I know what you’re thinking. Running a business without having to touch social media? It sounds like some kind of utopian fantasy, right? Well, it is!
But before we explore my secret to living the life of a content creator who doesn’t actually have to create any content, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
First off, I’m actually pretty socially adept in real life (okay, maybe not so much). I’ve never had any problem picking up the phone and negotiating with clients or selling myself at networking events.
For whatever reason, though, the thought of actually sharing anything personal on Twitter or Instagram makes me want to break out in hives which is also how I feel about Facebook now that every member of my extended family is on it.
So how did this translate into running a business (without social media)? Well…not as poorly as you might think!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Embracing alternative marketing strategies can lead to business growth. |
| Delegating social media tasks allows focusing on core business activities. |
| Leveraging automation tools can streamline processes without direct involvement. |
| Building a strong online presence through other channels is achievable. |
| Success can be achieved by prioritizing customer engagement and relationships. |
Find Someone To Manage Your Social Media For You
Find someone who is good at social media, marketing, writing, video and copywriting. Find someone who can design graphics and make them look beautiful.
It sounds like a lot of people to hire but it’s actually not that hard. Most creative people have at least one special skill or talent that they can offer to your business.
The next step is finding out what you want from your social media manager? What do you expect them to do? Posting once in a while or posting daily posts?
If it’s daily posts then chances are they need some sort of system in place or they will get overwhelmed with all the work needed each day!
I personally love using Hootsuite because I can schedule my posts in advance so when I am ready just drop those into Hootsuite and let them go live automatically when scheduled time comes around!
When it comes to effective social media management, understanding how to save money without compromising quality is crucial. Our guide on saving money with social media management services offers practical tips to optimize your budget while maximizing results.
Use Facebook Groups And Not A Page
One of the best ways to avoid wasting time on social media is by using Facebook groups instead of a page.
Pages are used by businesses to promote their brand, but groups are much more interactive and fun for both brands and their audiences.
Groups allow you to interact directly with your audience in a way that pages don’t, which makes it easier for them to connect with you and feel like they know who you are as a person.
This helps build trust and rapport between brands and customers two things that are crucial in any relationship.
Get Your Website Professionally Designed
First things first: you need a professional website. Building your business off of a blog is not enough. You need a site that looks like it’s been designed by an experienced professional, but doesn’t worry you can have one without paying too much money.
There are lots of ways to find web designers, but one of the best is to look at the work they’ve done for other people in your industry (or nearby industries).
If you see something that you like, contact them and ask if they’d be willing to take on another project for you at a similar price point. They’ll probably say yes!
Get Your Logo Professionally Done
You want your logo to be memorable and unique, not just something you could grab from a template on Canva.
I recommend hiring a professional designer for this part because they’re able to see the big picture; they know how it will look when scaled down into favicon size or printed on business cards, for example.
Plus, if you get them involved early on in the process (during product ideation), they can help shape it based on their expertise and expertise from other designers around you.
Think about how your logo will be used across different platforms (e.g., social media and website) as well as how it will look small or large scale.
So that nothing distracts from what your brand is trying to communicate with its audience while still remaining recognizable at all sizes think Instagram landscape photos versus Facebook profile pics here!
Entrepreneurs and startups often face unique challenges when it comes to managing social media. Our insights into social media management for startups and entrepreneurs can help you navigate the world of online presence, engagement, and growth.
Invest In Professional Photography
Professional photographers have the right equipment and experience to take the best photos. They will know how to use the light, pose their subject, and edit photos so that they look great.
If a client is going to spend money on your services, make sure you’re spending some of it on professional photography it’s one of the most important investments you can make.
Professional photographers also have a portfolio of their work that they can show clients before taking photos for you. This will give them an idea of what kind of style or feel you want in each photo shoot.
You don’t want someone who has only taken photos of one type (like landscapes) photographing your wedding!
Lastly, if any part of your business requires trust with customers or clients (like businesses that sell products), it’s important that people trust who they’re dealing with through social media channels like Instagram so having someone reputable like a professional photographer is key!
Don’t Be Afraid To Outsource
You don’t have to be afraid of outsourcing. I know what you’re thinking: “I’m the one who’s going to make money from this business, so why would I want to pay someone else?” But here are some good reasons why hiring someone else may be worth it:
You can save time and energy. If your business is growing, you’ll need more time to focus on things that generate revenue.
