Social media for small businesses: pick fewer platforms and post better
Most small business owners feel guilty about social media. They know they “should” be posting more. They’ve got accounts on five platforms, three of which haven’t been touched since 2022. And when they do post, it’s a rushed promo that gets four likes.
Here’s the good news: you don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be in the right one or two places, showing up consistently with things people actually want to see.
Pick your platforms on purpose
Think about where your customers spend time and how they make decisions.
- Instagram works well for visual businesses: aesthetics clinics, med spas, food, interiors, trades with great before and after shots, fitness and wellness
- Facebook is still strong for local communities, older audiences, events and running ads
- LinkedIn is the place for B2B, consultants, coaches who work with professionals, and recruitment
- YouTube is great for explaining things and gets found through search for years
- TikTok can work brilliantly if you’re comfortable on camera and your audience is there, but it takes a lot of content
Pick one main platform and maybe one secondary. Do those well. It’s fine to keep other profiles claimed with your logo and a link to your website, without posting there.
What to post
A simple mix keeps things interesting without needing a content team:
- Helpful tips that answer common customer questions
- Your work: results, projects, before and afters (with permission)
- Your people: team introductions, behind the scenes, a day in the life
- Proof: reviews and client stories
- Offers and news, but sparingly. If every post is a sales pitch, people tune out
Short videos tend to get more reach than static images on most platforms right now. Even simple ones.
How often?
Consistency beats volume. Two or three good posts a week, every week, will do more than a burst of daily posting followed by a month of silence. Batch your content: spend a couple of hours once a month planning and creating, then schedule it.
Talk back
Social media is social. Reply to comments and messages quickly. Comment on posts from local businesses, partners and clients. A business that responds feels approachable. One that never does feels like an empty shop.
Paid vs organic
Organic reach on Facebook and Instagram is limited, so a small ad budget can help the right posts reach more of the right people, especially locally. Boosting a post that’s already performing well is an easy starting point. For lead generation, proper ad campaigns with targeting and tracking work much better than random boosts.
Rising Kings is a good example of social and paid promotion working together. In his review, Ben said the promotional and branding work brought a 60% increase in new business volume, measured through Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics.
Is it working?
Likes feel nice but don’t pay the bills. Look at:
- Messages and enquiries from social
- Website visits from social (check your analytics)
- How many new clients mention finding you on social
- Follower growth among the right people, not just numbers
If a platform isn’t bringing anything after six months of consistent effort, it’s okay to drop it and put that time somewhere else.
If you’d rather hand it over, our social media marketing team can plan, create and manage it for you. Or book a free call to talk through what makes sense for your business.
