14 Ways To Grow Your Business Without Social Media in 2025
Are you a business owner who is tired of playing the ‘post on social media everyday to grow your business’ game? You’re NOT alone!
In this blog, I am sharing 14 marketing & visibility alternatives to grow your business without posting content 24/7.
Do you dream of reducing your time spent on Social Media?
How would it feel to generate new business through more 'passive’ lead generation strategies that don’t involve creating viral Reels and TikTok posts?
If your 2025 goal involves reducing your Social Media time in favour of a better way, you’re in the right place!
Picture this…
You unlock your phone on a busy workday and feel zero need to create content for social media—because you don’t need it to grow your business anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love creating content on Instagram and making connections on LinkedIn. But there’s something undeniably appealing about stepping back from the noise of Instagram and prioritizing real, face-to-face conversations and alternative strategies that don’t keep me glued to my phone!
Sure, social media has its benefits.
It’s helped me build valuable relationships, generate leads, and grow my Marketing Coaching Business. But let’s be honest—it’s not always as effective as we’re led to believe!
If you’ve been pouring your heart into creating content and still feel like no one is paying attention, you’re not alone. Many of my clients feel the same way, questioning if organic social content is even worth their time anymore.
Here’s the truth.
There are many other ways to market your business—methods that can connect you with the right people, build lasting relationships, and offer a way higher return on investment. Here are 14 alternative strategies.
Book Connection Calls (between 2 and 5 calls per week is recommended)
If you’re not actively growing your network, making new introductions and building community, you’re probably our of touch and missing out on a lot of opportunity.
Building community is extremely important for expanding your reach and creating new opportunities, and should be a priority in your workweek.
In fact, many start up companies now have full time ‘rainmakers’ (I learned this from Jake Karls of Midday Squares) whose sole responsibility is to build rosters and databases of contacts, so that when they need investment or connection to an expert, they have people to call on.
My guess is that if you’re reading this blog, you haven’t quite mastered the art of growing your network?
Here’s a tip…
Start by joining a mastermind and being super engaged in it, or start even smaller by searching through your LinkedIn connections and prioritizing conversation with a few new people this month.
When the conversation progresses and you identify that there is a synergy or shared interest at hand, ask them to book in a quick 15 minute ‘connection call’ and start building your own roster of strategic partners, valuable business acquaintances or possible paid clients.
I realize this sounds tedious, but there is so much truth in the phrase ‘your network is your net-worth’ so I want to make sure that you prioritize this and that it becomes a non-negotiable part of your work week.
You can also leverage your existing social media platforms (like Instagram Stories) to share content related to the problem you solve (your PAS statement from The Visionary Method), and then share a call to action to ‘reach out if you want to hear my top 3 solutions to this problem’. This involves being on social media, but the idea is to move the conversation to Zoom quickly after.
2. Cull Your Contacts
Use the ‘Cull Your Contacts’ tab in your Visionary Method Marketing Playbook to go through your contacts one by one, from all areas of your life. This is going to help you make your warm leads more visible to you.
If you’re selling your first course or you’re in the early stages of building your online business, you’re going to want to focus your time, energy and attention on warm leads and people who are already in your network rather than going straight to the global marketplace.
This includes people in your phone address book, from social clubs, past colleagues, people on your personal email list, and those who already follow you on social media and therefore know, like and trust you.
Identify which ones are potential leads, eliminate the rest, and prioritize connections with the identified leads. Try to write a list of 100 people.
This will help you focus your energy on building relationships that matter. Plus, it’s important to remember that the people who are most likely to work with you in the next 30 days are already in your Warm Market (they’re not cold leads!)
We study this process inside of our private coaching packages.
3. Lead With Gratitude
Gratitude is something that we should cultivate in our own lives regardless of its benefits to others. However, gratitude can also be a powerful marketing tool.
When people feel appreciated, they are more likely to remain loyal to a brand and to tell others about their positive experiences. In addition, expressing gratitude makes people feel good, which can help create a positive feedback loop that encourages a sale.
By making it a priority to practice gratitude in your workday, you can actually grow your business exponentially.
You can spark conversation ANYWHERE and ANYTIME by leading with gratitude, and because few business owners are doing it you can immediately become Top Of Mind to your potential clients. Start by sending 5 messages per day saying “thank you for…” or “just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate when you…”
The Law of Reciprocity states that when people receive something, they often feel compelled to return the favor source)
Although I don’t encourage you to give gratitude with the expectation to receive anything back, there is a high probability of some form of ROI through these sparked conversations.
