Every business that posts on social media eventually hits the wall. You open the app, stare at the empty box, and the only thing you can think of is another “we’re open, come and see us” post. You know nobody will engage with it. You post it anyway.
The fix isn’t more inspiration. It’s a list you can come back to. Here are twelve ideas that work for almost any business, none of which is a sales pitch.
Key points
- Most good posts do one of four things: help, teach, show or celebrate.
- Your customers’ questions are the best source of post ideas you’ll ever have.
- Behind-the-scenes content works because people like seeing how things are made and who makes them.
- Keep a running list of ideas, so you never start from a blank page.
Posts that help
1. Answer a question you get all the time
If three customers asked it this month, hundreds more are wondering. Write the answer as a short post, a carousel or a quick video. It’s useful, it shows you know your stuff, and it saves you answering it again.
2. Bust a myth in your industry
Every field has something people believe that isn’t quite true. Set the record straight in a friendly way. These posts often get shared because they make the reader feel a little smarter.
3. Share a quick tip
Something your customers can use today, without buying anything from you. A hairdresser’s tip for making a blow-dry last, an accountant’s reminder about a deadline, a gardener’s advice for the first frost.
Posts that show
4. Show the process
Before and after. Sketch to final design. Raw ingredients to finished dish. People love seeing how things come together, and it makes the skill behind your work visible.
5. Take people behind the scenes
The workshop, the kitchen, the studio, the van at 6am. The unglamorous parts are often the most interesting to people who never see them.
6. Introduce someone on the team
A photo, their role and one thing people wouldn’t guess about them. Customers buy from people, and this is the easiest way to show there are real ones behind your logo.
7. Show your tools or your setup
What’s on your desk, in your kit bag, on your workbench? This works surprisingly well, especially in creative and trade businesses.
People don’t follow businesses to be sold to. They follow them to learn something, see something or feel something.
Posts that teach
8. Share a lesson you learned the hard way
A mistake you made, and what you do differently now. Honesty like this builds trust faster than any polished advert.
9. Explain a term your customers don’t understand
Every industry has jargon. Pick one word and explain it in plain language. These are perfect as a regular series.
10. Turn an article into a short series
If you have a blog post, break it into three or four smaller posts, one idea each. Our guide on turning one blog post into a week of social posts shows exactly how.
Posts that celebrate
11. Celebrate a customer
With their permission, share a project you did together, thank them for their business or show how they’re using what you made. It makes them feel good, and it shows others what working with you looks like.
12. Mark a milestone
An anniversary, a new team member, a move, a hundredth order. Keep it short and grateful rather than boastful.
Keep an ideas list
The most useful habit is the simplest: keep a running note on your phone. Every time a customer asks a question, something funny happens at work or you finish a project you’re proud of, write it down. When it’s time to post, you won’t be starting from nothing.
Questions people also ask
How many of my posts should be promotional?
There’s no fixed rule, but most of your posts should be useful or interesting in their own right. If every post is asking for something, people stop listening.
Do I need to show my face?
It helps, because people connect with people. But it isn’t essential. Your hands at work, your team, your space and your customers can all carry the human side.
What if nobody engages with my posts?
Give it time and look for patterns. Note which posts get any response at all and make more of those. Replying to comments and engaging with other accounts in your area also helps more people see you.