How often should a small business post on social media?

It's the question every business owner asks once they open their Instagram and see that the last post was in March. The honest answer: less often than you fear, but more regularly than you do now.

Consistency beats volume

The platforms show your posts to people who've engaged with you recently. If you post ten times in one week and then disappear for two months, you start from zero every time. A steady rhythm keeps you in your followers' feeds — and in their heads — when they're ready to buy.

It also builds trust. A customer who checks your profile before visiting wants to see that you're open, active and real. A feed that stopped last spring raises the question whether the business did too.

A realistic rhythm

For most small businesses, this is a good starting point — and enough:

Three posts a week across all three platforms is about 150 posts a year. That sounds like a lot — but it's the same idea, adapted three ways, around 50 times. Start with what you can keep up. One good post a week, every week, beats a burst of five followed by silence.

What to post about

Most businesses run out of ideas, not time. Pick three or four recurring themes — sometimes called content pillars — and rotate between them:

• Show what you sell: products, services, before/after, prices.
• Show who you are: the team, the workshop, the kitchen at 6 in the morning.
• Help: tips, answers to questions customers ask, how-tos.
• What's happening: offers, news, events, seasons and holidays.

Our step-by-step guide to planning a month in an hour shows how to turn these themes into a calendar.

Timing matters less than you think

You'll find lists of “the best time to post”. Treat them as a starting point, not a rule: your followers are your best guide. Start with sensible times — weekday mornings, lunchtime, early evening — then check your platform's insights after a month and move posts to when your own followers are active.

How to keep it up when you're busy

1. Plan a month at once, not post by post. Deciding what to post is the hard part; do it once.
2. Batch the work. Take photos for several posts in one go; write all captions in one sitting.
3. Schedule ahead, so posts go out even on your busiest days.
4. Reuse good ideas. One topic can be a photo post, a tip and a LinkedIn story.
5. Get help. That's what AI Annie is for: she plans with you, makes the images and text in your style, and publishes on schedule. You approve every post before it goes out.