that day cause they are over IG.
3) The people who needed IG to come back right away cause they had business to conduct.
and here's the thing, nobody was wrong.
Instagram has made the clever business move of somehow being used by everybody for everything. They've actually been making it easier to conduct your business WITHOUT having to leave IG- they've made it EASY! You can shop without ever leaving the app.
For brands, this outage showed the importance of building your brand OFF social media ultimately. It's possible now to have a business that doesn't even have a physical location. BUT that doesn't mean your branding should cease to exist offline.
I challenge you to really think about how your brand exists and how that differs (or remains the same) online or not. IF you did have a storefront, how would it look? What conversations would you have with the people who came in? WHO do you think would wander into your store? Considering these things will only HELP your brand, never hurt it.
For the everyday user, this outage showed us we need to log tf out. I saw SO many people relieved that IG was down cause they didn't have to spend any energy on the app that day. Here's the thing, though: you don't have to spend any energy on that app on ANY day! Instagram has been in most of our lives for so long that it seems like a feature of our phone, not its own separate thing.
But I challenge you to keep up with your friends in other ways: text them, call them, and ask them how they spent their day instead of watching their stories. Take note of how the time you’re spending on the app is spent and WHY you’re following who you’re following. A while ago, I unfollowed a ton of celebrities (and the shade room), and that improved my Instagram experience by 100%! I realized I was only following those people and constantly comparing for no reason! They don’t know me, I don’t know them!
For the solo-entrepreneur, this outage showed us this shit is hard. Cause you can't really just step away, right? You have a brand to push.
So I challenge you to search for balance. Streamline some processes, set work hours, decide how much time you'll spend on IG for business each day, and stick to it. Get your face out of your phone and enjoy something else for once.
I’m challenging myself to really think about what my business and brand look like 5, 10, or 15 years in the future cause these social sites will change or be gone.