Instagram is not a business plan
Hands down, the biggest worry many of my students have when launching their own business is social media. They worry they’ll have to make dance videos for TikTok or post Insta-perfect pictures of gluten-free cooking and wicker baskets.
Many are surprised to learn I’m not very good on social media either!
Despite running an online business with thousands of students in dozens of countries and generating millions of dollars in revenue, I don’t spend much time or energy on social media.
How I learned social media didn’t impact my business growth
In 2021, I took six months off to travel around Australia with my family. I knew I would be travelling in very remote places and would not have internet access for up to two weeks at a time. Without constant vigilance, I could not guarantee my social media pages would be safe for my audience, so I paused my accounts.
And nothing happened!
That year I still generated over $300,000 in revenue without social media. I did send my list a prescheduled email every week, mostly recycled content that I’d already created from my books, blog and podcast.
When I came back, I tried turning social media back on, and I invested a huge amount of money in a marketing agency.
And nothing happened!
My email list growth stayed consistent month after month, whether or not I invested time and money in social media. The only time my list grew more quickly was when I PAID for social media advertising.
How do we use social media at Newborn Mothers?
Today, the sum total of our social media marketing strategy is
Create a blog or podcast every week, or jazz up one from our archives
Share it in our email newsletter
Post it on Facebook and Instagram
I still use Facebook and Instagram for paid ads. However, I prefer other strategies to grow my audience, such as email marketing, podcasting, affiliate marketing, and guest appearances on other people’s podcasts.
Wondering how your business card can play a role in your content marketing strategy? Read more here.
I’m aware I could increase my engagement with a targeted social media strategy — please don’t email me offering your social media marketing services! I know I could make up a dance to a trending song and learn how to use stories.
The truth is my business is doing great without social media. I’m happier, I have more time, and I’m earning plenty of money. I have no reason to put effort into social media marketing and many reasons NOT to!
For a long time, I’ve left my groups on Facebook because they got the most engagement there. But now, Facebook groups don’t even get much engagement so in 2024 I’m moving them off Facebook too.
Less than 10% of my website traffic comes from social media.
Why I teach my students not to rely on social media for growing their businesses
Social media comes and goes
When I launched my business, Facebook was the best free marketing tool available. Facebook had not monetised yet and ads were in their infancy. Even as a baby business, I could go viral! Some videos I posted would get thousands of views, which was more than the amount of followers I had at the time.
But then they realised that most people wanted to see their friends on Facebook, not businesses. Now businesses have to pay for that kind of reach, and the last video I posted on Facebook got 78 views, even though I have 26,000 followers. Facebook simply doesn’t show my posts to people who have said they want to see them.
Since then, I’ve seen so many social media companies come and go. Remember Periscope? Vine? Google Plus? Twitter?
Instagram built a few businesses, including some friends of mine, but the glory days of Instagram are over too. Next came TikTok, but it’s only a matter of time. Social media use is declining globally as people are reclaiming their time and sanity and reentering the real world after COVID-19.
Email marketing is forever.
Social media control your access to your audience
If your only way of communicating with your audience is through social media, you are taking a huge risk. The social media platform you’re using owns your audience and can make you disappear — overnight!
If you post something that violates the regulations (or even if someone reports you maliciously), your page and profile could be deleted. If your account gets hacked, social media companies are notorious for not helping. Small business disputes with digital platforms like Facebook are the fastest-growing complaint category faced by small business ombudsman. You may find yourself with no way to contact your audience, and your reach might dwindle to nothing.
Social media own your data
Data is big business, perhaps the biggest business in the world right now. When you put effort into growing your audience, you want to keep that valuable data. You want to know how old your followers are, how many children they have, and where they live. Then, you use that data to keep growing your audience. If you can’t access the data or it’s hard to analyse, this may impact your ability to connect effectively with your audience.
Social media is not (really) free
Social media companies are not benevolent and always end up pay-to-play. Some people have managed to use social media to grow their businesses without paying, but most of us end up paying for ads and premium features.
Also, there’s the cost of your energy, time and headspace. If you, like me, are a private or introverted person, you probably value your privacy and may find the constant feedback loop of social media exhausting.
Social media is not safe for many people
It’s very important to me as a business owner to create spaces that are inclusive and as safe as possible. I can’t always protect my audience from hate speech and misinformation on social media, so I don’t want to encourage people to spend time with me there.
In the postpartum industry, we often have conversations about emotive topics that can be rife with disinformation and trolling. Vaccines. Circumcision. Transgender rights. Breastfeeding. Childcare. These are topics that require nuanced conversation, compassion, context and time, not hate speech and trolls in the comments section.
Social media wants to keep their users on their platform
Social media companies do not want people to leave their platform to visit your platform. For example, Instagram does not allow clickable links in posts. The Facebook algorithm controls what your audience sees and the context in which they see it. Your content often has to compete with cute kitten videos or clickbaity article titles in a sea of information and misinformation designed for short attention spans. Social media does not want to help you grow your audience, they are trying to grow their own audience.
How do I market my business without social media?
Here is how this looks for Newborn Mothers in October 2023. This is the data for the same piece of content across all my platforms:
As you can see, the same piece of content got a LOT more engagement when I sent it to my email list!
Lots of people turn to social media for business because they just don’t know what else to do. That’s why we included a special Business Module in the Postpartum Education and Care Training. Our students learn a variety of ways to grow their postpartum support businesses without relying on social media. We walk you through the steps of creating authentic connections with potential clients and using sustainable strategies to grow your business.
What are YOUR thoughts on social media and business?
You’ve just read some of the reasons I teach my students at Newborn Mothers not to rely on social media to grow their audiences. However, that doesn’t mean you have to cut yourself off from social media completely. If you love it, stay! For example, if you have an influencer business model where brands pay you to post about their products, then maintaining your presence is critical to your business. There are positives about social media that I haven’t touched on, and the decision is entirely up to you.
If you’re not ready to totally ghost socials but feel like it’s taking over your life and would like to cut back, here are a few baby steps you can take:
Only use the features that work for you (for example, Facebook groups)
Prioritise publishing your content on your website and sending it to your email list first
Turn off messages or delete social media apps from your phone
Post a little less often — once a week or once a month
Before making a decision, you might like to spend some time reflecting on how social media does or doesn’t serve your business.
What to ask yourself about social media
Is it impacting your bottom line? Is social media generating traffic for your website? Growing your list? Bringing you regular paying clients?
Do you enjoy scheduling posts and sharing content, or does it feel like a chore?
What else could you do with that time, money and energy? Start a podcast? Write a blog? Take a nap? Start a new hobby?
Most importantly, does social media control your access to your audience and all their data, or do you store that information safely on your own platform?
You may come up with different answers from me, and that’s ok! As long as you are intentional about your social media use, it can be a valid part of your business growth strategy.
Just remember: Instagram is not a business plan! Use it if you want to — but don’t rely on it.
Curious about starting a postpartum business?
Download the guide and learn how to start a postpartum business providing valuable support to new families, PLUS create flexible and meaningful work for yourself.
Newborn Mothers Postpartum Education and Care Training includes 12 modules on caring for new families, including mental health, breastfeeding and sleep support, plus a bonus module on business and marketing so you can actually get clients and get paid. If you want to transform the lives of Newborn Mothers and make a living while doing so, then this training is for you.
