Social media can feel like a full-time job before you even make your first post. One platform wants short videos, while another wants long-form posts. Then there’s the pressure to sound authentic while also trying to grow your business. For small business owners and entrepreneurs already juggling sales, operations, and customer service, it’s easy to wonder if social media is even worth the effort.
The truth is that social media has become an indispensable digital marketing tool, but you have to approach it strategically. In this guide, we’ll give you a clear roadmap for how to do social media in a way that works for your business.
What’s changed with social media?
The discussion about social media for small businesses used to be simpler. It revolved around a few social networks with differences that were easy to parse. Today, social media looks very different. Nearly every platform now supports video, shopping, messaging, and creator-style content, which has blurred the lines between apps. Instagram is no longer just for photos, and YouTube is no longer the only place people go for video.
Users expect engaging content everywhere, no matter what platform they’re using.
Algorithms have also changed how businesses reach customers. Social platforms now recommend content based on user interests instead of only showing posts from followed accounts. That gives small businesses more opportunities to get discovered, even without a huge audience.
At the same time, social media has become more competitive. Businesses are fighting for attention in crowded feeds while trends move faster than ever. Posting occasionally without a clear strategy rarely delivers results anymore.
This doesn’t mean small businesses and entrepreneurs are at a disadvantage. In many cases, smaller brands have an edge because they can respond quickly, show personality, and build genuine relationships with their audience. You probably won’t go viral with your first post, but the payoffs are great for those small business owners who learn how to do social media the right way.
What’s possible with social media marketing?
Simply put, social media marketing is sharing content (photos, videos, and text) on different social media channels where the public views it. It’s an extension of your digital marketing efforts.
At the core of social media for small businesses is the opportunity to connect with new and existing customers and build your sphere of influence through those outlets.
Your customers’ and prospects’ ability to find value in what you have to offer is central to your success online. You have to earn people’s attention on social media; no one owes it to you, and they won’t pay attention unless something is in it for them.
When you use social media effectively, you can:
- Establish expertise. When you share your knowledge freely and display your expertise on social media, you create an audience that remembers you as a thought leader in your industry.
- Build brand awareness and audience. You already undertake a wide variety of brand awareness tactics routinely. Social media marketing is just the latest evolution of setting up a booth at industry events and sharing your elevator pitch.
- Drive funnel and website traffic. Sharing a valuable freebie or new product announcement that interests your target audience can generate clicks to drive traffic to your funnel, selling your products and services.
- Be remembered. Attention is a powerful currency, and attention from social media marketing results in you being remembered as the “it” person for what you offer.
- See conversions. Ultimately, these activities all lead to the same place: conversions.
- Get referrals. Someone who’s never used your services but remembers you as “the X person” will be quick to recommend you.
- Increase industry authority. Being included in industry publications and round-ups won’t drive sales directly, but they are a fantastic way to reach an even larger audience
Using social media marketing as a funnel
Social media marketing unlocks a spectrum of possibilities for your business — both positive and negative.
This is an important realization: You don’t own your social media channels, either the content published there or your followers. Social media accounts live on borrowed land, and you could always lose access to what you’ve built there. Pinterest and LinkedIn accounts get mistakenly suspended. Instagram and Facebook accounts get hacked and held for a hefty ransom. TikTok has been banned altogether by a (potentially growing) list of countries. Because of this, every single business still needs a website.
Your business needs a website.
Always treat social media as a funnel that leads back to your owned content.
The goal is to turn attention into action by guiding people toward channels you own, like your website, email list, online store, or booking page. Social media should help start the relationship, but your business should not depend on keeping that relationship locked inside a third-party platform.
Social media marketing is a way to increase your brand awareness, but small businesses should continue the conversation beyond the feed.
Give your social media strategy time
Social media rarely delivers overnight results, especially for small businesses starting from scratch. Growth usually comes after weeks or months of consistent posting, testing content, engaging with your audience, and learning what works. Some posts will flop. Others may unexpectedly take off. The businesses that succeed on social media are often the ones that stay consistent long enough to build trust, recognition, and momentum over time.
Research how long growth takes on the social channels you’re pursuing. There’s no hard figure for how long it takes to build an audience on social media, but as a rule of thumb:
Don’t start executing a social media strategy on any platform if you’re not committed to at least a year of work.
Give yourself time to:
- Learn the ins and outs of making quality content.
- Nurture a real, genuine relationship with viewers and earn quality followers.
- Upskill your graphic design, video editing, or whatever skills the platform demands.
Should you spend money on social media marketing?
Part of the allure of social media has long been the price tag: free. Minus your time and the resources used to develop quality content, of course. Those resources are especially hefty, though, for an entrepreneur juggling all their daily responsibilities while exploring how to do social media for the first time.
