18 ways to get the best out of social media

For some, it’s fun. While others consider it a burden. Welcome to the world of social media! Say what you like about platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, Threads and the like, but if you want your business to stay ahead of the curve and engage fully with customers, social media is no longer a ‘nice to have’ - it’s a given.

According to data commissioned by Cropink, it’s become one of the most powerful marketing tools for small business, with 96% of SME owners using social media to boost visibility, connect with customers, and drive sales.

As Cropink also highlights, more than 5 billion people are on social media globally, with the average person spending over two hours scrolling through their feeds – with the right content, there’s huge potential here to help your business grow.

Three social media and marketing experts tell Speciality Food how readers can make the most of the technology.

Luisa Ruocco, named the UK’s top lifestyle influencer in 2024, has the following advice:

1. Show (don’t just sell) the experience - People don’t just want to see what you offer – they want to feel it. Make sure you share behind-the-scenes moments (such as latte art being made and bread coming fresh from the oven), friendly staff in action, and daily rituals like opening up or prepping produce. This makes your space feel warm, authentic and inviting.

2. Tap into local culture and seasonality – Celebrate local ingredients, community events and seasonal changes. This could mean sharing content around seasonal menus, ingredients sourced from nearby growers and artisans, or local festivals. This content demonstrates you’re part of the local fabric, not just a business within it.

3. Use Instagram Reels and Stories thoughtfully – Short-form video performs brilliantly. Think about creating 15-second ‘how it’s made’ clips, quick intros to your team or suppliers, and mini customer reactions or reviews. Use Stories daily and Reels a few times a week. Natural content works best.

4. Encourage and repost user generated content – Your customers are your best advocates. Make your space ‘Instagrammable’ then ... create a branded hashtag, encourage tags with gentle prompts or incentives, and repost quality user content with credit. This builds trust and shows appreciation.

5. Engage like a person, not just a brand – Don’t just post. Have conversations. Don’t be afraid to show your face and post vlog-style content. Reply to every comment and message in a friendly tone. Follow and engage with loyal customers. And ask simple, fun questions in your captions. People follow people, not logos, so let your personality shine through.

Hannah O’Donaghue from January 92 Socials has the following thoughts:

6. Tell the story behind a product – Your audience doesn’t just want to see a block of cheese, they want to know where it came from, who made it, and why it’s special. Use storytelling to connect with your community.

7. Make use of seasonal content - Celebrate asparagus season, wild garlic finds, or your newest local supplier. This shows you’re in tune with your surroundings and helps you stay relevant and discoverable.

8. Behind-the-scenes sells - Take your audience behind the counter, into the prep kitchen, out into the field or onto the delivery van. Real life equals real connection.

9. Use your feed to answer FAQs - Turn commonly asked questions (e.g. ‘Do you do gift hampers?’ or ‘Is the café dog-friendly?’) into regular, clear posts, save them to Highlights on Instagram for new followers too.

10. Reels don’t have to be viral to be valuable - A quick pan of your new season scones or a timelapse of your shop setting up for the day can bring more engagement than a heavily edited video. Keep it simple, natural, and consistent.

11. Cross-promote your neighbours - If you’re a food hall or in local shopping hub, shout out the other traders. It helps everyone grow and makes your page a destination for followers.

12. Batch your content to save time - Set aside an hour a week to shoot, plan or schedule your content. It’s more efficient than posting on the fly and keeps your brand presence strong, even on busy days.

13. Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews or shares – Word of mouth is powerful. Ask happy customers to leave a Google review, tag you in their stories, or recommend you to friends. Then reshare the love.

Marketing pro Ross Jenkins of DigitalMe has plenty to add:

14. Social media is great for reach, but not great for converting reach into customers, so always use social media as the medium to get email addresses. Then use lead magnets to get emails to convert to customers.

15. Do what’s new, not what worked last week – Everything changes so quickly, and people easily get bored of the same content, if you aren’t first, don’t be second is my thought process. We saw every Bob and Joe doing ChatGPT characters in boxes recently. After you’ve seen it for a week it gets stale and isn’t relevant anymore.

16. Build a community of lovers of your product or business - This is something I rave about. Email is such a good driver for sales, and delivering good content is the best way. Not just ‘sell, sell, sell’, but showing why your product is fantastic, how it’s brewed, how it’s made, how much passion goes into it.

17. Grow your audience with people who care - A lot of people farm likes, forcing friends and family to like their page, and this works to some degree if your product is relatable to them, but if it’s not, you’re just messing your own page up. Facebook recommends based on engagement. If you have 100k followers but one or two likes, it shows quickly what’s gone wrong, meaning the wrong people are seeing your content.

18. Networking is key – Networking is one of the most important aspects of business, but also the audience is extremely important. Going to free events attracts low-end business folk. Going to expensive events normally attracts higher end, thus spend your time wisely.