Content Ideas for Small Businesses: What to Post Online

Key Takeaways

• Behind-the-scenes content builds trust and shows the human side of your business

• Educational posts position you as an expert without being salesy

• Customer stories and testimonials provide social proof that drives purchases

• Quick tips and how-tos keep your audience engaged and coming back

• Mixing content types (photos, videos, text) prevents your feed from feeling repetitive

• Consistency matters more than perfection when building an online presence

Content Ideas for Small Businesses to Post Online

Finding content ideas for small businesses doesn't need to be complicated. Let's talk about what you should actually be posting online. Not the polished corporate stuff you see from big brands, the real, practical content that gets people interested in what you do without needing a massive budget or a professional camera crew.

Behind-the-Scenes Small Business Content That Works

People love seeing what happens behind closed doors. Show them how you make your products, pack orders, or set up for the day. This is one of the easiest business content ideas to implement. It doesn't need fancy editing, just pull out your phone and film for 30 seconds.

A baker showing how they pipe decorations onto cakes at 6am gets more engagement than a perfect studio shot. Why? Because it's real. Viewers see the skill, the early morning dedication, and they feel connected to your process.

Educational Content Ideas for Your Customers

Share what you know. If you're a plumber, post about preventing frozen pipes in winter. Run a bakery? Explain why some cakes need refrigeration and others don't. Own a gym? Show proper form for common exercises.

Educational posts do two brilliant things: they help your audience solve small problems (which builds trust), and they subtly demonstrate your expertise. You're not selling, you're teaching. This approach works brilliantly for social media marketing. Keep these posts simple and answer one question per post. Building a content strategy around these questions makes planning much easier too.

Customer Stories and Testimonials

Nothing sells like a happy customer talking about their experience. Share their reviews, photograph them with your product, or film a quick 15-second testimonial. Real people saying "this sorted my problem" carries more weight than anything you could say about yourself.

Before-and-after posts work particularly well for certain businesses. Hairdressers, gardeners, decorators, personal trainers. If your work creates visible change, document it. The transformation tells the story without you needing to say much at all.

Quick Tip Post Ideas Your Audience Can Use

Short, actionable tips perform brilliantly on social media. Think single-slide graphics or 30-second videos with one useful piece of advice:

• "Three signs your laptop needs a clean"

• "How to keep fresh herbs alive longer"

• "Quick fixes for common household problems"

These posts are easy to create in batches. Sit down for an hour, write out 20 tips related to your industry, and you've got content for weeks.

Product or Service Spotlights

Yes, you can talk about what you sell, just make it interesting. Instead of "Buy our new range," show how the product solves a specific problem. "Struggling to find comfortable work shoes? Here's what makes ours different" gives context.

Show the product in use. Model the clothing, demonstrate the tool, photograph the meal being enjoyed. Action shots tell a story better than static product photos.

Seasonal and Timely Content

Connect what you do to what's happening in the world. Christmas, Mother's Day, back to school, summer holidays. These are natural hooks for your content. A florist posting about Valentine's arrangements in January makes perfect sense.

Weather-related posts can be brilliant. A roofer posting "Storms forecast this week, here's how to check for loose tiles" is timely, helpful, and positions them as the expert to call if something goes wrong. Developing an effective marketing approach means planning these seasonal content moments in advance.

Team Introductions and Company Culture

Introduce your team members. People like doing business with people, not logos. Share a photo, their role, maybe one interesting fact about them. "Meet Sarah, who's been crafting wedding bouquets with us for 8 years and has a garden full of rare roses" is memorable.

Show your company values in action. If you donate to a local charity, mention it. If you source locally, explain why that matters to you. Celebrate milestones like work anniversaries, hitting a customer number goal, or your business birthday.

User-Generated Content

Encourage customers to tag you in their posts. When someone photographs themselves using your product or visiting your shop, ask if you can share it to your page. It's free content that doubles as social proof.

Create a branded hashtag for your business and encourage its use. Run occasional competitions where customers share photos using your products for a chance to win something. Always credit the original poster when sharing their content.

Industry News and Trends

Share relevant news from your industry, but add your perspective. Don't just repost a link, tell people what it means for them. "New regulations mean electrical certificates now need updating every 5 years instead of 10. Here's what that means for landlords" is genuinely useful small business content.

Comment on trends you're seeing. A gardener might post "We're being asked about wildlife-friendly gardens much more this year, here's why that's brilliant news." You're showing you're current and engaged with your industry.

Common Questions Answered

Keep a list of questions customers ask you regularly, then turn each one into a post. "Do you deliver?" becomes a post about your delivery area with a map. "How long does it take?" becomes a post explaining your typical turnaround times.

These posts reduce the time you spend answering the same questions over and over. Format them as simple Q&A posts with the question as the heading and a straightforward answer. Understanding your audience helps you predict which questions matter most.

Special Offers and Promotions

When you run a promotion, announce it clearly. "20% off all services booked this week" works. But here's the thing, don't make every post a sales pitch. If 80% of your post ideas focus on being helpful and interesting, people won't mind the occasional "here's a deal" post.

Explain why you're running the offer if there's a good reason. "Quiet period in January, so we're offering a discount to keep the team busy" is honest. People appreciate the transparency and you're more likely to get bookings.

Collaborations and Partnerships

If you work with other local businesses, shout about it. Tag them in posts, explain why you've chosen to partner with them, show the results of your collaboration. It expands both your audiences and strengthens community ties.

Joint competitions or giveaways with complementary businesses can work brilliantly. A hair salon and a beauty therapist running a "pamper package" giveaway together reaches both audiences. Working collaboratively often produces better results than going it alone.

Small Business Content Creation: Staying Consistent

Posting daily sounds great until you're three weeks in and you've run out of ideas. Aim for 3-4 posts per week consistently rather than daily for a fortnight then nothing for a month. Your audience needs to see you regularly to remember you exist.

Effective content planning makes this easier:

• Spend an hour taking 20 photos, then schedule them out

• Write five tip posts in one sitting

• Film three behind-the-scenes clips back-to-back

The businesses that succeed online show up regularly, provide value, and let their personality shine through. Get in touch if you need help developing a sustainable content approach that actually fits around running your business.

Stay Classy

Tom Griffiths

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I post on social media for my small business? Aim for 3-4 times per week as a starting point. Consistency matters far more than frequency. Posting three times a week every week will get better results than posting daily for two weeks then disappearing for a month. Choose a schedule you can actually maintain.

Do I need professional photos for my posts? Not at all. Modern smartphones take perfectly good photos for social media. Natural light, a clean background, and a steady hand are usually enough. Behind-the-scenes content shot on your phone often performs better because it feels more authentic.

What's the best time to post content online? It depends on your audience. Weekday lunchtimes (12-2pm) and early evenings (5-7pm) usually see good engagement. People check social media during breaks and after work. Test different times and see what works for your followers. Your platform analytics will show when your audience is most active.

Should I use the same content across all platforms? You can repurpose content, but tailor it for each platform. Instagram loves visual content and short captions. Facebook audiences engage with longer posts. LinkedIn prefers professional insights. Keep the core message the same, but adjust the format and tone.

How do I come up with content ideas for small businesses when I'm stuck? Keep a running list of customer questions, problems you've solved recently, and seasonal events relevant to your business. Look at what your competitors post (for inspiration, not copying). Ask your customers what they'd like to see. When you're creating content regularly, save extra ideas for those inevitable creative dry spells.

Can I repost old content? Absolutely. Most of your audience won't have seen posts from six months ago. Update any time-sensitive information, refresh the image or wording, and post it again. Evergreen content about common questions can be shared multiple times throughout the year.