We hear it over and over again “My Facebook posts aren’t reaching anyone…“, “I put out a mini sessions announcement and didn’t get even one response…“, or even “My clients didn’t even tag themselves in their photos”

Are you frustrated with Facebook? We all are.  When you’re trying to grow a small business in today’s market, there is nothing more valuable than social media – but who has the money to pay for all of those Facebook ads? Not us…

Luckily as Facebook continues to lose it’s luster, there are always new and more popular applications popping up, and even some “oldies by goodies” that can be used. Forget Facebook (well, not completely)! You could be spending some much more valuable time on these platforms to reach your target clients instead….

Facebook Replacement #1: Instagram

Sure, Instagram is owned by Facebook, which means they’re running their super-secret “we’ll show what we want” formulas behind-the-scenes, but the reason we love this platform is simply for it’s popularity, simplicity, and visual impact. Instagram currently has about 400 million average monthly users, and although that is dramatically less than Facebook’s 1.59 billion, we’ve been seeing a huge increase in popularity with the platform among millennials,  teens, and even Baby Boomers using the platform.

How can you make your Instagram feed swoon-worthy? Consider your content. Carefully plan your feed to be visually engaging and different. Take advantage of video if it works for your style. Be creative and stand out, and then – comment! Leave love for others, and you’ll likely get it in return.

Facebook Replacement #2: Instagram Stories

So, we broke this out into two different categories, because they really are two different things. While your Instagram feed is a long-lasting visual representation of your brand, you InstaStory can provide real-life insight into your business, personality, and what you can bring to a client that is unique. These stories are only active for 24 hours and then they disappear (like Snapchat), and so we love InstaStories as a way to tell about yourself in a way that’s less ‘permanent’.

How can you use InstaStories to reach your target clients? Post behind-the-scenes. Be relatable. Share your daily life. Connect with the things your ideal clients love in a non-intrusive way.

Facebook Replacement #3: Pinterest

Sick of spending your time on Facebook but still want to reach your target client easily? If your target client is a bride or a mom – you can find them on Pinterest. The key to creating Pinterest-worthy content? Create helpful tools and tricks. Share how-tos or guides. Be visual, and make your content fit beautifully in the Pinterest format.

Pinterest also allows business profiles and promotion of pins, and if you’re going to put advertising money somewhere, perhaps promoting a Pinterest Pin will be more valuable than a Facebook post! Just make sure to have everything linking back to your website and your URL and business name on your content! They can’t reach out if they don’t know who you are!

Want to dive into these platforms even more? We’ve put together a Getting Started Cheat Sheet to help you get going on these three Facebook replacements!