Social media platforms are designed for addiction

Social media and the digital world has conditioned us to receive instant gratification for the things we post.  It’s all about that hit of dopamine that we get from a social scroll, tap-tap-tap and seeing the messages/views/likes/followers notifications.

The problem is this mini ‘high’ from our dopamine system is short-lived and we crave more. Like many addictions, we get stuck in the addictive cycle because our brain literally becomes hooked.

We get caught up in how many views, likes and follows we have and it suddenly becomes all-consuming…

So much so, that  the methods used for marketing outside (or at a pinch, alongside) social media are forgotten even though they’re just as potent (if not more).

It’s a testament to how powerful channels like blogging and email are, because they don’t require us to spend so much time engaging online.  In fact, they work so brilliantly that we don’t need to consistently put a lot of time into them. You can ‘set and forget‘ – rewarding your initial efforts with ongoing leads and business growth.

It’s time for a priority shift when it comes to small business marketing.

When I talk to other business owners at my Honest Biz Brunch events, so often their focus when it comes to marketing, is social media.  They lament the time it takes to put together an Instagram reel, or how they can’t keep up with ‘the algorithms’.

They also talk about how they haven’t done anything with their email list, or how they know they should work on their SEO but they haven’t got there yet…

Word of Mouth is the most powerful marketing tool

It’s pretty evident that most of us are obsessed with the stats on our social apps despite the fact that they aren’t what’s really working hard for us.

In a global trust in advertising survey by Nielsen 92 percent of consumers around the world say they trust recommendations from family and friends over any other kind of advertising.

When you hear info like this it makes me wonder why we aren’t prioritising word of mouth marketing more? It’s such a great way to spread the word about your business, and can be done in such an organic way.

The only way we are going to start breaking our social media addiction is by actively prioritising our other marketing channels.

Having a break from socials will give you back time to get  more strategic with the content you publish.  Instead of putting our most valuable content into a social media post where it will die a swift death, maybe it’s time to think about turning them into a blog, an email or even a podcast.

In my repurposing strategy, social media posts are actually the last thing I create from my long form content.

Bringing feminine energy back into business 

Spending less time online can feel unsettling because not only are our brains addicted to the brief hit of neurotransmitter-goodness we get from social media, we still buy into hustle culture in society.  

There’s an underlying belief that we have to work hard to achieve success..

To be successful in business is based on a patriarchal construct that society has long held that you needed to take charge, ‘strike while the iron’s hot’, outperform and execute – a lot of masculine archetypes.   

There hasn’t been an emphasis on balancing any of this masculine out with more space and free time to allow for feminine ease and flow.

So, when we find ourselves with space and ease in our businesses, it feels uncomfortable largely because of the way we’ve been conditioned in society.

We have an expectation of business and ourselves to keep pushing ourselves constantly if we want to do better and keep smashing goals. This results in a feeling of urgency to be online and working on/in our businesses all the damn time.

Humans thrive with rest and in-person connection.

We don’t need more time ‘plugged in’ and constantly responding to our phones.

In reality what we need more of as humans is:

• Connection to self and others.
• Quality rest.
• Time to BE without expectation.
• To experience joy.

And the irony is the more of these things 👆🏾 we fit into our lives, the more abundance and success we invite into our businesses.

Marketing outside of social media is more important than ever

Never before have we been ‘busier’ as a society. With sky-high levels of stress, anxiety and burnout.  As a collective we are craving time off our screens to ground ourselves and improve mental wellness.  

In reality, our minds and bodies aren’t wired to spend this amount of time on social media sites or on screens in general.

We should be pursuing more opportunities for in-person connection instead of time to scroll on socials.  Things like a good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation and belly laugh with a friend are crucial in overall wellness compared to likes and follows on Instagram.

The benefits of a social media break

Regular breaks from social media provides an opportunity to focus on real-life interactions, develop a new hobby, and enjoy activities without the pinging distraction of constant notifications.

If you’re like me and stuck in a bad habit of checking your phone home screen every couple of minutes, it’s a pretty strong sign that you could do with a social media detox.

Taking a break from social media has so many benefits, including fostering a healthier relationship with technology and improving feelings of connection with people around you.

After taking a break from posting for 3 months on my business socials, I found that I had lower levels of stress and anxiety. I wasn’t comparing myself to other businesses, or getting distracted by reels and simply because it was one less thing on my to-do list.

Ways to reduce social media usage in your small business

The best way to start a social media cleanse is to choose goals that feel sustainable to you in your business and everyday life. Sometimes going completely cold turkey isn’t the best option if you rely on social media for communication or work. 

1. Turn off push notifications

Switching off notifications from your social feeds means you can be be more intentional with your use of social media, instead of reflexively opening a notification when it pops up on your phone. 

2. Set screen time parameters

Most smartphones have the ability to set up screen time limits, even for specific social platforms. The first step would be to identify how much time you are actually spending on your social media accounts and then set a realistic target and period of time to reduce your usage. You can always start small then increase as you build confidence and change your habits.

3. Charge your phone in a different room at night

Quality sleep is super important in improveing overall wellness. Sleeping with your phone beside your bed can have not only have a negative impact on sleep but in the way you connect with your partner before bed, too.

If you don’t have the self-discipline (🙋🏼‍♀️ guilty) to leave your mobile devices alone at night, do as I do and charge your phone in the kitchen or a different room to avoid temptation.

I’ve invested in an alarm clock for days I need to check the time or wake up early so that I don’t have the convenient excuse of needing my phone beside my bed…

Good news: even a short break can yield positive results and help you reconnect with the world in a more meaningful way. 

3 Ways To Start Marketing outside of social media For Your Small Business

It’s tough because there’s so much unravelling to do to start blazing our own trail in this space.  It can feel uncomfortable and stretchy to do things in a different way and to lean into trusting ourselves and our intuition.

I advocate for taking small steps in the right direction, instead of trying to burn the whole place down and start again, perfectly.

There are so many other ways to market your business outside of social media.  Start by focusing on one other marketing channel that would work for your business, evaluate, then build from there.

Set up an automated email marketing sequence

Putting together an automated email welcome or nurture sequence is something that when done properly, will continue to serve your business on repeat with little to no maintenance.

Invest time in crafting an irresistible opt-in then plan 3-5 emails to welcome subscribers to your list. For best results, evaluate your email stats regularly  to tweak your automation along the way.

Host an in-person event

I am a huge fan of bringing people together IRL. You could plan to host an in-person meetup, workshop or social event to encourage real life, genuine connections with your community. it doesn’t always have to be about selling++.

The magic comes when you also recognise that building quality connections is more about the long-game in business, but having a strong sense of community just makes life more fun in general.

Get blogging!

Blogging in your small business is not only beneficial for boosting website traffic but it helps build authority in your industry and engage your audience.

Writing long form articles is also the easiest way to easily have content on-hand to repurpose to your other marketing platforms like email and social media. 

Want more?

I advocate not to rely on them but I still use them! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Facebook.