Sustainable
Social Media

Are you torn between the endless pressure to create content or the option of running screaming into the woods to live like a hermit? You’re not alone. In a world that often insists you either dance on TikTok or be forgotten entirely, we want to offer you a third way. 

Welcome to Sustainable Social Media. Our approach is a little different. Instead of chasing algorithms and constantly creating new content, we focus on story sharing and alignment with your values and your business. We help businesses learn to share their story through a tailored, simple structure, with a repeatable rhythm that produces measurable results and gives you more time for your business and your life.
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Work on Your Business, Not Just in Your Business.


The marketing that works, is the marketing you’ll do consistently. Starting and stopping can feel like an endless struggle game that doesn’t produce results. So why not build a social media system around what you can realistically keep up with? 

This course will help you build a social media system that self-perpetuates. What does that mean? It’s like when you push a merry-go-round, and once it’s spinning fast, it keeps going smoothly with little effort, continuing to move from all those pushes when you started. 

We don’t teach flashy trends or how to luck into the viral lottery. We teach how to build trust with your audience over the long term. The audience for your work might already exist, but have you put in the time to share your story and connect with them?

Our process walks you step-by-step to build systems and checklists that are always at your fingertips, ensuring you know what to do and when to do it.

When it comes to social media, do you:

Have a simple, fingertip-ready system that you follow?

Follow a realistic rhythm in developing and sharing stories about your work?

Feel your efforts are sustainable and can be maintained?

Have tangible, easy-to-track results from your efforts?

Have a strategy that fits with your values?
If you answered 'no' to any of these questions, our approach is likely a good fit for you.

When sharing your work on social media, your approach needs to be sustainable—a process you can maintain consistently. Otherwise, there won’t be results. Equally important are meaningful measurable results—more engagement, mailing list growth, and product and service sales. 

Sustainable Social Media helps you to create:

A tailored-to-you approach that grows with your business. 

A simple structure to brainstorm and share your story. 

Templates to help you along the way. 

Checklists to ensure nothing is missed. 

A rhythm for posting consistently that’s sustainable for you.

What Conventional Social Media Focuses On

What You 'Should' Be Posting

What's NEW, What's VIRAL!!!

Endlessly Creating Content

Chasing Algorithms & Trends

Obsessing About Social Media

Other Opinions About Your Business

What Sustainable Social Media Focuses On

Sharing From the Heart of Your Work

Your Alignment With Your Content

Building Content Banks That Can Be Repurposed

An Intelligent Structure That Keeps You On Track

Being Able to Let Your Social Media Work for You

You and Your Business, as You Want It to Be

What our clients say...

"The most incredible aspect of working with Rhya and Merrell Marketing on my social media is that we have a structure to our content creation and a rhythm to our posting. It’s a sustainable process that’s made creating content easier and easier resulting in a 10x growth of Instagram followers. If I never made new content, the system could keep going without faltering."

Tad Hargrave
Marketing for Hippies
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Expected Results - In Course

Understand how to use social media and make it work for you and your business.
Know the systems you need to have for social media success over the long term.
Have a comprehensive social media strategy tailored to your business approach.
Understand how to leverage your existing content effectively by building a “content bank”.
Have a clear brand design identity that you can begin to apply in your social media posting.
Build a supportive community around your brand that thrives without constant oversight.

Expected Results - Post Course

Think of this course as your social media training. Post training, if you apply all we've taught you, you can expect the following results. 

1 Month - Post Course

Apply the clarity gained from your social media goals and start building your content bank.

3 Months - Post Course

Implement your sustainable strategy and see initial engagement growth.

1 Year - Post Course

Establish a self-sustaining social media system that allows for organic audience development, trust-building, and growth.

2-3 Years - Post Course

Enjoy the fruits of your labor with a well-organized system that continues to work for you, even when you step away.

Sustainable Social Media Equation

Sustainable social media isn’t about chasing trends or burning out trying to keep up—it’s about creating a system that aligns with your business and feels natural to maintain. The Sustainable Social Media Equation combines four essential elements:

Business Essence – Knowing your why, your offerings, and your message.

Structure – Simple systems that reduce stress and keep things organized.

Rhythm – A posting flow that fits you and makes consistency effortless.

