Why the best businesses don’t need social media (and what that means for the rest of us)

I’m knee-deep in renovating a nearly 50-year-old property on the south coast U.K.

The place is solid as a stick of rock but needs everything doing after years of neglect.

Here’s what’s fascinating: every tradesman I’ve contacted is booked solid for months. No fancy websites, no Instagram presence, barely even a Google listing or review. They survive entirely on word of mouth, repeat customers and replying to messages. Quality work speaks louder than any marketing campaign.

Meanwhile, a talented abstract artist friend in Hove with 12,200 genuine Instagram followers is lucky to get 50 views on her posts. The algorithm has throttled her reach to nothing unless she pays to play. She’s not alone. Countless creative professionals are watching their organic reach disappear.

It’s the same story on LinkedIn. Despite upgrading to Premium, my posts struggle to reach even 50 people. The platform that promises professional networking seems more interested in pushing paid promotion than genuine connection.

There’s a lesson in this contrast. The trades flourish because they’ve built something social media can’t replicate: trust through consistent quality. But for those of us trying to grow beyond our immediate network, the digital landscape feels increasingly pay-to-play.

I help businesses navigate this challenge through strategic digital marketing that focuses on building genuine relationships rather than chasing vanity metrics.

Sometimes the old-school approach of quality and referrals is exactly what modern marketing needs.

How are you finding social media for your business? Are you seeing the same decline in organic reach, or have you found strategies that still work?