Are you talking to yourself on social media?
You spend time taking a perfect photo—of a freshly baked sourdough, a perfectly finished roofing job, a stunning new hair colour—you post it, and then… crickets. A few likes from your mum and your most loyal mate. Zero comments. Zero enquiries. Zero sales. It’s a massive frustration.
But what if you knew that engaged customers spend 20% to 40% more with businesses they interact with on social media? Suddenly, it’s not just about being seen; it’s a direct tool for increasing revenue. The problem isn’t the platform; it’s the lack of a plan. Random posting gets random results. A simple strategy, however, gets customers.
Let’s use a fictional local bakery, “Penny Lane Pastries,” as our example. Here is a simple strategy to take their social media from a chore to a customer-generating machine.
Step 1: ATTRACT New Local Followers
To grow, you need to reach new people in your area. The best way to do that is to get your current followers to bring their friends to you.
The Strategy: The “Nominate a Local Legend” Campaign.
Once a month, run a post asking your followers to tag a local person who deserves a treat—a brilliant teacher, a community volunteer, a postie who always smiles. The person who nominates and the person they tag both win a prize. This generates massive organic reach and immediately positions your bakery as a true community hub.
Step 2: ENGAGE Your Audience Daily
To fix the “no engagement” problem, you need to make it incredibly easy for people to interact.
The Strategy: The “This or That?” Daily Poll.
Every morning, use Instagram Stories to post a simple poll. “Sausage Roll or Steak Bake?” It takes a follower two seconds to tap an answer. This tiny interaction signals to the algorithm that your content is interesting, making it more likely your important posts will be seen.
Step 3: CONVERT Followers into Customers
Your followers need a specific reason to stop scrolling and start walking to your door.
The Strategy: The “Social-Only Secret Phrase.”
Announce on a Friday morning: “Today only, come in and whisper the secret phrase ‘Scouse Loaf’ at the till to get a free coffee with any pastry.” This creates urgency, makes your followers feel like insiders, and is 100% trackable.
Choose Your Platform Wisely
Don’t waste time being everywhere. Pick the right platform for your Liverpool business.
- Facebook: Best for building a local community. Perfect for businesses that rely on local word-of-mouth and want to engage with community groups.
- Instagram: Your visual shop window. Essential if your product or service is visual (food, fashion, design, beauty). The king of “looks amazing.”
- TikTok/Reels: The personality platform. Unbeatable for showing the human side of your business with short, behind-the-scenes videos.
How to Find the Time (and Make it Look Good)
This is the most common question, and the answer is simpler than you think. You need a system.
I call it the “One-Hour Power Batch.” Dedicate one single hour, one day a week, to plan and schedule all of your main posts for the week ahead. For that one hour, you are a marketer. For the rest of the week, you’re a baker, a roofer, or a beautician.
Pro Tip: Worried about design? You don’t need Photoshop. Use a free tool like Canva. It has thousands of professional templates you can easily customize with your logo and brand colours in minutes. Consistency makes you look professional.
How to Know If It’s Actually Working
Stop guessing and start measuring. Ignore vanity metrics and track the numbers that matter:
- Engagement Rate: The percentage of people who interact with your posts (not just the total number of likes).
- Website Clicks: How many people clicked the link in your bio this week? (Check your Google Analytics).
- Trackable Conversions: How many people used your “Secret Phrase” or mentioned your social media post? This is your true ROI.
Your Next Step
Stop wasting time on social media and start getting results. A simple, repeatable strategy is all that stands between you and a new stream of local customers.
Our Free Business Audit can help you build this strategy. We’ll show you the 20% of activity that will generate 80% of your results, giving you a clear plan you can execute in just a few hours a week.
[Get Your Free Audit and Build Your Social Media Plan Today]
