Are you tired of the social media hamster wheel? You’re not alone. In this episode of Her Faith at Work, Jan is giving you permission to break up with the algorithm and build a business that doesn’t rely on being constantly “on.”

If you've been wondering how to grow a faith-based business and maintain small business growth without dancing on reels or battling the latest changes on Instagram — this episode is for you.

Jan walks you through 7 proven visibility strategies that don’t require social media — all while staying faithful, strategic, and sustainable. Because guess what? You can still run a profitable business and grow your audience without posting every day.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

1. Why online marketing doesn’t have to mean social media
2. The difference between virality and visibility — and why only one actually grows your business
3. How to make your website work harder for you (hello SEO!)
4. Why your email marketing list is your most valuable asset in 2026
5. Creative ways to get seen through partnerships, podcasts, local events, and referrals
6. How to hear from God on where to focus your efforts next
7. Encouragement to step off the hustle train and into the Kingdom strategy that honors your pace and purpose

Resources Mentioned:

1. Visibility Blueprint Workshop
2. Flodesk (Get 50% Off)
3. Free Funnel Audit
4. Beginner SEO Episode (Link to past SEO-focused episode if available)

Connect with Jan

1. Website: jantouchberry.com
2. Instagram: @jantouchberry
3. Sign up for emails: Get Inspired Weekly

Her Faith at Work is the podcast for Christian women entrepreneurs ready to grow their businesses with clarity, confidence, and Kingdom-rooted strategy. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Workflow Exchange 2

The Workflow Exchange — If today’s episode hit home and you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and finally build the operational foundation your business needs, this is your next step. The Workflow Exchange is a free curated bundle of 10 expert-built, plug-and-play workflows designed to help you run your business with clarity instead of chaos. Inside you’ll find step-by-step systems for client experience, content, finances, email, sales, and more — created by experienced business owners who know what actually works. 👉 Get free access here: jantouchberry.com/workflow-exchange

The Workflow Exchange

The Workflow Exchange — If today’s episode hit home and you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and finally build the operational foundation your business needs, this is your next step. The Workflow Exchange is a free curated bundle of 10 expert-built, plug-and-play workflows designed to help you run your business with clarity instead of chaos. Inside you’ll find step-by-step systems for client experience, content, finances, email, sales, and more — created by experienced business owners who know what actually works. 👉 Get free access here: TheWorkflowExchange.com

Transcript

Hey, hey there, friend. Welcome back to Her Faith at Work. Today, we are going to dive into a conversation that I know a lot of you have been feeling because I'm hearing it. But a lot of you have also not had words for yet.

So I'm just going to say it out loud. I'm tired of social media. And if you would say the same thing, if you're tired of social media, you are not alone. And so as controversial as this may be for some of you, we are going to dive in today.

It's going to be a short, shorter episode. But we're going to tackle it head on because that's the only thing that I know to do. So let's talk about it. Here we go. Truth time. When's the last time you raised your hands for a swift kick in the pants?

Well, I'm the no nonsense type friend who's going to tell you when you have food in your teeth. So let's get right to it. This is your infusion of sacred and secular, calling you higher into who God created you to be, exploring how intimately faith applies to every part of your life and how you can live that faith every single day in the marketplace.

I felt the tension of separation of church and state. I've been one of the few women at a table of men for decades and I've stood my ground. Are you ready to do the same? These tools, resources, and interviews are meant to do just that.

I'm Jan Touchbury and it's time to share her faith at work. Okay, friends, we're talking today about being tired of the social media hamster wheel. If you've been listening to my podcast probably for the last six to eight months, you probably get that vibe.

Yeah, I get it, but I'm hearing it more and more and more and more and more. Okay. Maybe you love parts of it. Maybe you've built your business on it, or maybe you've just felt the constant pressure to be on all the time.

But I'm telling you that the game has changed. Algorithms shift. Platforms rise and fall. But you're calling your voice, that's what stays. That's what stays. Social platforms, you don't own them. You can't control the outcome of them.

I was on a call today with somebody who was talking about being, like she literally gave meta money for ads and they shut her down and would not give her a reason why. And she lost all of her audience, all of it.

Because she was building her business on a platform that she didn't have control over. That's scary. I'm gonna go as far as to say that's not wise. So today we're going to talk about how to be visible without using social media.

And I know you're like, wait, is that even a thing? Absolutely. Yeah. People ran businesses before social media existed and they did very well at it. And it is possible to do the same now. It might just not be the most popular thing that you've heard, but it might be the most freeing thing that you've heard in a long time.

So I want to talk about why social media is not the only way. Social media burnout is not just a buzzword. It is a full on epidemic. It's an epidemic for people just like you. You're trying to follow the call that God has placed on your life.