Hiring people gives you more freedom while they take care of tasks like social media management and content marketing that can take up valuable time otherwise (especially if they’re not really your thing).
You can save money by outsourcing instead of hiring full-time employees in the long run and since contractors typically cost less than full-timers, it helps keep those pesky costs down!
It’s also important to remember that with any business endeavor comes an opportunity for failure so if one person quits or gets sick or something happens unexpectedly…it won’t matter as much as losing a whole team of employees would (and therefore costing much more).
Outsourcing also allows companies who need help growing their businesses but don’t want additional overhead costs like office space.
Or management fees associated with having employees on staff offer services at lower rates than they’d otherwise charge because they realize there are savings opportunities there!
This gives entrepreneurs another reason why hiring someone else might actually help them succeed financially too.”
Managing multiple social media accounts efficiently requires the right tools. Explore our recommendations for the best apps to manage your social media accounts to streamline your processes and stay organized in the digital realm.
Hire People Who Are Better At Stuff Than You Are — Hire Experts
I’m going to let you in on a secret: I don’t know how to run social media. If a friend asked me for help with their Facebook page, I couldn’t give them an answer because it’s not something I’ve ever done before.
That’s why when I started my business, my first hire was someone who had experience doing just that! Nowadays, many people think that social media is easy enough for anyone to do it themselves but it isn’t.
Social media is hard work and requires dedicated time and effort from someone who knows what they’re doing and has experience running successful campaigns.
You don’t want your brand image or reputation ruined by some amateur who doesn’t know what they’re doing on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter (or Instagram).
When hiring for your company, look for experts in whatever you need help with: marketing/advertising/branding/etc., as well as other companies within the industry space where you’d like to expand into.
This means finding professionals that already have experience working in your niche market within the industry space where you plan on expanding into (or are already working there!).
These professionals will be more motivated than those who haven’t tried out those types of jobs yet because they understand firsthand how much time goes into managing these responsibilities–and how rewarding they can be!
Create Interactive Content Like Free Tutorials, Freebies, Newsletters, And Free Webinars
Make sure you’re using the right platform for your audience. If you’re trying to reach people who are tech-savvy, then make sure they know your content is on a blog or website.
If you want to reach business owners who need help with their marketing campaigns and social media plans, then set up an email list where they can sign up for updates from you on current opportunities in the industry that they might not be aware of yet!
Be Interesting In Your Blog
You’ve heard it before, but it’s true: people want to know what you think. And they’ll pay for it. If you’ve got a blog and your blog is interesting, then people will read what you write. They’ll share it with their friends and family, too!
So how do we make our blogs interesting? I’m glad you asked!
The first step is picking an awesome topic to write about. Pick something that interests YOU because if writing about the topic doesn’t excite you at all then no one else will care either.
Once we have a topic picked out (hint: try thinking of something that lots of people need help with or want to know more about), then we can start writing!
Writing for others isn’t hard once you know how but some rules need the following when creating content for public consumption:
1) write like normal
2) Keep things clean
3) Don’t swear
4) Spellcheck
5) Proofread
6) Proofread again
7) then print out
8) Read aloud
9 ) Give thanks
10 ) Rinse & repeat
11 ) Make sure everyone knows your work-in-progress as soon as possible
Choosing the right social media management firm is essential for achieving your business goals. Learn how to make an informed decision by reading our guide on hiring a social media management firm that cares and find a partner that aligns with your brand’s values.
Be Everywhere — Have A Presence In Multiple Places Like Guest Blogging And Guest Podcasting
Have a presence in multiple places. Be everywhere, have a presence in multiple places like guest blogging and guest podcasting. You know what? You’re going to get so many more results on the other side with just one post than you would if you just stuck to one platform.
The same thing applies for guest blogging; it’s not just about getting links, it’s also about building credibility around your brand, building your email list and building your following.
Use Email Marketing And A Great Autoresponder Tool Like Mailchimp Or Aweber To Follow Up With Customers Who Have Abandoned Their Carts
In addition to social media, email marketing is a great way to reach out and follow up with customers. I use Mailchimp for my email marketing. It’s free for the first 2,000 subscribers (and you can upgrade after), so it’s perfect for small businesses like mine.
To set up your autoresponder, log into your account and click on “create a campaign.” Then select “autoresponder.” You’ll be able to name your campaign and add subscribers from there.
The last step will be creating emails for each day that you want your autoresponder campaign to run (I recommend starting at 3 days).
