There seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment of businesses and people talking about as well as actually stepping away from social media.  Perhaps finally realising that social media isn’t the only way to market your business and that we all have a choice on whether we want to use social media or not.

In truth it never was the only way to market your business, however, we all can be easily led by people selling shiny marketing solutions that make us believe that there really is a magical marketing unicorn.

I believe like most trends the end is inevitable, once everyone has jumped on to social, and is taking the same advice, doing the same posts/ reels/ templates, and stuck on a never-ending hamster wheel that feels like a chore rather than the initial friendly community engagement it once was.  While businesses continue to define what suits their audience and business – the sense of people leaving and finding engagement and community elsewhere continues to grow.

The steady decline of Social Media Giants

The big social media honchos have no one to blame but themselves, Instagram went into a tailspin once it was bought by meta (Facebook). Trying to force users to do reels, copying TikTok, and continuously changing algorithms to no one’s favour but their own, so the only way you now get anyone to see your posts now is by boosting them ie. spending money. The sense of community has been sold, and it’s slowly becoming a mere shadow of its former self.

Now with the singing, dancing and shouting that goes on, quieter people are not only drowned out but they are also turned off – it’s not the place to be wasting time when you could be outside walking in nature or catching up for a coffee with a friend or customer.

Censorship and the continual push of mainstream narratives don’t help, it’s far from the utopia of free speech it once was. Of course, the overly excessive keyboard trolls, the negative impact on youth with unrealistic views of other people’s lives, and inflated comparisonitis doesn’t help at all.

For businesses, we’ve also seen challenges as we’ve seen and learnt about click farms, companies and influencers buying followers, clicks and engagements.  This means anyone can be popular at a price. This might look impressive, yet the reality is that bots and fake accounts don’t help to create a lasting brand nor do they buy products.

On top of this research into influencer marketing has also shown a level of influencer fraud in some cases, which can make it a tricky landscape to navigate for less savvy companies. Thankfully there are now tools such as Hype Auditor that can help to assess the credibility of an influencer.

Life Beyond Social Media

Yet, at the frontier, people are speaking out and exploring new options, some of who are out there doing business their way without social and doing an amazing job. They are creating and being visible in a way that suits them without all the overwhelm.

A few companies like Lush, Prickly Thistle and Tesla have also consciously stepped away and are focussing on other aspects of their marketing. Prickly Thistle especially is doing an amazing job via their email marketing and creating a sense of community amongst their audience.

In actual fact, there are a lot of marketing activities and social is only a small piece of the entire marketing pie, so it doesn’t mean that you give up on marketing your business or your brand, it does mean you need to think more strategically about what the optimal marketing mix is for you, your business, and for your ideal customers.

Are you customers waiting to hear from you on Instagram or Facebook? Some may be depending on your products/ services, however, others are sure to be found elsewhere.

While alternative social media channels are popping up, many seem to have the same set-up as Facebook, without the numbers and as such are having trouble ramping up their numbers. Yet, other channels like telegram or community communication platforms like geneva or discord also seem to be gaining traction.

So, what is the future, and how do you tackle the ongoing changes?

The good news is, however, you wish. The most important aspects of running your company do not change, knowing your business, being clear on what you offer, and the outcomes that your customers get from working with you or buying your products.

Knowing your ideal customer is front and centre, you can always choose to still do social, but do it your own way and in your own time. No one needs to be a slave to the amount they post, but I would suggest whatever strategy you have, you aim to provide value. This is true of all content that you create, let us not succumb to posting for the sake of posting alone.

There are also plenty of other ways to market yourself outside of social media, whether its public speaking, trade fairs or events, joining networks/ associations, creating useful content (videos/ webinars/ blog posts) on your own website, partnership and collaborating with other businesses that compliment your services, PR, Email marketing, PPC, advertising, sponsorship and podcasts.

If you are overwhelmed by social and curious about the other options available and stepping away, Astrid Bracke offers a great email series that covers the subject.  Rather than go cold turkey overnight, perhaps slow down your social media posts, while building up your marketing in other areas.  Aim to create a marketing mix that integrates a selection of suitable marketing activities that suit you rather than relying on just one and being a slave to that.

I’ll add the links below to a few podcasts that are discussing this topic, and who provide a range of different ideas and insights for slowing down or leaving social altogether.

While I haven’t taken the plunge to leave it all yet, I am reclaiming my time spent online, I am conscious of using it for the tool that it can be. It’s an ongoing process to spend the time I do have in my day wisely. I am excited to continuously explore the field of all that is possible in the marketing space, as it calls on us to tap into a deeper level of creativity that good marketing ideas are known for.

Yes, you need to do marketing, just like you need to make sales to have a viable business. Yet, you do have the power to find the right marketing that suits you, your company and your clients, so that you can get the results you are looking for, without feeling like you are selling your soul doing marketing you don’t enjoy.

Recommended Podcasts that have been covering the subject, (and are simply super worth subscribing to):

Sarah Santroce: Humane Marketing – Interview with Viv Guy
Laura Meyer: Next Level Leap – Results through Connection
Art Juice: Marketing without Social Media with Astrid Bracke
Viv Guy: Marketing without Social Media