Word of mouth built your business. Someone has a great experience, tells their mates, those mates become customers. It's how local businesses have always grown.
But word of mouth moved online years ago.
Your customers should already be talking about you on social media. They're posting photos, tagging businesses, sharing recommendations with hundreds of people in their network. If you're not there, you're invisible in those conversations. And that costs you.
Most local businesses understand your social media presence matters. They're just not sure why it matters or where to start. And with so many social media platforms out there, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.
It's not about posting three times a day or becoming an influencer. It's about three things: being there when customers want to share, building brand awareness before first contact, and showing who you are so the right customers find you.
Your visibility online directly impacts how many people discover your business. We work with local businesses every day who are either crushing it on social media or leaving money on the table.
Here's the difference.
It comes down to having a clear plan and understanding your business goals before you start posting.
Social Media is Modern Word of Mouth
Word of mouth built most local businesses. Someone has a good experience, tells their mates, and those mates become customers. That personal recommendation beats any ad or marketing campaign you could run.
Social media didn't replace this. It amplified it.
When someone posts about your business, they're not telling one person. They're broadcasting to their entire network. And that post stays online. It's searchable, shareable and persistent. In a world where attention is fragmented across dozens of platforms, this organic reach is gold.
A customer posts and their friends see it. Some check you out and a few even become new customers. Then those customers post and it keeps going.
This kind of organic growth compounds over time. Every interaction, from likes, comments to shares, extends your reach further. That's the influence of social proof working for you.
But only if you're there to be tagged.
When You're Not There
Let's walk through what actually happens.
Someone loves their meal at your restaurant. They photograph it, open Instagram, and if you've got a profile, they tag you. That tag shows up on your page. Everyone who follows them sees it. Their followers and friends tap the tag and land on your profile where they see your menu, other customers' photos, and enough proof to decide to visit.
One post. Dozens of potential customers. And at zero cost.
If you're not on social media, they can't tag you. They might post the photo anyway, but there's no link back. Their friends ask "where's this?" in the comments. By the time they reply, the moment's gone. Most won't bother tracking you down.
You just lost all those potential customers.
This happens daily. Customers want to recommend you. If you're not there, you can't benefit.
Think about it from their side. They've been to three cafés this month. Two are on Instagram, one isn't. When they share their coffee routine, which businesses are they tagging? The ones they can actually tag.
Word of mouth still happens, but the businesses showing up in those conversations are the ones with a presence online. Social media isn't just about broadcasting, it's about networking at scale. Every tag, share, and mention creates new connections between your business and potential customers.
You might do great work. But if people can't see that online, you're fighting uphill.
Trust Gets Built Before First Contact
People research before they buy, before they call, and before they visit.
They'll check your website. And they'll absolutely look at your social media.
What they find shapes their first impression. An active presence signals you're current and professional. An inactive or missing presence raises questions.
Trust builds before you ever speak to them.
How Customers Vet You
Say you need a real estate agent. You get a recommendation or find someone on Google. What's your next move?
Most people check the agent's website and social media. They want to see recent sales, testimonials, how they present properties.
You find Agency A on Instagram. They have recent posts showing sold properties, happy clients, market updates. They're clearly active and know their stuff.
Agency B's last post was eight months ago. Or they're not on social media at all.
Who are you calling?
Agency B might actually be better, with more experience and better results. But you'll never find out because they got skipped during research.
This plays out everywhere. Tradies, cafés, professional services. People vet you online before making contact. If you're not there, they're making assumptions. Those assumptions usually aren't good.
Your competitor might not be better than you. But if potential customers can see their work and can't see yours, your competitor wins. That's brand awareness working against you instead of for you.
What Your Presence Says
Your social media sends a message whether you want it to or not. It shapes how your brand is perceived.
- Active presence: You're current, engaged, professional.
- Inactive presence: Worse than nothing. Last post from a year ago suggests you're struggling or don't care about details.
- No presence: Makes people wonder if you're behind the times or even still operating. In 2025, not being on social media is unusual enough to create doubt.
Customers aren't expecting agency-level content. They want to see you're active and do good work. A few posts a month showing your work or team is enough.
This is branding in its simplest form. Showing up consistently so people remember you.
Show Your Personality and Values
People buy from businesses they relate to. Especially with local businesses where community matters.
Social media lets you show who you are beyond what you sell. It's not just about your product or service. Potential customers see your personality, values, and approach. When they see themselves reflected in your business, they're more likely to choose you.
