You know you need to post something. You open Instagram, have a quick scroll for inspiration and suddenly everyone seems to be doing more than you. There are business owners filming reels, sharing advice, launching offers and somehow finding time to tell you what they had for breakfast.
Meanwhile, you have customers to reply to, work to deliver and a cup of tea that went cold about an hour ago. Sound familiar?
I run Social Daemon, supporting small businesses with their marketing, and I’m a small business owner myself. I understand how easily your own marketing can slip down the list when you’re busy doing the work people actually pay you for.
I also know how personal it can feel. When you’re the person behind the business, putting yourself out there can bring up all sorts of questions. Is this interesting enough? Am I repeating myself? Does anyone actually want to hear from me?
There is a way to make it feel more manageable. It starts with giving yourself a clear direction and building a routine that fits around your business. Here are some of the things I work through with clients, and use in my own business too.
Start with what you want your marketing to do
Before you worry about what to post on Tuesday, take a step back. What would you like your social media to help you achieve?
Perhaps you want more local people to know you exist. Maybe you have a particular service you would love to get more enquiries about. Or you might have plenty of people following you, but you’re not sure they understand what you actually offer.
Getting clear on this makes planning much easier. For example, when working on content for a personal training business, I’ve planned posts around what someone needs to know before joining: what small group training involves, how an introductory programme works and what they can expect when they first walk through the door.
For someone who feels nervous about starting, those details matter. They might be wondering whether they will keep up, whether everyone else will already know each other or whether they need to get fitter before joining. Content that answers those questions gives them something useful. It helps them picture taking that first step.
Think about the person you want to reach and ask: what would help them feel ready to enquire?
You probably have more content ideas than you think
“I don’t know what to post” is something I hear a lot. Usually, once we start chatting, the ideas come quite quickly. They’re tucked away in the things the business owner talks about every day. The question a customer asked yesterday. The process they explained over the phone. The little detail they put into their work without even thinking about it.
One of my clients runs a bespoke woodworking business. When we pulled together a quarterly update, there was so much to talk about: a substantial oak-framed office, a new workshop, unusual timber and developments behind the scenes. Taken individually, those things had been part of a busy few months. Brought together, they gave people a lovely insight into the work, skill and personality behind the business.
You do not have to wait until you have a big announcement. Something that feels like an ordinary part of your working day could be fascinating to someone who has never seen it before.
Keep a note on your phone for customer questions, little wins, things you’re working on and moments you could share. It is much easier to write a post when you already have a few starting points waiting for you.
Give yourself a few familiar themes
Something that feels like an ordinary part of your working day could be fascinating to someone who has never seen it before.
A completely blank content calendar can feel a bit intimidating. Having a handful of themes gives you somewhere to start. I often build plans around useful advice, explaining services, sharing feedback and showing the people or process behind the business.
For a family lawyer, for example, we’ve developed content around questions people might feel nervous about asking: what happens in a first consultation, common misconceptions about divorce and reassurance that they are allowed to ask their solicitor questions.
Those subjects connect directly to how a potential client might be feeling. If someone is already having a difficult time, a clear, reassuring explanation could be far more helpful than another post simply announcing that a service is available.
For your own business, think about what you could help people understand, what you want them to know about working with you and what you can show them from behind the scenes. You can keep coming back to those themes. You don’t need to reinvent your entire approach every week.
Plan for the time you actually have
It is very easy to create an ambitious plan when you have a quiet afternoon and a fresh notebook. It can be rather harder to stick to it when three deadlines land at once and someone needs something urgently.
Be honest with yourself about your capacity. If two useful posts a week feels manageable, that is a perfectly reasonable place to start.
When planning content for a fitness business, I’ve suggested having scheduled posts in place so there is always something ready to go out, while leaving room for more spontaneous content around them. That might mean planning an explanation of a programme, a member testimonial and some reassuring advice in advance. Then, if a good moment happens during a session or there is a timely update to share, there is space for that too.
Having a plan can take away the pressure of constantly thinking, “I really should post something.” It gives you a starting point for the week, with room to respond to what is happening in your business.
Use what you already have
You may already be sitting on a very useful collection of content. Customer feedback in your inbox. Photos from previous projects. A video on your phone. An email where you explained your service particularly well.
Before deciding you need a whole new shoot or a day of filming, have a look at what is available. For one client’s content plan, I focused on posts we could create using existing testimonials, photographs and information. That meant we could keep things moving without making every post dependent on the client finding time to film something new.
For a jewellery business, I’ve also developed voiceover ideas as another way to bring the owner’s personality into the content. Existing footage of the pieces can give them something to talk over, whether they’re sharing the story behind a design or helping someone choose a gift.
There are different ways to show up. You can choose an approach that feels comfortable and makes good use of the material you have. A simple folder for photos, videos and approved testimonials can save you a lot of hunting around later.
Let people hear your voice
One piece of feedback I’ve had when developing jewellery content was to bring more of the owner’s voice into the captions: a punchier opening, a clearer invitation to take action and fewer emojis. That kind of feedback is useful because your marketing should feel like it belongs to you.
If you’re warm and chatty with customers, let some of that come through. If you’re straightforward and practical, your captions can be too.
Try saying your idea out loud before writing it. How would you explain it to a customer over a cup of tea? You might find that the words come more naturally when you stop trying to sound like you’re “doing marketing”. You can still edit for clarity afterwards. The aim is to help someone get a feel for the person or business they might be buying from.
Make it easy for someone to take the next step
Once someone is interested, what happens next? This is worth thinking about beyond the caption itself.
As part of my work with a fitness business, I reviewed the journey from the website through to an enquiry. That included clarifying the offer, updating information and making the consultation buttons more consistent.
It is all connected. A post might do a lovely job of getting someone interested, but they still need to know where to go and what will happen when they get there.
Have a look at your own profile and links. Is it clear what you do? Can someone find the service you have just mentioned? Do they know how to ask a question or book?
In your posts, be specific where you can. “Message me to check availability” gives someone a clearer starting point than a vague “get in touch”. Explaining that they can book an initial conversation may help them feel more comfortable about enquiring. Small changes can make the whole experience easier to follow.
Give your content a chance to work
When you have put time and thought into a post, a quiet response can feel disappointing. I understand that. But the visible reaction is only part of the picture.
Someone may read your posts for a while before they feel ready to contact you. A potential customer might use your page to find out more after meeting you at a networking event. An existing client might share something privately with a friend.
Keep an eye on the things connected to your original goal. Are you getting relevant questions? Are people mentioning your content when they enquire? Which subjects lead to useful conversations? You can ask people how they found you, too.
Give yourself a little time each month to look at what seems to be helping. You can then build on that, rather than feeling you need to change everything after one quiet post.
Make your next week a little easier
You don’t need to sort out your entire marketing strategy this afternoon. Start with one customer question you could answer and one thing you would like people to understand about your business. Find a photograph you already have. Write as though you’re speaking to someone you would love to work with. Make the next step clear. Then choose when you’re going to share it.
And if there is a particular part you keep getting stuck on, that might be where some support would help. Sometimes a focused conversation and a few clear ideas are enough to get you moving. Other times, having someone take content planning or delivery off your hands gives you the breathing space you need.
Running a small business asks a lot of you. Your social media plan needs to take that into account. Give yourself a manageable starting point, use the knowledge and material you already have, and build from there.
There is plenty in your business worth sharing. You may just need a little space to see it.