Storytelling – Sharing authentic stories that resonate with your audience.

When all four are in place, social media becomes a powerful tool that supports your business without draining your time and energy. But if even one element is missing, your presence can feel hollow, chaotic, inconsistent, or forgettable. By integrating these components, you create a social media strategy that is engaging, manageable, and truly sustainable.

For social media to be sustainable, it needs Business Essence, Structure, Rhythm, and Storytelling working together. If one is missing, the system breaks down:

Without Business Essence: Your content lacks heart and direction, making it feel hollow and disconnected.

Without Structure: Social media becomes chaotic and overwhelming, leading to burnout.

Without Rhythm: Inconsistency makes it hard to build momentum and keep your audience engaged.

Without Storytelling: Posts feel dry and forgettable, failing to create real connections.

Missing multiple elements compounds the problem—without essence and structure, social media feels random and stressful; without rhythm and storytelling, it becomes dull and inconsistent. The more gaps, the harder it is to maintain or see results.

When all four elements come together, social media becomes an effective, manageable tool that aligns with your business and resonates with your audience.

Click through the gallery below to see how missing just one element can affect your efforts to create Sustainable Social Media.
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Course Structure

  •    Five modules spread over 10 weeks to gradually introduce the material.

  • Alternating live sessions including in-person guided exercises and live Q&A to help you build your system, go deeper with the course material, and connect with classmates.

  • Pre-recorded tutorials and exercises so you can work on your own and come prepared for the live calls.

  • A place to ‘park’ your questions before a live call so you never forget what to clarify.

  • Templates to make it easy and give you a leg up in your system creation.

  • Course checklists to ensure you never miss a step with the course materials.

  • Social media system checklists to develop the structure and rhythm of your Sustainable Social Media approach.

  • Guidance on how to use existing social media platforms (eg Instagram, Facebook, etc) and tools (eg Canva, Later, Google Documents).

  • Opportunity to connect with likeminded learning buddies to further and deepen your understanding of sharing your stories on social media.
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How much time do I need to invest in the course?

This course is highly interactive and requires dedicated time each week for watching the pre-recorded videos, completing assignments, and participating in live calls.

To get the most out of it, we recommend setting aside approximately 10 hours per week for the course. If typically you absorb information quickly and are dedicated to your work, the time needed per week could be 5 hours. If learning takes you longer, you enjoy rewatching and hearing things twice, as well as deep contemplation for the exercises, it might take 15 hours or more a week.

It all depends on the type of learner you are and how you digest information and apply what you’ve learned.

Sustainable Social Media offers a refreshing alternative in a digital landscape where the pressure to perform can feel overwhelming.

This course empowers you to develop a structured, efficient approach to social media that aligns with your goals and values—focusing on sustainable practices that will cultivate genuine connections with your audience and create a lasting impact without burnout.

Imagine having a system that works for you, allowing you to engage meaningfully with your community while freeing up your time for what truly matters in your business and life.

If you're ready to take control of your social media journey and build a strategy that thrives over the long term, join us and transform the way you approach social media.

Course Logistics

Course Elements
Five live Zoom calls spread across 10 weeks, each lasting two hours with replays.

Templates to make your work easier.

Course checklists to guide every step.
Pre-recorded exercises & tutorials.

There will be course exercises to complete before the first class.
DATES
Class 1 - April 5, 2025
Class 2 - April 19, 2025
Class 3 - May 3, 2025
Class 4 - May 17, 2025
Class 5 - May 31, 2025
Day and Time
Saturdays
10am - 12pm PST
11am - 1pm MT
12pm - 2pm CT
1pm - 3pm ET

Price
REGULAR 
$649 USD

EARLY BIRD
$549 USD
March 16th 2025

Ready to make your social media sustainable?

Course Contents

What clients have to say...

“I have been a photographer/director and production company for decades through many technologies. The common theme over all these years is that my presentation of my work is foremost to being hired and the implementation of my outreach to clients is the biggest touch point for clients and my new business.

Social media is the most important component of that and I trust Merrell Marketing to keep my social media and online presence inspired, on the cutting edge, prepped and organized. 

