One of the hardest things about keeping up with social media these days is…keeping up with social media. It is always moving, always changing, and it can feel overwhelming. This is especially true for small business owners who, as we know, are already wearing all the hats and doing all the things. Sometimes, it’s nice to have someone just tell you what to do, you know? So, I’ve put together a list of 31 social media prompts for small businesses. And I’d like to help you boost your engagement while we’re at it. Read on, reader!
Before I give you these prompts, which you can scroll down to see (or click here to download a printer-friendly pdf), I just want to share a couple of things with you about how to best use these prompts (although, I promise, there are no rules!).
How to Use these Small Business Social Media Prompts
First of all, these prompts can be used on your blog or for social media. They are, however, a little more geared towards social. If you want prompts specifically for blogs and websites, have no fear – they’re coming! Most of the prompts you see here will probably work best on Facebook or Instagram.
I have created 31 prompts. You can work through the entire list, one prompt a day, and then start over. Or you can do one every couple of days, or once a week…whatever works. You can skip the prompts entirely that you don’t like or that don’t feel relevant. You might want to use some of them over and over. Just do what feels right!
Also, you can print these out or bookmark this page and come back every day – whatever is easiest for you.
And one more thing! I really recommend batching your work and using a scheduling tool. By batching, I mean sit down and create content for a week (or month) at one time. Then use a scheduling tool (I use Tailwind, which is great for Instagram and Pinterest creators) to schedule it all out. Batching and scheduling means you’re dedicating some time to social each week, but you’re not stressing over it every day.
If you use these prompts, I want to connect and engage with your social media shares! Tag me at @shopcarrieelle or use the hashtag #ceprompts so I can find your posts on social and interact with you!
31 Social Media Prompts for Small Businesses
- Introduce yourself! (Some ideas for sharing: your role at your business, your favorite things to do outside of work, your favorite book or quote. This should be about YOU and include a picture of you…you’ll share more about the business later.)
- Why did you start your business?
- What is something you wish you’d known about business before you started? (this can be general, or specific to your industry)
- What is your best-selling product or service? (this is a great way to promote what people are buying!)
- What is your favorite quote? (create a nice graphic to go with it)
- Share about your team! This is a great time to introduce the people working in your organization. If you have several employees, you can spread these out over several weeks or even months). Share the person’s name, their role in the business, and a couple of interesting facts about them. If you are working alone, you can use this time to share a favorite tool or resource for your business.
- Show behind-the-scenes. Share a picture or video of work being done, or an interesting part of your process, and elaborate on the “how” and “why” behind the process.
- Share what you love about the town where your business is based. Local connections are so important.
- What is something you’ve learned as a business owner? (If you want to, this is a good chance to talk about a lesson you learned the hard way, or how you turned a “fail” into something positive).
- Answer an FAQ about your product or service.
- Share a great product review or positive testimonial from a happy customer.
- How is your business involved in your community? Use this time to share local organizations your support, ways your company gives back, or upcoming local events your business is involved with.
- Talk about your headquarters. Is it a home office, a giant building? How long have you been there? What makes it special? This is a fun chance to do a video tour!
- What does the future look like for your business? Are you working on a new product, offering a new service, or expanding?
- If your business was around pre-pandemic, what lessons did the pandemic teach you about business?
- Share an “action” shot of a product (or service) being used. This is a great time for videos! Talk about how the product is being used, or what is going on during the service. This is also a great time to share content that followers have shared using your products or talking about your service.
- Do you have a favorite business book or podcast? Share a learning tool that has inspired you that others can also learn from.
- Share a “did you know?” fact. It can be about your industry, your business, your product/service – whatever!
- Answer an FAQ about your product or service.
- How can people work with you? Share information about where to find your business online, how to work with you, etc. This is a good time to share any “outside the box” ways people can work with you, side projects, etc.
- What do you love most about your job?
- Share 5 facts about your business. (Make them fun!)
- Ask for opinions. Let followers choose a new product design or share what they want you to offer. This is a great way to get valuable information from your followers, existing customers, and future customers!
- Share something you’ve been working on.
- Do a “day in the life” post. These are great for websites and Instagram/Facebook stories. Share everything about your day, from when you wake up until it’s time for bed.
- Flash sale! Offer a flash sale on products or services.
- Share a “how to” tutorial using one of your products. If you offer a service, talk about how to maximize the service (maybe offer some follow-up tips, or recommend a next step).
- Share a calendar of events for your business. Will you be participating in any upcoming fairs or local events? Are you hosting a webinar? Do you have any product launches coming up? Is there a deadline customers need to be aware of for purchasing something or reserving a spot?
- Share something seasonal. (For example, if it’s spring you might talk about spring specials, or if it’s fall you might start talking about holiday shopping).
- Share a before and after. Get creative and make it relate to your business.
- Share something you’re excited about. It can be within your business, new technology in your industry, and event you’re participating in, business goals, new clients you just signed…the sky is the limit!
Here are some other ideas for creating content on social media – you can mix these ideas into your prompts!
Content Ideas for Social Media
Celebrate national holidays that are relevant to your business! You can find a giant list of holidays for the entire year here (for example, in May we have Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, National Talk Like Yoda Day, and National Wine Day).
Share content from your followers. When someone tags you in a post, share it to your page or stories.
Start a “how to” series around your product or service. Release a new post each week, then put together a “round up” of all the posts in one place. If you do this on your blog, be sure to share on Pinterest.
Offer something free! A free ebook, digital download, consultation, appetizer, or product with another purchase can be a great way to engage followers.
Turn content into content! There are so many ways to use a piece of content. And don’t forget, people connect with your business in many different ways across many different platforms (some people read my blog, others follow me on Instagram, others are in my FB group…and they don’t necessarily follow me or engage with me in other places. So, I try to share things across different platforms when appropriate). Turn a blog post into a social media post. Turn social media posts into blog content.
And don’t forget – If you use these prompts, I want to engage with your social media shares!
Tag me at @shopcarrieelle or use the hashtag #ceprompts so I can find your posts on social and interact with you!
Having issues with the download? Try clicking here, or email me and I’ll send you the files!
