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104: You’ve Been Sold a Lie - Smarter Ways to Be Visible Without Social Media

• Jules White • Season 1 • Episode 104

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In this episode, Jules White exposes one of the biggest myths small business owners face: that success depends on being on social media.

Jules explains why the promise of quick wins on platforms is misleading, and how the constant push to post every day drains time, energy, and creativity without reliably bringing in clients. Instead of chasing algorithms, she shares proven alternatives that put you back in control and help you build assets that last.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Social Media Myth: Why being told you must show up daily to survive is a lie that leaves business owners feeling like they’re failing twice over.
  • The Highlight Reel Problem: How comparing your reality to someone else’s curated, team-supported success story sets you up for frustration.
  • The Impact of Algorithms: Why putting all your energy into social platforms leaves you vulnerable to sudden changes and disappearing reach.
  • Stronger Alternatives: Explore the power of your website, Google Business Profile, email list, partnerships, and referrals for long-term growth.
  • Visibility Without Burnout: Why visibility is essential, but social media is optional—and how to choose a marketing approach that actually feels sustainable.

If you’re ready to step off the social media hamster wheel, this episode will show you what to focus on instead.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

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AI-GENERATED TRANSCRIPT - MAY CONTAIN ERRORS

Good morning.

Introduction: The Social Media Myth

You have been sold a lie. A lie that your business depends on social media is one of the biggest myths that I see small business owners struggling with.

Everywhere you look, you're told that you have to be posting every single day, jumping on the latest trends, or you'll fall behind. Coaches and gurus are there making money from this, and they might say things like, "It only takes five minutes a day".

For most people, for most business owners that I speak to, it takes hours and hours. It takes hours of energy and hours of creativity, and it still doesn't bring in consistent clients.

And the worst part is, when it doesn't work, you then feel like you're failing twice over. You feel like you're failing because you can't seem to do it in five minutes, and you feel like you're failing because all of that effort and all of that energy that you're putting into it still isn't bringing in results.

But the thing about all of this is that you are buying into a lie. This isn't about failing, and this isn't about doing it wrong.

This is about the lie that we've been sold: that we have to be doing it, that we have to be using social media. Today, I am going to look at why this lie exists, why it matters so much now with all the changes in search and AI, and what alternatives there are.

The Pressure to Be on Social Media

So, if you want to step off the social media hamster wheel, then hopefully today's episode is going to help you.

I think one of the issues with this, and I certainly feel this being part of the online business world, is that I hear it time and time again. From programmes I've been in, from coaches, from gurus, you hear that there is no alternative to having social media for your business and that you have to spend time there.

If you haven't got a social media presence, then there's no other way to grow your business. I'm in a few communities and follow a few people who do have an alternative stance on this: that you don't have to be on socials and that there are alternatives.

It's something I've thought about in my business for a long time. It's something that has been kind of calling to me to do more around this and to really focus on this in my business.

I think often with what we see on social media, we see these coaches and gurus saying that we need to be using it. But quite often, there is an agenda behind that as well.

That's what they're teaching; that's what they're getting you to spend your money with them on. They show you that they have the cure to you feeling like this about social media and that it's not the fact that social media itself is the problem.

It's what you don't know, that they're going to teach you, that's the problem. That will then help you to have the same sort of success that we are seeing them having on social media.

We are sort of sold that we need a curated plan, we need a social calendar, and we need to have it organised. I definitely believe that if you are using social media, it's important to have those things.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that that's the best way to market your business, for the amount of energy that small business owners are putting into it.

The Reality Behind Social Media Success Stories

This is especially true if you haven't got a plan or a team around you. One of the things to remember about a lot of the gurus and the people who are selling these programmes and things is they've got a whole team helping them with this kind of stuff.

They've got mentors, and they're in masterminds and things like that that also help them with all of this kind of stuff. When you're trying to do this, and it's you wearing all the hats and doing all of the things in your business, it's very easy to feel like we're failing.

