I've got a slightly cheeky question for you. What would happen to your business if social media disappeared tomorrow? Not if your reach dropped or Facebook changed the rules again… (urgh)
Imagine if the platforms you depend on vanished without a trace. How would potential clients locate you? Would they recall the value you bring to the table? And how would you reconnect with the leads who have already engaged with your brand?
Now, I love social media. I use it, I teach it, and it absolutely has a place in our marketing. But sometimes we're so busy deciding what to post next that we forget about the other ways people discover, connect with and remember our businesses. In this episode of the Talk Podcast, we're looking at how to build a marketing ecosystem that works beyond social media, why your website and email list matter, and how small actions can help you strengthen the relationships you've already created.
Your Business Is Bigger Than the Social Media Feed
Think about the businesses you regularly recommend. Perhaps someone introduced you to them, you met the owner at an event, or you found something useful on their website. Those relationships don't always begin with a reel, TikTok or Facebook post.
We can get so caught up in creating social media content that we forget the bigger question. How are people discovering our business, getting to know us and finding their way back when they're ready?
Build More Than One Marketing Tree
This is why I encourage business owners to think about marketing through the Marketing Tree Method. Your social media tree might help people discover you, but your website, email marketing, events and referrals all have important roles to play.
Each tree gives someone another opportunity to connect with your business. When we nurture these different parts of our marketing ecosystem, we're giving people more ways to find us and remember what we offer.
Look After Your Email List
If you already have an email list, are you actually using it? You don't need to email every day or make every message a sales pitch. Share a useful idea, a story, an article or an invitation to something your audience might enjoy.
And if you don't have an email list, start thinking about what would encourage people to join. A helpful checklist, guide or regular newsletter can give them a reason to stay connected. The important thing is to build relationships you can continue outside the social media algorithm.
Make Your Website Work Harder
Your website should be more than somewhere you send people from social media. It's a home for your business knowledge, services, stories and answers to the questions your customers are asking.
Have a look at your website from your customer's perspective. Does it explain what you do in language they understand? Are your services easy to find? Is there an obvious next step? Your website should help people discover your business and learn how you can help them.
Create Content That Keeps Working
One of the reasons I encourage business owners to create useful articles and resources is that good content can keep working long after you've published it.
We recently completed an audit for a client who had a post about tea that she'd written years ago, and it was still bringing people back to her website. That's the wonderful thing about helpful content. It can continue answering questions and introducing people to your business while you're busy doing other things.
Don't Forget Your Connections
When did you last follow up with someone you met at a networking event? Or thank someone who referred a customer to your business?
We can become so focused on digital marketing that we forget the conversations happening around us. You don't need to pitch in every conversation. Ask good questions, take an interest and follow up when you've promised something. Even a simple email sharing a resource you discussed can help keep that relationship growing.
Remember the Power of Referrals
Referrals are an important part of marketing beyond social media. People remember businesses that have helped them, answered their questions or made a genuine connection.
And remember to refer others too. When you introduce people, recommend useful services or help someone find what they need, you're contributing to the relationships that make business communities work.
Your Challenge
Here's a little five-minute marketing exercise I'd love you to try.
Grab a piece of paper and divide it into four columns:
- Discover: How can someone find your business without social media?
- Connect: Where can people get to know you better and learn more about what you do?
- Return: How can people hear from you again or find their way back?
- Refer: What makes it easy for someone to recommend your business, and who could you refer to others?
Remember, we're doing this without social media!
Once you've filled in your columns, circle the one that needs the most attention. Then choose one small action to improve it. If you'd like somewhere to map those actions alongside the rest of your marketing, my 2027 Marketing Planner can help you turn those ideas into a practical plan.
Perhaps you need to send that newsletter, update a page on your website, follow up with someone you met or create a useful resource people can share.
I'm certainly not suggesting you throw your phone out the window and abandon social media. I love it too much for that! But your marketing needs to belong to your business, not just the platform hosting your latest post.
The traffic you're creating through social media should have somewhere useful to go, particularly your website or email list, where you can continue building those relationships.
So here's my question for you: If social media went quiet tomorrow, would your business still be growing?
And if you know someone whose marketing relies entirely on social media, share this episode with them. It might be time to give their marketing tree a few more branches.
Resources
Explore the work-through book to build strong marketing foundations and connect the different parts of your marketing beyond social media.
Find the questions people ask about your industry and use them to plan helpful website articles, podcast episodes and evergreen content.
See which Google searches help people discover your website and find opportunities to improve your existing pages.
Highlights
- 00:00 What Would You Do Without Social Media?
- 00:35 Why Your Business Needs More Than the Feed
- 01:00 How People Discover and Remember Businesses
- 01:15 Building Your Marketing Trees
- 01:35 Looking After Your Email List
- 02:05 Giving People a Reason to Subscribe
- 02:30 Making Your Website Work Harder
- 03:05 Creating Content That Keeps Working
- 03:20 Following Up and Building Relationships
- 03:55 The Four-Column Marketing Exercise
- 04:30 Strengthening Your Marketing Beyond Social Media
- 04:55 Final Thoughts and Sharing the Episode
