I like to use social media for small businesses by highlighting their craft or process, especially through video. Whether a pastry chef is glazing pastry at dawn or a designer is hand-finishing an item, exposing the effort behind the magic creates appreciation—and interest. People want to know the why and how, not always the end product. TikTok and Instagram Reels have been especially helpful with this. They let you seize a moment in 15 seconds and extend well beyond your own list of followers. I'll often shoot a quick video or time-lapse at a local business, tag them, and add a quick "You have to see this" message. It's not advertising as much as it is storytelling. And for small businesses, that story is generally their strongest asset.
One of my favorite things to do to support small or local businesses on social media is to show up on Instagram Stories and tag the small businesses I love. I don't just share their products. I make sure to talk about the people and what makes them special and how I used or enjoyed the product personally. Stories are more lowkey and real and people love that. I find sharing a post or reel then going into the saved highlight and saving it to a local favorites highlight is powerful. Followers tend to message me about where to buy or how to support. I'll even do a live quick video while I'm in a small business highlighting what they have going on for the week. It's not all full blown promos. It's genuine in the moment, with heart support. I don't always have to post that I own a nursery, just participating in that small business community and paying it forward on my platform is so impactful.
Whenever I want to support a small or local business, I just log in to the Facebook groups that I belong to and re-post their announcements in locations where people are already actively seeking things to do, purchase or attend. This, I can say, is far more effective than liking or sharing it on my own page since these groups have active discussions and members who are willing to participate. Their announcement can be copied and pasted in a group within a few seconds with a brief message, yet this simple move can provide them with dozens of comments and exposure they could never get using their own post. Recently I did this with a local candle shop which had a weekend stall in a market. The initial post had five likes. When I posted it on a community group with about 4,000 members, I received more than 20 requests to know directions and stall hours in the comments section. The owner of the business texted me that she was out of products before 2 PM. Such an outcome is not achieved through algorithms. It is a result of placing the right message in front of already primed people who care. Facebook groups can still do that provided that you are capable of using them.
Tagging the small/local business in a thread asking about the problem they solve. Instead of just posting about them directly, one of my favorite ways to support small businesses is by sharing how they helped me solve a problem and tagging them in threads where people are asking for specific recommendations to a product/service they offer. For example, if someone is asking on LinkedIn or Reddit for a local business that generates good results for design work, or fast turn-around for print on demand, leaving a comment that tags the business or a link to their website/social media as well as a positive feedback or a photo of the results with a short story of how they came through for me under pressure is a super effective way to leave positive feedback that converts.
My favorite way to use social media for local business support is to create 'micro-hype', short, authentic stories or reviews on Instagram and Facebook that make the business feel like a hidden gem. A quick video or story tagging the owner and sharing why I like the place does more than any billboard ever could. It's word-of-mouth, but turbocharged.
Leave a positive review As a small business owner, I know only too well how much impact a positive review has and how potential users actually check reviews to get feedback before making the final decision. When I use a product or service from a small business or local business, I make it my mission to support them by leaving a positive review and sharing my honest feedback in detail to help others see the real impact it had on someone who has tried and tested their product/service. The platform used highly depends on the product/service, but many times, leaving a Google Business review or TrustPilot review makes the most impact as it is quite normal for users to search for the business making it easy for them to find it.
Local Facebook groups for sure. While Facebook as a platform may be decaying, there are still very active local neighborhood/community groups almost everywhere that are super useful and are a great place to get the word out about a local/small business that you like. I will often post about any great experience I have with a local/small business to help them out, as a customer testimonial is always better than the business posting about itself (and in many cases the businesses have no idea these hyper-active community groups even exist).
I use WhatsApp Status Updates in the event that I wish to promote small businesses. Since the update appears at the top of the WhatsApp interface, it is hard to miss. The option works well to deliver a time sensitive offer, news or promotion to a specific group of people in an easy and personal manner. It suits well the businesses that need to spread the word fast without having to depend on other platforms that have high noise and competition. I have used it with a local restaurant offering a weekend deal of purchasing their signature menu items and receiving the second one at no cost. I shared the photo of the dishes, a short description of the offer and sent it to my WhatsApp contacts. Some individuals noticed the update and came to the restaurant during the weekend which directly influenced higher foot traffic and sales.
Many businesses want to emphasize their involvement in the community and this is why our favorite way to support local businesses is through showcasing them on our own social media channels through "featuring" them. There is an old saying that "it's not always about you", yet social media can seem fairly self-serving if all you ever talk about is your own business, and this is why we decided to encompass more in our reach by doing local business features. Including them in our "favorites" list, doing live feeds at their business, or even collaborating in developing and sharing content is a great way to show local businesses that you care. In addition, using Facebook's "Recommend" to tag local businesses, or Next Door's "Neighborhood Favorites" is also highly effective. By showcasing other businesses by "featuring" them on your social media channel posts, you can support local businesses while building goodwill.
A great way to support a local business is when it publishes success stories. A story about the owner is a great way to connect with your audience. Focus on the people behind the brand, not just the products or services. Showcase their journey, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them, and the victories they achieved. Such content inspires trust, inspires, and motivates you to support local businesses. This is easy to do even through LinkedIn. For B2B-oriented businesses, LinkedIn is an ideal platform for creating a professional image. Success story posts here can be supplemented with case studies, partner and customer testimonials, and useful content that highlights the company's expertise. This helps to establish business contacts, find new customers, and form long-term partnerships. The same goes for Instagram. You can even pin a story about the owner to Highlights or make interesting facts every day and thus familiarize your audience.
