back to top

Should I be marketing my business on social media?

March, 2025

Erica Jones, Account Director at Kent-based PR, marketing and public affairs agency Maxim, offers some advice to organisations looking to get started on social media.

Whenever someone asks me if they should be marketing their business on social media, my immediate response is another question: How do you intend to do this?

Social media is an increasingly complex, multi-platformed beast and a broad aim to “have a presence on social” is unlikely to go well unless you give the specific platform – and your goal, and your messaging – some very careful thought.

Marketing in its simplest form is the creation of an advert which is then placed somewhere it will be seen, and to the uninitiated that somewhere could as easily be this magazine as a random social media platform. In reality, you would choose to advertise in a magazine because you’re targeting a specific audience (for instance business leaders in Kent might advertise in Kent Director magazine) and you have a message in mind, whereas if you then posted the same advert on social media you’re pretty much shouting into the void.

So what should you do if you want to find marketing success on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Telegram, Threads, Tik Tok, Truth Social, WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, or any other social media platform you can think of?

The first thing is to choose your platform. Unless you have a big budget and workforce to spare (and possibly access to a mental health councillor) you do not want to launch your business onto every social media platform.

Depending on your target audience, I would suggest one or both of Facebook and LinkedIn would be the best place to start – some of the others have their merits, but if you’re new to social media promotion these platforms are the two where it’s easier to make a start.

A graphic showing a huge amount of social media icons floating on top of a mobile phone.

LinkedIn

This site is more of a business platform, so it will be of use if you’re trying to reach other businesses. It’s where you can – within reason – get away with business speak and – again within reason – a little blatant self-promotion.

It’s not quite as simple as that, like all engagement it takes time and effort to build up connections, but it’s a good place to start.

Facebook

If you’re looking to promote your business to potential customers among the general public, I’d try here first instead. With a nice image and something to say, it’s fairly easy to get started, and if you’re willing to pay a small fee, targeted posts can be a good way to get some initial attention.

However, I will repeat myself by adding that both platforms take time and effort. Social media, as with all marketing, will almost never be a success with your first post. It requires regular, repeated efforts and, unlike standard marketing, you can’t just keep saying the same thing. Posts need to be varied and interesting, informative and to the point, if you’re going to catch people’s attention and keep it.

Social media also requires interaction – there’s a reason we call it “social”. Shouting into the void can only go so far and it’s vital that you respond to comments on your posts. Once you’re ready, I also recommend instigating interaction yourself by responding to other people's posts, especially on LinkedIn where connections are common but conversions take effort.

Finally, remember your manners. No matter how good your efforts, social media inevitably attracts negativity at some point. Keeping things polite and swiftly responding to take such conversations offline can help neutralise that downside, but it’s best to be prepared for such moments in advance.

If you’d like to know more about marketing your business on social media, do contact us. We will be happy to see how we can help you start upon or build upon your social media journey.

This article originally appeared in Kent Director.

Erica Jones - Account Director

Erica Jones

Maxim / Account Director

posted in: advice, digital, marketing, reputation management, social media,

we'd love to work with you

get in touch
tendentious-parliamentary