You're trying to build something meaningful. You're trying to stay obedient. And meanwhile, you're stuck in this grind of constant content creation because you feel like that's the only way that you are going to be visible.

And if that's, if social is your only way, you're right. It's going to leave you feeling drained, distracted, disconnected, and it's not a, it's not in my opinion. Y'all, this is all my opinion. Okay.

But it's my podcast, so there we go. It is, it's not wisdom. It's not a way. I don't, I don't feel like the Lord calls us to live in that level of hustle. And I don't think that's the rhythm of grace that Jesus invites us into.

You are allowed to question the hustle. You are allowed to say, this just is not working for me anymore. You are allowed to build a business that aligns with your faith and your actual life, okay? Visibility does not equal virality.

It just means that you're seen by the right people, the ones that God is already prepared to receive what you offer. Now, I want to maybe reframe visibility for you for just a second, okay? Being visible is not about racking up likes or followers or views.

I'm hearing more and more and more that those are just vanity metrics. You've probably heard it or read an article or seen a carousel post about it, okay? Really, it's about connection. It's about clarity.

It's about being findable to the people who need what God is and what God's imparted to you, what He's placed inside you, the calling that He has given you. You have to be findable. So before we dive into the strategies, I'm going to ask you a couple of questions.

First, are you clear about what you want to do, about what you do? Are you clear about it? Is it easy for somebody to understand how to work with you? That has been a problem for me for the last three years because I think since I started this business, I feel like God, it has been constantly morphing and changing and adding more to it.

And because I'm in the tech space, I can do so much. So when people say, what do you do? I'm like, maybe it's a short list to tell you what I don't do, but that's not helpful. It's not helpful. You have to be clear.

People have to understand what you do in order to know how to work with you. You have to be able to tell them. And if you have so many offers that you can't easily explain them, you have too many offers.

And I am preaching to the choir. All right. And then you have to ask yourself if you're hiding behind vague messaging or dated methods because it feels safe. Vague messaging, y'all. Your website, if you have a website or your I help statements on your landing page or on your LinkedIn or on your link tree, they've got to be clear.

No more vague messaging. People need to read it and know exactly what you do, who you help, and if you are for them, period. All right. So if it's vague, we need to change that. I'm gonna give you seven strategies, seven strategies, ways to be visible that do not include social media.

All right. And then if you decide that you wanna sprinkle a little social media on top, as in like the cherry on top, that's up to you. But this is visibility without the constant grind. All right. Seven strategies that don't involve.

dancing on reels or fighting the ever-elusive algorithm. You ready? Number one, you're going to optimize your website. Yes. Yes, you are. Your website is your digital home. If it's outdated, unclear, or confusing, you are losing people.

Your about page should make your visitor feel seen. Are you hearing that? Your about page is not about you. Surprise! Your about page should make your ideal client feel like you know them because you've read their mail.

You know exactly who they are, right? Your services page should feel like a solution to their exact problem. Your calls to action should invite them to take their next best step with you. Now, you also need to make your site SEO friendly.

I have a whole... whole podcast, a couple of episodes back on SEO for Beginners. You can tap into that if that's something that you want to explore. I highly recommend it. But you need to use keywords that your audience are actually searching for, not things that are pithy or cute, all right?

Write for them, not for Google. Write for them. And please, for the love, make it mobile friendly. Almost everybody is viewing your stuff on a mobile phone. And so when you are looking at your website, if you do, I work with a lot of people who are DIYers, they do their own website updates, which is great, awesome.

But when you do it on a desktop, because a lot of people are making changes on a desktop, you've got to go and check what it looks like on a mobile phone, because that's where your users are, okay? Make sure you're making changes in both places, right?

Number two, build a beautiful, intentional email list. Your email list is gold. Some would say it is the most valuable asset that you have in your business, because it is the one platform that you own.

There's no algorithm, there's no shadow banning, there's no competition from cat videos. You can start sending consistent, valuable emails. You can start sharing stories and insights and encouragement to the people who have opted in to your email list.

Be real, be helpful, but for the love, stay in their inbox, okay? Do not get them to sign up for your email list with some amazing freebie and then ghost them. Don't do that. I personally, I use Flowdesk because it is beautiful, I love all their templates, and it is easy, whoo!

God knows we need some easy platforms, okay? You can grab 50% off of Flowdesk if you're looking for... email platform or looking to change your email platform to something that's prettier and easier possibly.

You can grab 50% off at jantouchberry.com slash email. There's coupon there. And then number three, you're going to have guest appearances on podcasts and panels. Pod swaps, they are where it's at people.

They're where it is at. Visibility does not always mean hosting. Sometimes it means showing up where your people are already are and podcast guest appearances. So you being a guest on other people's podcasts, man, that is such a great way to grow your audience because you're getting in front of people who I'm assuming have common interests.

