The Ultimate List of Social Media Ideas for Small Businesses

Social media continues to be one of the more effective ways for small business owners to market their company without spending a lot of money, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with new, fresh ideas for social media posts. How can you keep your social media engaging for your current followers while attracting new followers?  We’ve created the ultimate list of social media ideas for small businesses. Use this cheat sheet and your social media presence will thrive.

The Ultimate List of Social Media Ideas

Announce new products or services: Whenever you roll out a new product or service, be sure to share it on social media. Encourage followers to share with others.

Quotes: Post humorous, educational, inspiring or motivational quotes. Keep it consistent with your brand voice.

Polls: Facebook offers built-in polls which can be a great way to get follower feedback. An example might be, “Which is the best social media platform for small businesses?” or “How often do you post a video on Facebook?”

Cross-promote your social channels: Remind your Facebook followers that you’re also on Twitter. Let people on Twitter know you share great photos on Instagram. Just a reminder; you want content on each platform to be different, so people aren’t reading the same content on all your platforms.

Behind-the-scenes photos: People love learning more about the people they do business with. Take candid office or field shots and share.

Industry updates: Share new, relevant industry statistics or articles to show people you’re a subject matter expert.

Post a link to an old blog post: Rewrite old blog posts and share the updated content with your followers.

Questions: Pose simple, basic questions that your followers can answer quickly. An example might be, “Do you feel Snapchat is a relevant platform for small businesses?”

Post a branded image: Create funny or inspirational images with your logo or website URL on it. Use free programs such as Canva.

Ask for reviews or testimonials: The best way to get reviews or testimonials is to ASK!  Remember, the answer is always “no” if you don’t ask, and if people are already following you on your social channels, chances are they’re willing to give you a review or testimonial.

Post a funny meme:  We all could use a laugh, right?  Find or create a meme that will elicit a chuckle from your followers; even better if it’s industry-related.

Share a top 10 list: Have 10 favorite Twitter handles you follow?  Maybe you have a list of great industry tools, or perhaps a vetted reading list. Share it!  People love lists!

Promote your upcoming speaking event:  If you’re going to be presenting at an event, be sure to let your followers know, even if the likelihood of them attending is low. You’re the best promoter for your company, so do it!

Create a share an original video: Views of branded video content have increased 99% on YouTube and 258% on Facebook between 2016 and 2017. On Twitter, a video is 6x more likely to be retweeted than a photo.

Recommend someone else to follow on social media: As small business owners, we’re all in this together, right? Share someone else’s social media profile in your industry and encourage your followers to ‘like’ or follow them.

Share an unlabeled photo and ask for captions:  This is a fun one! Post an image and ask people how they’d caption it.

Share before and after shots:  Does your company provide a product or service that can be showcased through before and after shots?  People love these!

Announce an employee promotion: Did one of your superstar employees get a promotion?  Share it on your social channels!

Share awards or accolades your company has received:  Just won an industry award?  Tell your followers!

How-to video or blog post: Don’t forget, content marketing is about being helpful. Share how-to videos or articles with your fans.

Talk about what you’re reading now:  It can be business-related or personal. Let your audience in on what you’re currently reading or learning.

Post your latest press release on social media:  Even if you’ve already distributed your press release through normal PR channels, be sure to post it on social media too!

Job openings:  You’ve worked hard to tell people how awesome your company is. Now let them in on how they might be a part of the action.

Company events:  Again, people love the behind the scenes intel on a company. Share pictures or videos from company meetings or outings.

Promote your onsite blog:  You’re probably sharing your blogs on your social channels already but remind people to follow your blog on a regular basis and provide a link.

Remind people you’re on YouTube:  If you’re doing video marketing, remind people to subscribe to your video channel.

Recognize a fan or customer: Companies often share a “fan of the month” or showcase a client project. Shine the spotlight on your fans and customers!

Showcase your testimonials:  Whether your reviews and testimonials are on your own site or another site such as Yelp, be sure to brag about all the great things people are saying about you and your company.

Promote your email list:  If you send out a monthly newsletter or a quarterly product update, or monthly industry tips by email, remind people how they’re missing out by not signing up for your email marketing list. Programs like Constant Contact make it easy to share a URL.

Share user-generated content from your fans and followers: Sharing user-generated content is a great way to give your fans and followers a fresh perspective on your brand while building stronger relationships with your customers and leads.

There are SO many ways to leverage social media for you small business. Try these few ideas out and your social media presence will be awesome!