Small businesses have an advantage here. You can be authentic in ways big companies can't. You can show the humans behind the business.
People Choose People Like Them
There's a simple principle: we're drawn to people who share our values and worldview.
The same applies to businesses. Understanding your target audience means knowing what they care about.
An environmentally conscious café posting about sustainability and local sourcing attracts customers who care about those things. A family business showcasing their values attracts customers who prioritise family.
This matters more for local businesses because you're serving a specific community. You're not appealing to everyone. You're connecting with people in your area who'll become loyal customers based on shared interests and values.
Three electricians in your area. All qualified, good reviews, similar rates. What makes someone choose one?
Often it is about connection. One posts about their team, shows work, shares homeowner tips, demonstrates their customer service approach. Another just posts promos. The third isn't online.
The first wins because customers feel like they know them. That's effective social media marketing without spending a cent on ads.
As Pat McKeering, our paid ad strategist, puts it:
"People wanna be able to engage with businesses that relate to them. And that's a great opportunity to show your personality and your values and your opinions so that others have that opportunity to engage with you in that way."
Standing Out in a Crowded Market
Most markets are packed. Multiple businesses offer similar services at similar prices. Look at what your competitors are doing, but don't just copy them.
What makes you memorable? Your personality.
The stories you tell, how you approach work, your perspective. These make you different when everything else looks the same.
For example, a café posting about their suppliers, introducing baristas, sharing their blend's story becomes more than another coffee shop. A physio sharing exercise tips and explaining injuries in plain language becomes the obvious choice.
This is long game stuff. Someone sees your content over weeks and months. Familiarity builds. When they need your service, you're top of mind. Not because you advertised, but because they feel like they know you.
Where to Start
You don't need to be everywhere or post constantly. Start with basics.
Be Present and Claimable
Make yourself tag-able and searchable.
Set up profiles on Facebook and Instagram, and ensure you complete them fully. Business name, address, phone, hours, website, clear description of what you do.
Keep your information consistent across all platforms. Same business name, contact details, and website link everywhere. Add a profile photo (usually your logo) and a cover photo that represents your business.
Nothing fancy required, just clear and relevant.
The goal is simple: exist on these platforms so customers can find you and tag you. Get your profiles set up this week, even if you don't post anything for a few days. At least you'll be there when customers come looking.
Pick Your Platforms
You don't need every platform. Just the ones your customers use. Different audiences hang out in different places, and your content strategies should match the platform.
Facebook is still the largest platform in Australia and works well for local businesses. It's where people join community groups, find local events, and connect with businesses in their area.
Your customers over 35 are definitely here. Most local businesses should have a Facebook presence.
Instagram is built for visual content, which makes it perfect if you're in hospitality, retail, beauty, fitness, or any business where showing your work matters.
Your younger customers (18-45) spend time here scrolling through photos and videos. If what you do looks good, Instagram's worth your time.
LinkedIn makes sense if you're targeting other businesses or professionals. Accountants, consultants, B2B service providers. If that's your business, this is your platform. But if you're selling directly to consumers, LinkedIn probably isn't where you need to be.
TikTok
TikTok has exploded in recent years and shouldn't be ignored if your target audience is under 35. Short-form video content performs incredibly well here. But it requires a different approach—more casual, more entertaining, more trend-aware. If you can commit to the content style, it's worth testing.
Google Business Profile
GBP isn't technically social media, but it's more important than any social platform for local businesses. When someone searches for your type of business in your area, this is what shows up. Claim and optimise it before you do anything else.
Start with one or two platforms and actually maintain them. Doing Facebook and Instagram properly beats having accounts on five platforms that you never update.
Content That Enables Sharing
Post content that makes it easy for customers to share experiences and for potential customers to understand what you offer.
Visual content works best across all platforms, such as photos and short videos consistently get the most engagement.Plus, the video doesn't need to be professionally produced. Your phone camera is more than good enough.
Simple Mix That Works:
Customer Testimonials
Share positive feedback, tag customers who gave permission, and show results. This builds trust faster than anything you could say about yourself.
Behind The Scenes
Show your team, your process, prep work, and what goes into your service. People connect with people, not faceless brands.
Helpful Content
Talk about tips and common questions related to your industry. A plumber shares maintenance tips, or a café posts brewing advice.
Work Showcases
Service businesses show completed projects. Retailers showcase products. Hospitality posts menu items and atmosphere.
Community Involvement
Sponsorships, local events, causes you support. Show you're part of the community, not just operating in it.
