Marketing and presence
Social media
Do you need a social media tool, and how much time should social media take?
Six short steps. No email or account.
- Who needs it
- Visual trades where finished work sells, and businesses whose customers discover through social.
- When it matters
- Once you have a steady stream of work worth photographing.
- Compare first
- Networks covered
- Matters most when
- growing, mature
Is this the right tool for you?
Customers check your social pages to see if you are active and do good work, but posting on the fly is inconsistent and easy to drop when you are busy. Batching and scheduling posts turns an evening chore into an hour a week.
Signs you need it now
- Your last post was months ago, so the page looks abandoned.
- You post only when you remember, usually late at night.
- Photos of good work sit on your phone and never get shared.
- Messages and comments on social pages go unanswered.
When another area fits better
- You want to pay to reach new customers rather than post to existing followers. Read the paid advertising guide
Recognise two or more of these? Sort out social media next.
Tell us how your business runs and get a plan that puts social media in order with everything else: what to set up first, your must-haves and what to compare.
What matters at your size
Working alone
Pick one or two channels your customers actually use, post real photos of your work on a steady rhythm and answer messages. The platforms' own scheduling may be enough.
A small team
A scheduling tool to plan a month of posts at once across channels, a shared library of photos and one person responsible for replies.
Several teams or locations
Approval before posts go out, multiple people and locations, a shared inbox for messages and comments, and reporting across channels.
How the way you work changes the choice
- Trades and home services
- Before-and-after photos, the team at work and finished jobs. Build a habit of taking photos on site; content is the hard part, not scheduling.
- Professional firms
- Useful commentary, team news and client wins where permitted. A professional network matters more than image-led channels.
- Shops, restaurants and consumer brands
- New products, events and behind-the-scenes posts. Frequent posting and fast replies to messages carry more weight here.
What to compare
Networks covered
Coverage and API access vary and change. Confirm the platforms you actually use.
Inbox included
Answering direct messages is usually more valuable than scheduling posts.
Cost and setup effort
- Scheduling tools usually charge by number of users and connected accounts; free plans often cover a single business with a few channels.
- Setup is quick; the ongoing cost is time to create content. Set aside a fixed slot each week or month to batch it.
Trade-offs to weigh
- Scheduling tool or post directly
- A tool saves time across several channels; for one or two channels, posting directly may be all you need.
- Do it yourself or outsource
- Outsourcing saves time but outsiders lack real photos and stories from your jobs; a mix of your content and their editing often works best.
When to sort it out
Once you have a steady stream of work worth photographing.
Your next step
Answer six short questions about how your business runs. You get an operating plan: where social media fits among your priorities, the must-haves to hold every option to, and what to compare when you choose.
Where this comes first
Trades and businesses that usually sort this out early.
Often decided alongside
Other parts of marketing and presence.