How do I market my small business on social media? Jodine from Social Smarty teaches her membership subscribers to get more confident on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. And I’m picking her brain.
There’s no shortage of Social Media Strategists.
But think about it: What use is a strategy if you don’t have the CONFIDENCE to execute it?
This was Jodine's experience exactly while doing her marketing job. Smart woman, she decided to address it.
These days, Jodine spends her days helping small business owners (Jodine calls them “self-made business owners”) confidently posting on social media.
Admittedly, she’s no stranger to imposter syndrome herself, but on the flip side, she knows exactly how other people feel AND how to handle it.
Her motto: YOU CAN’T GET IT WRONG. 
You’re intelligent. You know your business. You’re already going to networking functions. You know how to tell a story. You just need to get confident about how to do your own social media marketing.
It was a no-brainer to give her the mic.
Good Social Media Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners
Ok, so I confess, while interviewing Jodine, I got slightly carried away.
As you well may know, Social Media is not my natural habitat and Jodine fired back the tips as quick as I could bombard her with questions. There are SOOOOO many things I didn’t know….
I thought her advice would be useful to you too, so I poured her wisdom into 9 good social media marketing tips for non-marketing people like me:
I have one word: GOLDEN!
1. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: Select Platforms Based on Audience
Ask a marketing question and the answer is ‘audience’. Confidently posting on social media is not an exception. It all starts with getting your message out to your people. Answering their question, meeting their needs, speaking their language. As a result, you should get your message out on platforms where your target audience spends their time. Makes sense, right?
For instance, younger audiences might be on Instagram and TikTok, while B2B audiences are more active on LinkedIn. Aotearoa, New Zealand is still very much a Facebook country. Especially Facebook Groups are an excellent marketing ground.
2. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: Insight is $$$
Most platforms (like Instagram and Facebook) have tools to help you understand when your audience is most active and what type of content resonates with them. But also, regularly check performance data and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
3. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: Create Relevant and Engaging Content
Creating content is not as scary and difficult as you think it may be. Jodine recommends starting with baby steps to get you confidently posting on social media in no time. B-Roll and Stock Video are a perfect place to start. If you're not comfortable showing your face on camera, simply use text overlays. What’s best: dry facts or a story? It’s a story any time! Use storytelling techniques to create engaging content, but at the same time, make sure your videos have a clear message. Sophisticated as we may think Social Media has become, it still needs help to understand and to categorize your content for the right audience. That’s where relevant captions and hashtags come in. They are important tools. Contrary to what other Social Media marketing professionals may preach, Jodine says it’s better to get your content out imperfectly, than to wait for the muse to inspire “The Prefect Post”. Because, ultimately, practice makes perfect! I buy that!
4. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: Get Your Timing Right
Back to your audience. Get your content in front of your audience at a time when they are likely to be scrolling. For example, evenings for parents, early mornings for farmers. A scheduling tool is extremely helpful.
5. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: Interact, Comment, Like
How to start social media for small business isn’t just about pumping out the Facebook Ads.
Valuable as creating Social Media posts may be, Jodine stresses we shouldn’t underestimate the power of a simple comment and a like. As little as 10-15 minutes per week per platform of actively engaging with others' content does absolute magic.
Again, Facebook or LinkedIn groups where your target audience hangs out are the bees' knees.
A timer keeps you focussed, Jodine finds.
6. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: YouTube Is Underrated
YouTube is a search engine. As far as good social media marketing tips go, this was quite the revelation to me.
I like YouTube, but I never thought about it as a search engine. But Jodine says we should treat it as such. The Google world is very crowded, but with YouTube, there is still plenty of room to be noticed.
Identify common questions or issues your target audience is searching for and create videos addressing those topics. Optimise your video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords to improve discoverability. Encourage viewers to download a lead magnet or book a session, driving them from YouTube to your email list or direct consultations.
7. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: Relax, It’s Just A Game
Here’s a very handy marketing tip for small business owners who are just starting out on social media.
Taking the lead from TikTok, Facebook and Instagram are no longer just a “Following” game.
These days, both platforms promote high-quality, engaging posts that the algorithm knows speak to your audience in the form of Reels and Shorts without being subscribed to a content creator.
8. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: Recycle Content
There’s no two ways about it: Long-form content requires a bit of work.
The trick is to use it smartly so you can also speak to shorter attention spans. Once created, break down longer content into Shorts, Reels and TikTok posts.
It’s also worth noting that it’s not only easy to repost content, it’s actually a smart thing to do. Think about it: people are busy, people are distracted. Change the image, change the caption, but even that is not really a must. Chances are that at some stage, you’ll catch your audience at a time they are perceptive to your message. Just don’t assume it’ll happen the first time they have their eyeballs on your Social Media post.
9. Social Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners: Believe You Can Do it!
Just start. Keep it simple, but just get going. Create a workflow so you are efficient and on the money. As you boost confidence to do social media for your business, start playing with new ideas.
Do You Need Some Help With That?
Still not brimming with confidence you’re going to nail your social media in the future?
My best advice: talk to Jodine from Social Smarty.
Jodine’s membership program helps with the question, “How do I market my small business on social media?” Because so many small business owners have no idea where to start (me included), but also feel reluctant to admit it.
The membership has three key phases:
1. The Set-up: This phase focuses on getting all the tools and settings in place.
- Setting up the right social media platforms for your business
- Configuring the action buttons for these platforms
- Introducing you to Canva (Jodine’s favorite tool for creating content).
2. Boost Confidence To Do Social Media: Next, it’s your turn. Jodine sets you up with a specific framework that makes sure your content is doing what it is meant to do. (Think templates, hashtags, etc.) There’s a good amount of hand-holding involved until you feel the confidence.
3. Consistency: The final phase is about maintaining and improving social media efforts. Members have access to a supportive Facebook group where they can seek help with any issues, such as potential spam or account problems.
Additionally, Jodine conducts monthly masterclasses to keep members updated on the latest trends and techniques in social media and digital marketing, which also serve as a source of inspiration and motivation.
Also, worth noting: The membership is flexible, allowing members to cancel at any time. There’s a waitlist for those interested in joining when spots become available. Service-based-or e-commerce, the program is suitable for a wide range of business types. Specific resources are provided when necessary.
Jodine's 3 Tips For Other Service-Based Business Owners
I couldn’t miss out on my 3 tips.
As always, when I talk to fellow business owners, I’m interested in hearing their wisdom , the biggest take-aways from their journey. (I mean, is there a better way to learn from each other?)
So here are Jodine’s:
- Know Your Audience. Yep, … Again! Understand their challenges, interests, and needs. Tailor your services and marketing efforts to resonate with them. Use their language and address their specific problems in your marketing to make them feel understood and engaged.
- Challenge The Mindset Of "We've Always Done It This Way"
Change is part of life. Being willing to adapt and evolve gets you ahead in the game. It means stepping out of your comfort zone, which isn’t always easy, but there’s no going forward without it. - Don't Try to Do It All on Your Own
New Zealand brims with talent and whether or not we like to hear it, we can’t be an expert in everything. Trying to do it all ourselves will at best slow down our growth.
Investing in professional help (business coaches, accountants, and marketing experts) is often money spent wisely because it frees up time to grow your business and do what you do best.
So,…How Do I Market My Small Business On Social Media?
Keen to take Jodine up on that help with how to do your own social media marketing? Here’s where you can get in touch with her:
Email: jodine@socialsmarty.co
Website: www.socialsmarty.co
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/socialsmarty.co
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/socialsmarty.co
- LinkedIn: nz.linkedin.com/company/socialsmartyco
- YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/SocialSmartyJodineMcIntyre