Consistency Beats Perfection
Regular posts matter more than occasional perfect ones. Customers want to see you're active, not that you're a content expert.
Encourage Customers To Tag You
Repost their content (with permission). Engage when they mention you. Respond to comments, even simple ones. It all builds connection.
Do this week:
- Claim profiles on Facebook and Instagram
- Complete them fully
- Post something (even simple)
- Respond to existing tags or reviews
Using Tools and Data to Work Smarter
You don't need expensive tools to manage social media, but a few free resources make life easier.
Most platforms have built-in scheduling. Facebook and Instagram let you schedule posts through Meta Business Suite. This means you can batch-create content and schedule it out, rather than scrambling daily.
Check your platform insights regularly. They show which posts get engagement, what time your audience is active, and what content performs best. You don't need to obsess over data, but glancing at it monthly helps you understand what's working. Track basic performance metrics like reach, engagement, and profile visits. You're not looking for perfect ROI calculations here, you're looking for patterns.
Some businesses are experimenting with AI tools to help with content ideas or caption writing. They can be useful for brainstorming, but don't let them write everything. Your voice needs to stay authentic.
Simple Free Tools Worth Using:
- Canva for basic graphics
- Your phone camera for photos and video
- Platform scheduling (Meta Business Suite for Facebook/Instagram)
- Platform analytics for insights
Don't overcomplicate it. The best tool is consistency.
Mistakes to Avoid
Setting Up Then Abandoning Accounts
This is worse than no presence. When your last post was nine months ago, people assume you're struggling, and your brand looks neglected.
If you create accounts, maintain them. This doesn't mean daily posts. Just a few times a month to show you're active.
Can't maintain it right now? Wait until you can. Active on one platform beats inactive on three.
Being Invisible When Customers Want To Tag You
Customers want to recommend you. If you're not there, you miss it. And you miss the potential traffic to your profile and website.
Monitor tags and mentions, and when someone tags you, respond, engage and say thank you. This encourages more tagging. Direct messages matter too, so ensure you respond to enquiries quickly.
Make yourself easy to find. Include your name in your bio and ensure your location is set correctly.
Only Posting Promotions
Social media is social, not free advertising. Every post saying "buy this" makes people tune out. Think of it like running campaigns that only ask and never give. People switch off.
80/20 rule: 80% of content provides value, entertainment, connection. 20% promotional. Value builds the relationship. Promos convert when people are ready. When you do promote, you'll see a better conversion because you've already built trust.
Ignoring Personality
Generic corporate content makes you interchangeable and frankly misses the point entirely. The most successful brands on social media are the ones that sound human.
Show who you are, share your perspective, and let personality through. Talk about what matters to you. Customers who don't connect weren't your ideal customers anyway. The ones who do become loyal.
Ignoring Trends Completely
You don't need to jump on every trend, but paying attention to what's working helps. If everyone in your industry is finding success with a certain content format, there's probably a reason. Don't blindly follow, but don't ignore what's working either.
DIY or Get Help?
Depends on your situation and what success looks like for you.
DIY Works When:
- You're starting out and learning
- You have time (5-10 hours weekly)
- You enjoy creating content
- Budget's limited and you'll learn
- You want full control over your brand voice
Get Help When:
- You can't commit consistently
- You tried DIY without results
- You need strategy, not just execution
- You'd rather focus on running your business
- You need content creation or production
Hybrid: You create content (you know your business best), while a professional manages scheduling, strategy, and channel management.
Quick test:
- Can I commit 5-10 hours weekly?
- Do I enjoy social media?
- Do I understand what works on each platform?
- Am I seeing results and growing my audience?
Mostly no? Professional help might be worth it.
But understanding strategy helps either way. Even if you outsource, knowing the why gets better results.
Just Start
Social media for local businesses is three things:
- Word-of-mouth amplification. Be there so customers can tag you and share experiences with hundreds instead of a handful.
- Trust building. Show up consistently so potential customers can vet you before contact.
- Personality showcase. Let people see who you are. Connect with customers who share your values.
You don't need to be everywhere. You don't need perfect content. You don't need to be an influencer.
Be present. Be consistent. Be real.
Claim your profiles, complete them, post something, and make yourself tag-able. The businesses winning on social media aren't the ones with big budgets or fancy content. They show up consistently and make it easy for customers to share and connect.
If you're an Australian business wanting to build proper social media strategy, we're here. We work with local businesses on strategies that fit your goals and reality. No fluff.