Social Media Marketing for Local Businesses: Proven Strategies to Grow
It’s 2025. We already know how important social media is.
I’m not going to hit you with a million statistics or data points—this is about real insights based on years of experience and keeping my finger on the pulse.
I’ve managed dozens of brands across different verticals, and at the end of the day, the fundamentals of marketing and social media remain constant.
The approach may vary. The nuances may be different. The algorithms will update and change. But at the core, content is king.
Understanding what your audience likes and how to deliver your message in an authentic and engaging way—that’s where the rubber meets the road.
Going viral? Cool. You can show your friends, maybe gain some followers, but if you try too hard, you probably won’t go viral. And if you have five creative directors breathing down the video editor’s neck over every asset, it’s all going to fail.
Social media requires testing and iteration. Staying on-brand is important, but it’s okay to swerve outside your lane sometimes and try something new. That’s the magic of social media.
Focus on Video Content – Vertical & Engaging
Why Video Works
Short-form video content (Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts) dominates social media. These bite-sized clips grab attention quickly and help businesses connect with audiences in a relatable way.
Video Content Ideas for Small Businesses:
Behind-the-Scenes Content – Show how your product is made or what a day in your business looks like.
FAQs – If people keep asking the same questions, answer them in a video. Then convert the transcription into a short blog.
Customer Testimonials – Record happy customers sharing their experiences.
How-To & Educational Videos – Share quick tips or tutorials related to your industry.
Product Demonstrations – Showcase your product’s benefits in a fun and engaging way.
Team Introductions – Humanize your brand by featuring your employees and their stories. This includes office pets. (Everybody loves animals—except the people who don’t, and those would be bad customers anyway.)
Trends – If a certain video style is going viral, capitalize on it. Not every trend, but the ones that are efficient to execute and align with your brand.
Influencer Marketing
Local influencers with a local audience can drive immense value for your business.
In Las Vegas, we have so many talented creators with under 50K followers on TikTok and Instagram. They’re accessible, professional, and won’t break the bank.
Influencers are creators first. Think of them as content creators who happen to be so good at it that they’ve built a following.
Choose the Right Platforms & Stay Consistent
There’s too much debate about platforms, so let me make it easy for you:
Create vertical content with a “TikTok mindset.”
Post that content on TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, and, depending on your audience, LinkedIn or Pinterest.
Yes, vertical video works on all of these.
What about YouTube?
Absofuckinglutely. YouTube is the #2 search engine in the world, so if SEO matters to you, take it seriously. But YouTube is a different beast—it requires a different mindset and strategy.
Consistency is Important—But You Don’t Need to Post Constantly
Most “experts” (who are often just repeating advice from scheduling platforms) will tell you to post at least five times per week. Some even say more.
Here’s the truth: Post when you have something worth sharing.
Unless you’re a pizza place showcasing the $7.99 pizza of the day, no one is sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for your next reel. (Except maybe your marketing team.)
If you need a number, 3-5 times per week is great. 2 is fine too.
Interestingly, if you’re running ads, your organic strategy matters even more. People research before making a financial decision. A dormant social media account could be costing you serious money.
Batching Content? Pace Yourself.
If you create a batch of content, don’t blast it all out at once. My sister does this. She doesn’t listen to me. Every once in a while, my feed is just full of whatever she managed to take pictures of that day. One of these days, I’m going to unfollow her. (Sorry Jess)
If you feel the urge to dump everything at once, use a carousel post instead. Instagram’s algorithm loves carousels, and you’ll likely see a boost in engagement.
Content Calendars Matter. There will be times when you want to post for promos, events, campaigns, or holidays—so plan ahead.
And no, you don’t need to create content for every random national holiday. Most brands do this, and it just fills feeds with obligatory content that nobody cares about. If there’s no story, skip it.
The Bottom Line: Post With Purpose
Don’t post just because you think “more posts = more business.” That’s not how it works.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP) for Local Reach
For brick-and-mortar businesses, Google Business Profile (GBP) is just as important as social media. Honestly, it’s more important for most businesses.
Think about it—when I want pad thai, I Google “Thai food near me.” I don’t search Instagram. Unless they have a marketing budget, their social won’t even find me. But Google will.
GBP Optimization Tips:
Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are correct.
Add high-quality photos of your products, team, and storefront.
Post your social media videos and blogs there too. 😉
Share updates and promotions when relevant.
Encourage customer reviews and respond quickly to all feedback.
Fast response times improve your search ranking and build trust.
Run Ads to Generate Leads & Bookings
Organic social media is tough unless you’re a genius or very lucky. Most of us are neither.
So how do you cut through the noise and get real leads and sales?
Run Ads.
Meta (Facebook & Instagram) Ads and Google Ads should focus on lead generation and bookings, not just brand awareness.
Meta (Facebook/Instagram) finds people for you.
Google Ads show up when people are already looking.
Google Ads often convert better because users are actively searching for something. That means they’re already considering a purchase.
That said, Facebook’s algorithm is scary good at knowing who’s interested in what, and it will find the right people for you.
How to Run Ads Effectively:
Lead Generation Ads – Use Facebook Lead Forms or landing pages to capture customer info.
Click-to-Call Ads – Make it easy for potential customers to call you directly.
Appointment Booking Ads – Send users to your scheduling page.
Special Offers – Promote limited-time deals to drive conversions.
Direct Messages – Check your Facebook and Instagram DMs regularly—or automate responses with a chatbot.
