Social media marketing might seem overwhelming when you’re running a small business in rural Iowa. Between managing your day-to-day operations and serving your community, finding time to post online might feel impossible. But here’s the truth: you don’t need complicated strategies or huge budgets to make social media work for your local business. Let’s break down exactly what you need to know.
Why Your Small Town Business Needs to Be on Social Media
The world is changing, and even in small towns, more people are looking online before they make purchases or visit businesses. Your customers are already on social media, talking about local businesses and looking for recommendations. By having a strong online presence, you’re making sure they can find and connect with you where they already spend their time.
Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms
A big mistake business owners make when starting out is either trying to be on too many social media companies at once, or being on the wrong ones entirely. Let’s talk about a few of the popular platforms and decide which is best for you and your business.
If you’re a small business in Iowa, a safe bet I recommend to many of my clients is starting with Facebook. If you’re not already familiar with Facebook, it is a very popular free social website that allows users to share information and photos and keep in touch with family and friends.
It’s still the most popular platform in rural Iowa communities. It’s easy to use, most of your customers often are already there (unless you are targeting a much younger demographic), and its business features actually make sense for local companies. However, depending on your company even this may not be the best platform for your business. This is because factors such as your customer demographic and business type all play important roles in which social media platform your efforts will be best to allocate towards.
If you want help finding the right social media platform for your specific business to make sure you are in right place for success, feel free to reach out to me and I can help yah out choosing the best platform and strategy for your business.
Once you’re comfortable with Facebook, consider adding Instagram. It’s great for sharing photos and quick updates about your business. You might be surprised how many of your local customers use it daily.
TikTok
TikTok is also worth considering too. More small businesses are finding success there, and you don’t need fancy production values to make content that connects with people. This is especially a useful platform for reaching younger generations, if that’s your focus.
Creating Content That Works: Start Simple
Good content for small town businesses comes down to being real, being helpful, and being consistent. You don’t need perfect photos or professionally written posts. Share updates about your business, talk about what’s happening in your community, and keep your customers informed about things that matter to them.
Start small with your advertising budget. Even $5 a day on Facebook can make a difference if you target the right people. Focus on reaching people within 15-20 miles of your business who might actually become customers.
Set aside 30 minutes every Sunday night to plan your week. Think about what’s happening in your business and community, and plan a few posts. Then spend about 10 minutes each day checking your accounts, responding to comments, and sharing any important updates.
How to Come Up with Social Media Ideas That Will Work
Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business. Talk about what you’re working on and any changes or improvements coming up. Post about the weather and how it affects your business or customers. Share updates about your hours, especially around holidays. Talk about local events and how your business is involved in the community. Those are just a few ideas, but the key is to provide content that people will genuinely enjoy but also is sticking to your businesses values and core mission.
Don’t make every post an advertisement, balance it.
You Need to Have a Google Business Profile
Yes, that’s right – it’s not an optional. Your Google Business Profile is extremely important. Let’s start with first answering some quick questions.
What is a Google Business Profile?
Why is a Google Business Profile Important?
But why is it important to have this? Well, if you couldn’t already tell from the screenshot previously shown, when someone googles words – or keywords – related to your business, having a Google Business Profile (or GBP for short) that pops up that is a huge visibility boost for your business. On your Google Business Profile, you can have your phone number, hours of operation, photos, reviews, and address all easily visible to anyone who wants to know.
Think about it, if you Googled “pizza near me” and a pizza shop nearby popped up with great reviews totaling an average 4.7 rating on their Google Business Profile, wouldn’t you be inclined to look further? Possibly give them a call and ask how quickly they can deliver? Sure, maybe you’d decide not too, but look how much more likely that business was to get your attention by just having that profile active with reviews and having a GBP at all!
Here’s the link to Google Business to get started. Fill out every section completely, add plenty of photos, and keep your hours updated. Always be open to responding to reviews, both good and bad. It’s valuable feedback, nonetheless. Actually, that’s a great introduction to our next section:
Handling Comments and Messages
Quick responses matter. Set up notifications so you know when someone reaches out. Every comment or message is a chance to build a stronger relationship with your customers, even if they’re sharing concerns or complaints.
Responding to reviews is also extremely important to local SEO, which local businesses really do need to be concerned with.
If you don’t know what local SEO it or you do and want to make sure you understand what you need to know, we have an article specifically focusing on that titled ‘Ultimate Rural SEO Guide for Iowa’, if you’re interested.
Feel free to read this blog first, though 🙂
Understanding What’s Working
Focus on real results instead of just counting likes and followers. Notice when customers mention your social media posts in your store. Pay attention to which types of content get shared around your community. Watch for increases in foot traffic or sales after specific posts or campaigns.
Start with one platform and post consistently. Share real updates about your business. Engage with other local businesses and community members. Build from there based on what works for you and your customers.
Need Help Growing Your Social Media Presence?
Our team specializes in helping Iowa small businesses build their social media presence. We understand the unique challenges of marketing in rural communities because we live and work here too. We can help you develop a practical social media strategy that fits your business and your budget.
Want to learn more about we can help? Give us a call or stop by our office. It’s free, and we love to talk about how we can help business’s grow online while staying true to its small-town roots.
Remember that social media success isn’t about being perfect or copying what big city businesses do. It’s about showing up consistently, being authentic, and connecting with your community in meaningful ways.
Useful Links:
Google Business Profile Sign-Up Page –> Click Here
Our Contact Page –> Click Here
Related Article: Trends for Small Iowa Businesses –> View Article
