Is Bluesky Good for Business?
Some Quick Background
If you’re a social media user, particularly of Twitter, now rebranded X, you must have previously seen mention of the Bluesky platform. Bluesky was an experimental spin-off from Twitter a few years back, a side project of then Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to test new technology for a decentralised social media platform.
You see, the problem with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram (And now Threads as well), is that they each have single corporate owners. Meta owns Facebook, Insta, and Threads, Microsoft owns LinkedIn, and Elon Musk owns Twitter. Sorry, X. If anything untoward were to happen to any of these social platforms as a result of, let’s just speculate here, shall we, a hostile takeover by unethical forces, then these platforms could take a change for the worse.
Oh, wait – Twitter was brought by Elon Musk, a man of questionable moral values, and, clumsily rebranded as “X”, it has really taken a downturn since his takeover. Facebook has now followed suit and done away with moderators who make sure that there’s no inappropriate posting or illegal content.
The power of individuals over these apps has turned them from good, if not neutral, to potentially much darker places. You can’t say that misogyny and racism are “free speech” and that the world is better with these behaviours than without them. Well, actually, you can say that but it doesn’t mean it’s true.
So what’s to be done about these hostile takeovers?
Alternatives to Right Wing Social Media
Of course, most people inhabit the middle ground, the less extreme fringes of life. That’s where normality and balance is. Yes, there are apps like Trump’s “Truth” social and Parler, but these never quite got the traction they needed. What had to happen, in the eyes of the far right, was to commandeer the tools of “the left” aka the middle and the left. After all, these “social media” platforms had the word “social” in them, so they must be “socialist” – and what better contempt than “owning the libs” as the far right like to say.
That’s what happened to Twitter. And the world’s clumsiest rebrand means that it’s now called X… Get it? X? Ex? No longer belongs to everyone, just belongs to Musk? It is an ex social media platform!
When Twitter takeover talks first happened, there was talk of dissatisfied users moving to Mastodon, the federated social platform. The mass exodus didn’t quite happen as planned and Mastodon was quickly neglected by the masses. Then Mark Zuckerberg, who thought everyone would go and live in the metaverse, rebranded Facebook as Meta and made FB the child business. He saw the opportunity in Twitter’s sudden demise and the fact that disillusioned users were looking for Twitter alternatives and created Threads, a Twitter clone. It was popular. It still is.
And then there was Tribel, another tool set up to home the homeless. It’s far more pleasant than X.
But Bluesky has also seen some good traction. I’ve been watching the figures over the last few months. Back in November there was an official post saying that they had over 20 million users. If you believe what I’ve seen today that number is now up to 32.3 million!
Late last year I had a rush of new followers, and many did look like spammers, but they’ve quickly diminished and the quality is setting in again.
Why Bluesky Matters for Your Business
- Authentic Engagement: Bluesky’s supposed algorithm-free environment encourages more genuine interactions, allowing your brand’s voice to shine through.
- Control Over Content: The platform’s decentralised structure gives you greater control over your content and how it’s distributed.
- Early Adopter Advantage: With Bluesky still in its growth phase, businesses have the opportunity to establish a strong presence before the platform becomes saturated.
Like all these platforms, it’s good to dip your toes in and get a feel. I recommend maintaining a presence there and keeping it fairly low-key for now, unless you start earning some real successes early on.
Also, as I’ve mentioned, X is not as pleasant an environment as it used to be. This can be an issue for brands, especially when their ads are adjacent to questionable content. It’s the whole reason why Elon Musk famously told advertisers where to go.
