I meet a lot of small business owners who feel guilty about social media.
Not because they’re doing it badly.
Because they feel they should be doing all of it.
Instagram. Facebook. TikTok. LinkedIn. YouTube. Pinterest. Threads. Something new that launched this morning.
That’s not a marketing plan. That’s a second full-time job.
Presence is not the same as performance
Being everywhere sounds like visibility.
In practice, it often means being half-present in many places. Old posts. Unanswered messages. Profiles that say “coming soon” for two years.
That can do more harm than not being there at all.
Choose your home
I usually suggest choosing one main platform. Your home. Maybe a second one, if you have the energy.
To choose, ask three questions:
- Where are your people? Not everyone. The people who actually buy from you.
- What can you make, consistently? Photos? Short videos? Thoughtful writing? Be honest.
- What do you enjoy? This matters more than people admit. You’ll keep doing what you don’t hate.
The intersection of those three is your home.
Your website is the real home
Social platforms are rented space. The rules change. Accounts get locked. Reach goes up and down for reasons nobody fully understands.
Your website and your email list are the places you own.
So I like to think of social media as the sidewalk, and your website as the shop. The sidewalk is where people notice you. The shop is where the relationship happens.
Social media should invite people home, not become the only home you have.
Close the other doors politely
If you have accounts you no longer use, you don’t need to delete everything. Update the bio. Point people to where you are active. Pin a post that says so.
It’s like leaving a note on an old door: “We moved. Come find us here.”
Permission to do less
If no one has told you this yet: you have permission to do less, better.
One platform you love. A website that works. A simple way for people to stay in touch.
That’s not small. That’s focused.
