Facebook has recently experienced backlash regarding its privacy policies, and, as a result, their advertising tools will likely change soon to calm the tides. In a recent blog post, Mark Zuckerberg outlined his vision for the social media empire as a “privacy-focused messaging and social networking platform.” While these changes won’t happen tomorrow, you need to prepare for when they do. 

In light of this uncertain future, now is the time to start looking into alternative marketing platforms. The main options you should start exploring (if you haven’t already) are email list management and other social media channels, like Twitter and Pinterest.

Utilizing these marketing channels will help you reach similar demographics to what you reach on Facebook. An effective email management and acquisition strategy can attract a middle-aged male demographic, and Pinterest and Twitter can make up the rest of the difference for your target audience.

Currently, 56% of Twitter’s users make $50,000 a year, with 80% of that group being millennials. Considering Twitter’s 68 million monthly users, it’s a great way to reach millennials with a high level of buying power.

Pinterest offers access to another key demographic, as 83% of all Pinterest users are female. In addition to allowing you to target a specific demographic, Pinterest also boasts a sky-high engagement level. 87% of “Pinners” have purchased products because of Pinterest.

Managing social media can be difficult, so we recommend you spend an hour weekly researching the trends in social media marketing to stay prepared. If you’re an AFEUSA member, reach out to your fellow entrepreneurs on our discussion boards to see how they’re reaching their audiences.