Sales Ads – If you sell products, run direct sales ads. If you need reservations or appointments, focus on lead ads.
And don’t forget to install a pixel.
A pixel is a piece of tracking code that helps Meta’s algorithm learn who your best customers are—so your ads get smarter and more profitable over time.
Before you go down that rabbit hole, you can always book a quick free strategy call. It’s not a sales call, just talking strategy.
ok back to the grind…
Promote Offers & Deals in Your Ads
Promotions can drive leads and sales, but quality matters more than quantity.
Effective Small Business Promotions
Every successful advertising campaign should include a compelling offer:
Professional services: Free audits, PDF checklists, or one-on-one consulting sessions.
Local restaurants: Kids eat free on specific nights, free dessert with an entrée, or a buy-one-get-one drink special.
Plastic surgeons: Bundle packages for Botox and lip fillers at competitive rates.
You can also schedule promos on slower days. If Wednesday nights are slow at your restaurant, offer “Kids Eat Free Wednesdays” or a “Buy One, Get One Half-Off” dinner deal.
Another great example: Many upscale restaurants in Las Vegas run $50 tasting menus or three-course meals. It feels fancy and high-end but remains a great value, and people usually come in groups.
No need to reinvent the wheel—if you’ve had a promotion that worked well in the past, use it again in your ads. If it worked before, chances are it’ll work again.
A Note On Giveaways
Giveaways can generate a lot of engagement on social media, but they don’t always result in high-quality leads. Most people entering just want free stuff—not necessarily what your business offers.
Yes, you’ll reach more people and collect emails or contact info, but many of them won’t convert into paying customers.
In my experience, it’s better to focus on getting the right people to buy than trying to get everyone to like you.
That said, when working with influencers, giveaways can be a fun and engaging way to spark conversations and expand your audience beyond your usual reach.
Leverage User-Generated Content & Influencers
People trust real customers more than ads. Encourage them to share photos, videos, and testimonials about your business.
To start, check if anyone has already tagged your business in a post. If they have, reach out and ask for permission to feature their content. Offer them an incentive if needed, and use that content as your ad.
For industries like restaurants and gyms, user-generated content (UGC) happens naturally—people love flexing on the gram.
For businesses like law firms or accountants, it’s trickier. Rarely are we going to see a group divorce selfie (but when we do it' gets attention).
For professional services, consider working with local influencers, getting on podcasts or hiring skilled content creators, such as videographers. A good videographer can create engaging UGC-style content without the high price tag of a full influencer campaign.
Depending on your city, influencers may be affordable. In Las Vegas, for example, there are tons of micro-influencers who will create content in exchange for a cool experience they can showcase to their audience.
How to Leverage User-Generated Content:
Ask happy customers to tag your business when posting about your product.
Repost user content to build social proof.
Partner with micro-influencers (1k-50k followers) in your niche for authentic promotions.
Get Social: Engage with Your Audience
Social media isn’t just about posting—it’s about starting conversations and building relationships. Engaging with your audience boosts visibility and strengthens brand loyalty.
If you have less than 500,000 followers, you’re not too big to reply to comments, thank people for engaging, and like their posts. This builds a community and keeps people coming back.
You can:
Ask questions in your captions to spark discussions.
Use Instagram Stories polls and surveys to encourage interaction.
Share audience responses to keep engagement going.
Go live to do Q&As or behind-the-scenes content.
The key? Keep social media social. If you want results, don’t just post—engage.
Track Your Performance & Adjust Strategies
If you made it this far, I simultaneously thank you and apologize.
Now, the not-so-fun part—but an important one.
Tracking your results helps you see what’s working and what needs to change.
If you schedule content in advance, your platform likely has built-in analytics. Each social media platform also provides free analytics tools. You don’t have to be a data scientist, but you should keep an eye on:
What posts generate the most engagement
What content gets people talking
What caused a spike (or drop) in followers
What Stories got the most replies, likes, etc
For medium-sized brands, tools like Iconosquare, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social provide in-depth analytics, but they can get expensive quick. The main goal is to keep your finger on the pulse and adjust accordingly.
Key Metrics to Track for Ads:
Leads Generated – How many inquiries or sign-ups are coming from your ads
Booking Conversion Rate – Are ad-driven leads turning into actual customers?
Website Clicks – Are social media posts driving traffic?
Engagement Rate – How many likes, comments, shares, and saves?
For organic social, important metrics include:
Impressions and Views – How many people are seeing your content? (Impressions and Views are the same metric now for Reels)
Video Watch Time – How long are people watching your videos? You can see this on YouTube and TikTok
Follower Growth – A good indicator, but not the only one that matters.
Pro tip: Don’t judge your social media manager only on follower growth. Some accounts grow fast but don’t drive any sales, while others have modest growth but generate high-quality leads and revenue. Look at the quality of your audience.
At the end of the day, social media is all about testing and adapting.
You don’t know what works until you try. The key is listening to your audience and sharing content in a way that feels authentic.
Conclusion: A Smart Social Media Strategy Grows Your Small Business
A well-planned social media marketing strategy can help your small business attract more customers, increase engagement, and boost sales.
By focusing on lead generation, optimizing your Google Business Profile, running targeted paid ads, and building a community, you can maximize your brand’s online presence.
If you’re ready to level up your business’s social media marketing, start implementing these strategies today—and watch your leads and bookings grow.
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