Is it possible to run a business without using social media?

Published: Thu, 08/20/15

 When I decided to stop using Twitter, lots of people asked me:

“Aren’t you worried that if you stop using social media your business will suffer?”

My response was, “Well, I guess we’ll find out!”

It's been over a year since I dropped off Twitter.

Aside from a very brief foray into Instagram this summer (it was fun, but I decided to quit Insta-life fairly quickly) I've enjoyed a totally social media-free existence.

People continue to ask me:

“How can you run a business without using social media to promote your work?”

In whispered tones, almost as if it’s a dirty secret, I get quiet confessions from people who say to me:

“I’m jealous of you, Alex. I want to cut way back on social networking stuff (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Periscope, etc.) or even stop using social media all together, but I am scared that my life / work / career / business / etc. won’t function without it. I am afraid that if I stop using social media, clients won’t ever find me.”

If that’s something you are feeling or wondering, too, I've written (and recorded) a few new things for you:


- Is it possible to run a business without using social media? [this is that same blog post, except recorded as a 10-minute audio file. quick and dirty. no fancy mic or equipment, but it sounds pretty good! enjoy.]

- Why I do not use social media anymore. [another blog post, just posted yesterday]

- Good Question: How can I get un-hooked from Facebook? [an older installment of my advice column. seems appropriate to re-share it, here.]

To (very briefly) sum everything up:

I certainly don’t believe that social media is “bad.”

I do believe, however, that for most people… social media is “optional.” (This is something we forget.)

Through everything that I'm sharing today, my purpose is not to say “technology is the greatest!” or “technology is the worst!” but rather to pose this question:

“The average human lifespan is 39,420,000 minutes, if you are lucky. How are you currently spending your life-minutes? Where are they going? And... are you OK with that?”

This can be a frightening question to face — regarding social networking, email, TV, your job, your closest relationships, or any other “time investment” that occupies a portion of your day — but ultimately, it might be the only question that really matters.

May we all keep facing the questions that matter.

-Alex

PS. After years of desperately trying to avoid it, I have started... running. This is a music playlist that I made to inspire me to not... stop running. Even when I really, really, really want to stop. Because running through a safe park with legs that do what I tell them to do... is a privilege. Enjoy the tunes.