Growing Your Business Without Instagram

Growing Your Business Without Instagram | How to grow your photography business without using social media

In case you missed it, I was wrongly suspended from Instagram earlier this month, and it’s been a very eye-opening (and frustrating) experience. I promised to share what I’m doing outside of Instagram to build/maintain a solid foundation for my business, so that you’re prepared in case this ever happens to you – though of course I hope it never does!

First off, I want to be clear that I am not an expert – I’ve never tried to be social media free in my business before. Yes, I’ve always used it moderately and no, I’ve never loved it or aspired to influencer status. I am sure I’ve said a thousand times that I’d love to be off social media if I could be! But there’s a big difference between generally wanting social media to not exist, and being kicked off of it while everyone else (and my audience!) is using it.

For example, I used to have tons of images in the top results for important hashtags, and I could be found easily when people searched for local photographers. And even if I took a couple of weeks off of posting, I still had a solid audience, a quick way for people to browse my portfolio, a virtual ‘business card’ to connect with people if they asked about my business, etc. Now, I have none of that. A moderately active Instagram account still provides something that no Instagram account doesn’t! I know plenty of people take breaks or post rarely, but I can’t say that I’ve known of any small business remotely like mine that simply doesn’t have social media at all. 

My point is this: I have worked to build a foundation that extends outside of social media, and I have never wanted my business to rely on it, but I am very much navigating all of this in real time. I’m not an expert! I’m just processing what this means for my business and how to handle it, and I’m sharing it with you as I go – not from ‘the other side’ after I’ve figured it all out. I may not get it all right! 🙂

**Note: I have since gotten my account back, but at the time of publishing, I was still waiting with no updates from Meta. And even though I got my account restored, I have spoken to many people through this experience who have lost everything and have never learned why. This experience opened my eyes very clearly to the need we all have to pursue other avenues for growth, and so I have chosen to proceed as planned with a whole series on how to grow your business without Instagram!

Growing Your Business Without Instagram | How to grow your photography business without using social media

Step one: not creating a new account (yet)

My first step has not been starting a new account. This is partly because there is a chance I’ll get my account back, but it’s also largely because I have not had the mental and emotional capacity for that this past week. I’ve been really upset, angry at the way that Meta treats its users, and I don’t want to start over – so I have chosen not to do this yet for my own sake.

Instead, I’ve taken an actual detox from Instagram. The truth is, even in seasons that have been busy or overwhelming and where I haven’t posted much, I’ve still attempted to keep up on my messages and post some stories. I’ve also still wasted time browsing (no matter how much I work not to, I know I do!). And I’ve also realized how many times per day that darn app crosses my mind – thinking I should create some content for stories, or save a photo I’m editing for a post, etc. 

After a few days of having no Instagram access (outside of an old personal account that I really don’t use at all), I actually did feel so different. I wasn’t thinking about what would make good story content or what photos should be shared online – I felt much more free, and I’m so thankful for that. I have missed the connections, though, and miss seeing and sharing some of the personal content that really makes my community feel like a community. I think that’s the one genuinely good part of social media, and I have realized I don’t want to go without that long term! I want to see the faces behind everyones’ names and the funny things your kids do and the little parts of life that give it meaning. I don’t miss social media for work, but I do miss the friendship aspect of it.

I may start a new account. It might be soon, it might not be. It’s hard at this point to imagine not using Instagram as part of my business, and I have real concerns about the financial impact of skipping out on this. We will see. In the end, a few weeks offline might sting for my business, but won’t ruin it – yet it may be one of the best things for my mental health in a really stressful season.

Step two: taking stock of my other avenues

What I have done is sit down and lay out all of the other potential avenues I have for communicating with my existing audience and growing/maintaining my business. Some of these will get their own newsletters soon!

• Email: my favorite! I have a client email list and an education/photographer list, and I am really happy that I have more time and energy to put into these since I’m not working at social media. I have had such kind emails from many of you, and I appreciate it SO much. There’s so much I can say about this and it’ll get its own newsletter very soon. I will say, it’s tough to grow an email list without being able to post about it on Instagram and without running ads, but it’s not impossible (and it is possible to run ads without an IG).
• Facebook: I have never actually used FB for my business, though I do technically have a pretty lame business page that I only post to through the automated feature that uploads my IG posts for me. I may choose to dust this off and be more active on there. I personally have not found good quality leads to come through FB, but I also haven’t put really any work in to it. I don’t have endless time and energy, and this has been about the bottom of my priority list. I also know people who have lost their FB pages like I lost my IG account! It’s still social media – but I may work on my presence there since it’s easy, and I do like the mix of business and personal in that space.
• TikTok, X, Threads, or other social media: This is just a no for me, personally. I have zero desire to be on any of these platforms, and from what I’ve seen, my audience isn’t really there either. I’ve looked a little at Threads because Instagram gave us all accounts and they put the posts into our IG feeds – it mostly seems to be drama and whining and snark and I hate it. For some people, these outlets could be impactful avenues. But for me, I can scratch them all off the list. And of course, I’m suspended from Threads anyway since it’s part of IG. 😉
• SEO & blogging: these are so important, and I’ll absolutely be sharing about this more soon, probably in multiple newsletters. I already have requests for this topic and can’t wait to get some content out about it! Also, I’ve been working behind the scenes on a brand new educational website that is SO much better than what I currently have – and a new website means that I’m working on fresh SEO and a brand new blog. You’ll get to come on this journey with me! My website isn’t quite ready to be shared with the world, but it will be soon!
• Google Maps: I actually get most of my photography inquiries and bookings from people who found me through a Google/Google Maps search. SEO is important, but simply having a Google business listing and maintaining it is the easiest thing you can possibly do – and it has a very real impact! In fact, this is where I’m placing my attention first, because it’s the simplest and yet very impactful, and I can manage to improve it even when I’m stressed out with this whole situation. 
• Podcasts: I don’t have a podcast. I’ve considered it, and it’s a great way to reach a new audience and grow a business. In the past, I’ve dismissed the idea quickly because I simply don’t have the time, and it’s a big undertaking with a learning curve. Also, while I can write all day, I feel much more reserved when speaking aloud and I tend to think people don’t need to listen to me drone on (yet I will write ridiculously long newsletters with zero shame… makes no sense, I know ha!). I am currently considering this, though not in any hurry to jump on a new venture.

I probably missed some things that should be on this list, but like I said: I’m navigating this in real time! And I’m also here for ideas if you want to share them with me – just send me an email and let me know if you’re okay with me sharing your idea with others (with credit, of course!).

Step three: deciding where to start

If we did everything possible to grow, our work as small business owners would never end – there’s always the potential for more. Always!

It’s so important to not operate in that mindset, and to recognize that we’re humans with limited energy and limited capabilities. When possible, I like to prioritize tasks and make business decisions based on what has the most reward for the least amount of time spent. So for example, I have rarely made reels on Instagram – they were time consuming for me and I didn’t enjoy them, and they didn’t really increase my engagement anyway. On the other hand, a fun story could get tons of engagement with very little effort at all.

This is what has made me decide to start taking action first on my Google Maps listing. My listing is important and has a real, positive impact on my bookings. Updating it with new photos and reviews is not a difficult process, and will give me a sense of accomplishment as I begin a pretty big undertaking of pivoting to run my business without any Instagram access. Keep your eyes open for a post on this soon, as well as future guides on growing your business without Instagram! 🙂

Growing Your Business Without Instagram | How to grow your photography business without using social media

Growing Your Business Without Instagram | How to grow your photography business without using social media