Marketing Without Social Media (1.5 Years Off Instagram)

Have you wondered, "Can a business succeed without social media marketing?" Having been off Instagram for business for almost a year and a half and counting, I've seen that marketing without social media is possible. Below, I'll share how to build a brand without social media so you can enjoy marketing your offers while sustainably growing your business.

Whether you’re looking for additional marketing strategies or hate social media and want to avoid it altogether, there are many effective ways to reach and connect with your target audience, including blogging, email marketing, and podcasting.

Can your business be successful without social media?

With so many marketing strategies, it’s entirely possible to have a successful business without social media.

In December 2023, I stopped using Instagram for business. I made my final post and haven't been active since. I thought I might return one day, but my business is doing better than ever. I get consistent leads and don't have to hassle with the social media grind.

While I do use Threads and LinkedIn for my business, I don’t rely on them and often take time off from them. Using Threads and LinkedIn is fun when I'm up for it, but I prioritize other marketing strategies for consistent and sustainable business growth.

My final post on Instagram for my business

Marketing Without Social Media: 10 Effective Strategies

Aside from starting a podcast, I've tried each marketing strategy below and have found success with each one.

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1. Nail your branding

Branding helps you create an identity for your business to build trust with your audience and differentiate yourself from your competitors. Regardless of your marketing methods, your brand cohesively represents your business.

Your branding should include:

• Visuals - Colors, fonts, and logos

• Brand voice and tone - Words, phrases, and personality

• Messaging - The mission and vision of your brand

You can use templates on Canva or work with a brand designer to create your brand guidelines, which help you streamline your branding.

Canva’s brand guidelines templates

2. Create business cards

Business cards make it easy to implement marketing without social media and in person. I’ve actually had several potential clients ask me for a business card.

When talking to people about your business, attending events, or visiting a local business that displays business cards, it’s always nice to have some on hand.

Business cards can help you:

• Make tangible connections

• Promote your brand

• Demonstrate credibility

The best part? Printing business cards is incredibly affordable. I custom-made and ordered 150 business cards from Canva for about $20.

3. Ask for referrals

When I talk to business owners, I find that asking for referrals seems to be a hidden gem of marketing without social media. Over 90% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family more than other forms of advertising. Referrals also do a lot of the work for you.

There are several ways you can ask for referrals:

• For service providers - Ask clients to refer you if they know anyone who needs your support

• For product-based businesses - Implement a referral program where your customer and their referral get a discount

• For any business - Encourage your email list to forward your marketing emails to someone they know who might be interested (this could be added as a P.S.)

4. SEO your website

Many businesses use their social media platform(s) as their home base. If you want to ditch or rely less on social media marketing, a website can give your business a home. I also recommend this if you are using social media, since you have more ability to manage a website.

Implementing SEO (search engine optimization) lets Google understand what your website is about and who to show it to. SEO-friendly websites have a better chance of ranking on Google and reaching a wider audience, resulting in more organic traffic and leads.

If you don’t have a website yet, Squarespace is a great platform. It’s user-friendly, has ready-made templates, and offers self-hosting.

My website brings me regular leads, and I help my clients do the same. I wrote one of my client's website copy and have written two monthly blog articles for a few years, and she gets 50% of her annual clients via website SEO.

Review from one of my blogging clients who gets 50% of her annual clients through Google

5. Blog consistently

Blogging helps you get traffic to your website. With a business blog, you can target various keywords to rank on Google and write helpful content to build trust and generate leads.

The key is to publish consistent articles so that Google can recognize your site as a useful resource. While the best blogging frequency depends on your niche, goals, and bandwidth or budget, I typically recommend publishing at least two articles per month.

I’ve tested out Instagram content vs. blogging for my own business and found that blogging led to more conversions. Many people on social media are there to scroll and aren’t often in a buyer’s mindset. When people read helpful blog articles, they’re likely to join your email list, browse your offers, etc., leading to more conversions.

When I was still using Instagram, I asked where people search for services or products. Google won by a landslide. Many people interested in buying a service or product search Google over social media.

Survey showing that the majority of people use Google when searching for a service or product

6. Write guest blog posts

Guest blogging can help you improve your website's SEO and let you reach your target audience through someone else’s website.

Writing articles and linking to your website gives you backlinks, which is good for SEO. This tells Google that your site is being linked back to, which helps build authority. You might also link to relevant blog posts and offer pages to send traffic to your website.

