Let’s be honest: social media can be exhausting.
Recently, I’ve taken a break from platforms like Facebook and Instagram for my own mental health. As a small business owner, that felt risky — social media is supposed to be the lifeline of our visibility, right?
But here’s what I’ve realized: I don’t get many leads from social media anyway. What I do get is connection, visibility, and community — and that’s valuable. Still, I kept wondering… how is this break really affecting my business?
Social media is flashy, but it’s also noisy. If you’re not pouring in time, energy, and often money, the algorithm rarely favors you. For me, stepping away hasn’t tanked my business — my existing clients are still here, referrals still come in, and I’ve had more time to focus on more sustainable marketing tools.
If you’re a small business owner or creative entrepreneur, here’s the truth: the real magic is in your email list.
Unlike social media followers, you own your email list. You’re not at the mercy of a shifting algorithm, platform outages, or a sudden account ban. Email subscribers choose to hear from you — and they’re often your most engaged audience.
Stat to back it up: According to Campaign Monitor, email marketing sees a 6x higher click-through rate than social media. Engagement rates on Instagram hover around 0.6%, while email marketing averages a 15–25% open rate and 2.5%+ click-through rate.
So if Instagram disappears tomorrow, how will you keep in touch with your people? That’s why building a newsletter is essential — not just as a backup, but as your core community hub.
✅ Use it to tell stories: Behind-the-scenes, client wins, your process — these build trust and connection.
✅ Keep your branding consistent: Just because you are on social media doesn’t mean you have to follow trends. You do have to stay consistent so people recognize you. Plus, you need to stay consistent with your overall business strategy.
✅ Direct people to your email list: Treat your posts as breadcrumbs that lead back to your real community hub.
✅ Set boundaries: Batch content if you need to, schedule time off, and post when it feels aligned — not because you “should.”
✅ Celebrate your people: Share client shout-outs, collaborations, and community moments.
❌ Chase the algorithm: It changes constantly. You’ll wear yourself out trying to keep up.
❌ Rely on it for sales: Social is great for visibility, but your conversions likely come from deeper touchpoints like email or referrals.
❌ Compare your pace to others: You don’t need to go viral. You just need to connect with your people.
❌ Forget your ownership: Remember, your Instagram (or other social channels) is rented space. Your email list is home.
If you’ve been feeling the same social media burnout — or just want a quieter, more meaningful way to stay in touch — I’d love to have you on my email list.
Sign up here to get insights like this, resources for small business owners, and first access to my latest work — all sent with intention, not noise.
Thanks for being here. You’re not alone in navigating this messy, beautiful business journey.
Hello[at]RebeccaLeighDesigns[dot]com
