6 Alternatives to Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is a useful promotional tool. In fact, many small businesses gain notoriety using sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.

"Social media really changed the game for independent and small businesses to compete with larger brands," says Tom Yesowich, CEO of ELXAI, a smart home technology provider. "However, these platforms are private companies, and they can completely flip the script at a moment's notice. Legislation changes, social outcry, algorithm updates, or just an internal change of heart can lead to a company's branded pages or tactics becoming obsolete."

While social media marketing is popular and can be useful, it's not the only option. There are alternatives to social media marketing. This article explores various non-social media marketing strategies that can be just as effective at spreading the word about your small business.

Risks of Relying Solely on Social Media Marketing

Just relying on social media marketing is not advisable, believes Doris Joyce, co-founder at Electrly, an EV charging station solution provider.

“Risks of social media marketing include the fact that you don’t own the platform (or the content once posted), and it can go down anytime, or you could lose your account instantly," says Joyce. "We’ve also learned no matter how much you spend, social media cannot guarantee your visibility.”

It takes substantial work to develop a following on social media and to stay current with changes across the various platforms. Alta Technologies, a server and networking hardware company, has experienced firsthand the time and expense required for social media marketing.

“We found that our marketing teams were spending a lot of time ensuring we were up to date with any algorithm changes and making adjustments to our campaigns, but we weren’t seeing a good ROI on this extra time spent,” says the company’s president Corey Donovan. “We switched most of our marketing budget to other forms of digital marketing.”

Additional drawbacks of social media marketing include its limiting nature, notes Will Yang, head of growth & customer success at Instrumentl, an all-in-one grants platform that helps nonprofits find, track, and manage their grants.

“Algorithm changes or policy revisions can fundamentally alter a brand's ability to reach its audience or paralyze its campaigns,” says Yang. “Market saturation can also water down your messaging, and negative reviews on social platforms can spread quickly.”

Also limiting is the fact that not all demographics engage on social media in the same manner or frequency.

Social Media Marketing Alternatives

While social media will likely remain a viable option for delivering messages to your customers, it may be in your company's best interest to diversify marketing efforts.

This is what Josh Steppling discovered. “What seemed to be a sudden algorithm change caused a significant drop in our organic reach,” says the owner of Lead Owner, a real estate lead generation system. “That experience made me realize that putting all of our marketing efforts into one basket wasn’t the best strategy, so we found more reliable avenues.”

Steppling explored various alternatives to social media marketing, including heavily investing in the company website and digital advertising. “While social media remains a component of our marketing strategy, diversifying has provided stability and expanded outreach,” he says.

Other non-social media marketing strategies that can outperform the effectiveness of social media include a robust email marketing program, thought leadership content production, word-of-mouth referrals, and listings on industry sites.

1. Company Website

Advice on how to market your business often starts with a robust company website. This is your own digital real estate, and you control branding by dictating what appears on your site. A well-structured, easily navigated, SEO-optimized website is the foundation of your business and often the main marketing tool for companies without social media.

“We made our website the central hub for our brand messaging and marketing and then focused our efforts on increasing search results,” says Steppling. “This helped us control our content and maintain a consistent online presence.”

Yang also found that in addition to being a digital storefront his website provides ample opportunity for engagement. “We optimize our website by providing easy navigation, clear messaging, and incorporation of a blog for engagement and knowledge sharing,” he says.

“Your website is the powerhouse of your online presence,” agrees Brian Smith, director of global marketing at Cota Systems, a logistics technology company for truckers and shippers.

“Your site is where you share your brand story and provide detailed information on your products and services," says Smith. "By updating it regularly with valuable content and lead generation forms, you can engage customers effectively and capture leads when building a business without social media.”

2. Digital Advertising

Digital advertising offers another option for how to advertise your business without social media. This type of marketing targets can attract new clientele perhaps even more effectively than social media.

At Flintfox, a pricing platform for rebate management, omni-channel pricing, and margin reporting, they rely heavily on digital advertising. “In most cases, businesses are better off relying on advertising than investing in social media marketing pursuits, and this has been our experience here at Flintfox,” says Cath Brands, the company’s chief marketing and innovation officer.

“Digital advertising is a safer, more optimal, and more efficient alternative," says Brands. “Many platforms today prioritize advertising over organic marketing, so it’s easier and more effective to invest in digital advertising across platforms rather than focus solely on social media marketing. Digital advertising is also more versatile, offers more room for experimenting, and it’s easier to cut your losses and pour resources elsewhere when things go wrong.”

Digital marketing without social media includes online promotional content, including banner ads, display ads, popup ads, interactive ads, video ads, native ads, pay-per-click (PPC campaigns), mobile marketing, and SEM (search engine marketing). These non-social media marketing tactics allow you to target specific demographics and interests.

Native ads are designed to appear to be a natural part of a digital feed and are often informational in nature. Mobile marketing includes any digital advertising that appears on cellphones, and SEM ensures that your products and services pop up when someone does a related search.

3. Email Marketing Program

Email marketing is a great personalized tool to cultivate existing clients. Sending messages directly to customer inboxes can be an effective way to market a small business. Emails are a direct contact and conversation with your clients. You aren’t competing for attention like you are on social media.

"A well-run email marketing program will consistently outperform the organic reach of your social media posts," according to Benjamin Hordell, founding partner at DXagency, a marketing and strategy agency.

