Instagram and Facebook
Local customers, photos of real work, reels and messages. One Meta account runs both.
Social media in plain words
Your customers already spend time on social media. You do not need to be everywhere or post every day: pick one or two platforms, show real work, give people a reason to stop scrolling, and reply to everyone who writes.
- 1 or 2platforms to start with
- 4:5 and 9:16the two shapes to know
- 2 to 3 postsa week is plenty
One design, four formats
The same picture is cropped in the feed and covered by buttons in stories and reels. Move the headline, the logo and the sticker until all four formats show everything. Drag the three pieces, or tap one and use the arrow keys.
Shaded: what the app covers in a story.
Which platform for what
Start where your customers already are, not where everyone says you should be.
Business customers, partners and hiring. Posts from a real person often reach more people than posts from a company page.
TikTok
Short, honest videos for a younger audience. The same clips can go to Reels and YouTube Shorts.
The basics in plain words
Learn these eight and you can run a small business account with confidence. Hover or tap any item to see the details.
- Feed: 4:5, 1080 × 1350
- Stories and reels: 9:16, 1080 × 1920
- Square 1:1 still works
- Top and bottom 14% on stories
- Bottom 35% on reels
- Try it above
- Start with the result
- Show a face or real work
- Text on screen for sound off
- Two or three posts a week
- Plan a month ahead
- Film several posts in one go
- Answer comments the same day
- Messages are enquiries
- Saved replies for common questions
- Before and after
- The people behind the business
- Customer reviews, with permission
- Organic builds trust
- Ads reach new people
- Promote posts that already work
- Saves, shares and messages
- Reach, not only followers
- Calls and WhatsApp clicks
Start in five steps
An afternoon to set up, then about an hour a week.
- Step 1
Pick one or two platforms
Where your customers already are. Do those well before adding more.
- Step 2
Fix your profiles
The same name, photo, phone number and address as your Google profile, plus a short line on what you do.
- Step 3
Plan a month
Three themes, such as your work, your people and useful tips, with eight to twelve posts in total.
- Step 4
Post and reply
Post on the days you planned and answer every comment and message, ideally the same day.
- Step 5
Look back once a month
Which posts got saves, shares and messages? Make more like those.
Four social media myths
- You must be on every platformOne or two done well beat five done badly.
- Followers are what countReach and messages tell you more.
- You must post every dayA steady rhythm matters more than volume.
- Hashtags make you go viralThey help a little. The post itself decides.
Questions about social media
How often should a small business post?
Two or three times a week is plenty for most small businesses. A steady rhythm you can keep up beats a busy month followed by silence.
Which platform is best for my business?
If you sell to local customers, start with Instagram and Facebook. If you sell to other businesses, start with LinkedIn. If your customers are young and you are happy on camera, add TikTok.
What size should my images and videos be?
1080 × 1350 pixels (4:5) for feed posts and 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16) for stories and reels. Keep text away from the top and bottom edges, as the check above shows.
Should I pay for ads on social media?
Ads are the fastest way to reach new people nearby. Start once your profile looks good and you know which posts work. See Meta ads.
Can you run our social media for us?
Yes. We plan, create and post, and reply to comments if you want. See social media management.
Rather have someone run it?
Tell us about your business. We come back with the platforms we would use and a month of post ideas.