Leaving Social Media: Why I No Longer Rely on Instagram To Market My Business, and What I’m Doing Instead
Can you really get your business discovered online without relying on social media? YES! And I did it.
This post will share the the tools and strategies that are slower, more sustainable, and don’t require you to ‘show up’ daily to make sales. Plus I’ll dive into why I chose to stop relying on social media for my marketing.
You do not need to be on social media to run a successful business.
It's a myth that the only way to be successful with marketing is to use social media. I have always felt that socials, in particular this platform, should be used in conjunction with other tools - like email, blogs, and podcasts.
One of the reasons I encourage people to create freebies, build email lists, and explore things like blogging and podcasting, is because I know the power of these platforms.
There is a whole world outside of IG. It might feel like everyone is on there, and so to not be there would be a mistake, but I can tell you - there are millions of businesses finding success every single day without Instagram.
Let’s start with all the reasons I stopped relying on Instagram:
I got fed up with the constant need to create content and trying to go viral
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that to be ‘successful’ on Instagram you need to go viral or at the very least, create content every single day. This used to be me to be fair - back in 2020/21 I was caught up in the hype of reels and trying to build community by showing my face daily. Not only is that approach exhausting!! but it’s also just not sustainable OR realistic. I don’t want to be on my phone every single day just to make a sale!
Instagram feels a lot like an echo chamber
I grew tired of seeing the same kinds of people, the same messages, and the same demographics. (My feed was 90% white women in their 30’s) I constantly feel like I’m in a pyramid scheme of Business Coaches trying to sell you programs that teach you to sell - with no real marketing background. And as someone who has worked in marketing legitimately for over 14 years - I wanted my expertise to do the talking and to stop getting lost in a sea of other coaches.
I don’t want to share every second of every day to be relatable
You do not have to share every single moment of your life in order to be seen as ‘authentic’ and relatable. Those are often the terms we hear in terms of building a personal brand but they don’t have to mean showing every part of your life. You can be authentic just by being YOU! In whatever shape and form that comes in.
I Create content in line with my calendar availability and energy
I now focus on creating content that will have a much longer lifespan than grid posts - like Pinterest pins, blogs, email funnels, and podcast episodes. I batch create content meaning one day I’ll focus on writing blog posts, other days it will be emails, and then everything can be pre-scheduled ahead of time. This means that even if you only have 2 days per month to dedicate to marketing your efforts can really be maximised.
Less time on socials means more time growing your business.
What I’ve found in the online business world, is that there is this pressure to be on socials - even if it doesn’t suit your energy type or time capacity.
Many of my customers come to me because they’re short on time and need marketing that doesn’t mean creating social content every single day, or they are just fed up with being on the social media hamster wheel and feeling out of control with finding and signing customers.
I’m here to tell you that you do not have to rely on, or even be on, social media to attract clients and make consistent sales month on month.
Marketing is more than social media, and I’ve made it my mission to introduce business owners looking to DIY their marketing to the proven techniques and strategies that will help them build a solid, sustainable marketing plan without relying on social media - especially Instagram.
I’m not saying you have to ditch socials entirely - maybe you want to - but maybe you just want to know you can take a month away from Instagram and not lose sales.
My approach to marketing weaves together a strategy along with an energy-aware focus; meaning there is purpose and intention behind everything we do and implement, but I also come at this work from an angle of “how can I look after my energy, time, and capacity?”
