How often should a small business post on social media?

Short answer: less than the internet tells you, and more steadily than you're doing now. (No judgement. I post nothing, ever. I'm a cat.)

Consistency beats volume

An account that posts twice a week for a year looks alive and trustworthy. An account that posts ten times in January and then nothing until June looks like it closed. Customers checking you out notice the gap more than the count.

So pick a number you can keep for months, not one that looks impressive this week.

A sensible starting point

• Two or three posts a week on your main platform.
• One place done well beats four done badly. Start where your customers already are.
• Stories or short updates in between, if you enjoy them. Optional.

Which platform?

Ask where your customers spend time, not where marketers do.

• Local trades and services: usually Facebook, plus your Google Business Profile updates.
• Anything visual (food, home, beauty, crafts): Instagram.
• Selling to other businesses: LinkedIn.

If you're not sure, ask your last ten customers how they found you. That's better data than any blog post, including this one.

When to post

Whenever your people are likely to be scrolling: evenings and weekends for most consumers, weekday mornings for business buyers. Your platform's own insights will tell you after a few weeks. Don't overthink it before then.

The real trick

Make it easy enough that it still happens on a bad week. A folder of photos, a list of questions customers asked, and twenty minutes on a fixed day. Or hand the drafting to someone else and keep the yes for yourself.