Build an Audience Without Social Media: 5 Alternative Strategies for Growth
Meta went down for some time today. We were all temporarily stripped from accessing two key social platforms most of us rely on. It got me thinking about all the peers, colleagues, and clients I have who, like myself, utilize Facebook and Instagram as primary community drivers. For many, these platforms are where we’re building our audiences, producing content, hoping to grow in our niche, and finding our people.
But spoiler alert: You don’t own your social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. Meta does. If they decide to pull your access to their platforms, they have every right to do so—and bye-bye goes your content (and followership). With one wave of their magic wand, all the work you’ve put into cultivating community and producing quality content could be ripped from under you.
Why Authors Shouldn’t Solely Rely on Social Media
In the digital age, social media has become a cornerstone of marketing and community-building for content creators, authors, and online business owners. But relying solely on social media platforms clearly poses significant risks and limitations to long-term success.
1. Audience Ownership:
Your followers on social media platforms aren't truly yours; they belong to the platform. Without direct access to your audience, building meaningful relationships and brand loyalty becomes challenging when those platforms don’t run to your standards (or at all). Relying solely on social media means entrusting the fate of your community to platforms that may prioritize their interests over yours. Diversifying your outreach channels ensures that you maintain ownership of your audience and can engage with them on your terms.
2. Limited Control:
Social media platforms wield immense power over your online presence, with algorithms and policies dictating the visibility of your content. Changes in algorithms or unexpected policy updates can drastically reduce your reach overnight, leaving you scrambling to regain lost traction. By relying solely on social media, you relinquish control over your platform's fate, making it vulnerable to external factors beyond your influence.
3. Overreliance on Content Volume:
Many creators and business owners are already feeling the pressure to generate ads to get their content seen. If you choose not to run ads, or cannot afford to do so, you’re instead pouring all your energy and resources into churning out content at an unsustainable pace without considering alternative strategies that offer more sustainable and cost-effective solutions. It screams burnout mode with little gain involved over time.
If you’re an online creator or business owner, how much have you thought about this? What would you do if all of a sudden you could no longer access your entire community because Meta was no more?
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Alternative Marketing Strategies for Authors
I often discuss with clients the value of seeking a community of readers and clients outside social media to avoid these pitfalls. Creators like you need full ownership of what you create and full access to connect with those you create for. By diversifying your outreach channels and investing in alternative strategies, you can build a more sustainable platform, establish deeper connections with your audience, and ultimately achieve your goals as a content creator, author, or online business owner.
Website Content and Blogging:
Your website serves as your digital hub, offering a centralized platform where you have full control over your content and branding. By regularly publishing high-quality blog posts and content related to your niche or industry, you can attract organic traffic, establish yourself as an authority in your field, and nurture a loyal readership base.
Email Marketing:
Email remains one of the most effective tools for directly engaging with your audience and driving conversions. Do not underestimate its value. There is not one successful business owner or creator I know who does not leverage email marketing for success. By building an email list of subscribers who opt-in to receive updates from you, you can deliver personalized content, exclusive offers, and updates directly to their inbox, bypassing the limitations of ownership or social media algorithms.
Pinterest:
Pinterest is NOT a social media platform. It’s a search engine. It drives organic traffic through keyword searches, allows precise audience targeting for ads, facilitates e-commerce with shoppable pins, and aids content curation, helping build authority within niches—I could keep going. As a visual discovery platform, Pinterest offers unique opportunities for content creators and online business owners to showcase their products, services, and expertise. By creating visually appealing pins and optimizing your content for search, you can drive targeted traffic to your website and email list and expand your reach organically.
Substack:
If you’re not already familiar with Substack, check that ish out! For writers and content creators, platforms like Substack provide a streamlined way to monetize your content and build a dedicated readership base. By offering exclusive newsletters, blogs, essays, stories, or podcasts to subscribers, you can generate cultivate a community of loyal supporters (and generate more revenue). You can choose to make your content free, to start, and all of it gets sent directly to their email. It’s like web-building and email marketing all in one.
Communication Apps like WhatsApp or Discord:
Building a sense of community and fostering real-time interactions with your audience is crucial for long-term engagement and loyalty. Communication apps like WhatsApp or Discord allow you to create private groups or channels where you can host discussions, Q&A sessions, or virtual events, fostering a sense of belonging among your followers. It’s a great, and potentially more intimate, way to connect with your community and bring them all together without using social media.
Final Thoughts on Marketing without Social Media
You don’t (and shouldn’t) do it all. You don’t need to leverage a website and email marketing while also running a Discord and posting 17 pins a day and still keeping up with your Instagram all at once. Explore the options that work for you and be intentional about the path you choose.
You shouldn’t limit yourself to certain platforms you assume will offer you more traction. It’s just not always the case, and it’s silly to assume there aren’t other options. Though Facebook and Instagram might be the most trendy, and appear to be the most widely used (aside from TikTok—which you also DON’T OWN), it doesn’t mean they’re the most sustainable. You want quality community over quantity in numbers, anyway.
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