How Can I Grow My Business Without Instagram?
If I had a pound for everytime I'd been asked ‘how can I grow my business without Instagram’… I’d be rolling in it!
And if it’s not that questions, it’s ‘how do I stop spending so much time on social media without losing sales’?
Which tells me this - social media isn't serving us.
I took a big step back from Instagram at the beginning of 2022 and ever since I haven’t used it in the same way that I used to - spending way too many hours on Instagram and neglecting my other marketing channels. And lemmie tell ya, not relying on social media for your sales is ~FREEING~!
Not only can social media make us feel crap - we compare ourselves and our businesses, and wind up feeling rubbish. But it also becomes a time suck for our life-minutes, as we get caught in a trap where we end up spending more and more time on it for the same results.
I’ve seen so many business owners get tied to being on Instagram everyday because they get stuck in the trap of relying on it for a big chunk of their marketing and sales. It sounds like you’ve got stuck here too, but the good news is, there’s a way out.
Before I get too down on social media, I also want to add that it has so many positives too. It allows us to connect with people all over the world from our phones, while sitting on our sofas. It allows us to reach our people where they hangout. And, it's a free marketing tool for goodness sake!
But… BUT - when we start to rely on social media for a large chunk of our marketing and sales, we get into dangerous waters. For so many reasons - it’s not as effective of efficient as it used to be (IMO), because we have no control over what they're going to do or change next, and because it’s not a long-term sustainable strategy.
Remember when instagram used to be about pretty pictures and ‘micro-blogging’ - yeah that was fun while it lasted. But now it's all about reels, video and carousels and stories…. I need a nap just thinking about it.
Why we get caught in the social media marketing trap
Why are we so tied to it? Because it can be a quick and ‘easy’ solution to marketing and selling in your business. Your audience are there, you can do it from your phone in bed and you can get some pretty quick results - sales, followers, subscribers, engagement etc.
But let's also not forget that social media companies hire the best psychologists and tech experts to make their apps, well… addictive. Those hearts flying up the screen and the red dot on your DMs are no mistake - they are invented to keep you on the app and keep you in search of your next comment or like - AKA your next dopamine hit.
Because for them, more people on the app = more people seeing ads = more revenue for the social media company.
And that's why it's such a hungry beast. Instagram wants fresh content, and you're ass on there engaging every damn day. And that leaves you with not a lot of time for other (more sustainable and IMO more rewarding) marketing.
But let's also be honest with ourselves, the lure of some pop-up hearts and a DM or two can be more tempting that putting in the work with your longer term, more evergreen marketing.
But, if you want to build a sustainable business, if you're in it for the long haul, that's how you need to be treating your marketing too, rather than always opting for the 'quick win'.
Even if you stick with social media, it can't be your only marketing tool - don't put yourself in that vulnerable position!
Before I get into the HOW, let me just reassure you that you can build your business with less time spent on social media, or even without social media at all.
Through group coaching programmes I've been part of, I know several business owners who have built 6-figure-+ businesses without, or very little, presence on social media.
How do they do it? They lean into their strengths. They use their network, they build up a big bank of evergreen content (blogs, podcasts, videos etc), they go to events and make real-life connections with their people, they ask clients to refer them, they have sales funnels and they make their email list a big deal.
And my own example - when I started doing done-for-you services, I made a deal with myself that I wouldn’t use social media to help me sell it (because I was sick of it at the time). I built a sales page and sent it out to 30 business owners in my network who I knew would be a good fit for my services. Less than 48 hours later I had my first two fully paid-up clients. A month later I was fully booked out - with no social media markeitng or paid ads.
Simply talking to people and using the connections you've already got can be a brilliant place to start with moving away from social media.
You might be thinking - but that won’t work for me (look out for that voice in your mind, it’s doing a wonderful job of keeping you safe, but it’s also stopping you from stepping into your comfort zone and making things happen).
Here are some example of how my clients have used this approach in totally different businesses with totally different business models.
One client found one of her first clients on a train - they got talking on a train journey about what she did and by the end of the journey she had a new client
One client found one of her first clients in a cafe - overhearing a conversation that she couldn’t help joining the conversation on, by the end of that coffee, she had a new client.
One of my mentoring clients found her first client by sharing her services in a membership group in Slack
One client got an illustration commission through a local contact who she’d been talking to about her work
I know it can feel scary, but I’ve found this to be a MUCH more effective ‘quick win’ approach than using social media, so give it a go. List out at least 10 people who you think need what you offer and get in touch with them.
Other non-social media marketing routes
Let's take a look at some of the many ways you could be marketing your business - without social media.