Because of this, many small businesses consider paid avenues, like ads or hiring a social media manager. These can be worthwhile for some, but they come with considerations.
Paid ads
Paid social media ads can help small businesses reach people faster than organic content alone. Many platforms give businesses access to tools that can put products and services in front of their target audience. This makes paid ads especially useful for promoting new products, driving website traffic, generating leads, or building brand awareness in a competitive market.
However, costs can add up quickly without a clear strategy, and strong targeting does not guarantee conversions if the content or offer misses the mark. Paid ads often work best when they support a larger marketing strategy instead of acting as a shortcut.
If you need some guidance, digital marketing services can help you use paid ads effectively and measure their results.
Social media management
A good social media manager can handle content planning, posting schedules, community engagement, trend monitoring, and performance tracking while freeing up time for business owners to focus on running the company. This can be especially valuable for entrepreneurs who struggle to keep up with content creation or want a more polished and organized social presence.
Still, hiring help comes with considerations. Social media managers can be expensive, and not every business needs a full-time role right away. Some businesses may benefit more from a freelancer, agency, or part-time contractor, depending on their goals and budget.
It’s also important to remember that no social media manager can instantly guarantee viral growth or sales. Strong results still depend on clear, quality content and goals.
Free social media management tools
Behind every social media marketing strategy is a host of systems and tools that save time. Building a social media presence takes consistency, and that’s best achieved using a content calendar and scheduling tools, such as:
- Collaborative software such as Airtable, Notion, or Trello can help visualize your social media content calendar and plan out social media campaigns.
- Sprout Social for scheduling, analytics, engagement, and account management.
Choosing the best social media channels for your business
Despite their overlaps, each social media channel has unique strengths.
An effective social media strategy weighs the strengths of each social network and looks at what type of content thrives there.
When deciding between the platforms below, ask yourself these questions:
- Who is my target customer, and where do they spend most of their time?
- What resources do I have to commit to creating content?
- Do I prefer to write instead of sharing visuals?
- What type of content will I routinely share?
- Am I comfortable creating short-form videos or appearing on camera?
- Which platforms make the most sense for my industry, product, or service?
- What action do I want people to take after seeing my content?
Instagram has changed a lot over the past few years. The platform still supports photo content, but short-form video now drives much of the visibility and engagement on the app. Reels, Stories, live streams, direct messages (DMs), and creator-style content have turned Instagram into a place where businesses can build relationships with customers instead of simply posting polished images.
For small businesses, Instagram works especially well for showing personality and building trust. For example, restaurants can share behind-the-scenes kitchen clips, service businesses can answer customer questions through Stories or DMs, and online stores can post product demos, customer reviews, and creator partnerships.
Instagram roll-call:
- Content type: Photos, Reels, Stories, live, permanent, and disappearing video, direct messages, and shopping content
- Content style: Visual, educational, behind-the-scenes, lifestyle, and personality-driven
- Unique opportunity: Great for B2C brands, creators, local businesses, and businesses that can regularly create visual or video content
Learn more in our complete guide on how to sell on Instagram.
Facebook might be an old social media platform, but it still has an enormous and diverse audience across all demographics.
Not only does this present small business owners with many potential leads, but users are also actively turning to businesses’ Facebook pages for information like reviews, business hours, and direct communication through Facebook Messenger. To get started, learn how to use Facebook Messenger for your business and start selling!
Business owners can market their business through a Facebook business page or in Facebook groups using their personal account. Local community groups and niche interest groups can be especially valuable for small businesses looking to build trust, answer questions, and connect with potential customers in a more personal way. It also has an incredibly robust ad system with relatively low-cost options.
Facebook roll-call:
- Content type: Text posts, photos, Reels, Stories, live video, events, groups, and direct messaging
- Content style: Community-focused, conversational, educational, promotional, and local business content
- Unique opportunity: Strong targeting tools for paid advertising, plus built-in business features like reviews, business information, events, and Messenger for customer communication
X
X (formerly Twitter) is one of the fastest-moving social media platforms, with conversations unfolding in real time around news, trends, sports, entertainment, business, and culture. Unlike highly visual platforms like Instagram or TikTok, X is still heavily centered around short-form written content (there’s a 280-character limit for free accounts, but premium accounts can post up to 25,000 characters), making it a strong option for businesses that want to share opinions, insights, updates, or timely reactions.
Founders, consultants, tech companies, media brands, and service-based businesses often use X to join industry conversations, respond directly to customers, and build credibility through consistent posting. Keep in mind that the platform rewards active participation, meaning replying to posts and engaging with other users is often just as important as publishing original content.