It’s best practice not to send too many messages in one day because it could lead recipients thinking it’s spam or asking themselves “Who are these people? Why am I getting all these emails?”
Have Email Templates Created For You So That You Can Just Plug And Play Them When Needed
As a business owner, you’re probably used to spending a lot of time writing emails. If you’re like me, you have a few templates that you use for certain situations.
However, if you want to save even more time and effort in your day-to-day life as a small business owner then I highly recommend having some email templates created for you so that they can just plug and play when needed.
There are plenty of places online these days where they will create these types of templates for free or at low cost (some examples include: https://www.emailtemplatestogo.com/).
But they do require an account with them first before being able to use them which may not be ideal if this is something that needs done right away and don’t have time set aside just yet! If this is the case then I would recommend finding someone local who knows how
Make Sure That You Can Be Easily Found Online Through Good SEO Practices For Your Website, As Well As Online Listings, Bing Local, Google Business, Yahoo Local And More
When it comes to online presence, the most important thing is getting found. If people can’t find your business, they won’t be able to buy from you. And if no one buys from you, guess what? Your business will go under.
Make sure that you can be easily found online through good SEO practices for your website, as well as online listings, Bing local, Google business and Yahoo Local.
You should also make sure that these listings are accurate and up-to-date so that potential customers can see how great of a company/brand yours is!
Ask Bloggers Who Write About Topics Related To Yours To Write About Your Product Or Service In Exchange For A Free Sample Of What You Offer (If They Promise Not To Return It, Of Course)
The next step is to get bloggers who write about topics related to yours to write about your product or service in exchange for a free sample of what you offer (if they promise not to return it, of course).
Once the blogger writes the post, they’ll send it out on social media and share it with their readers.
When I started my business, I didn’t have time to manage social media channels and devote hours each day sending out press releases to journalists.
So instead, I asked bloggers who write about topics related to mine (such as travel or fashion) if they would be willing to do an article for me in exchange for a free sample of what I had available at that time.
The great thing is that most bloggers are happy when they can get free stuff – so this approach works well!
Write Ebooks That Can Be Sold On Amazon (And All Over The Place)
The first thing you need to do is write a book. A book that people will want to read, a book that is useful, and then finally a book that they can find and buy on Amazon. Writing this type of content will give your business the following benefits:
- It allows you to build your own brand and authority in your niche
- You can sell it on Amazon effectively (and other places)
- You’ll make more money from writing books than social media posts
Transitioning from freelance writing to social media management is a significant shift. Discover the insights and experiences of someone who successfully made the switch in our article on switching from full-time freelance writing to social media management, and gain valuable insights for your own career journey.
Conclusion
I hope this has been helpful to you. I am aware not all businesses are as fortunate and it is not always possible to avoid social media, but I would recommend that you employ the above strategies to keep your own personal use of social media in check.
Takeaway: I have shared my own experience with social media so that you can take away some ideas for how to remove the pressure of it from your own business.
Further Reading
Explore these additional resources to learn more about growing your business without relying heavily on social media:
Growing Your Business Without Social Media Discover alternative strategies for business growth that don’t solely depend on social media platforms.
Building a Successful Business Without Social Media Learn from a successful entrepreneur’s experience and insights on achieving business success without heavy social media usage.
Growing Your Business Without Social Media: Tips from Ruby McGuire Ruby McGuire shares valuable advice on how to grow your business by embracing alternative methods beyond the realm of social media.
FAQs
How can I grow my business without relying on social media?
Growing your business without social media requires a diversified approach. Consider focusing on in-person networking, building a strong referral program, and optimizing your website for search engines.
Is it possible to achieve business success without using social media platforms?
Yes, it is possible. Many businesses have successfully grown and thrived without heavy reliance on social media. By focusing on other marketing channels, exceptional customer service, and niche-specific strategies, you can achieve business success.
What are some alternative strategies to social media for business growth?
Some alternative strategies include hosting workshops and events, forming partnerships with complementary businesses, utilizing email marketing, and optimizing your business for local search.
How do I maintain an online presence without social media?
Maintaining an online presence without social media involves creating valuable content on your website, engaging in guest blogging, participating in online forums and communities, and leveraging search engine optimization techniques.
How can I measure the effectiveness of non-social media marketing efforts?
Monitoring website traffic, tracking referral sources, and setting up unique phone numbers for different marketing campaigns can help you measure the effectiveness of your non-social media marketing efforts.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
