Manage your social media accounts

What social media platforms are most used?

The use of particular social media platforms is not fixed – over the past years, there has been a decline in the use of X (formerly Twitter), the pace of growth of Facebook has slowed, and we’ve seen an increase in newer platforms like Threads and Bluesky.

Meanwhile Instagram and TikTok are growing extensively as attention switches from text to images and video.

LinkedIn remains popular in the business community with over a billion users. Although this is not a social platform that you can use to engage customers, it's useful for making connections in the industry. 

Why should I use social media?

Social media allows you to share information about your business, inspiring people to come and visit you. It also allows you to get feedback directly from both potential customers and booked customers. It lets you interact with each other, learn more about what they want from you, and potentially develop a relationship over time that can lead to repeat visits.

Each social media platform  is different and needs a tailored approach and content plan. Think about what content you are realistically able to create, and what engagement you want from potential customers.

It’s often recommended to start small – build up a presence and post consistently on a single platform to start with. That will give you learnings that you can apply to a second platform, once you’re comfortable you have the resource to manage both.

What should I use social media for?

There are many goals to use your social media channel for, including to:

• inspire potential customers to think about booking
• take enquiries from customers thinking about booking
• share images of customers who have visited
• take reviews from customers who have visited
• networking and building business relationships

Should I set up a business account?

Most social media platforms recommend using a business profile instead of a personal account.

The benefits of using a business account include:

• real-time insights on the content you’re posting
• share clear contact information
• sell directly through your social media account
• manage customer conversations easily
• paid advertising opportunities

How to plan your activity

• Review your analytics before each planning session to see what worked and what you should change.
• Have a set time for planning your schedule each month.
• Prepare the copy and images for each post as well.

Social media calendars

A social media calendar is a plan of what you will post and when on each of your social media platforms.

Using a calendar makes it easier for you to ensure you're posting consistently and sharing a variety of different messages and types of content. The calendar is easily shareable so staff can see what's planned, and allows you to easily delegate the day-to-day task of posting and moderating content.

There are many social media calendars available for free online.

Scheduling and moderation

Social media scheduling is a way to help you organise and post your social content across multiple social media accounts and platforms in advance. 

Moderating your accounts allows you to engage with your followers and build a sense of community. This includes sharing their images and posts (where permission allows) and generally acknowledging feedback and reviews.

There are free tools within each platform for scheduling and moderation, which are the best option for a small business.

You can find more information on:

• how to schedule Facebook and Instagram content
• how to schedule videos on TikTok
• using TikTok Studio to create and manage content
• how to schedule posts on X