Running a business without social media
Is it possible?
The Sustainable Solopreneur is a weekly newsletter about seasonal, cyclical, supportive business strategy for solopreneurs and creative souls who want more out of life than the status quo, hosted by business coach and strategist Jenni Gritters. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while and you receive value from it, I’d encourage you to sign up for a paid subscription.
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Lately, many of my clients have expressed extra frustration with social media. This isn’t new, necessarily, but it does feel like the social media landscape has fractured even more in the past year, making it tough to figure out how and where to spend your energy.
Twitter (X?) isn’t what it used to be for writers. LinkedIn feels like stepping into a networking event with no clear rules and feverish energy. Many of the people who proclaimed that they were heading over to Bluesky or Threads have found those places to be no better than where we were before. Facebook is… well… Facebook? Good for marketplace finds and neighborhood groups, but generally lacking overall in vibes. And the Instagram algorithm is constantly changing, making the goal of growing an audience there even trickier.
It can all feel like chasing a dangling carrot, especially if you’re focused on metrics (which — and hear me when I say this — really aren’t under your control on these platforms you do not own).
Today I want to offer you a Third Door approach: You do not have to use social media to build your business. And if you do still want to use social media with intentionality (I have personally landed here), I’ll explain what that looks like, too, in next week’s newsletter.
Alright, here’s the strategy:
Most of us are running relationship-driven businesses, especially if we sell services or products. I often think about how the internet has confused us by throwing open the doors of opportunity. It’s great to have so many options! But it’s also, especially when it comes to finding clients, incredibly overwhelming. You really only need a handful of clients to run a simple, profitable, fulfilling business.
The first question I typically ask people, when it comes to using social media for work, is this: Are you actually building client relationships via posting on social media?
If yes, you may find solace in the second strategy (creating an intentional social media approach), which I’ll share next Monday. But if you’re not building relationships with clients on social media (or it happens rarely), here’s the permission slip: Relationships are usually built most deeply in person.
If you want to build a business without social media, start where you live.
Walk (yes, walk!!) into local businesses and hand them your business card. Offer to build their website. Offer to start a newsletter for them. Ask them where their bandwidth is limited. Explain why you love what you do and would be delighted to work together.
Attend local networking events so you can meet other entrepreneurs in your area. (My library hosts one for free, and they’ll even assign you a business mentor — also for free!).
Consider who you could partner with. If you’re a coach, email therapists in your area asking if they’d like to meet for coffee to talk about a referral relationship. If you’re a consultant, offer free strategic audit sessions (20 minutes or less) to local business owners who might be dealing with the problems your business is designed to address.
The truth is that it feels so good to be connected to the people in your neighborhood and community. Research backs the mental health benefits of this.
Beyond your immediate location, consider building connections with intention (and with relationships in mind) via email.
If you can’t find a group in your area that feels right for you: Start one! Invite friends, former colleagues or peers from all over the country or world. (Think: a monthly lunch date with parent-preneurs, a mastermind-style discussion group with other online course creators, or even a business-focused book club for new business owners.) This could be virtual or in person. Then, open up a discussion during which each member gets to ask for the support they need.
I also want to remind you that email is still a solid, effective method for finding clients. I think of marketing emails as a direct invitation to come hang out with me (almost like an e-vite — and I have clients who’ve sent e-vites to their potential customers for events! so fun!). You also don’t have to be Very Online to send emails to brands or clients who you think might be a good fit. (But as I taught in my Authentic Marketing Masterclass — which you can get for $9 through the end of the summer! — it’ll work best if you focus on human introductions over hard, transactional selling, and get clear on a niche or two.) Start with emailing people you’ve worked with in the past, businesses or brands you adore, universities you attended, and beyond. Start where you already are.
Also: Referrals! Beautiful businesses are built on referrals. When you’re doing incredibly good work and focused on the quality of your craft, your clients will recommend you to other people, and so will your peers. You can even ask your clients, during the off-boarding process, to write a testimonial or introduce you to someone who might need the kind of support you offer.
Last up: I love a good email newsletter. If you don’t have one, I’d consider starting it soon. You can send monthly updates about events and new offers, or you can distribute essays and teaching like I do here. The best part of a newsletter is that you own it. You own the list. You are in control of how and when you interact with your people. You’re not being pushed and prodded by an endless scroll or an ever-changing algorithm. (When I launch events, 90% of my sales come from the 5-ish emails I send to my list of 2,000+ people — not from posting on social media.)
I have a handful of clients who do not use social media on a regular basis and still have gorgeous, thriving businesses. It’s possible for them and it’s possible for you! And, for many people, quieting the online noise feels essential for mental health. (I have written extensively about why social media sucks for mental health but in case you need a reminder: It increases anxiety, gives us a false perception of the world around us, makes us feel less-than far too often just because of the way these platforms are designed, and is built to put us on a hamster wheel of dopamine rushes.)
If this feels like an aha moment for you, take a second to make a list: Which of the above strategies would you like to experiment with?
Marketing online is actually a relatively new way of running a business. So I’ll say it again before I go: You don’t need 1,000 customers to build a really great business. Especially in a service-based business, you only need ten or so ongoing relationships!
If you’re like me, slightly annoyed by social media but still feeling drawn to the platforms by necessity and a small amount of lingering joy: Tune in next week for thoughts on how to take an intentional approach to social media.
xo,
Jenni
Curious about my background? I’m a writer and business coach living in Central Oregon. My goal is to teach everyone who will listen that it’s possible to build a simple, stable, successful business that support your human needs first. Join my group coaching program, SUSTAIN, for more conversations like this (and a community of people who are all about the path less taken), and follow me on Twitter & Instagram.
Looking forward to next week’s newsletter!!