I have a passionate love hate relationship with using social media for marketing, as many probably do. When it goes well, it can be an incredibly valuable tool for business, when it doesn't, it feels like it's sucking the life right out of you. 

 

When I started The Slow Marketing Club, I wasn't sure if I wanted social media to be a part of my content eco-system at all. I listened to endless podcasts like Off the Grid and read article after article about how to avoid social media in your business and as much as it all made sense, I still worried about how I'd reach my audience without it. 

 

I decided that if I was going to use it, I'd make sure I had a clear strategy. I wouldn't post too often, I'd be super intentional with what I did post and I'd experiment with ads to boost the number of profiles that saw my content. 

 

What I've noticed so far with this tactic, is that it's very trial and error. Some boosted posts I get loads of followers and few newsletter sign-ups, sometimes I might get 1-2 likes and nothing more.

 

 

So now I'm back to wondering if social media is actually something I want to make part of my marketing model. And the beauty is, as the business owner, I have the right to decide whether social has earned its place within my marketing, something I talk more about in my blog 'Finding Space for Social Media within a Slow Marketing Strategy'.

 

So here are three of the key questions I'm asking myself right now, to decide whether I can find a way to market without social media: 

The truth is, many businesses don't use social media to market their products or services. Social media isn't a guaranteed marketing win for everyone and if your energy just isn't in it, then it becomes 10x harder to make it work. 

 

I'll keep you updated with how I get on with my social media dilemma, but for now, I encourage you to have a think about your own relationship to social media in your business, and what your own pros and cons are for continuing to use it.