Ways to market your business without using social media

In today’s episode of the podcast I talk all about marketing your business without using social media. After some recent changes to Instagram, Facebook and Apple, it is more important than ever that we do not put all our eggs in one basket and look at alternatives to social media marketing for our businesses. KEY TAKEAWAYS COVERED IN THE PODCAST • Instagram has changed it’s terms of service – by using the platform you agree to these. They can change their terms and conditions without asking you at any point. • Instagram can delete, amend or block your account if you are doing something that is not appropriate or in line with their brand. • If you are using direct message pods or bots, Instagram are cracking down on this more. • When you upload content to Instagram, you own that content but they have the right to use your content as they wish. • Apple have announced they have changed their app tracking transparency framework – going to limit the information that can be exchanged with 3rd parties. This is good from a personal level but from a marketing perspective this means we won’t be able to know as much about them as we previously have (e.g. Targeted ads). • Getting in front of other people’s audiences can really help to grow your own audience. • Guest blog, interview on a podcast, speak at an event. Where are your customers hanging out? • If you are a local business, you could try a flyer drop in your local area. • #journorequest on Twitter – journalists who are looking for specific types of people use this for you to find opportunities. • Submit features to publications. • Ask if you can do a guest blog on a popular website. • Having great content and keywords on your website will ultimately increase traffic and the amount of people who find your website. • What content are you putting out regularly – e.g. blog post, podcast etc. • Branded merchandise can be a great way to get your message and voice out there – make sure it fits with your business and doesn’t cost too much. • Google ads are great for finding customers who are in the market to buy. • Google ads are more expensive and more difficult but the people being targeted are actually searching for that term. • Google My Business – set this up. • You could sponsor an event, podcast, sports team. • A sponsorship is usually paid whereas a collaboration is usually mutually beneficial. • Collaborate with someone who has the same customer profile as you – event, content, virtual event. • Ask your existing audience to promote your content on their social media or leave a review. • Use a third party system for reviews – more trusted. • You can offer affiliate schemes to existing customers who love you the most to expand your audience. • Offer a referral scheme to your customers to get new customers. • YouTube is a search engine – different to other social media platforms. You can put content out and grow your audience on YouTube. • Try to be on one social media platform of some sort but also look at other options too. THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO REMEMBER ABOVE ALL ELSE… Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and focus all your attention on one marketing platform/technique – if something went wrong with your chosen one it could be detrimental to your business. HIGHLIGHTS YOU SIMPLY CAN’T MISS • Why we shouldn’t rely on social media to market our businesses 4:02 • Getting in front of other people’s audiences 10:47 • Building your email list 12:05 • Printed flyers 13:27 • PR 15:55 • Content creation and SEO 17:49 • Branded merchandise 19:02 • Google Ads 20:43 • Google My Business 21:40 • Sponsorships, Collaborations and Competitions 22:02 • Asking your audience 23:39 • Business directories 25:12 • Affiliates and referrals 25:55 • YouTube for business 27:45