4. Build your ‘Strategic People Pod’
Do you recognize these 4 people?
It’s Gabby Bernstein, Marie Forleo, Danielle Laporte and Kris Carr. If you aren’t familiar with their work, they’re all in the personal growth space and are published authors and creators.
All 4 of them started building their brands around the same time almost 2 decades ago, and at the time of writing this (December 2024) they have a combined following of tens of millions of people.
Is it a coincidence that these 4 friends have been on a rocketship together for the past 10 years?
Nope, at least I don’t think so.
From the moment they all began their businesses and met one another, they have been supporting each other and strategically promoting– accelerating their own rocket ships in addition to their friends.
I call this a strategic-people-pod.
Inside of a strategic-people-pod, collaboration and partnerships are the norm and not just reserved for a book launch.
This type of collaborative strategy can skyrocket your business success in a fraction of the usual time, because it leverages existing audiences for promotion, rather than solely relying on building and monetizing your own.
If you haven’t got industry peers or business besties or strategic connections in place – make this your priority over the coming weeks (& if you need help, consider joining a mastermind like Wave The Mastermind where you’ll be immediately connected with 30 other entrepreneurs like you)
5. Leverage Blogging and SEO As Your Long-Game Strategy
If you dream of deleting all social media, consider getting your blog started and publishing content that is optimized for search engines like Google and that includes important (long tail and short tail) keywords.
Not familiar with how you can leverage Google to grow your business? Learn more inside of Everyday SEO
Blogging is not an overnight strategy, but according to Jack Butcher of Visualize Value this is where hockey stick growth is possible.
He says “The longer you spend building a business on social media, the more you realize you are fighting an uphill battle. Trying to grab people's attention and make them care, vs. catering to what people already care about. (to be clear, both are good)” (Source)
Blogging is not an overnight strategy, but according to Jack Butcher of Visualize Value this is where hockey stick growth is possible, and I couldn’t agree more!
Jack is right and I couldn’t agree more.
I work with about 20 private clients per year at $11,000 per client, and right now I land 50% of my paid clients through Google when they search for a ‘Marketing Coach’ or ‘Business Coach in Toronto’ or ‘Canadian Marketing and Business Coach’.
That means that without SEO working in my favour I would be missing out on $105,000.00 in annual revenue. Ouch.
It took me about 5 years to build my SEO (I have done it all myself) but I’m so glad that I am here. If you want to learn to generate more leads from Search Engines like Google check out my Online Course That Teaches You How To Leverage Search Engines (Google) & Keywords To Grow Your Business
6. Give What You Want To Receive
If you want more compliments, give more compliments.
If you want more referrals, give more referrals.
If you want more love, give more love.
If you want to receive kindness, give kindness. It's really that simple.
What we put out into the world is what comes back to us.
When we do good deeds for others, we boost our own mood and self-esteem and that translates into business growth.
Here’s a story to illustrate this concept:
I was shooting a wedding video with my husband (he’s a wedding videographer) this past summer in Muskoka and the wedding was on an island, so we took a boat to get there.
The boat drivers were friendly and we struck up a brief conversation on the 10 minute ride over to the island.
Later in the night, we enjoyed dinner beside the boat drivers and I took it upon myself to ask them questions about their life, their family, their work, their goals, etc.
They commented on my curiosity and loved sharing stories, and eventually asked what I did for work.
We exchanged numbers and I sent a follow-up email to David on Monday Morning to say ‘nice to meet you’.
Weeks later my friend randomly asked me if I knew any executive coaches.
I do! David the boat driver! (the boat driver from the Muskoka Wedding!)
I made the referral, and asked for nothing in return (nor did I expect anything).
Law of reciprocity must have kicked in because weeks later, David referred me to a $7,000 client. I sent him a referral gift, as a token of my appreciation and as a way to say ‘thanks, keep the referrals coming!’
So the next time you're feeling down, try brightening someone else's day or connecting 2 people. You just might end up making your own day a little brighter and your bank account a little bit happier, in the process.
7. Use Voice & Video to Spark Connection
My favorite way to meaningfully connect with people is to send voice notes, video messages and still photos (see image) to spark a conversation.
This technique works when you’re making a connection with someone awesome, someone you see is engaging with your content, or someone you want to build a relationship with. Actually, it works with ANYONE because there’s no way you can NOT respond to a personalized message like this.
In fact, I’ve used this technique to connect with world-class thought leaders, authors, NHL players, and successful CEO’s.