But we are comparing our business to something that isn't anywhere near what we do because they've got a lot more budget. They've got people helping them, and it's a completely different scenario, really.

We see the highlight reels as well. When we are looking at the business owners who are showing us the success that they've had on social media, we are seeing the highlight reel.

I think this is a big thing with social media anyway: the fact that everything's the highlight reel, really. We don't see the struggles, the prep, and all of the things that make those supposedly two-minute posts look easy, flowing, and really natural.

We don't see what people have done behind that; we don't see the prep. So, we feel like we are comparing ourselves—feeling awkward and like we have no idea what to do or what to post—to somebody else's highlight reel.

As I say, there's this feeling of double failure. You're failing because you can't do it quickly.

You're failing because you've done it, you've tried it, you've spent hours trying to do it, and it still hasn't worked. It still hasn't got you the results you wanted, really.

It just makes me think about whether we are being sort of set up to believe that this is the only future. That social media and using it in our business is the only way to grow.

And that if we don't join in this game right now, we'll disappear either now or in the future. If we don't spend a lot of time on this, then we are not going to survive; our business isn't going to survive.

The Impact of Platform Changes and AI

The big thing with this whole lie is that it's not just about the time that you waste; it's also about what happens when the platforms shift as well. We pour our energy, we pour everything into these posts, and things are already changing with AI search and things like that.

When the algorithms change, you might feel like you've sort of cracked the code to posting and having it work in your business. But then the algorithm changes, and that's all gone.

You've then got to adjust what you're doing and adjust everything as well, really. So, are we moving into a world where people are only searching on social media?

Maybe. Potentially.

I don't know. I don't feel like we are; I feel like people are moving into searching in AI, and I don't feel like social media posts are critical.

Certainly not right now for showing up in AI searches.

Yes, we might see some social media posts showing up in AI searches. But right now, realistically, the stuff that's showing up, especially for local businesses—so people who have got Google Business Profiles, people who've got a local presence—it's those kinds of things that are showing up.

Blogs, forums, and things like that are consistently what is showing up in AI searches. Social media might show up, but your own content is going to be a lot stronger, really.

If your content only lives on Instagram or something like that, then when that algorithm shifts, you become invisible. Worse still, you could even lose all of that, really.

Alternative Ways to Build Visibility

So, that's the lie. If we've been told that social media is the only way, let's talk about what is actually the truth.

Yes, you do need to be visible. But you don't have to do it through that algorithm and through that treadmill of being on socials all the time.

You've got other options. Most of the time, those options are stronger, better, and more sustainable.

They don't burn you out as much, and you're actually building an asset for your business. Visibility is absolutely essential, but you don't have to chase algorithms to get that, really.

I talked about this last week; this episode is all part of a "social media is optional" series. Last week in episode 103, I talked about making your website the hub of your content rather than just churning out content over and over for social media.

I talked about your website actually being the hub of your content. So, instead of just feeding the algorithms, put your best content on your website.

Use that as the starting point that brings everything else together. Everything else you're doing online, you bring together on your website.

That's what shows up on Google in general and now in AI searches as well. It's your shop window, and it's the thing that can be working for your business even if you're not actually working in it.

If your website is strong, you've worked on your SEO, and you are visible in search, it can connect with customers when they're searching for what you sell. I think that's what we all want, really: to connect with people when they're a little bit further along their buyer's journey and they are actually wanting to buy what you're selling, realistically.

So, if the AI searches are pulling in answers, you probably want them pulling in your strongest content and ideally your content from your website, really.

The second thing you can focus on besides social media is your Google Business Profile. You don't own your Google Business Profile, which is something that's definitely worth mentioning with this.

But for local businesses, Google profiles are so, so powerful. Clients will often find your Google profiles, especially if they are searching for somebody local to help them.

Clients will often find those before they've ever clicked through to your social media or even your website, really. Sometimes they might not even click through to your website, but your Google profile can tell them the reviews other people have written about you.

It can tell them exactly how to get to you, how to book, and get directions so they can come in without even needing to check out your social media or your website.