My favorite way to help small or local businesses on social media is by making genuine and interesting content that shows off what makes their products and services special. I think Instagram works best because it's very visual and has features like Stories, Reels, and hashtags that encourage interaction. Stories are useful for sharing behind-the-scenes looks, special deals, and customer reviews, which help connect with viewers personally. Reels are great for short, creative videos that can display products in action or tell a brand's story, helping to reach more people and get more engagement. Using local hashtags and location tags helps these businesses get noticed by nearby customers, increasing their local visibility. I also recommend that businesses actively chat with their followers by replying to comments and messages, which builds stronger relationships. Overall, Instagram's visual storytelling and interactive features make it an effective way to support and help small businesses grow.
I've been consulting businesses for over 13 years, and I can confidently say that the most underrated channel right now is YouTube. It's easy to promote, works really well, and has a big impact on AI as well. If we're talking about a business like appliance repair or something similar, YouTube fits better than other platforms because it has a high chance of being found exactly at the moment when the customer needs the product or service.
Reddit is one of the most underrated platforms for small and local businesses. It tends to rank high for long-tail keywords, and now it's influencing AI search and LLM visibility too. It's cheap, sustainable, and has real longevity. Unlike most social content that disappears in a day. I've got friends who run local businesses, and this is usually my top advice. Of course, platforms like Instagram or TikTok are great for reach, but Reddit gives you search visibility and trust at the same time. It's especially powerful if you know how to participate without sounding promotional.
X (previously Twitter) is the great option in small business and it can provide the special area of the real time communication. As opposed to the other platforms, X thrives in speedy and open dialogue. Through polls, questions and discussions with customers, business can form a stronger relationship with the audience. Compactness of the platform enables regular and straightforward communication and therefore businesses find it convenient to share updates, respond to questions, and responses to concerns in real time. Another tool that can be exploited by the small business is the use of hashtags. Businesses can target new audiences, people with a similar interest, by engaging in popular discussions or even developing their own branded hashtags. The ease in interacting with other local businesses is also made easier through X and this can be used to foster community relationship. This will be an indication of customer satisfaction and accessibility as customers will feel that their feedback, including positive and negative feedback, is going to be responded to. Such interest will create loyalty and can distinguish a small business among others.
User generated content (UGC) has been one of the most effective ways to build brand trust, whether the UGC is promoting a beloved product, showing how it works or giving an honest review. Even service-based businesses can benefit from UGC, especially if previous clients can record themselves talking about their outcomes from a service, their prior hesitations to covert and/or addressing common FAQ or objections they had.
We are on Facebook all the time because of the conversation along with news. This is how we figure out which of our fellow small businesses are doing what. We absolutely engage in real life and virtually.
If ecommerce use Tik Tok If b2b use LinkedIn it really depends on the demographics of your target audience. If they're not on a platform, you're not gonna make any sales. No matter how good the strategy. So it's important to understand your target audience, so you can understand what platforms they're likely to be on.
We usually work with digital PR and SEO, but I've always thought that local business is underappreciated. Small businesses don't need big, flashy ads; they only need to be seen where it counts. Using Instagram Stories and Tags is my favorite technique to help small businesses. It's quick, easy, and really useful. When I eat at a small restaurant or buy something from a small store, I tag them in a Story with a short note like "Go try this" or "Hidden gem in [location]." That kind of organic shoutout gets to dozens (and occasionally hundreds) of my local followers right away. Google Reviews is another one that doesn't get enough credit. A single lengthy review with pictures can make them easier to find on Maps and in search results. I've had owners call me back simply to say thank you since it really brought in customers. If you genuinely want to help a small business? Don't just hit "like" on their posts. Talk about them. Put a tag on them. Give a review. That is what makes things happen.
I use social media to talk about both my business and other small businesses we love. We're always looking for ways to work together—whether it's through chamber events or just getting to know other local owners and tagging each other online. I like showing off their products when it makes sense, and we've had a lot of success with collaborative giveaways. It's a fun way to grow our local following without spending a ton on ads. Instagram is my favorite. Stories and Reels are a quick way to give someone a shoutout or show a product in action. I've seen how just one share can lead to new customers or even a great connection—and when you're a small business, that kind of support really matters.
One method of promoting small businesses via social platforms that is likely to produce real results is via the use of the Facebook neighborhood groups; however, not based on advertisements, but via third-party natural content. As soon as a person leaves an authentic recommendation within a group such as the Dallas Small Biz Shoutouts and tags the company, that local trust is triggered. I have seen a single casual post of that type generate more than 10 paying customers on a single evening without having to spend even a single penny. No boosted posts, no funnels, so just people speaking to people. This is effective since the business is not the contributor of pitch. It is given by a person who speaks just like a neighbor. In the next case, when the owner comments in his name, not in the brand page, this develops the human level that people react to. It is also a matter of timing. The optimal time to post is between 6 and 8 PM where people are most likely to be carefree and scroll with low resistance. It is realistic and so that is why it works.