X roll-call:
- Content type: Short-form text posts, images, video, live audio spaces, polls, and direct messaging
- Content style: Conversational, opinion-driven, educational, timely, and personality-focused
- Unique opportunity: Real-time engagement and thought leadership, especially for founders, creators, service businesses, and brands tied to news, trends, or industry conversations
TikTok
TikTok is a powerful discovery platform for small businesses. The app is built around short-form video, and its algorithm can expose content to massive audiences regardless of follower count. That gives small businesses an opportunity to grow quickly if they create videos people genuinely want to watch, share, or engage with.
For many businesses, TikTok works best when content feels casual, authentic, and personality-driven. Product demos, tutorials, day-in-the-life clips, customer stories, reactions, and behind-the-scenes videos often perform better than polished advertisements.
Users on TikTok tend to value entertainment and authenticity over highly produced content, which can level the playing field for smaller brands with limited budgets. This platform is also a great opportunity to explore affiliate or influencer marketing.
TikTok roll-call:
- Content type: Short-form video, live video, direct messaging, and shopping content
- Content style: Entertaining, educational, trend-based, behind-the-scenes, and personality-driven
- Unique opportunity: Strong organic reach and discovery potential for businesses that can consistently create engaging short-form video content
Pinterest is often grouped with social media platforms, but it functions more like a visual search engine than a traditional social network. When a user enters a term in the search bar, they’re directed to images or videos (called pins) that link back to the websites of bloggers, brands, and small businesses. It rewards keyword optimization and consistency more than engagement.
Pinterest can be especially valuable for website traffic and long-term content discovery. Businesses in industries like home decor, fashion, beauty, food, weddings, travel, fitness, DIY, and digital products often perform well because users are already searching for ideas and solutions in those categories. Unlike fast-moving social feeds where posts disappear quickly, Pinterest content has a much longer lifespan and can continue appearing in search results over time.
Pinterest roll-call:
- Content type: Vertical images, short-form video, product pins, idea pins, and blog content
- Content style: Educational, inspirational, searchable, and visually organized
- Unique opportunity: Long-term website traffic and search visibility for businesses that create evergreen content and visually appealing resources
YouTube
YouTube is owned by Google and is the second-largest search engine in the world. The platform is deeply connected to search behavior, with videos often appearing directly in Google search results. People use YouTube to learn skills, research products, compare services, solve problems, and find entertainment, making it one of the most powerful platforms for long-term content discovery.
YouTube can be an effective way to build trust and authority through educational content. Tutorials, product demonstrations, FAQs, reviews, behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, and industry insights can continue attracting viewers long after they are uploaded. YouTube also supports short-form content through Shorts, giving businesses the ability to experiment with quicker videos alongside longer, more in-depth content.
YouTube roll-call:
- Content type: Long-form video, Shorts, live streams, tutorials, interviews, and educational content
- Content style: Educational, searchable, entertaining, and authority-building
- Unique opportunity: Long-term search visibility and trust-building through evergreen video content that can continue generating traffic over time; offers built-in monetization opportunities
7 steps to start using social media for business
Social media can be invaluable for small businesses and entrepreneurs, but it takes strategy, consistency, and time. Use the seven steps below to kickstart your social media marketing efforts.
1. Do your homework
The first step in any successful social media marketing strategy is listening. See what kinds of accounts are popular in your industry and research: Who’s being followed? What topics are popular? What content is resonating?
Exercise:
- Write down frequently asked questions (FAQ).
- Save good posts that you see.
- Create an ongoing idea document.
2. Define your strategy
Before you start posting, take time to define a realistic social media strategy. Many small businesses quit early because they jump into content creation without clear goals, a consistent posting plan, or a long-term mindset.
Start by answering a few foundational questions:
- Which social media platform makes the most sense for my business?
- How much time can I realistically dedicate to content creation each week?
- How often can I consistently post?
- How long am I willing to commit before expecting significant results?
- What action do I want people to take after engaging with my content?
Next, define the purpose behind your content. Not every post needs to sell something directly. Strong social media strategies usually include a mix of goals, such as:
- Brand awareness
- Community engagement
- Education
- Lead generation
- Email list sign-ups
- Sales
- Building trust and authenticity
- Showcasing expertise
Keeping these goals in mind can help you create more balanced content and avoid turning every post into a sales pitch.
Exercise:
Hold a 15-minute brainstorming session where you write down the answers to these questions and identify your target market.
3. Create shareable content
One of the fastest ways to grow on social media is to create content people want to share with others. Shares help your content reach new audiences organically, which can increase visibility without relying entirely on ads or follower count.
Shareable content is usually at least one of three things:
- Teaches something useful
- Entertains
- Feels relatable
Focus less on making every post look perfect and more on making it valuable or interesting to your audience. Content that feels authentic and easy to engage with often performs better than highly promotional posts.
