Social media marketing for small business: a plan a café or tour can keep up
Pick the one or two platforms your customers use, post real photos of what you sell, and link those accounts to your Google Business Profile. Pew's 2026 survey finds Facebook used by 70% of US adults and Instagram by 51%, but Instagram reaches 79% of adults under 30 and 21% of those 65 and over, so your guests' age decides where to start.
Key takeaways
- Pew asked 5,511 US adults in the first half of 2026: YouTube and Facebook are the most used platforms, and about half of adults use Instagram.
- TikTok reaches 65% of US adults under 30 and 11% of those 65 and over.
- For single-location food and drink businesses in English-speaking markets, Google can feature your Facebook and Instagram posts about events and specials on the mobile Business Profile.
- Local SEO experts rank follower count as the second biggest myth in local ranking, so followers matter only as people who see your posts.
Why does a small business need social media?
Because customers look you up there before they come. A guest choosing between two cafés opens both profiles to see the food, the room and whether the last post went up this week or last spring. A restaurant or a tour company that posts this week's dishes or this morning's group answers the question a listing can't: what is it like right now. Social media is also where people tag you and recommend you to friends, which no website does for you.
How do you market a small business on social media?
1. Pick platforms by your customers' age
Pew's 2026 figures by age show how far apart the apps are. Instagram reaches 79% of adults 18 to 29, 41% of those 50 to 64 and 21% of those 65 and over. Facebook holds up across ages: 78% of 30 to 49 year olds and 59% of adults 65 and over. A cocktail bar near a campus and a fishing charter for retirees belong on different apps, so start with one and add a second only when the first runs on its own.1
2. Link your accounts to your Google Business Profile
Google can show event, deal and special posts from your Facebook and Instagram as featured posts on your Business Profile on mobile. For now that covers single-location food and drink businesses in English in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the featured posts sit where reviews usually show. Keep your name, address and hours the same on every profile, which is what NAP consistency means.2
3. Post the same news on Google
Business Profile posts appear in the Updates or Overview tab on mobile and under From the owner on a computer, on Search and Maps. An update can carry a photo or video and a button to your site; offers and events have their own post types. Leave phone numbers out of the text, because Google may reject a post whose number it can't connect to the business. Our guide to Google Business Profile posts covers each type.2
4. Turn one set of photos into posts for each platform
Take the photos on a quiet afternoon: the new dish, the terrace at sunset, the guide with today's group. Write one line about each, then turn every line into a post for each place you publish. The free social post generator writes an Instagram, a Facebook and a Google Business Profile post from your own news, offer or event, ready to read and copy.
5. Stop counting followers
In Whitespark's 2026 survey of local search experts, follower count on social profiles ranks 186th of 187 factors for the map results and 2nd on their list of myths. Even the strongest social factor for the map, social profiles linked to your Business Profile, ranks 131st. Judge a post by the calls, visits and messages that follow it.3
Checklist
- One or two platforms chosen by your customers' age
- Name, address and hours the same on every profile
- Facebook and Instagram linked to your Business Profile
- News, offers and events posted on your Business Profile
- One set of photos turned into posts for each platform
- Phone numbers kept out of post text
- Calls and messages counted, followers ignored
Questions
What is the best social media platform for a small business?
The one your customers use. In Pew's 2026 survey Facebook reaches a wide spread of ages, while Instagram and TikTok skew young, so a business serving older locals starts with Facebook and one serving students starts with Instagram.
Do my Facebook and Instagram posts show on Google?
Sometimes. For single-location food and drink businesses in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Google can feature posts about events, deals and specials from Facebook and Instagram on the mobile Business Profile.
Do social media followers help my Google ranking?
Local SEO experts say they barely do: Whitespark's 2026 survey lists follower count as the second biggest myth in local ranking. Posts help by bringing people to your profile and through your door.
Should a small business be on TikTok?
If its customers are young. Pew finds 65% of US adults under 30 use TikTok, against 31% of those 50 to 64 and 11% of those 65 and over.
Can I put a phone number in a Google Business Profile post?
Google may reject a post with a phone number in its text if it can't verify the number belongs to the business. Add extra numbers to the profile itself.
Sources
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