Getting Started on Bluesky
Setting up your business presence on Bluesky is straightforward but requires careful consideration. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Create Your Account
- Visit bsky.app or download the Bluesky mobile app
- Sign up using your business email and choose a strong password
- Select a username that aligns with your brand identity
- Optimise Your Profile
- Upload a high-quality profile picture, preferably your company logo
- Craft a compelling bio that succinctly describes your business and includes a call-to-action
- Add a link to your website or landing page
- Choose Your Interests
- Select topics relevant to your industry to help Bluesky curate content for your feed
- Consider a Custom Domain
- For a more professional look, you can set up a custom domain handle (e.g., @yourbrand.com) instead of the default @yourbrand.bsky.social
That should get you started. If there are any changes to the process, let me know and I’ll update this guidance.
Creating Engaging Content on Bluesky
To build a strong presence on Bluesky, your business should focus on creating content that resonates with your audience:
- Share Your Journey
- How about documenting your Bluesky experience, sharing insights and learnings?
- Maybe highlight your company’s milestones and behind-the-scenes moments.
- Engage in Conversations
- Respond to comments and participate in relevant discussions.
- Use Bluesky’s features like polls to encourage interaction.
- Provide Value
- Share industry insights, tips, and educational content.
- Offer exclusive promotions or content for your Bluesky followers.
- Leverage Multimedia
- Incorporate images, videos, and GIFs to make your posts more engaging.
- Use Bluesky’s unique features, such as the ability to add alt-text to videos, to enhance accessibility.
- Stay Consistent
- Develop a content calendar to maintain a regular posting schedule.
- Use scheduling tools like Fedica to streamline your content management.
There’s a really great community feeling on Bluesky, so be gentle with the people there. I haven’t seen too much brash behaviour there, and when it has happened, it’s either just gone away really quickly or been shut down.
Building Your Bluesky Community
Growing your follower base on Bluesky requires a strategic approach:
- Import Existing Followers
- Use Bluesky tools to find and connect with your Twitter/X followers. There’s a great little X to Bluesky converter called Sky Follower Bridge. It can also import Threads
- Engage Authentically
- Interact with other users’ content genuinely to build relationships
- Join relevant conversations using hashtags or keywords.
- Cross-Promote
- Announce your Bluesky presence on other social media platforms.
- Encourage your existing customers and followers to connect with you on Bluesky.
- Collaborate
- Partner with other businesses or influencers in your industry for cross-promotion.
- Participate in or host Bluesky-specific events or challenges.
These methods all work across every other social media platform at the moment anyway, so really focus on doing the same for Bluesky. If you can grow this channel to anywhere near as big as your other social media platforms, you’ll get some great coverage.
Measuring Success on Bluesky
While Bluesky’s analytics tools are still developing, you can track your success by:
- Monitoring follower growth.
- Analysing engagement rates on your posts.
- Tracking click-throughs to your website from Bluesky.
- Collecting qualitative feedback from your Bluesky community.
Again, measurement is key to understanding how effective your use of Bluesky is, and X has shuttered a lot of the tools that were once free for all. So leverage as much as you can out of Bluesky and third party tools before things change…
Future-Proofing Your Bluesky Strategy
As Bluesky continues to evolve, stay adaptable:
- Stay Informed: Keep up with Bluesky’s updates and new features.
- Experiment: Be willing to try new content formats and engagement strategies.
- Listen to Your Audience: Regularly seek feedback from your followers to refine your approach.
It’s still a fairly new platform, and is still “finding its feet” but it does feel like it’s maturing all the time at the moment, especially with over 30 million users now.
Conclusion
The Bluesky social media platform offers a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with their audience in a more genuinely more authentic and controlled environment. For now anyway. By establishing your business presence early and focusing on genuine engagement, you really can build a loyal community that supports your brand’s growth.
As the platform continues to develop, businesses that invest time and effort into their Bluesky strategy now are likely to reap significant benefits in the future. Remember, success on Bluesky, as with any social media platform, comes from consistently providing value to your audience and engaging in meaningful conversations.
So start your Bluesky journey today and position your business in the fediverse.
If you need help getting your business on Bluesky, call me on 01252 692 765 or complete the contact form, and I’ll help you get you a foothold.