The Power of Google Business Profiles

Something that I am really seeing showing up in AI searches is those map listings. If they're up to date and they're optimised, that can be really helpful with getting your business to show up in local search.

If somebody is searching for you locally, do you want them to find your Instagram post or your Google profile? Your profile has the reviews, has directions, and talks exactly about how you actually help.

You've just got that little bit more control in what they're actually doing. They're not often then scrolling Instagram and looking at cat videos.

They're there, trying to make a decision about somebody local to buy from. Your profile is there front and centre, actually leading them directly into your business.

Building Your Email List

The next one is your email list. This is an asset that you control; it's so powerful.

My email list is something that I procrastinated on and put off starting in my business for a long time. If people are following you on social media, you might think that you've got a following of however many thousands, tens of thousands, or millions.

But that can disappear overnight, and you don't own it. You don't actually have a way to connect directly with those people.

If that disappears, your email list is that direct line. You can literally send out an email, and you can pretty much guarantee that you're going to get into somebody's inbox, hopefully.

You have that direct connection with them. So, if your favourite platform went away tomorrow—if the platform where you've got your biggest audience went away tomorrow—would you still have a way to reach those people?

Would you even know who had put their hand up and shown any sign of interest in your business by following you? I think that's why focusing on growing your email list more is definitely a better option, really.

The Value of Partnerships and Referrals

I think one more thing that gets overlooked and downplayed in this big lie about social media being the be-all and end-all is partnerships and referrals. These are the things that I would say to focus on first and foremost, really.

Before your website, before your SEO, before your Google profile or anything, build those relationships with people. Especially if you are a local business and you can build local relationships, that makes a massive difference.

For many clients—and I speak to clients over and over about this—they will say that their main source of clients is from referrals. They come from word of mouth, local networking, and collaborations that they've done locally.

It might feel like it's not glamorous or sexy, but it is sustainable and powerful. People are often scared of relying on word of mouth in case that dries up, but it's a lot less likely to dry up because it's in your control.

If you are still building and maintaining those relationships, if you're still just being helpful, getting out there, and growing your network and your relationships, that's something that no algorithm can take away. There's nothing that can change in the algorithm that's going to get rid of those relationships, those friendships that you've built with people, or the client relationships of them referring you.

I think that's the one thing I would say to focus on first and foremost in all of this, really: the relationships and the collaborations. This isn't just my opinion; I keep hearing it time and time again.

I hear it from beauty business owners, from therapists, from wellness practitioners, and from online service providers. They will often say that their main source of clients comes from referrals, from Google, or from their website.

With social media, most people I speak to about this say, "I don't really enjoy using social media." They say that they don't feel they get a lot from it.

They feel like maybe it might help with awareness a bit, but it isn't usually the core driver of revenue in their business, really. I was doing some research last night on some Reddit and Quora threads about this.

There are literally threads upon threads of business owners who are done with the social media lie and are looking for alternative ways to grow their business. They are looking for a way that feels good.

A lot of these businesses exist to help people, and the social media infrastructure, the social media line, and the hamster wheel just don't align with that for them. So they are looking for an alternative, really.

Conclusion: Choose Your Path

So, the next time you feel that pressure to post just for the sake of it, remember this: social media is optional. Visibility isn't optional, but you get to choose.

You get to choose how you show up. You can build a website that is working for you constantly, whether you are working in your business, working with clients, or sitting on the beach.

You can make sure that your Google Business Profile gets you found locally as well. You can grow an email list that you own, and you can really lean into those relationships you've built.

Build more partnerships and referrals that can bring clients your way. They're already along the journey to trusting you because they've been referred.

So, that is actually the truth of it, not the lie that we've been sold. You don't have to keep feeding the algorithm to be successful.

You can put your energy into building something that lasts. If you do want some help with this, come and grab my Quick Start SEO Guide or check out the Website Growth Club.

Both of these are designed to get you off that hamster wheel and onto a path that actually feels good for your business.

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