Social Media Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs in 2024

An entrepreneur once told me she spent 20 hours weekly on social media—posting daily, engaging with comments, trying every new feature. Her follower count grew steadily. Engagement looked decent. But actual business? Maybe one customer every two months from social.

She was exhausted. And the return on that time investment was terrible—roughly 10 hours per customer acquired.

The problem wasn't effort. It was strategy. She was optimizing for followers and likes—vanity metrics that don't pay bills. When we refocused her social media on business objectives, she cut time to 5 hours weekly while tripling customer acquisition.

Social media works for business, but not how most entrepreneurs use it.

Choose Platforms Strategically

You don't need to be everywhere. Being strategic on one platform beats being mediocre on five.

Match Platform to Audience

Where do your potential customers spend time?

• B2B services: LinkedIn
• Visual products (fashion, food, design): Instagram, Pinterest
• Local services: Facebook, Instagram
• Young demographics (Gen Z): TikTok, Instagram
• Professional content, thought leadership: LinkedIn, Twitter/X

That entrepreneur was on five platforms posting generic content everywhere. Her ideal customers—small business owners needing financial services—were primarily on LinkedIn. She focused there exclusively. Same content effort, concentrated impact.

Content That Drives Business

Entertainment and engagement are nice, but business results require strategic content.

Educational Content Showcasing Expertise

Teach your audience something valuable related to what you sell. This builds authority while attracting customers actively interested in your domain.

A plumber posting "3 Signs Your Water Heater Needs Replacement" attracts homeowners thinking about water heaters—exactly when they might need a plumber.

An accountant sharing "Tax Deductions Small Businesses Miss" attracts business owners thinking about taxes—exactly when they might need an accountant.

Educational content serves double duty: it's helpful (so people engage and share), and it attracts in-market customers.

Case Studies and Results

Show what you've accomplished for customers. Real results are more convincing than any sales pitch.

"Helped Sarah's bakery reduce food costs 23% through inventory optimization" with a brief story is powerful social proof.

Behind-the-Scenes Process

People are curious how things work. Showing your process builds transparency and trust.

A furniture maker posting videos of craftsmanship—selecting wood, shaping joints, finishing—builds appreciation for quality and justifies premium pricing.

Customer Testimonials and Stories

Let satisfied customers tell your story. This is third-party validation, more credible than self-promotion.

Consistency Over Perfection

Posting consistently matters more than perfecting each post. Algorithms favor consistent accounts. Audiences expect regular content from accounts they follow.

Sustainable Posting Schedule

Choose frequency you can maintain indefinitely. Better to post 3x weekly consistently than daily for two weeks then nothing for a month.

For most small businesses: 3-5 posts weekly is sufficient. Daily is great if sustainable. Less than 2x weekly makes it hard to stay visible.

Batch Content Creation

Create multiple posts in one session. That entrepreneur was creating content daily, which felt overwhelming. She switched to batching—every Sunday, she created the week's content. Total time: 2 hours instead of 30 minutes scattered daily (which actually added up to more due to context-switching).

Use scheduling tools (Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, Meta Business Suite) to publish automatically. Create content when you're focused, publish consistently without daily effort.

Engagement Drives Reach

Social platforms prioritize content that generates engagement. More engagement = more reach = more visibility = more potential customers.

Ask Questions

Posts ending with questions generate more comments than statements. "What's your biggest challenge with [topic]?" invites response.

Respond to Every Comment

When people comment, reply. This signals activity, increases engagement metrics, and builds relationships.

That entrepreneur wasn't responding to comments within first few hours. By the time she replied (sometimes days later), the engagement window had closed. She started replying within 1-2 hours. Engagement per post doubled because the algorithm saw activity and boosted reach.

Start Conversations

Comment meaningfully on others' posts—particularly potential customers and referral partners. This isn't spamming; it's genuine engagement that builds visibility and relationships.

Convert Followers to Customers

Followers don't pay bills. Customers do. Social media's business value is converting audience into revenue.

