October 4th, 2021… the day social media was out for more than 5 hours (also my birthday and not going to lie it was a nice little break from the internet?).

If you are a business owner then you know the importance of social media marketing… but what happens when social media is gone?!

Sure, this has happened before, but not for almost an entire workday. A lot of businesses rely on social media heavily to promote their business and products.

How did you feel when social media was gone for most of the day? Did you start planning for what life would look like “Little House on the Prairie style?” ? Were you more productive than usual (a red flag that you might be on social media too much to begin with)?

Did you think about what other ways you could you connect with your customers?

What if social media went away tomorrow? Do you have a backup marketing plan?

Let’s talk about some of the ways that you can market yourself to customers WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA. Because… Social media isn’t a guarantee and as a business owner you have to have a back up plan to for marketing!

No.1: E-mail Marketing
If you don’t already have an e-mail list… start one! It’s one of the best ways to market yourself and build up a customer base. Offer free incentives for people to sign up or coupon codes for their next purchase and get people that WANT to look at your stuff on your list! E-mail marketing is effective and easy to use. Bonus: It also give you more of a detailed look into what people are clicking on within your e-mail to help you better serve your customers.

My favorite: Flodesk. It’s super simple to use and makes easy & pretty e-mails to get out to your clients. Click here to get yours half off before November 2nd!

No. 2 SMS Marketing
Similar to e-mail marketing but SMS marketing has become increasingly more and more popular lately! I mean… how many times do you look at your phone a day?! I have noticed recently how many companies are using E-mail + SMS marketing techniques. They offer a coupon code for signing up and will send out random deals, new product updates & more. While SMS Marketing can get annoying… if done right it’s a very powerful tool. Everyone looks at their text messages, so even just one message sent… you know it will get seen.

Here are two options to check out:

Slicktext.com
Drip

No 3. Blogging
Blogging is a great way to showcase your items, services and show off your expertise on subjects related to your business. Blogging is also GREAT for SEO so that your website stays fresh and easy to find on search engines! Tie it all together by picking a topic to talk about, grab some key points and put it in an e-mail and send it out to your list! Easy marketing and not having to constantly create content everyday.

No 4. In-person events
While this one hasn’t been as popular lately (thanks COVID…) it is a great marketing tool. In-person events are slowly picking back up and depending on what business you are in can be greatly beneficial! Get your products and services in front of real people and make yourself accessible to answer questions and get to meet potential customers in person. Offer a raffle or coupon code incentive to get people to sign up for your e-mail list to stay in their inbox and send out more info!

No. 5 Google ADS
Pay for advertisements on Google! While it’s more of an investment than the first 4 options, it’s a great way to get your business out there on different websites.

So while social media marketing is important…. it’s NOT your only option! I suggest trying to implement some or all of these marketing tips within your business so that you are familiar with them. As I said above, social media is not a guarantee so it’s best to have these systems in place as part of your marketing plan.