Finding Space for Social Media within a Slow Marketing Strategy

One of the most common complaints I hear from small business owners is how much of a bane social media is on their time and energy. 

Social media used to be a way for us to connect with each other. Before it was commercialised, we didn’t give a second thought about whether our Instagram images were of perfect quality. We didn’t care if our caption was pithy, laden with keywords or contained the right hashtags. 

Then, social media became a marketing tool. It was taken over by larger corporations, ads were introduced, and the dreaded algorithms took over. 

“I hate social media but need it for business”

Now, small business owners and creatives feel like they have to be on social media in order to be discovered. 

But the question should be, do you need it? And is it possible to do marketing without using social media?

Why is it so hard to be found by the right people on social media? 

I’ve worked in marketing for over 12 years now, and the rate at which the whole world of digital marketing has changed, with social media at the centre of that, is mind-blowing. 

I’ve seen platforms like Instagram go from a simple image-sharing platform to a tool that requires secret knowledge and mind-reading capabilities. 

And here is the very core of what you need to know about social media, before you stress yourself out over trying to be ‘successful’ on these platforms. 

These platforms purposefully make it difficult for you to be found and engage with large audiences because they want you to pay for advertising. 

Whenever we get new clients at work looking for a wider social media reach, the first thing we tell them is that to get more followers fast, you have to be willing to hand over your cash to Meta. 

So many smaller business owners and creatives get frustrated with how much energy social takes with little to no pay-off, but the question I would ask those people is: 

What is more important to you and your business? Is it more important to have hundreds of thousands of followers? Or have a handful of followers that love to interact with you and the work you produce? 

Do you need to use social media to market successfully? 

Social media – just like SEO, email marketing, paid advertising or content marketing – doesn’t get to have an automatic place within your marketing eco-system. Just like all other forms of marketing, it needs to earn its spot and prove it can be valuable.

The best place to start is to think about what benefit you want social media to have for your business. 

*I recommend grabbing a pen and paper to work through these questions and start to unpick your ‘why’ behind using social media for your business. 

What do you want social media marketing to be within your marketing eco-system?

Many people will just jump into social media because they feel like it's a tool they ‘should’ use, but with slow marketing, we never put our energy into something without having an intentional reason to do so. 

Have a think about the last few posts you published on your social channels and answer the following questions. 

What was your hope in pressing that ‘post’ button? 

What were you hoping to achieve from putting that content out into the world?

Did you actually care about what you were posting, or did you feel like you simply needed to show up for the sake of showing up?  

Do you enjoy using social media?

It sounds like such a simple question, but I bet it’s not one you’ve ever allowed yourself to think much about. 

If you’ve found me and my work, the likelihood is that you are currently running, or trying to grow, a business that means a lot to you. Something you feel personally invested in and passionate about the work you’re doing. 

If that is the case (I hope it is), then why would you want to do something that drains the enjoyment and fulfilment that running this business has, or could have for you? 

If you barely use social media in your normal life and don’t particularly like logging on, then maybe now is the time to question whether it should have a place in your marketing eco-system. 

If you love using social media for your personal life but hate using it for business, then the answer to how you can make social media work better for your business may lie in that difference. 

Think about how you use social media normally and why you like to share updates or images with friends and family. 

What does it spark for you that you’re not getting when you do it for your business? 

How could you close the gap between how you use social media personally and professionally? What are you doing in one that you aren’t for the other?  

Is it possible to do marketing without social media?

If you’ve decided that you’d love to create a marketing strategy for your business that doesn’t include social media, then I’m here to tell you it is absolutely possible to do marketing without using social media.

Again, when I’m creating marketing strategies for companies within my Mon-Fri marketing role, one of the things I try to get across to them is that there are many different marketing channels and not all of them will hold value for their business. 

The key to excluding social media from your marketing strategy is to find clarity around what you want marketing to do for you and your business. 

This can change from month to month or year to year. Right now, you may be at the very beginning of your business journey, and therefore, finding the right audience and forming connections is your main goal.

Or, you may have finished working on a brand new project, and now you’re looking to see it to your perfect audience. In which case, generating sales and promotion will be your main marketing goals. 

Once you know why you want or need to put your energy into marketing, you’ll be able to better see which platforms offer the features you need in order to reach those goals.

Alternatives to social media marketing

A few ways you can avoid using social media based on your core marketing goals and objectives.

Click on the image to enlarge.

It’s a bit like trying to plan a trip to a destination. You need to first know where you’re going, then you can explore the different options you can take to get there. 

If social media doesn’t feel good for you right now, then think about other marketing channels that could help you reach your goals and be more enjoyable. For me, I love to write blogs like this one and email to connect directly with my audience. 

Remember, you have full control over which marketing platforms and tools you use and no channel will ever make or break your business. 

If you’re looking to start on your own slow marketing journey, then why not sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter below?