Rhya implements the approach to my marketing using strong intuition and strategies that result in my business flourishing and my social media presence being consistent, expansive and memorable. She handles this seamlessly and keeps me on top of my social media game: organizing my thousands of images and clips to showcase them for the best result in the competitive field of hiring for entertainment, music and advertising. 

Rhya's choices and organization means I stay top of mind with my clients and current in the competitive field of creative professionals worldwide."

Kharen Hill

Photographer/Director
Public Pictures
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  • This course is a good fit for:

    • Individuals who are unsure where to begin with social media but know it could benefit their business.
    • Those who recognize the value of incorporating social media into their business strategy.
    • Tech-savvy individuals or fast learners ready to dive into social media.
    • Business owners or aspiring entrepreneurs looking to build their social media skills.
    • Participants who already have their brand elements in place (logo, colors, etc.) or are willing to develop them during the course (please note: this course does not provide brand design services).
    • Anyone seeking a structured, step-by-step approach to mastering social media.
    • Those eager to learn, have fun with social media, and make it work for their business.
    • Business owners who may not be tech-savvy or who don’t have the time and want to send their virtual assistant to the course for training.

This course is NOT a good fit for:

Not everyone will find this course the right fit. If you primarily focus on the following points, it may not be the best option for you.
  • Those solely focused on mastering TikTok or going viral.
  • Individuals who struggle with or prefer not to follow structured systems and processes.
  • Those who need assistance with the technical setup of social media accounts.
  • People seeking guidance on writing blogs.
  • Those looking for tutorials specifically on running social media ads.
  • Those that don’t have the time (10hrs/wk) to invest in the course.

Course Requirements

Tools you need to purchase (or use free trials, where available) to make the most of this course:

  • Canva (Premium - $120 USD Yearly - is highly recommended, free version is available)
  • Later (Starter - $16.67 USD/Month Billed Annually - recommended, free version is available)
  • Phone (Smartphone recommended, especially if interested in Instagram as you are more limited with the usage of the app if you’re only using the computer)
  • Computer (Recommended, not required) 
  • Subtitle option if Instagram doesn’t provide them in the country you live in - we recommend DeScript (subscription) or the app Cap Cut (free version)

We’re excited to offer a range of valuable templates during this course:

Social Media Account Research Template

This template guides you through researching other businesses and social media accounts, helping you gain inspiration and clarity on the style, approach, and content ideas for your own social media presence.

Sustainable Social Media Shot List

A handy list to give your photographer, ensuring you capture all the essential photos needed to build a strong visual presence on your social platforms.

Content Inventory Template

Keep track of what you’ve already created. With this template, you’ll have all your existing content linked in one place, saving you from searching through the internet or your hard drives.

Skill Assessment Master

Social media requires wearing many hats. This spreadsheet helps you assess your strengths and areas needing improvement, so you can focus on where to seek additional support if necessary.

Social Media Glossary

With so many terms in the social media world, this document serves as a quick reference to help you understand key terminology and concepts.

Social Media Hub Template

A comprehensive spreadsheet for post-planning, analytic tracking, content idea management, strategy building, and task organization. You can use this to stay organized or hand it over to your assistant.

What clients have to say...

"I had an excellent experience working with Rhya and her team to help to market my university program. She created systems to really easily organize the creation and posting of content, and then she was very conscientious to create content that was in tune with our brand. They did excellent video editing where they took my existing video content and made it into shorts. They also created content for social media posts, and I saw a very dramatic increase in my following from when they started the work. Rhya was always a pleasure to work with and highly competent in this field and I strongly recommend her to fulfill your marketing needs."

Andrew Millison
Documentarian YouTuber & Instructor

Instagram 7x growth 1.8k to 13.5k
Facebook 3x growth 900 to 2k
Supported YouTube 2x growth 215k to 590k
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Meet the instructor

Rhya Merrell

Rhya Merrell has worked with a diverse range of clients, all committed to businesses that strive to make a positive impact on the world. She specializes in building authentic, trust-based relationships between her clients and their audiences, ensuring that their marketing efforts not only feel genuine but are also effective for everyone involved. From marketing coaches to university professors, Rhya has delivered vibrant social media campaigns, developed long-lasting systems, and reclaimed valuable time for her clients, allowing them to focus on what they do best while maintaining ethical and conscientious marketing practices. 

