Social Media Strategy: Best Practices for Small, Medium, and Large Businesses.
- Sarah Socha
- May 12
- 3 min read
Social media isn’t one-size-fits-all — and your strategy shouldn’t be either. The platform you prioritise and the time you invest should depend on your business size, your team’s bandwidth, and your specific goals.
This guide talks you through:
✅ How much time to spend on each platform
✅ What each platform is best used for
✅ Where to focus based on your business size to drive ROI
🔁 Recap: Time Per Post & Platform Purpose
Platform | Time per Post | Best For |
45–60 mins | B2B leads, talent, industry authority | |
60–90 mins | Brand awareness, culture, visual storytelling | |
30–45 mins | Community, local, events, paid ads | |
X (Twitter) | 15–30 mins | Trends, thought leadership, engagement |
TikTok | 90–120 mins | Virality, Gen Z reach, brand personality |
YouTube | 3–5 hours | Evergreen content, education, SEO |
Platform ROI by Business Size
Let’s break it down by company size to help you get the best return on time and content investment.
Small Businesses (1–10 employees)
Limited resources? Focus matters.
Priorities:
LinkedIn: For networking, thought leadership, and credibility
Instagram: For brand presence and visual identity
X (Twitter): For connecting with industry conversations
Facebook: If you serve local or niche communities
Best Practices:
Repurpose content across platforms (e.g., one blog = LinkedIn post + Instagram carousel + tweet thread)
Use free tools like Canva for design and Buffer or Hootsuite for scheduling
Post 2–3x a week consistently on your top 1–2 platforms
Leverage personal profiles (founder-led LinkedIn or Twitter = gold)
Maximum ROI:
LinkedIn for leads and authority
Instagram for credibility and brand feel
Medium Businesses (10–100 employees)
Growing fast? Time to scale content with purpose.
Priorities:
LinkedIn: For employer branding, recruitment, and B2B sales
Instagram + Stories/Reels: Show your people, products, and personality
YouTube Shorts or Tik Tok: For brand expansion and awareness
Facebook (with ads): To drive event sign-ups, lead forms, or retargeting
Best Practices:
Build an internal content calendar and assign platform owners
Encourage team members to engage on LinkedIn (employee advocacy)
Use short-form video (Reels/TikTok) to extend the shelf life of existing content
Add re marketing pixels to drive ROI via Facebook/Instagram ads
Maximum ROI:
LinkedIn for hiring and thought leadership
Instagram + TikTok for brand building and culture
Large Businesses (100+ employees)
You’ve got the resources — now use them smartly to dominate.
Priorities:
YouTube: For high-quality, evergreen content and global reach
LinkedIn (Pages + Exec Profiles): For sector leadership and inbound pipeline
TikTok/Instagram: For cultural relevance and employer brand
Twitter/X: For live events, crisis comms, industry engagement
Facebook Ads: For full-funnel marketing (brand to conversion)
Best Practices:
Build a content engine with a mix of social, creative, and analytics teams
Elevate executive voices on LinkedIn for leadership visibility
Invest in video-first storytelling — tutorials, webinars, case studies
Run A/B tests on paid media across Facebook, IG, and LinkedIn Ads
Monitor social sentiment with tools like Sprout, Brandwatch, or Meltwater
Maximum ROI:
YouTube for thought leadership and product storytelling
LinkedIn for talent and strategic growth
TikTok + Instagram for staying culturally visible
Final Guidelines: Smart Time, Better Returns
No matter your size, follow these universal rules:
✅ Start with 2–3 platforms where your audience actually is
✅ Build systems that allow for consistency over perfection
✅ Create pillar content (like blog posts or videos) and slice it into micro-content
✅ Let your team shine — faces perform better than logos
✅ Track performance and evolve — social is not set-it-and-forget-it
Social media done well is not just marketing. It’s recruitment. Sales. Reputation. Culture. All in one.
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