Running a small business is a juggling act. You’re not just the owner—you’re the salesperson, the marketer, the content creator, and more. With so many demands on your time, creating social media content may feel like a miracle. How do you find the time to be online every day?
You know social media is important, but breaking through the noise to reach your customers may feel impossible. Every day, your potential customers are bombarded with thousands of messages, and without a strategy, your voice typically gets lost. How do you get your message heard in a world of noise?
But there’s a way out. We’ll show you the latest trends, the essential tools, and practical strategies to help master social media in 2024. By the end, you may be better ready to compete and lead—turn challenges into growth and connect with your audience through a well-defined social media marketing strategy.
Benefits of social media for small business
Social media isn’t just a trend; it’s a business essential. More than 77% of small businesses are connected with their customers on social media accounts. Here’s why social media marketing is generally good for small businesses:
- Low-cost branding: Social media is an affordable way to get your brand seen and increase brand awareness. Even with a small budget, you could use Facebook® Ads and Instagram® Ads to reach your audience.
- Targeted reach: With advanced targeting options you can focus on specific demographics, interests, and behaviors so your message lands with the right people.
- Event promotion and customer service: Social media is generally a great tool for promoting events, launching products, and offering real-time customer support, all while building a loyal customer base.
- Building customer loyalty and trust: Through consistent engagement, you may create connections with your customers, turning followers into brand advocates.
The impact of social media on business growth
When used right, social media may impact your bottom line. In fact, retail social commerce sales are projected to reach nearly $80 billion by 2025, but social media isn’t just about direct sales. Building your brand and being seen by potential customers may bring dollars to the bottom line. 68% of consumers say they are using their social media accounts to learn about brands and products.
Businesses that use social media as part of their overall marketing efforts typically see results, whether it’s more website traffic, higher conversion rates, or better customer retention.
Top social media trends for small businesses in 2024 and beyond
Short-form video content
Short-form video is winning. TikTok®, Instagram Reels, and YouTube® Shorts are the leaders of the pack, grabbing social media users' attention with bite-sized content. For a small business, this is an opportunity to show products or services in a fun and digestible way. According to 67% of respondents in a Sprout Social® study, video is the most engaging and transparent form of social media content.
Tip to get started: Keep it under 60 seconds. Don’t feel like you have to overproduce; authenticity often wins. Don’t forget to use trending music and hashtags to get noticed.
AI personalized customer interaction
AI-powered chatbots and personalized messaging are changing the face of customer service on social media. Implementing AI chatbots on platforms like Facebook Messenger allows you to respond to customer queries instantly and personally and free up your time for the more complex stuff.
Tip to get started: Make sure these interactions are in line with your brand voice and values. Just like any AI, you need to customize to make sure it fits your brand.
Social commerce growth
Buying direct from social media is on the up, with platforms like Instagram Shopping, Facebook Shops, and Pinterest® Buyable Pins leading the way. By setting up social media storefronts and running effective social media campaigns, you can offer a seamless shopping experience where your target audience is.
Tip to get started: Update these storefronts regularly with new products and special offers to keep your audience engaged.
Focus on community building
Building an online community is becoming more and more important for brands. Small businesses can create or join niche groups on Facebook or Reddit® to engage and retain customers.
Tip to get started: Hosting live Q&A or exclusive events for your community members will generally strengthen these relationships even more.
User-generated content (UGC) as a trust signal
User-generated content is generally still a powerful way to build trust and authenticity. Encourage customers to share their experience with your business by creating a branded hashtag and featuring their content on your profile.
Tip to get started: UGC contests are typically a great way to get more participation. You might consider rewarding customers with gift cards, discounts or products while also showing the real-life results of your products or services.
How to develop a social media strategy for your small business
1. Set clear and measurable goals
Start with goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound (SMART). For example, set goals to increase your Instagram followers by 20% in the next 3 months or boost Facebook engagement by 15% through weekly live videos.
2. Know your target audience inside and out
Knowing your audience is key. Do surveys, use Facebook Insights or Instagram Analytics, and keep an eye on your competitors to get insights into your audience demographics, interests and behaviors. By creating detailed audience personas, you may better guide your content strategy and help your message resonate.
3. Choose the right social media platforms for your business
Not all platforms are created equal. Focus on the social media platforms where your audience spends the most time. If you’re targeting a younger demographic, you may want to prioritize TikTok and Instagram. For B2B connections, LinkedIn® is typically key. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to be on every platform. Use tools like SparkToro® or BuzzSumo® to help find where your audience is spending their time.