Patrick Jones - Course author

She helped ethical marketing expert Tad Hargrave of MarketingforHippies.com develop systems and posting practices to grow his followers 10x on Instagram from 3.5k to 31k, and 4x on Facebook from 8k to 25k. Working with world-renowned permaculture designer and documentarian Andrew Millison she helped grow his followers on Instagram 7x from 1.8k to 13.5k, 3x for Facebook 900 to 2k which supported his 2x growth on YouTube from 215k to 512k. 

Over the years, Rhya has encountered countless individuals feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by social media. As she puts it, “So many people don’t know where to begin and are drowning in a sea of advice that doesn’t align with their values or business goals. We built this course to demystify social media, providing people with the tools, systems, and knowledge they need to feel confident and empowered to make social media work for them.” 

Merrell Marketing.com
Meet the host

Javan Bernakevitch

Javan Bernakevitch is a life and land designer with a global reach, offering consultation, education, and guidance to clients, businesses, and farms through All Points Design and RegenerativeLiving.online. His work centers on the philosophy that if we don’t take control of designing our lives, someone else will—and it won’t be in our favor. As he puts it, “If humans want to thrive on this planet, we must begin acting as if we’re part of the ecology, not separate from it.”

Javan’s mission is to help his clients' lives and landscapes improve year after year, creating systems that align with nature and build long-term resilience. Part of his work is helping clients build their reputation through creating and sharing digital stories. 
Patrick Jones - Course author

Frequently asked questions

How long will I have access to the course material?

You'll have access to the course material for one year from the start date of the course.

Is the course refundable?

The course is non-refundable.

Can my partner or friend look over my shoulder while I take the course?

Yes! Your registration allows for one "over the shoulder" viewing of the course. We ask you not to share your login information with anyone else. 

Is this course appropriate for a total newbie to social media? I know it would be rad if I made videos but the idea stresses me out.

Absolutely! This course is designed to support you, even if you’ve never used Instagram, Facebook, or any other platform before. We break everything down step by step, covering different types of content and how to create them.

If making videos feels stressful, don’t worry—you don’t have to start there. We even include a quiz to help you discover the best content style for your business and personality, so you can find an approach that feels natural and sustainable.

Will this course help me select what platform to start with?

Yes! The course will guide you in choosing the right platform based on your goals, audience, and content style. You’ll learn the strengths of different platforms and how to align them with your business or personal brand to maximize impact.

What’s the best minimal system for posting? Where should I start if it feels overwhelming?

Start simple and stay consistent. Even posting once a week at the same time helps your audience know when to expect your content, which builds trust.

A minimal system to keep things manageable:
 1. Capture ideas – Keep a note on your phone or a small notebook to jot down post ideas as they come.
 2. Schedule time – Set aside a regular block (even 30 minutes a week) to turn those ideas into posts.
 3. Bank and reuse content – Don’t just post and forget! Save and organize your content so you can recycle and repurpose it later.

The key is to find a rhythm that feels sustainable. Start small, build from there, and avoid the content treadmill by making your work reusable.

How will AI change social media and our role as creators?

AI is already shaping social media in big ways—flooding platforms with generic, machine-generated content. But in a world full of noise, what people crave more than ever is something real. AI can remix and repackage ideas, but it doesn’t have a soul, a lived experience, or a unique perspective. That’s where human creators stand out.

Rather than replacing you, AI can be a tool to streamline certain tasks, making content creation easier. The key is using it in a way that supports your voice, not replaces it. This course will show you how to navigate AI’s impact while staying true to your message—so you can create content that resonates, builds trust, and keeps your audience engaged.

I worry that posting consistently will make people think I’m just in it for growth and money. Won’t that turn people off?

It’s a common fear, but in reality, consistency isn’t about chasing numbers—it’s about showing up for your audience with value and authenticity. When done right, regular posting builds trust and deepens connections rather than pushing people away. This course will help you craft a strategy that feels aligned with your values, so your presence remains true to your work and mission.

I can’t attend the live sessions. Is this course still a good fit for me?

Absolutely! Even if you can’t attend the live sessions, you’ll still get full access to all session recordings, allowing you to learn at your own pace. You’ll also be able to connect with other students, participate in discussions, and ask questions to get the answers you need.
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