"With email, your brand has 100 percent share of voice and avoids the clutter of social media feeds," says Hordell. "Emails can deliver news, offers, and any information you want to give your customer base. You can even add a 'viral' element to your email program by including a referral program to encourage email forwarding and subsequent list growth."

“Email marketing is probably the most stable and consistent digital marketing tool because once you find the right strategy, you don’t have to make any major changes to it,” says Donovan. “You are able to stay in close contact with your audience and build and nurture relationships that lead to both new and repeat sales.”

Smith agrees. “Owning a healthy email list can be far more valuable than a big social following. Harness the potential of email marketing, and it’ll have a massive impact on the growth of your business.”

Email marketing dovetails well with digital advertising, according to Smith. “When I launched our digital ads at Cota Systems, I made sure email opt-ins were a priority. This allowed us to continue the conversations beyond the landing page or purchase. ”

Of course, it all starts with creating email content that people read. Here are some tips for effective email marketing:

• Make it engaging. Write compelling email content that informs, not just sells. Offer valuable, actionable information in an entertaining manner.
• Personalize. Email marketing at it best is personal in nature. Consider that you are talking one-on-one with each recipient.
• Use segments. To further personalize your emails, segment them. There are several ways to do so, including by demographics, source of initial contact, stage of customer journey, and level of engagement.
• Offer an incentive to sign up. Create a free lead magnet, such as a digital download that people get when they sign up. Feature the freebie on your website to gain more subscribers.

4. Thought Leadership Content Production

Positioning yourself as a thought leader knowledgeable in your field can gain visibility for your company and can be an excellent way of building a business without social media. Insightful content establishes authority and gains attention for companies without social media.

Producing written and video content such as white papers, webinars, and informative blog posts that showcase your expertise and relevant thoughts about important topics in your industry can help make you and your company a go-to expert in your field.

Consistent production of such high-quality thought leadership content by you and key employees will engage and can encourage new and existing audiences to interact with your products and services.

“Thought leadership is one of our most effective marketing strategies because it builds a deep sense of trust with our audience,” says Denise Hemke, chief product officer at Checkr,  a SaaS background-checking service used by major ride share and shopping delivery companies. “If you want people to trust that your product is superior, you must prove you know what you’re talking about by sharing knowledge with your target market.”

Content can be included on your website and that of complementary businesses. You can also share on social media sites, but don't forget to link back to your website when you do so.

5. Word-of-Mouth-Referrals

Another effective means of advertising your company without social media is “old-school” word-of-mouth referrals. There is nothing quite as powerful as a satisfied customer raving about your products or services.

For Madelyn Stillman, owner of Studio Lyn, a brand strategy and web design studio, word of mouth referrals have been “incredibly beneficial” to her company.

“Referrals are a wonderful free marketing tool,” says Stillman, who is well-versed with how to grow a business without social media. “A first-person recommendation can often be more influential and reliable than a carefully crafted social media post.”

The growth of Stillman’s business as a startup answered the question, can a business succeed without social media marketing? “For our first two years in business, I relied solely on referrals from past clients, and it really helped to build our credibility,” she says.

The key to gaining referrals is providing excellent customer service, believes Stillman. “Focus on giving customers high-quality work and products that leave them happy and eager to share their satisfaction and joy with their friends and colleagues,” she says.

To encourage customers to refer, use a customer loyalty/referral program and keep them engaged by regularly reaching out through newsletters and SMS campaigns. When they do refer, make sure to thank and reward them in a timely fashion.

You can further encourage your brand ambassadors to spread the word through written reviews, which you can showcase on your website.

6. Listings on Industry Sites

Most industries feature websites where your company’s services can be listed and recommended. Industry sites reach specific audiences, which offers you a well-targeted approach for marketing outside of social media.

“Exposure on relevant industry sites can significantly enhance your visibility within your target audience,” says Chris McDermott, owner of Intercoastal Consulting & Life Care Planning, which provides life care planning services. He suggests getting listed on authoritative industry directories, review sites, and online communities where your potential customers are likely to visit.

“Ensure your listings are complete, accurate, and optimized with keywords,” he says. “Actively participate in industry discussions and engage with users to establish your brand as a trusted and valuable resource.”

In this area of alternative marketing strategies, there are also more general platforms for listing your business, including Google Business Profile, Bing Places for Business, and various professional industry sites that recommend businesses such as Thumbtack, Angi, Porch, and Home Advisor.

For optimum SEO, ensure that your company data, including phone numbers and address, is consistent across all listing sites.

Some sites require that you pay a fee to be listed. Before you commit, check that each platform is a legitimate source of leads, as you want to protect your online reputation.

Success with non-social media marketing strategies

To help increase your marketing success, consider these six alternative marketing strategies.  

A well-crafted website offers you a home base of operations where you can include thought leadership content that showcases your expertise for existing and potential customers. Digital ads help you reach your target audience, while email marketing makes it possible to stay in close contact with your customers. Add in the power of word-of-mouth referrals and take some time to get your company listed on industry sites.

“As you learn how to market your business without social media, don't be afraid to mix and match different channels to reach your audience effectively,” says Smith. “Stay data-driven, be open to trying new things, and keep refining your approach based on what works best for your business.”

A version of this article was originally published on April 2, 2019.

Photo: Getty Images