The Danger of Overreliance on 1 Online Platform

I have written before about the stunning effectiveness of YouTube and Facebook advertising, provided it is done correctly.

There is a tremendous danger, however, in putting all your eggs in one basket.

Recently I met a young woman whose entire business-surprisingly successful-was based on the popularity of her Facebook page and Facebook advertising.

When she fell foul, however, of Facebook’s advertising policies she was prevented from advertising and her page was effectively shut down. This ended her business and she came to me for advice.

The difficulty is that Facebook or YouTube are private platforms owned by limited companies-Facebook and Google-and do not have any public service obligations, for example those that RTE must adhere to.

So, when Facebook close your account because you have breached their advertising policies, and you have unsuccessfully appealed their decision, it is difficult to see anywhere else you might profitably pursue the matter.

Yes, perhaps you can complain to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission or go to the Courts seeking some type of order or relief on anti competition grounds. But pitting the resources of a small business against the resources of Google and Facebook is a battle that is only for the extremely brave or foolhardy.

The takeaway is that these platforms make the rules and if you want to play you need to keep a weather eye on their policies and procedures, which do change frequently, to ensure you are not shooting yourself in the foot and destroying your business.

And you also need to ensure that you do not develop an unhealthy overreliance on one platform.

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