
How to Simplify Social Media to Grow Your Small Business
Social media can be an incredibly powerful tool for small businesses to reach and engage with their target audience.
However, with the vast array of platforms, algorithms, and strategies that seem to change all the time managing your social media as a small business owner can quickly become overwhelming.
If you are already stretched thin and getting stressed out trying to create and manage your social media presence; taking a simplified approach to your social media can help you re-focus on what really matters.
Once you gain control and make things simple, you will save time, that can be better used to grow your business.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss some strategies for simplifying your social media efforts and become clear on where to focus your efforts for maximum results.































































































1. Define Your Goals and Target Audience




























































































Before you even think about posting anything on social media, it’s important to define your goals and target audience (who you are talking to and what about that interests them). Hint! They are probably a LOT like you 😊
Ask yourself what you want to achieve through social media?
There is a big difference between just being on social media versus using social media to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, and increase sales.
Once you’ve identified your goals, determine who your target audience is and create content buckets themed around topics your target audience might be interested in.
The key to a wildly successful social presence is to go much wider into your market even if you specialise in a very niche part of your target market because keeping fresh content will be so much easier!
Who are you trying to reach? What are their interests, pain points, and behaviors?
By understanding your goals and target audience, you can tailor your social media strategy to meet their needs but remember to make it engaging and entertaining too.
That does not mean making your social media presence laugh a minute about content that isn’t relevant though.
Make full use of sharing top influencers shorts and reels in your content mix to increase engagement and keep your content fresh.




























































































2. Focus on the Platforms That Matter




























































































One of the biggest mistakes small business owners and solopreneurs make is spreading themselves too thin by trying to be on EVERY social media platform EVERY DAY.
I did it too by the way!
There are literally dozens of social media platforms out there, but focus on where your target customers and ideal clients hang out even if you do not personally LIKE the platform yourself.
Your focus and presence should on the platforms that matter most to your audience.
For example, if your target audience is primarily professionals, LinkedIn might be the best platform for you. It has all sorts of new features being added all the time and if you are a B2B (business to business company) it’s probably one of the best to start out with.
If you’re targeting a younger demographic, Instagram or TikTok might be a better fit.
The only platform that features everything from shorts & reels to posts to links, promotions and even community building is of course Facebook.
We highly recommend starting with Facebook and exploring ALL it’s features first, hence our Ultimate Facebook Content Plan Course.
By focusing on a few key platforms, you can ensure that you’re reaching your target audience where they are most active.






























































































3. Create a Content Calendar




























































































You have probably heard the saying “failing to plan is planning to fail” and when it comes to creating content as a small business owner today it can feel awkward and completely alien, especially if designing or copywriting are just not within your skill set.
One of the biggest challenges of social media is consistently coming up with content to post. I’ve done many a 30-day challenge with small business owners and watched them get off to a great start only to start falling behind within the first two weeks when everything starts coming to a grinding halt.
This is where a content calendar can be incredibly helpful.
A content calendar is simply a schedule of what you’re going to post and when.
My personal favourite way of organizing everything is with Evernote, but a spreadsheet or Google calendar can work just as well when you are just starting out.
Everyone starts with zero content in the library but if you focus on creating evergreen content every week for at least 8 weeks you’ll soon build up enough content to always have something to post without it stressing you out or using up endless hours of your time.
You can also use a content calendar to plan out promotions, events, and other key dates.






























































































4. Use Automation Tools




























































































Just a few years ago you had to pay for scheduling tools that helped organise your content and save you time and effort.
Social media can be a time-consuming task, especially if you have never done it before, and because each post is going live into the public domain I find quite often people get very anxious about each and every post.
The fact is the algorithms for organic posts are not in your favour today so relax and just enjoy the process!
Thankfully there are great tools available that can help simplify the process.
The best tool for Facebook and Instagram in my opinion is the Facebook Business Suite. It’s a must-have for any small business owner today looking to leverage the power of these amazing platforms to grow their business.
You can also use tools like Canva to create professional-looking graphics without any design experience. By using these tools, you can save time and still maintain an active social media presence.






























































































5. Test And Measure Your Results




























































































Finally, it’s important to measure your social media results so you can see what’s working and what’s not.
Dan Kennedy and Kim Walsh-Phllips have written a book called “No B.S Guide To Direct Social Media Marketing” which is a brilliant introduction to the concept most small business owners miss today which is social media MUST give your business a measurable R.O.I.( return on investment).
Most social media platforms have built-in analytics tools that allow you to see things like engagement, reach, and conversions.
By tracking your results, you can make adjustments to your strategy as needed and ensure that you’re making progress towards your goals.
Your key focus for a successful return on your time and efforts is to find out what works and DO MORE of THAT.




























































































Summary
- Social media can be a powerful tool for small businesses
- It’s important to simplify your approach to avoid overwhelm and burnout.
- By defining your goals and target audience, focusing on the platforms that matter, creating a content calendar, using automation tools, and measuring your results, you can streamline your social media efforts and ultimately grow your business.
- Start with Facebook if you are just getting started, set up the Facebook business suite and remember to go wide with your content strategy.
- A great introduction to our tried and tested Facebook marketing content strategies can be found in The Ultimate Facebook Content Plan for Busy People Ecourse.


































































