8. Stop posting, start creating conversation.
How would you like to scrap mass-marketing (pouring money into Facebook Ads) in favor of relationship-based marketing (using thoughtful content to spark conversation)?
If you feel like you’re posting content that simply isn’t generating comments, likes or shares you’re probably frustrated with the 1 way conversation that you feel like you’re having with your clients.
And one way conversations don’t generally lead sales 🙁
Instead, turn your focus away from mass marketing and shouting at clients in favour of doing whatever you can to create a 2 way conversation between you and your dream client. Not only will you feel better about your marketing efforts, but you’ll also learn so much by getting into meaningful discussion with the people who are buying (or aren’t buying) your product.
Treat all marketing as a chance to create thoughtful content and to ALSO engage in thoughtful conversation. Without the conversation, you’re missing a key opportunity.
If you’re not sure how to spark conversation, try sharing something that you’re genuinely excited about or that is of interest to you right now or as of lately. Chances are that if you’re interested in something, you’ll find others who also find the same topic interesting– even if it’s super niche!
In addition, you should also be prioritizing 30 minutes per day to engage with other people’s posts and to like and comment and share on their remarkable content. We call this Social Listening in the Marketing World.
Not only does this help you gain more awareness, but it also helps you build your network and befriend some really epic humans.
When we take the time to engage, we show people that we’re paying attention and that we really SEE our dream clients and to LISTEN to what they want.
You can take this further by booking market research calls with a few people per week, asking a series of questions that help you solidify your products-market-fit.
As an example,
Before launching The Personal Training Development Center and growing it into a 7 figure online empire, Jonathan Goodman scheduled 150+ market research calls so that he could truly understand the struggles of online personal trainers and to ensure that his product market fit was perfect.
Even though he has the same hours in a day as every other entrepreneur, he decided to prioritize conversation in order to launch a platform that was truly life-changing…. And it worked!
If this process intrigues you, you can listen to an episode of Visionary Life where he breaks down his process.
p.s I also teach a course called InstaSales where I teach this Content to Connection process!
9. Make a difference, don’t make noise. - Seth Godin.
When I swipe through social media I feel like I’m inundated with noise.
In the literal sense, there are songs and sounds and stories.
In another sense, the content that comes at me feels like noise that goes in one ear and out the other. There seems to be a lack of substance in 99% of the content that is being shared.
I don’t see a lot of content that actually makes a difference or at least, it’s hard to find those who are truly adding value and focusing on quality.
And that’s because it’s tough to make a real difference in someone’s life with a 15 second video.
What can you do to make a difference then?
Well, that’s up to you.
Ask yourself what really matters to you about doing the work you do, and go do that on a local level.
Donate time to a struggling some business,
Organize a meetup for stay at home moms,
Host a garbage cleanup for your community. w
These difference-making efforts can go a long way in encouraging word of mouth marketing.
10. Get Social and Attend Conferences an Industry Events
Let me make one thing clear. When I suggest doing some form of networking I’m not talking about traditional networking events where you wear business casual clothing. I would never make you go to those (because I certainly don’t!)
I’m talking about events where you’ll meet people with a shared interest, who are playing on a similar level, or who have connections and knowledge that you may not.
I can confidently say that by flying across the country for a 2 day conference, attending industry events in the USA, showing up to trade shows, joining masterminds, and putting myself in rooms with visionary entrepreneurs and potential clients has been the biggest driver of revenue and growth for me.
The people who invest in these types of events are also most likely to invest in coaches, consultants and services - so there’s a high probability that you’re going to land new clients.
If you’d rather stay local, see if your town has a BIA that you could join. This is a great starting point and a trusted way to meet business owners in your area.
However, this can also take shape by becoming more social and involved in your own community in whatever way lights you up.
Consider joining a local gym, attending events at a coworking space (or working from a coworking space) or even signing up for virtual meetups and masterminds.
Many of you who are reading this probably started your online business because you dreamed of never having to leave your home or talk to another human being, but you’re likely going to fail if that’s your idea of a successful workday.
If you never want to leave your home, build your network, or focus on relationship-building I would recommend that you become a Programmer, not a course creator or online coach or entrepreneur!
High performing business owners and successful entrepreneurs are constantly prioritizing connections, building their network, attending conferences, and investing in masterminds that get them in front of the right people and audiences.
At every level, this should take up a minimum of 25% of your workweek.
p.s. Did you know that I co-host events in Ontario, Canada?