Automated sales funnels
Growing your mailing list (including getting your social media following onto your mailing list) AND consistently emailing your people with great content (I see you, if you've grown your list but aren't sending the emails)!
Using your connections like I mentioned above and creating more connections by talking to people at your local co-working space, connecting with people on the same courses or group programmes as you, going to in-person events and meeting new people, setting up virtual (or real-life) coffees
Podcast
Blog
Youtube videos
Pinterest - PLEASE pick this one to power-up your evergreen markeitng! Pinterest has so much potential to drive a ton of traffic to your website. And before you say it - NOPE, it's not social media - it's a search engine - for pictures and videos
Going to in-person events
Outreach and PR - getting featured in magazines, blogs and on podcasts
Collaborating with people who your ideal audience love - sharing your products with them, inviting them on your podcast, speaking in their membership or at their event
Creating a referral scheme/ asking clients and customers to share your work and tell people about it
Partner with businesses, charities and organisations that reach your ideal audience
As a side-note - you'll probably find that these ways of marketing your business ironically work really well to increase your social media following.
Short term
Your quick-win approach looks like:
Using Instagram and social media in a way that’s more intentional and efficient - this is going to involve creating better boundaries with social media
Using your network and the connections around you to drive leads and ultimately your income.
All the while you’re building up your bank of evergreen content. I’m talking blog posts, podcasts, videos etc.
Setting boundaries with Instagram
If you want Instagram, or social media in general to be a much smaller part of your marketing and where you spend your time, it's likely you're going to need to phase it out - and that's going to require some better social media boundaries!
Grab a notebook, or your phone notes and write out what you want social media to look like as part of where you spend your time and as part of your marketing mix, and set yourself some boundaries. These might look like:
I will spend 15 minutes engaging, responding to comments, sharing stories and answering DMs after I post.
I will delete the app on weekends OR after I post each day
I will only reply to the first 5 comments on my posts, OR I will only reply to the meaningful comments on my post - and stop replying to ‘nice pic’ or ‘love this’ type comments and DMs.
Instagram is just part of my marketing along with my weekly email, and fortnightly blog. Any time I spend on social media I also spend on my blog and mailing list. Eg. if you currently spend 45-minutes on instagram a day, what would it look like to spend 15minites on instagram, 15 minutes writing your next email and 15-minutes drafting a blog post. Or 30 mins one day on instagram, 30 minutes the next day writing a blog post, and 30 minutes the next day writing and scheduling your next email.
Boundaries are simply behaviours. They are habits. As your social media habits are quite ingrained, it's going to take a bit of flexing the muscle to get used to this new routine and approach.
Set yourself reminders on your phone, put sticky note reminders all over the house, use a timer while you're using social media and before long you'll notice your relationship with social media starting to feel more healthy.
Long term
In the long term you’ll be able to move away from social media as you power up your evergreen marketing. So, let’s assume you’ve been building up your bank of evergreen content over time, and you’re ready to power up your evergreen content and get it working harder for you. Your next steps look like:
Getting clear on your customer journey and making sure all of your content joins up to your mailing list and income streams
Using Pinterest to drive more traffic to all of this evergreen content you’ve been creating
Tweaking your website so that it drives more mailing list sign ups
Building a sales funnel that will automate some of your markeitng and sales
Looking at your metrics and data to see where you can optimise your customer journey
So next steps, create a bank of content ideas and make a plan to strengthen your evergreen marketing so you can get away from relying on social media for your sales.
Finally, don’t forget… you have a choice!
When the social media ‘rules’ are so deeply ingrained, and when you rely on social media because it's the biggest part of marketing that you do in your businesses - you forget that you have a choice.
Recently I decided to bin all of the social media ‘rules’ because I find it all so draining - on my time and certainly my energy.
I post and ghost, I don't reply to all of my DMs, I've stopped replying to all of my post comments, I use Instagram on my laptop rather than on my phone - so my time there is more intentional, I've stopped commenting on so many other posts, I delete the app for weekends and sometimes for a few days in the week. And I have never responded to a message on Facebook messenger - please get it away from me!
Yes it all goes against the social media ‘rules to beat the algorithm’ but I have that choice. And so do you!
I get it, it feels scary, and maybe a little rude (I see you people pleaser) to engage less, ditch the social media rules, or ditch it all together.
Perhaps for now, social media is a necessary evil, while you strengthen the other parts of your marketing mix, but it's best to ease yourself into a new marketing routine anyway rather than suddenly go cold turkey on social media.
I’m excited for you to embrace and power up your evergreen marketing, it’s an approach I find so much more sustainable and rewarding.
Wanna back-pocket this post for next next time you have a wobble and want to go back to the ‘gram? Pin it for later.
