Where to start with social media marketing: A beginner’s guide for creative business owners

Social media can feel like both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it’s a free way to reach unlimited numbers of people. On the other, it can be completely overwhelming — hashtags, reels, algorithms, engagement rates… the list goes on and on!

It might feel like you’re the only person in the world trying to get your head round all of this, but you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t need to be everywhere or do everything.

In this blog I’ll take you through where to start with social media marketing — step-by-step, so you can show off your business confidently and with purpose.

Start with “why”

Before you start, ask yourself: Why am I using social media for my business?

There’s a whole host of reasons why:

• To build brand awareness
• To attract new customers and generate leads
• To drive traffic to your website
• To build a community
• To educate or inspire your audience

Just make sure you don’t fall into the trap of “because everyone else is”!

This will shape what you post, where you post, and how often you post. Without it, you’ll end up posting random content and wondering why it’s not working.

Know your audience

One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make is trying to appeal to everyone.

The result? Appealing to nobody. Instead, get specific. Ask yourself:

• Who are my ideal customers?
• What are they struggling with?
• What do they love?
• What kind of content do they already engage with?

Once you know your audience, you can speak directly to them in your posts.

Pick one or two platforms

Focus on one or two platforms where your audience spends the most time and where you feel most comfortable. For many creative businesses, this might be:

• Instagram – great if you have a visual or photogenic brand such as artists, florists or makers
• Facebook – perfect for building a community and reaching local potential customers
• Pinterest – used heavily by product-based businesses, especially in interiors, fashion, or weddings
• LinkedIn – best for business to business (B2B) or professional service-based businesses

Choose quality over quantity. It’s better to be consistent and intentional on one platform than scatter yourself thinly across several. You’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram, with a smaller presence on Linkedin.

Previously I’ve had a Facebook group, but for me this just didn’t work so I decided to stop this. I’ve thought about Pinterest but I’d only be doing it because everyone else is!

When you’ve picked which platform you’re going to start with, how about getting my guide to getting started?

Build a distinctive brand look and feel

Your social media is an extension of your brand. That means:

• Use consistent colours, fonts and tone of voice
• Choose images and graphics that reflects your brand values and vibe
• Keep your profile photo, bio and links up-to-date

A great place to start for this is Canva, and I have just the thing for you – I create sets of templates that are bespoke to your business, beautifully branded and easy to use and replicate, over and over again!

I could go on and on about things to think about when you’re first setting out on your social media journey but I don’t want you to feel any more overwhelmed than you may already do! To continue the chat, how about a 1-1 power hour or an audit of where you’re up to now? You can read about both of these services here, and we can talk all things content, connections and captions.