4. Create a content calendar and stick to It
Consistency is key to being social. Plan your content at least one month in advance using Trello® or Google® Sheets. Mix up the types of content—educational posts, promotional offers, behind-the-scenes stories—to keep your audience engaged. You can use tools like Buffer® or Hootsuite® to discover the best times to post. Utilizing social media marketing tools may help streamline your efforts and ensure your strategy is effective.
5. Engage with your audience daily
Make time to respond to comments, messages, and mentions daily. Use engagement features like Instagram Story’ polls or questions to start conversations. Personalizing your interactions generally makes followers feel valued and may turn casual followers into loyal customers.
6. Monitor and adjust your strategy
Use social media analytics tools to track your posts and campaigns. Look at key metrics like engagement rate, click-through rate, and follower growth. If videos are performing better than images, consider increasing your video content. Continuously adjusting your strategy based on the data will help keep you on track to your goals.
7. Budget for social media
Budget for your social media efforts and business goals, both organic and paid content. Start with small ad spends on different platforms and scale up what performs.
Small business social media content ideas
Customer FAQs
Your customers’ questions are typically a treasure trove of content ideas. Look at the most asked questions and create content around them. These may become how-to posts, quick Q&As, or explainer videos.
Competitor activity
Keep an eye on your competitors’ social media activity and their marketing strategies. See what’s working for them and use that as inspiration to create your own version of the popular topic.
Use social media listening tools
Tools like Mention® or Sprout Social allow you to listen to conversations about your industry or brand. Find trending topics and create content around what people are already talking about.
Leverage seasonal and industry trends
Align your content with holidays, industry events or seasonal changes. This helps keep your content relevant and timely and increases the chances of it resonating with your audience.
Engage with your audience
Don’t be afraid to ask your audience what they want to see more of. Use polls, surveys, or direct questions in your posts to gather feedback. This helps generate content ideas and engagement.
Use existing content
This is the easiest one, but what many businesses overlook. Review your top-performing content and repurpose it into different formats. For example, a blog post may become a video, an infographic, and a series of social media posts. Don’t forget webinars. These may be cut up and used on social media. This helps breathe life into your content and gets it in front of different parts of your audience.
Tips for optimizing your social media presence
Be “follow-worthy”
Make your social media profiles look good and engaging. Optimize your bio with keywords and a call to action. Use high-quality images for your profile picture and cover photo to represent your brand.
Automate where you can
Automation tools may save you time by doing repetitive social media tasks like scheduling posts. But make sure your engagement – like commenting and DMing – is personal and timely so you can stay connected with your audience.
Use built in analytics
Generally, every social platform has analytics that can tell you what’s working and what’s not. Check these out regularly to see what your top performing content is. Repurpose or reuse these across other platforms or formats.
Social media tools for small business
Social media management tools
Tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social do more than just post for you – they help you manage multiple social platforms, listen to social media conversations, and stay on top of trends. Use them well and you’ll free up time for more strategic stuff.
Content creation tools
Visual content is key. Tools like Canva® and Adobe® Express make it easy to create beautiful graphics and videos. Consider creating templates for repeat content types to keep your brand looking consistent and save time.
Analytics and reporting
You need to measure your social media success. Set up custom dashboards in Google Analytics or use native platform analytics to track the metrics that matter to your goals. Review them regularly and adjust your strategy to get the most from your social media.
Real-world examples of social media marketing
When creating a social media strategy, the success stories of brands like Dollar Shave Club®, Blendtec®, and Roshambo Baby® are gold.
- Dollar Shave Club used humor and a strong voice across all platforms to build a huge following and get acquired for a billion dollars.
- Blendtec’s “Will it blend?” campaign is proof that creative, viral content that aligns with the product’s unique selling proposition is key.
- Roshambo Baby showed that even with a tiny budget, simple, authentic video content could drive engagement and sales.
These examples remind us to know your audience, choose the right platforms and deliver content that resonates and engages no matter what your budget.
Drive growth with smart social media for your small business
In a world where your time and resources are constantly stretched, mastering social media may feel like an impossible task. But the truth is, social media isn’t just another item on your to-do list—it’s a powerful tool that, when used strategically, may transform your business. From low-cost branding opportunities to the ability to build genuine connections with your audience, social media offers an unparalleled platform for growth.
Now’s the time to take action and make every post count. Ready to see how it’s done? Check out our article on 15 companies that are mastering social media marketing and get inspired to elevate your game.