Websites that allow for guest blogging will have different guidelines on linking opportunities and pay rate, so it’s important to know these details before committing.

Here are some tips for guest blogging:

• Find websites that have a similar audience to you

• Use Semrush’s free Domain Overview tool to check their traffic numbers

• When you choose a blog to write for, come up with a topic idea that aligns with their content

• Send a personalized pitch with your idea and why you’d like to blog for them

• Before agreeing to write an article with them, confirm they’re okay with you linking back to your website

7. Start a podcast

With nearly 505 million podcast listeners worldwide, starting a podcast is one of the best ways to reach a wide audience. Podcasting is an excellent lead-generation strategy that helps you get more eyes on your business.

Best of all, blogging and podcasting can work together for two effective marketing strategies. You can also repurpose blog articles into podcast episodes.

For even more listens and unique content, you can invite guests onto your podcast and encourage them to share their episode with their audience.

8. Be a podcast guest

About 40% of podcast listeners report making purchases after hearing about an offer on a podcast. This can happen through your own podcast or as a podcast guest.

Consider pitching podcasts that have a similar audience to yours. For example, if you sell jewelry, you might pitch a podcast for moms. Or, if you sell website copy or design services, you could pitch a business-related podcast. I've had several podcast appearances to discuss topics, including how to avoid social media to attract your ideal client and how I quit teaching to become a social media expert.

Podcasts often have guests for interviews, where you answer questions asked by the host, and you can usually promote your offer(s) at the end of the episode.

When pitching podcasts:

• See if there’s a pitching process on their website, or send an email with your personalized pitch

• Share why you’re interested in their podcast, specifically, and offer some topic suggestions

• Give details about your business and audience to further show why you’d be a suitable guest

9. Host workshops

Workshops are in-person or online speaking opportunities that allow you to teach an audience a topic you’re skilled in. You might lead your own workshop or host one for another business with a similar audience.

You can host your own workshops or for other business owners who have online communities or other following. You could also hold an in-person event in your community.

Like being a podcast guest, hosting workshops is an effective way to increase your reach and brand awareness, and potentially land new clients or customers.

Examples of workshops that different businesses could lead include:

• Website copywriter - How to write copy for more sales

• Interior Designer - How to create a peaceful space

• Pet brand - How to teach your dog [X trick]

• Travel blogger - How to create a vacation budget

• Life coach - How to improve your self-confidence

10. Use email marketing

Email marketing is easily one of my favorite ways to build a brand without social media. In fact, 59% of marketers say email is more than twice as effective at generating leads than pay-per-click and social media marketing.

You can create a free resource and include an opt-in form on your website to grow your email list. While you can start with one freebie, you might create more over time for more growth opportunities.

Once people are on your email list, they'll receive regular emails from you that nurture leads, build relationships, and promote offers. I usually email my list once weekly, but you can email bi-weekly or monthly – whatever works best with your goals.

If you're looking for a great email marketing software, Flodesk is my favorite because it's affordable and easy to use, with customizable templates for emails and opt-in forms. Use this link for a free trial, then half off if you decide to continue with a Flodesk subscription.

Flodesk email marketing platform

Examples of successful companies without social media

We're often told that social media is necessary for business success, so most brands don't even consider the possibility of marketing without social media. However, a few big brands have caught on and experience success without social media marketing.

LUSH, a cosmetic company, and Bottega Veneta, a fashion company, don’t use social media platforms for business. Instead, these brands attract leads through their organic website traffic. 

Marketing without social media FAQs

Learn more about how to build a brand without social media and reach your target market with these answers to common questions.

Can you build an audience without social media?

You can build an audience without social media using strategies like website SEO, podcast hosting and guesting, and email marketing. Any marketing method that helps you reach and connect with your target audience is great for building a following.

Does my business need social media?

Your business doesn't need social media because many other marketing channels and strategies work as well or even better.

In fact, website SEO drives more traffic than social media, likely because there are more than 4 billion Google users. Meanwhile, Instagram and Facebook get about half that traffic.

Marketing without social media: conclusion

I hope this article has helped and encouraged you to market your business without getting caught up in the social media grind. You can also use social media when it feels right for you and prioritize other strategies for sustainable growth, which is what I do.

With so many ways to reach and connect with your target audience and generate leads without using social media platforms, don’t feel obligated to use socials. Remember, there's no one right way to reach your goals. Instead, focus your time and energy on what works best for you and your brand.

If you want to use your website to increase your reach and inbound leads, explore my website SEO and blogging offers.