Social media for a small business can feel like five jobs at once. It’s five decisions, made once: where to post, what to post, how often, who makes it, and what to count. Here they are in order, with a guide for each.
1. Where to post
Short vertical video goes on all four: TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook and YouTube Shorts. One video, uploaded four times, can reach people the first upload never would. “One video on every platform?” shows how to upload each one.
2. What to post
What only you have: the food or the work made in front of the camera, the team, the customers, and what’s happening this month. For Halal Munchies, that meant two patties smashed and chopped on the grill, rolled into bread, wrapped and cut open. For Station Medical, every member of the practice in the white chair. Ideas by kind of business: “Video ideas for restaurants”, “Auto repair shop videos that work”, “Video ideas for clinics” and “Marketing ideas for a café”.
3. How often
Several times a week, every week, if every post is one you’d watch yourself. “How often should a business post?” and “How to plan a month of posts” cover the rhythm and the plan.
4. Who makes it
Your own team, a freelancer or an agency. Each costs something different, in money or in time: “Agency, freelancer or in-house?” and “What social media management costs”.
5. What to count
Views on each platform, compared with your own recent posts; then comments, shares and saves; then visits. “How many views is good?” explains how each platform counts.
The mistakes we see most
- Posting only the finished work, and never the people.
- Posting in bursts, then going quiet. Before we started, Icon Auto Centre’s feed had been quiet for twenty months.
- Sharing a download from one app to another, watermark and all.
- Judging a platform on a single post.
Or hand it over
Our plans plan, film, edit, post and count it for you, with the views guaranteed, from $3,599.99 a month. If your team would rather film, DIY gives them our plan and 20 complete post scripts, with references, captions and storyboard, for $1,750 a month. See the plans.
Questions owners ask
Which social media is best for a small business?
For short video, all four: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts, with the same video on each.
How much time does social media take for a small business?
Planning, filming, editing and posting several videos a week takes real hours. Plan the month ahead and film many posts in one visit.
What should a small business post?
What only it has: the product being made, the team, the customers and the month’s moments.
How do I start?
Apply to work with us: a few quick questions about your business. We read every application, and if we can help, we write back to set up a free thirty-minute video call. Apply to work with us