Clear Call-to-Actions

Tell people what to do next. "Link in bio for free consultation booking." "DM me to discuss your project." "Download the guide at [link]."

Without CTAs, people consume content but take no action. Make the next step obvious and easy.

Drive Traffic Off Platform

Social platforms are discovery channels, not conversion channels. Move interested people to your website, email list, booking system.

Use link in bio effectively. For multiple links, use tools like Linktree or create a dedicated landing page.

Direct Messages for Sales

DMs are where sales happen on social. When people comment or message with interest, respond promptly and conversationally. Don't pitch immediately—understand their needs first, then offer relevant help.

Paid Social Advertising

Organic reach on platforms like Facebook and Instagram is increasingly limited. Paid advertising expands reach to cold audiences.

Start Small

Test with $10-20 daily. Learn what works before scaling budget.

Target Precisely

The narrower your targeting, the better. Broad targeting wastes money reaching uninterested people.

Target by location, demographics, interests, behaviors. For local businesses, geographic targeting is crucial.

Retargeting

People who visited your website or engaged with your social content are warmer leads. Retargeting ads to these audiences convert better than cold traffic. Install platform pixels on your website to enable retargeting.

Platform-Specific Tips

Instagram

• Use all content types: feed posts, stories, reels. Reels get disproportionate reach currently.
• Hashtags still work—use 10-15 relevant ones, mix popular and niche
• Stories expire but keep engaged audience connected daily
• Profile bio and link are prime real estate—optimize them

Facebook

• Groups build community better than pages
• Video outperforms images in feed
• Local business features (reviews, messaging, events) drive foot traffic
• Facebook ads platform is powerful for targeting local customers

LinkedIn

• Long-form posts perform well—don't be afraid of 500+ word posts
• Personal profiles reach better than company pages
• Professional insights and industry commentary generate engagement
• Document your work and share lessons learned

TikTok

• Authenticity over production quality
• Educational and entertaining content works best
• Trends spread fast—participate in relevant ones
• Short attention spans—hook viewers immediately

Analytics and Optimization

Track metrics that matter for business:

Vanity Metrics (Don't Obsess)

• Followers
• Likes
• Impressions

Business Metrics (Actually Important)

• Link clicks to your website
• Message inquiries
• Conversions tracked from social
• Customer acquisition cost from social ads

Review platform analytics monthly. What content performed best? What drove traffic? What generated leads? Do more of what works.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Posting Without Strategy

Random content doesn't build business. Every post should serve a purpose: educate, build authority, generate leads, nurture relationships.

Ignoring Comments and Messages

Social media is social. Ignoring engagement is like ignoring customers who walk into your store.

Only Promotional Content

Constant selling turns people off. Follow 80/20 rule: 80% valuable/educational/entertaining content, 20% promotional.

Buying Followers

Fake followers hurt engagement rates (algorithm notices), provide zero business value, and damage credibility when discovered.

Spreading Too Thin

One platform done well beats five done poorly. Concentrate effort where your customers are.

Time Management

Social media can consume unlimited time if you let it. Set boundaries:

• Batch create content weekly
• Schedule posts in advance
• Set specific times for engagement (e.g., 15 minutes twice daily)
• Use tools to streamline (scheduling, analytics, link management)
• Don't mindlessly scroll—stay focused on business objectives

That entrepreneur's transformation came from treating social media as business tool, not entertainment. Five focused hours weekly generated better results than 20 hours of unfocused activity.

Building Real Relationships

Social media's ultimate value isn't broadcasting—it's connecting. Use it to build genuine relationships with customers, partners, and community.

Reply thoughtfully to comments. Have real conversations in DMs. Support others' content. Show up as human, not brand.

Those relationships become referrals, partnerships, loyal customers, and advocates. That's where social media's true business value lies.

Get Strategic Help with Social Media

Social media marketing can feel overwhelming, especially while running a business. Our digital marketing workshops help Vancouver entrepreneurs develop focused social media strategies that drive actual business results.

Get in touch to discuss your social media strategy.