4. Engage with your audience
Social media is not just a publishing platform; it’s a communication tool. Businesses that only post content without interacting with people often struggle to build momentum or trust online. Engaging with your audience can be as simple as replying to comments, answering direct messages, reacting to customer posts, or joining conversations related to your industry. These interactions help your business feel more approachable and human, which can make a major difference for potential customers deciding who to trust.
You can also try more advanced techniques, like:
- Live videos: Host live streaming sessions to connect with your audience in real-time. Live videos allow for immediate interaction, making your audience feel more connected to your brand.
- Q&A sessions: Organize regular Q&A sessions where followers can ask questions about your products, services, or industry-related topics. This not only provides value but also positions your brand as approachable and knowledgeable.
- Giveaways: Run giveaways and contests to encourage engagement and attract new followers. Giveaways can increase visibility and reward your loyal audience for their support.
- Chatbots: Utilize chatbots to provide instant responses to common customer inquiries. Chatbots can enhance customer service by offering 24/7 support and freeing up your team to handle more complex issues.
Platforms tend to reward accounts that actively participate in conversations instead of only broadcasting content. Even a few thoughtful replies each day can help strengthen customer relationships and increase visibility over time.
For small businesses, engagement is often one of the biggest advantages over larger brands. People are more likely to connect with businesses that feel personal, responsive, and genuinely involved in their community.
Exercise:
Spend 15 minutes interacting on the platform you plan to use most. Pay attention to the types of conversations people are having and make note of any questions, trends, or topics that could inspire future content for your business.
5. Measure success
What does success look like on social media? It’s usually measured using metrics like:
- Followers and views: These numbers give a sense of reach.
- Engagement: Are people commenting on your content?
- Shares: What content is motivating your followers to share it?
- Clicks: Which posts are driving traffic to your website?
- Action: Once they’re on your site, are they converting?
- Hashtag performance: Track which hashtags are most effective in increasing your content’s visibility and engagement. Analyzing hashtag performance helps you understand which topics resonate with your audience and can guide future content creation.
- Video views: Monitor the number of views your video content receives across different platforms. High video view counts indicate strong interest and can inform decisions about video content strategies.
- Conversion statistics: Measure the number of conversions that result from your social media efforts. This includes actions like purchases, sign-ups, or other desired outcomes that directly contribute to your business goals.
You can track these using analytics tools that are built into social media platforms, or through third-party tools.
6. Encourage cross-department collaboration
The conversations happening in your comments, direct messages, and content performance data can offer valuable insights for multiple areas of your business. Sharing these insights across departments can help your company make smarter decisions, improve customer experiences, and create more consistent messaging. For example:
- Human resources: Social media can support recruiting efforts and employer branding through hiring posts, company culture content, and employee highlights.
- Sales: Sales teams can use social media insights to better understand customer interests, industry conversations, and common pain points during the buying journey.
- Product and merchandising: Customer comments, reviews, and direct messages can reveal product feedback, feature requests, and recurring questions that help guide future improvements.
- Customer care: Social media often functions as a customer service channel, making fast responses and active communication an important part of building trust and customer satisfaction.
7. Collaborate with influencers and other businesses
According to Sprout Social’s 2025 State of Influencer Marketing Report, 49% of consumers make purchases at least once a month because of influencer content. This means that collaborating with influencers, creators, and complementary businesses can help expand your reach and introduce your brand to new audiences. These partnerships can include sponsored content, product reviews, giveaways, co-hosted events, or cross-promotion with another local or niche business.
For small businesses, the best partnerships are usually the ones that feel natural and relevant to the audience. A local creator, niche expert, or trusted community voice with a smaller but engaged following can often deliver better results than a larger influencer with a broad audience. Authenticity and audience fit matter far more than follower count alone.
8. Optimize your social media profiles for social SEO
Social media platforms are increasingly functioning like search engines, which means optimizing your profiles using SEO tactics can help more people discover your small business. Consider:
- Using relevant keywords: Include industry terms, services, products, and phrases your audience may search for in your bio, captions, hashtags, and profile descriptions.
- Maintaining consistent branding: Use the same business name, logo, brand colors, and tone of voice across platforms so your business is easy to recognize.
- Completing your profile information: Add your website, business category, contact information, location, and other important details users may look for before reaching out or making a purchase.
- Using searchable usernames and handles: Keep usernames simple, recognizable, and closely tied to your business name whenever possible.
Related: SEO guide for small businesses
Boost your small business with social media
Social media can help small businesses build brand awareness, connect with customers, drive website traffic, and generate sales, but success rarely happens overnight. Businesses that succeed online often focus on creating useful content, showing up regularly, and building trust with their audience over time.
GoDaddy Digital Marketing Services can help make that process easier. With support for building your online presence and reaching more customers, GoDaddy gives small business owners practical tools to get their products and services in front of their target audiences.