They're not competition, but they're common, right? So you have complimentary offers with the people that your pod swapping with. So find podcasts in your niche and then pitch yourself. That's hard to say.

Find podcasts in your niche and pitch yourself. Reach out to friends or peers who are hosting summits or panels. Your voice matters and it might be the exact encouragement that somebody needs. So guest appearances, pod swaps, doing panels together, doing summits together, all of those things are going to increase your visibility and help you build your email list, right?

Next, number four, speaking engagements. Some of you are like, uh-uh, no way. I know that that was me. I'm changing my tune though in 2026. There'll be some of you listening to this. They're very excited about that because you've been talking to me about it for a while.

But you can book yourself for speaking engagement in person or virtual. Look for local events, church gatherings, business brunches, masterminds, Chamber of Commerce. That's a great place to get plugged into, okay?

I have done several trainings for small local Chamber of Commerce groups. Offer to teach something simple, something practical, and something that is aligned with your brand that your audience needs and will feel that they get value from, okay?

Not only are you going to grow your network through that, but you're going to build trust immediately when people hear your heart in real time. And the more you do it, the more confident that you're going to get, and the more likely you are to say yes to larger stages, okay?

Number five, strategic partnerships and referrals. Yes, let your people talk about you. Set up referral programs. Partner with complementary businesses. If you build websites, connect with a photographer.

If you coach entrepreneurs, link arms with a VA or systems expert. Community over competition always, okay? And you guys are going to be here. hearing more and more about this as the months go by because I'm going to start breaking down each one of these, um, these ways that you can partner with other businesses.

I'm going to break down each one of them. Probably each, most of these are going to have their own podcast episode and we're going to get deep, but all of these we talk about in the visibility blueprint workshop.

So, um, if these are like, yes, these sound really good, but I need more information. I need to know how to do it. That workshop is the one you want. Okay. And then last but not least, number six, create long form evergreen content like blogs or YouTube.

We've talked about that in, um, prior episodes, but everyone needs one form of long form content podcast blogs, YouTube. All right. If you like writing blogging is still a powerful tool. If you like talking, consider YouTube.

or a podcast. These platforms, they're searchable, they have a long shelf life, and a solid blog post or video can serve your business for literal years. I want to speak to your spirit for a minute, because that was a lot.

I just want to take a moment. If you've been feeling like you're shouting into the void, it might be that God is inviting you to a new way of showing up, one that is quieter, deeper, and for the love, more sustainable.

Obedience is always going to outperform some algorithm. It just will. That's kingdom math. Matthew 6.33, man, this has become a verse that is so prevalent. I have it on sticky notes, and the Lord brings it to mind often.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all the things will be added to you. If social media is stealing your peace, it might be time to hand that piece of your strategy back to the Lord and ask, what are you asking me to do instead?

Where do you start? Great question. Start by choosing one of the methods that we talked about earlier in the podcast. Don't try to do it all at once. Ask the Lord to highlight what feels most aligned in this season of your life and your business, and then take action.

Update your website, email your list, reach out to a podcast host, book a coffee date. Remember, consistency is compounding. Your next client might not come from a reel. She might come from you being obedient to swapping emails.

She might come from your willingness to try something different. She might come from your courage to build a business that doesn't bow to the hustle culture, but honors kingdom principles instead. So if you are ready to grow your visibility in a way that feels faithful and strategic and obedient, do that today.

Do that today. And if you need a little help, that visibility workshop, it's out there and it's ready and waiting for you. It's coming up in just a few weeks is the first one, but we're going to be doing it once a quarter in 2026.

So there will be one no matter when you're listening to this podcast, there's probably one coming up in within a few weeks. So you guys check that out at jan touch berry.com slash visibility. That is going to give you all the strategy and the practical plans that you need to live out a strategy without social media, that you are still visible and it is still growing your business.

This is a new season, you guys. It's a new season. You don't have to go viral in a video to be valuable. You don't have to have 10,000 followers to make kingdom impact. You just have to stay aligned to what the Lord's asking you to and keep walking it out one step at a time.

You ready to link arms and do this together? Man, I can tell you I am. It feels so good to be free of that hustle of the grind. There's a different way. Now it's up to you. See you next week. Thanks for joining me for another episode of Her Faith at Work.

If the Lord put someone on your heart that you think needs to hear this message today, will you just smash that share button? And if you haven't already followed the show, I would love for you to do that.

Super extra points. If you hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review, that helps the algorithm pick us up and drop us right in the air pods of people that need to hear what the Lord is saying to them today.

I hope you'll come back for the next episode of Her Faith at Work. The podcast comes out every Wednesday. And if you look down in the show notes, I've even got a couple of free downloads for you that I think you will really enjoy.

With that, have a great week. See you next time.