Small Business Social Media Strategy the Hubspot Way
Learning from the Hubspot approach to marketing, small businesses can build a practical social media strategy that attracts the right audience, drives engagement, and supports long-term growth. This guide breaks the process into clear steps you can apply right away.
Why a Hubspot-Style Social Media Plan Matters
Many small businesses post randomly on social networks and hope for results. A structured, Hubspot-inspired plan helps you:
- Stay consistent instead of posting only when you have time.
- Focus on goals that support revenue, not vanity metrics.
- Understand your audience and speak their language.
- Measure performance and improve over time.
Rather than trying to be everywhere, you choose the right channels and content formats to match your resources and customers.
Step 1: Define Goals Using the Hubspot Framework
Before you create content, clarify what you want social media to achieve. A Hubspot-style framework focuses on aligning goals with the customer journey.
Common Social Media Goals
- Increase brand awareness in a specific market.
- Generate leads or email subscribers.
- Drive traffic to key website pages or offers.
- Boost customer loyalty and referrals.
- Support sales with case studies and proof.
Turn each goal into a simple, measurable statement. For example: “Grow our Instagram following by 20% in three months while maintaining at least 3% engagement.”
Connect Social Goals to Business Outcomes
Using principles often found in Hubspot resources, connect metrics to outcomes like:
- Revenue from social-driven leads.
- Bookings or demos from social traffic.
- Repeat purchases influenced by social content.
This mindset keeps you focused on value instead of chasing likes.
Step 2: Research Your Audience the Hubspot Way
A core Hubspot practice is building detailed buyer personas. For social media, that means understanding who your ideal customers are, and how they behave online.
Create Simple Social Media Personas
Start with 1–3 core personas. For each persona, document:
- Basic profile: age range, role, location, income level.
- Goals: what they want to achieve related to your product or service.
- Pain points: problems they want solved.
- Preferred platforms: where they already spend time (e.g., Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok).
- Content preferences: videos, stories, long-form posts, or quick tips.
Talk to real customers, review comments and messages, and study competitors’ audiences to refine your personas.
Map Personas to Social Platforms
Following a Hubspot-style prioritization approach, choose 1–3 main platforms where your personas are most active. For example:
- B2B consultants: LinkedIn and YouTube.
- Local retailers: Instagram and Facebook.
- Creative brands: Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.
Start small. Master a couple of channels before expanding further.
Step 3: Craft a Content Strategy Inspired by Hubspot
A strong content strategy blends education, engagement, and promotion. This aligns well with the Hubspot philosophy of attracting and nurturing customers instead of just pushing offers.
Use the 3 E’s Content Mix
Plan posts that fall into three categories:
- Educate: how-tos, tips, checklists, FAQs.
- Engage: questions, polls, behind-the-scenes content.
- Excite (promote): offers, launches, testimonials, case studies.
A balanced calendar prevents your feed from feeling too salesy while still supporting conversions.
Example Weekly Social Media Plan
Here is a simple, Hubspot-style weekly outline you can adapt:
- Monday: Educational carousel or short video.
- Tuesday: Customer story or testimonial.
- Wednesday: Behind-the-scenes photo or founder post.
- Thursday: Q&A, poll, or question to spark comments.
- Friday: Soft promotion: limited offer, free resource, or lead magnet.
Repeat the pattern with new topics that address your personas’ needs.
Step 4: Build a Hubspot-Inspired Posting Workflow
To stay consistent, create a simple workflow your team can follow each week. This borrows from the organized approach found in many Hubspot tutorials.
1. Plan
- Set themes for each week or month (e.g., “pricing tips,” “holiday prep”).
- Brainstorm post ideas for every theme.
- Map posts to specific days on a content calendar.
2. Produce
- Write short, clear captions with one primary call-to-action.
- Design simple graphics or use product photos.
- Batch-create content for at least one week at a time.
3. Publish
- Use scheduling tools or platform-native planners.
- Post at times when your audience is most active.
- Ensure each post has a clear goal and link (if needed).
4. Participate
- Reply to comments quickly and helpfully.
- Respond to direct messages as if they were support tickets.
- Engage with customers’ content and relevant industry accounts.
Consistency in this workflow is more important than posting every day.
Step 5: Measure Results with a Hubspot Mindset
Instead of chasing every metric, focus on a few numbers that match your goals. This is aligned with how Hubspot often teaches performance tracking.
Key Social Media Metrics to Track
- Reach: unique people who see your content.
- Engagement: likes, comments, shares, saves, and clicks.
- Click-through rate (CTR): link clicks divided by impressions.
- Conversion rate: actions like sign-ups or purchases from social traffic.
- Follower growth: trend over weeks and months.
Review your data every month and compare against your goals. Keep what works, adjust what does not, and test new formats or topics.
Learn from Hubspot Resources and Real Examples
To deepen your skills, study real-world examples from trusted marketing sources. You can review the original Hubspot article on small business social media here: Hubspot small business social media guide. Analyze how they structure advice, use visuals, and organize step-by-step tactics.
You can also explore specialized agencies like Consultevo if you want expert help implementing or scaling a strategy inspired by these methods.
Action Checklist: Apply the Hubspot Approach Today
Use this quick checklist to put everything into practice:
- Write down 2–3 clear social media goals.
- Create simple personas for your best customers.
- Pick 1–3 main platforms that fit those personas.
- Plan a weekly content mix using the 3 E’s.
- Set up a calendar and batch-create posts.
- Schedule content and commit to daily engagement time.
- Track key metrics monthly and refine your plan.
By following this structured, Hubspot-style process, your small business can turn social media from a time-consuming chore into a predictable, measurable growth channel.
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