Lecture Notes: Why Social Media is Not Essential for Business Success

Introduction

• Presenter: Mei Pak
• Focus: Building a profitable handmade business without social media
• Main Takeaway: Social media is not the only source of traffic and sales for your shop.

The Reality of Social Media

• Trend: TikTok and Instagram Reels are popular, but not used by Mei for business.
• Personal Achievement: Generates over a million dollars in sales annually without social media reliance.
• Observation: Social media could grow her channel but isn't the focus.

Challenges of Using Social Media

• Time Consumption: Constant learning curves and trends to keep up.
• Unsustainable Business Model: Feels like a "hamster wheel", trading time for dollars.
• ROI: Low return on investment compared to other methods.

Alternatives to Social Media

• Media Outreach: More effective way to gain visibility and sales.
  • Example: Getting products featured on blogs, magazines, TV shows.
• Word-of-Mouth: Most powerful marketing form.
• Email Marketing: Building a subscriber list is more reliable than social media followers.

Cultural Influence

• Social Pressure: Everyone talks about social media, creating a bias towards using it.
• Competition: Huge volume of social media content makes standing out difficult.
  • Statistic: 1,159 Instagram posts per second.

Creation vs Outreach

• Categories of Time: Separate into creation and outreach.
• Misconception: Creation mode feels productive but doesn't equate to outreach, which generates sales.

Case Study: Mei's Experience

• Instagram Account Shutdown: Demonstrates resilience by making $100k without Instagram.
• Media Outreach Success: Broad exposure through various media.

Recommendations

• Shift Focus: Redirect time from social media to outreach.
• Consistency: Like social media, outreach needs to be consistent.
• Email Marketing: Important investment as you own your list.

Conclusion

• Mei’s Workshop: Offers a free workshop on media outreach.
• Success Stories: Students achieving seven-figure businesses through media outreach.
• Call to Action: Encouragement to join the workshop for deeper insights.