Originally published on 11/23/2020. Last updated on 03/05/2024.
The dreaded social media rut: it happens to all of us at one point or another. Despite it being an incredibly useful marketing tool, one of the pitfalls of social media is that it is incredibly reliant on in-the-moment content. Your post may gain a lot of traction one day, but what about the next? It’s demanding and tiring, and it is completely understandable if you feel like you’re hitting a wall with your social media strategy.
You simply don’t have time to agonize over your daily Twitter post, and that’s valid. That’s why this post will provide engaging social media post ideas for small businesses, for when you feel like you have nothing left to say.
The Benefits of Social Media for Small Businesses
Social media marketing can benefit small businesses in a few ways. First and foremost, social media is a cost-effective way to reach a wide audience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow companies to create profiles and interact with potential customers for free, making it an ideal option for small businesses on a tight budget.
Additionally, social media is a powerful tool for building brand awareness. Regularly posting engaging content and interacting with followers can allow small businesses to establish themselves as authorities in their industry and increase visibility among potential customers.
Finally, social media provides an excellent opportunity for improved customer engagement. By responding to comments and messages, businesses can create a positive relationship with their customers and foster brand loyalty.
Social Media Post Ideas for Small Businesses
It’s important to keep your social media followers engaged and interested, but coming up with fresh ideas can be time-consuming and overwhelming for small businesses. That’s why we’ve put together this list of social media post ideas. These ideas will help you create engaging content that resonates with your audience and keeps them coming back for more.
1. Share Behind-the-Scenes Content
Sharing behind-the-scenes content is an excellent way for small businesses to give their followers an inside look into their company and showcase new products or services. This type of content can help companies build a stronger relationship with their audience and build loyalty among customers. To create engaging behind-the-scenes content, you could offer an inside look at the production process, give your audience a glimpse into your office, or highlight customer success stories.
2. Showcase New Products or Services
Social media is an excellent platform for small businesses to showcase new products or services and generate buzz among their followers. Sharing updates about new offerings can help companies to increase sales and drive traffic to their website or physical location. Specifically, they can share high-quality photos or videos that showcase the product or service in action, highlight its features or benefits, and include a clear call to action to encourage followers to learn more or make a purchase.
3. Offer Discounts or Promote Sales
Offering discounts or promoting sales on social media can incentivize customers to make a purchase and create a sense of urgency around their offering. For example, businesses can host flash sales or limited-time offers that are exclusive to social media followers, provide a discount code that followers can use for a limited time, or offer free shipping for a limited time. This strategy is a win-win situation: customers get a great deal, and businesses get an increase in sales and customer loyalty.
4. Host Giveaways and Contests
Another great idea for increasing engagement is hosting giveaways and contests. To do this, encourage followers to tag their friends in the comments, share the post to their profile, or create user-generated content that aligns with your brand. You could also ask followers to answer a question or provide feedback as a way to encourage engagement and gather valuable insights.
5. Promote or Repurpose Blog Posts
Sharing informative and valuable content with followers is an excellent way for businesses to establish themselves as experts in their field and create a stronger relationship with their audience. One way to do this is to promote the company’s blog posts–you can share snippets or quotes from the blog post or simply share a link to it. Another strategy is repurposing the blog post, such as creating a graphic highlighting the post’s main point.
6. Announce Company News
Announcing company news on social media is an effective way for small businesses to inform their followers about important updates and changes. Companies can share a high-quality photo or video that showcases the news, create a teaser campaign that builds anticipation before announcing the news, or share the news in a live video. This is a powerful way to build a strong relationship with your audience and establish yourself as a trustworthy and reliable source of information in your industry.
7. Provide How-To Content
Providing how-to content is another way for small businesses to establish themselves as experts in their industry. By sharing tutorials and guides, companies can provide their audience with actionable insights that they can apply to their own lives or businesses. This may include video tutorials showcasing a specific skill or graphics highlighting key takeaways from the how-to guide.
8. Ask Questions or Conduct Polls
Companies can ask questions or conduct polls to gather valuable insights from their audience. For instance, you can create a poll asking followers to choose between two options or share their opinion on a specific topic. Alternatively, you could create a survey that provides more in-depth feedback on a specific topic. By using the feedback you receive, you can improve your future products or services to better meet the needs of your audience.
9. Highlight User-Generated Content
Finally, highlighting user-generated content can help businesses create a stronger relationship with their audience. User-generated content refers to content created by customers that features the company’s products or services. Companies may repost customer photos or videos showcasing their products, share customer reviews or testimonials, or create a branded hashtag encouraging customers to share their content. Doing this demonstrates that they value their customers and create excitement around their products or services.
Embracing Social Media Post Ideas for Small Businesses
Getting stuck and feeling a loss of creativity in your social media posts every now and then is completely normal. If you ever find yourself feeling that way more times than not, however, it might be time to revisit your strategy. Social media is all about engaging your target audience. If you yourself aren’t feeling engaged, this might be a sign that it’s time for a change-up. Just be sure that the needs of your target audience are always at the forefront of your concerns. They will be your guide as you continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of social media.