Stop Trying to Be Everywhere

I recently spoke with a therapy center owner who was convinced she needed to start posting on TikTok because "Google says SEO is based on that now." She was dreading it—imagining herself dancing in front of a camera to promote mental health services. The whole thing felt so wrong to her, but she thought it was required for her business to be found online. Where, this might actually be true, she's dropping the ball on other platforms (including the blog she runs itself) because of some hypothetical her agency threw at her.

"Should I be on TikTok? What about LinkedIn? How often should I post?" These are the questions that keep small business owners up at night. But here's the thing—the answer isn't hiding in some algorithm update or marketing trend. It's hiding in plain sight with your customers.

More often than not, being everywhere means being nowhere

I get it. FOMO is real. You hear that TikTok is the new SEO goldmine or see competitors posting on every platform and panic that you're missing out. But here's what I've learned: being everywhere usually means being effective nowhere.

That therapy center owner? We talked through where her clients actually discover mental health resources. Turns out, most come through Google searches, local referrals, and community Facebook groups—not TikTok dances. She's doing great focusing on those channels instead.

The "Where Would I Hang Out?" Test

Put yourself in your customer's shoes for a minute. If you needed what your business offers, where would you actually look? Not where you think you should look—where would you honestly spend your time?

If you're selling accounting software, you're probably not going to find CFOs scrolling TikTok during their lunch break. They're more likely networking on LinkedIn or reading industry forums. But if you're a fitness coach targeting college students? TikTok might be exactly where they discover new workout trends.

I learned this lesson the hard way with a plumbing client who insisted on posting motivational quotes on LinkedIn. Spoiler alert: homeowners with burst pipes don't go to LinkedIn for emergency help. Facebook local groups and Google searches? Absolutely.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Customer Research

Here's something most business owners don't want to hear: you probably don't know your customers as well as you think you do. I thought I knew mine until I started actually asking them questions. Turns out, my assumptions were way off.

Get Off the Internet (Seriously)

I know, I know. We're talking about social media strategy, and I'm telling you to get offline. But hear me out. The best insights about where your customers spend their digital time comes from... talking to them in real life.

A marketing executive I know recently exclaimed, "why aren't there any web designers that actually start a project, understand my vision, and then complete it correctly?" The problem wasn't so obvious to me, you know. I thought, or I assumed, rather, that the problem a web designer is solving is building the actual site. But you can't forget that you're actually battling up against how your business is generally perceived in the general market.

That can most certainly be affected by what type of work it is you do along with where you live. Every locale is going to have a different flavor of how the various cross sections do business in that area. I was surprised to hear about a local web developer who got his last 3+ gigs just by going to local City of Commerce events and chatting it up with people who needed a website or, in some cases, AI solutions that were not in the cloud as the lawyers in our area (and one would assume (or hope) in all areas) so the website building turned into creative AI infrastructure building and now he's already moving on towards building and crafting custom models for these agencies to run offline.

Call your best customers. Go to where they gather in person. Ask them flat out: "When you need to solve [problem your business solves], what's the first thing you do?" You might be surprised by their answers.

Stop Selling and Start Helping

This one's hard for business owners. You've got bills to pay and products to move. But constantly promoting yourself on social media is like being that person at a party who only talks about themselves—people start avoiding you.

The Magic of "Me Too" Moments

Instead of posting "Our software saves you 5 hours per week!" try something like "Anyone else lose sleep over client invoices that went missing in email threads? Just me? Cool, cool..."

See the difference? The first one screams "BUY MY THING!" The second one makes people think "Oh god, yes, that's exactly my problem too."

When someone sees that you actually understand their daily frustrations, they start paying attention. And when they're ready to solve that problem? Guess who they're going to remember.

The Posting Frequency Trap

"How often should I post?" is the wrong question. The right question is "How often can I post something genuinely useful without burning out?"

Your Sanity > Algorithm Optimization

I've watched too many business owners turn into content creation machines, pumping out daily posts just to "feed the algorithm." Six months later, they're exhausted and resentful of social media entirely.

A friend of mine runs a fantastic landscaping business. He posts maybe twice a week—but every post is gold. Beautiful before/after photos with honest stories about challenging projects. His posts get more engagement than businesses posting daily because people actually want to see what he shares.

The Platform Reality Check

Every platform has its own vibe, and yes, some reward more frequent posting. TikTok loves daily content, but if you're a B2B consultant, forcing yourself to make daily TikToks might be a special kind of torture.

LinkedIn works great with 2-3 thoughtful posts per week. Instagram appreciates regular content but won't punish you for posting 3 times a week instead of daily. Twitter moves fast, so more frequent posting helps, but only if you have things worth saying.

The key? Pick a frequency you can actually maintain without wanting to throw your phone across the room.

Show Up Consistently (Even When You Don't Want To)

This might be the most important part: consistency beats perfection. I'd rather see you post something decent twice a week for six months than watch you burn bright with daily posts for three weeks before disappearing.

Your audience starts to expect you. They look forward to your content. That only happens when you show up regularly, not when you post sporadically in bursts of motivation.

Metrics That Actually Matter

Forget follower counts. I know businesses with 500 engaged followers who make more money than those with 50K silent ones.

Pay attention to the conversations instead. Are people commenting with real questions? Are you getting DMs from potential customers? Is your content sparking actual discussions? That's the stuff that pays the bills.

Start Embarrassingly Small

Pick one platform. One. I don't care if your competitor is on five platforms—you're not your competitor. Master one platform before you even think about expanding.

When you're ready to grow (and only when you're ready), document what's working. Create templates for the content that performs well. But don't rush it. I've seen too many businesses dilute their success by expanding too quickly.

Here's What I Really Want You to Remember

Social media for small businesses isn't about following some perfect formula. It's about being genuinely helpful to real people who have real problems that your business can solve.

Start by actually talking to your customers. Pick one platform where they hang out. Post useful stuff consistently. Stop selling and start solving problems. Measure conversations, not vanity metrics.

That's it. That's the strategy.

Will it take longer than buying some course promising "10K followers in 30 days"? Yes. Will it actually help you build a sustainable business? Also yes.

Your social media strategy should be as unique as your business because your business is unique. There's no one else exactly like you, serving exactly your customers, with exactly your perspective. That's your competitive advantage—use it.