11. Podcasting is STILL a growing medium, and it’s NOT too late to start yours!
Starting a podcast is one of the sneakiest opportunities for you to grow your business.
When I started my show (Visionary Life Podcast) back in 2018 I knew that it would not only be a great marketing tool, but it would also hold me accountable to booking a conversation and making a connection with one successful entrepreneur per week.
Over 350 episodes later, and I can tell you with confidence that the ROI of my podcast has been vast.
Is there a direct and measurable ROI on podcasting? It’s hard to say but the short answer is yes.
You can run your own ads on your show, you can learn from the best of your industry, you can generate leads and build trust - but not all branding efforts are truly quantifiable because some of them involve creating trust, and making people feel like ‘they know you’ which accelerates their consumer purchasing journey.
What’s been surprising is that many of my past podcast guests (who I have looked up to) ended up becoming paid clients and have invited me to speak to their audiences or on their stages.
12. Start a (kick-ass) Email Newsletter and grow your subscribers
If social media isn’t working for you, perhaps it’s because you feel like you’re not able to create enough ‘substance’ in 15 seconds using TikTok or Instagram.
And perhaps you’re not seeing a lot of ROI because nobody is clicking through from TikTok to your website (because TikTok favours videos without calls to action because they want to keep people on their platform).
This is where I would suggest building your email list and creating a weekly newsletter of substance and value that niches down on a certain topic (ex: 5 Star Customer Service, Facebook Ad Updates, Unconventional health tips for the holistically minded, etc.)
I won't dwell on email conversion rates and the likelihood of sending traffic to your website when you compare social media content to sending email campaigns, but I think you can guess where I am going with this.
Build your email list starting today, if you’re not doing so already, and send consistent newsletter (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly) to add value. Don’t just show up when you have something to sell or when you’re about to launch something. That doesn’t work!
13. What’s Your Referral Strategy?
If you’re really great at what you do (and you consistently deliver a 5 or 6 star experience for your clients) then it’s likely that you’re getting between 20% and 50% of your business by referral.
This could be indirect referrals like someone sharing your Instagram Post, or direct referrals where someone intros you to a hot lead.
Regardless, the opportunity to build a successful business by referral is vast, but you need to begin with having a remarkable product and even more remarkable (and memorable) delivery of those servives.
Clients feel compelled to talk about remarkable experiences, not average experiences!
So, the question becomes— who’s talking about you when you’re not around? And do people know HOW to refer you (as in, are they clear on the problem that you solve for your clients?
I like to boil this down to having Trigger Words that spark someone to think about your business.
In my case, when someone says “I need help with MARKETING (where marketing acts as the trigger word)” I hope that my business or my name is immediately brought up, since that’s the problem that I solve!
Becoming more referable starts by identifying your trigger words, helping clients and getting them great results, and getting into enough conversations that allow you to introduce your services.
You should also ensure that you are referring out business to others, and building a strategic referral network!
14. Get Results In Your Community, First
Before you go GLOBAL with your business, try to be successful locally.
This might involve community mentorship, teaching workshops or seeking out more ways to get involved on a micro level.
After all, if you can’t make a true connection with 1 or 2 people in your community, you’re really going to struggle to reach millions of people using online marketing.
Prove that you can build relationships with the people in need within your community, and begin scaling up from that point on.
Going global right away can be a tempting proposition. After all, there’s a whole world of potential customers out there.
However, before you expand your operations to a new continent, it’s important to make sure that you’ve first conquered your local market.
Not only will this help to build your brand awareness, but it will also give you a chance to refine your products and processes. Once you’ve established yourself locally, then you can start thinking about taking your business global.
Navigating the world of social media can feel overwhelming, especially for online business owners just starting out.
While it’s often seen as a necessary tool, its ROI doesn’t always match the effort required. That’s why I share these 14 methods for growing your business off Social Media.
Social media can also be a powerful platform for connection and creativity. The key is to decide how you want to intentionally use it to grow your business—on your terms.
By exploring alternative business growth strategies like the ones shared in this blog, you can begin to build a foundation that doesn’t depend solely on social media.
Over time, you’ll gain the confidence and freedom to step away from it when needed, knowing your business can thrive without being tied to constant online activity.
Personally, I look forward to the day when I can take a meaningful social media break and experiment with connecting to dream clients in ways that align with my values and boundaries.
Every step I take toward diversifying my marketing efforts brings me closer to that goal, and I hope the strategies shared here help you feel empowered to do the same.
