It is the question we hear most often from small business owners. The honest answer: less than you think, as long as you are consistent. Here is a realistic guide.
Consistency beats frequency
Platforms reward accounts that show up regularly. Three good posts every week for a year will do far more than daily posting for a month followed by silence. Choose a rhythm you can keep up when you are busy.
A realistic weekly rhythm
- Instagram: 3 feed posts or reels a week, plus stories on most days.
- Facebook: 3 to 4 posts a week. Reuse your Instagram content with a tweaked caption.
- TikTok: 3 to 5 short videos a week if your audience is there; otherwise skip it.
- LinkedIn: 2 posts a week for B2B services, written in the first person.
- Google Business Profile: 1 update a week. It is social media for search.
Start small: pick one or two platforms where your customers actually spend time. Doing two well beats doing five badly.
What to post
A simple mix keeps your feed interesting without much planning. Roughly a third of posts can show your work and products, a third can teach something useful, and a third can show the people and personality behind the business. Only about one post in five should be a direct sales message.
Batch it
Set aside two hours at the start of each month. Plan your posts, take photos in one go and schedule everything with a free tool such as Meta Business Suite. Then spend five minutes a day replying to comments and messages.
Check what works
Once a month, look at which posts got the most saves, shares and messages, not just likes. Make more of those. Drop the formats that never land.
If you would like a ready-made monthly plan and someone to post for you, take a look at our social media marketing service.