Panicking Over the Facebook and Instagram Mass Exodus?
With the recent mass exodus from Facebook and Instagram, I’ve had multiple clients and concerned business owners ask me what’s going on, what’s Bluesky and should they be concerned.
What’s going on?
According to NBC News, “Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of changes that shifted the company and its policies to the right ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.”
As a result, many users are leaving Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp out of concern over bullying due to less content moderation, their differing political views, and even privacy concerns (which we all should have taken more seriously a long time ago).
How it’s affecting small business owners
With the frenzy of media attention and buzz on social media this mass exodus is receiving, small business owners are concerned they’ll no longer be able to reach their audience.
And because many of these followers are now opening accounts on Bluesky, business owners are stressing over whether they should abandon Facebook and Instagram, platforms they’ve likely spent years and countless hours honing, for this platform.
What’s Bluesky?
Bluesky is a social media platform most comparable to X (formerly Twitter).
In fact, it was founded by Twitter co-creator and former CEO Jack Dorsey.
With a tagline of “Social media as it should be,” Bluesky is considered decentralized, meaning
“Bluesky runs on a system (the AT protocol) that is not controlled by any one person or organization. Instead, developers and individuals have more control over the user experience, and the workings of the network are more transparent” — “What is Bluesky, and should your business be on it in 2025?” on Hootsuite
Screenshot from Bluesky’s home page, taken 1/25/25.
The platform does not currently allow ads and is less promotional, instead focusing on thought-provoking content.
Its structure is very similar to Twitter/X. While users can share photos, the focus is more on text with posts resembling the same format as a tweet.
It’s the first social media platform where you “own” your following
“In its beta phase, users can only join the bsky.social network, but Bluesky plans to be federated, meaning that endless individually operated communities can exist within the open source network. So, if a developer outside of Bluesky built their own new social app using the AT Protocol, Bluesky users could jump over to the new app and port over their existing followers, handle and data.
‘You’ll always have the freedom to choose (and to exit) instead of being held to the whims of private companies or black box algorithms. And wherever you go, your friends and relationships will be there too,’ a Bluesky blog post explained.” — “What is Bluesky? Everything to know about the X competitor” on Tech Crunch
Being able to migrate your friends and followers is a huge draw, considering losing the community they’ve built is a big part of the panic small business owners are experiencing due to the mass exodus from Facebook and Instagram. (And the temporary TikTok ban in the U.S.)
Should my business move to Bluesky?
While Bluesky doesn’t have nearly the number of users that Facebook, Instagram, or even X has, its user base is steadily increasing.
Pro: Engagement is great
“‘What’s particularly notable about Bluesky are the genuine engagement levels, with an audience that shows far more meaningful interaction than what I’ve experienced on X recently,’ says Dana Ditomaso, founder & lead instructor at Kick Point Playbook. ‘The platform currently has a higher proportion of real, engaged users who are genuinely interested in meaningful discussions and content sharing. This translates to better quality interactions and more substantive engagement with your posts.’” — “What is Bluesky, and should your business be on it in 2025?” on Hootsuite
Pro: You can link without concern
Bluesky also doesn’t discourage outbound links, meaning your posts won’t be dinged for linking to your website (like they would be on most other social media platforms).
Pro: It pays to be an early adopter
Early users tend to be rewarded not only by the platform but by the leg up they receive from building their audience and learning the platform from the beginning.
Con: It’s like Twitter
If you’re used to the format of Facebook and Instagram, you may not be as comfortable on Bluesky.
Con: It’s text-based
Being similar in style to Twitter, posts are text-based. And limited to 300 characters.
You can share photos but they’re not as prominent.
And because most small business owners rely on visuals to market their offer, a text-based platform may not be ideal.
Con: It’s less promotional
While a draw to users when opening a Bluesky account, the emphasis on thought sharing can be challenging for small businesses when it comes to marketing.
“So far, largely due to the ad-free environment, Bluesky feels a lot less promotional than other platforms. It’s a good idea for businesses using Bluesky to focus less on promoting their brand and more on starting conversations with their audience.” — “What is Bluesky, and should your business be on it in 2025?” on Hootsuite
If you’re not interested in becoming a thought leader or enjoy creating written content, there may some friction in figuring out the best strategy for Bluesky.
The Bottom Line
Don’t jump ship because you’ve heard a threatening weather report. Stay the course and riding through the storm.
If you love using social media and figuring things out, give Bluesky a try — while maintaining your current strategy for Facebook and Instagram (unless these platforms go against your beliefs; always stay true to your beliefs).
Because Bluesky is still a new platform there’s no guarantee it will have the longevity of Facebook, Instagram, or even X which is why you shouldn’t shift all of your efforts to it.
But it does have the potential to disrupt the way we use social media and it could grow to become a mainstream platform. So even if you have no desire to jump in, it’s worth claiming your handle now (@missmegabug.bsky.social).
Above all, remember that social media can be an effective marketing channel, but it should never constitute your entire marketing strategy.
If you’re panicking about starting over on another social media platform, you’re not marketing your business correctly.
The most effective marketing channels for small businesses — ranked. →
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To learn how to market your business the right way and nail a strategy that works with your skills, check out Self-Employed School.
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Hey there! I’m Meg:
LOVER OF CATS, ROLLER SKATING, AND VW BUGS
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