I thought it was just my internet. Or maybe Facebook was just mad I’d deleted their app and bragged about it.

But as it turned out, Facebook’s uptime took a massive hit….all around the globe. This included Instagram and Whatsapp.

Ironically, everyone went to Twitter to complain about it.

Until then, I hadn’t realized how many businesses rely on Facebook. Not only for advertising, but for communication and different forms of team-building.

From what I read, it seems like this is akin to all copies of Microsoft Windows crapping out simultaneously because of a bug in 1998.

This reminds me of an oft repeated not well followed quote: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” But that’s the problem with monopolies. You only have one basket and someone chained it to your wrist.

Fortunately, Facebook isn’t yet a full monopoly. You can still diversify your means of communication and advertising.

How to Diversify Your Means of Communication and Advertising

Facebook isn’t a bad place to advertise. Ads show up exactly where you need them and the cost is still fairly cheap. But using only one form of advertising means you’re cutting your reach by a chunk.

Take e-mail marketing for example. You would lose out on a possible audience of 3.7 billion people who use e-mail.

While your actual target audience isn’t that big, you can imagine how much of that number is your target audience. If you’re not using something like Hubspot Mailchimp Connection alongside Facebook, you’re missing out on potential.

Going Back to Morse Code?

How would you communicate with your team if you only had one means of communication available? We don’t have the telegram system anymore. You can’t just wire someone a message.

Mail would take forever, but do you even have anyone’s physical address? How about their phone number?

Remote teams are awesome, but you need to make sure you’ve got backup communication methods in place. Even in a disaster, cell towers will remain functioning thanks to Government. So, make a classic Rolodex and get your team’s contact information.

Learn from the Facebook crash. Don’t put all your communication and advertising eggs in one basket. You’ll thank me some day.