It’s been just over 10-years since social media came into our lives, and yet, it feels like we’ve never done business without it. As small business owners, running social media on top of everything else feels overwhelming. Most days, it’s just one more thing on our to-do list and it makes us ask the question, can we be marketing without social media?
How do you get rid of social media from your marketing and just go back to the old school marketing tactics?
While most marketers will tell you that you have to have social media, I disagree.
Social media is only helpful to your business when it’s done with intention and thought. If you’re posting for the sake of posting, you’ll feel the burnout without the results. So this is how you old school market your business and leave social media behind.
1. Great Customer Service Can be Marketing without Social Media
It starts with caring. Going above and beyond to make an incredible experience for your customers and taking care of them in any way you can think up. It’s about providing value, answer questions, and doing things that might not be in your job description if it will really help them out. You go above and beyond.
2. Referrals and Reviews
Through excellent customer service and an amazing product, you’ll build a loyal audience. It’s then time to get that audience to leave a review on Google in your next newlsetter or ask them to refer your business to their friends. This will happen organically but if you want to encourage it, provide cards with a promo code for customers to hand out or offer perks for both the customer and their friends when their friends make their first purchase.
3. Email Marketing is still Bread and Butter
Email marketing works so well because these are people who have already interacted with your business and therefore are seen as warm leads. Continue to provide value in your newsletters with little asks in return. Then, when you have a launch or a sale your audience will be more receptive to make a purchase because you’ve already given them so much! (This post has extra tips on creating a newsletter for your sustainable brand.)
4. SEO
Building your SEO takes time. The more interviews you can do for others, blog posts you can publish on your site, and the articles you can publish on other sites with links to your website will all make a difference. This marketing tactic is the long game, don’t expect quick results but know that it can be a game-changer for you.
There are a million more ideas on how to market your business the old school way. Just know, that if social media isn’t serving your business or feels like a disconnect from your values, you don’t have to have it. I usually tell my clients who are struggling with social to try aiming for only 3 posts in a week and make sure they’re value-driven. Do this for 6-months and see how it feels. If it’s still not serving you, then drop it.
There is no rule that you need social media in your marketing plan. People have been living without for thousands of years and businesses survived without it.
Have a great product, provide amazing customer service, and encourage your loyal customers to spread the word. That is the simplest of all marketing strategies and it works.
This post was first featured in my newsletter. If you like what you saw here and want to receive messages like this straight to your inbox, sign up here!
