Social media marketing

Social media has become one of the main places people discover businesses, follow news, ask for recommendations and talk to brands. For small organisations it offers free tools to reach an audience and build relationships. It can also swallow enormous amounts of time with little to show for it, if you post without a plan.

This guide explains how to approach social media marketing strategically, how to create content that people engage with, how to manage your community, and which rules apply in Australia.

Start with goals and audience

Before choosing platforms, decide what you want social media to do. Common goals include building awareness in your local area, driving visits to your website, generating enquiries, supporting existing customers, recruiting staff or building a community around a cause. Each goal suggests different content and measures.

Then think about your audience. Who are they, what do they care about and which platforms do they use? A café, a law firm, a fashion label and a community group will have very different answers. If you don't know, ask customers, look at where competitors and peers are active, and test.

Choosing platforms

Each platform has its own culture, formats and audience. Some are built around photos and short video, some around professional networking, some around conversation and news, some around groups and events, and some around long-form video. Platforms also change constantly, adding features and changing how content is shown.

For most small organisations, it's better to choose one or two platforms and do them well. Claim your business name on other major platforms to protect it, and point people to the channels you actively use.

What to post

Social media works best when it's social: useful, entertaining or human, rather than a stream of advertisements. Content ideas include:

• behind-the-scenes looks at your work, team and process;
• tips, how-tos and answers to common questions;
• customer stories and reviews, shared with permission;
• news, events, new products and offers;
• local community content and partnerships;
• short videos, which are prominent on many platforms.

A rough rule some marketers use is that most posts should give value, with a minority directly selling. Use your own photos and video where possible: authentic content often outperforms polished stock imagery. Our video for social media guide covers filming on a phone.

Planning and scheduling

A simple content calendar helps you stay consistent. Plan themes for each week or month, batch-create content when you have time, and use scheduling tools, including the free ones many platforms provide, to publish at regular times. Leave room for timely posts and responding to news. Keep a library of photos and ideas to draw on.

Building community

Engagement is a two-way street. Reply to comments and messages promptly, thank people for sharing, ask questions and join relevant conversations. Many customers now use social media messages for customer service, so set expectations about response times.

Have a simple moderation policy explaining what you'll remove, such as spam, abuse, hate speech, misleading claims and personal attacks. In Australia, owners of pages can be exposed to legal risk over defamatory comments posted by others, so monitor comments and remove clearly defamatory material. Take legal advice if you receive a concerns notice or threat of defamation proceedings.

Paid social advertising

Organic reach on many platforms is limited, so businesses often use paid ads or boosted posts. Social ads let you target by location, interests, demographics and behaviour, and to retarget people who have visited your website. Start with a small budget, a clear goal and a specific audience, and measure the cost per result. Our online advertising guide covers budgets and measurement.

Working with influencers and creators

Partnering with creators can introduce your brand to engaged audiences. Choose creators whose audience and values fit yours, check that their followers and engagement are genuine, and agree in writing on deliverables, usage rights, payment and disclosure.

The ACCC has made clear that businesses and influencers must not mislead consumers, including by failing to disclose paid or incentivised posts. Disclosure should be clear, prominent and upfront, using terms such as "Ad" or "Paid partnership" or the platform's branded content tools, not buried among hashtags. The ACCC has also run sweeps of influencer posts and warned about undisclosed advertising. The AANA Code of Ethics requires advertising to be clearly distinguishable as such, and Ad Standards handles complaints.

Competitions and giveaways

Competitions can increase engagement, but follow each platform's promotion rules and state and territory trade promotion laws. Games of chance may need permits in some jurisdictions. Publish clear terms and conditions, including eligibility, how winners are chosen, prizes and dates, and run the promotion as described.

Young people and social media

Legislation passed in 2024 introduced a minimum age of 16 for holding accounts on certain social media platforms, with platforms responsible for taking reasonable steps to enforce it. If your business targets young people, consider how this affects which channels you can use, and take extra care with privacy and advertising to children. The eSafety Commissioner publishes guidance.

Measuring results

Platform analytics show reach, impressions, engagement, follower growth and clicks. These are useful indicators, but link them to business outcomes where possible. Use tagged links (UTM parameters) to track website visits and enquiries from social media in your analytics. Review monthly: what types of posts drove engagement and action? Do more of those.

Protecting your accounts

Losing access to a business account can be disastrous. Use strong, unique passwords and turn on two-factor authentication. Give staff and agencies their own access through business management tools rather than sharing passwords, and remove access when people leave. Be wary of messages claiming your account will be suspended unless you click a link: these are common phishing scams.

Crisis and complaints

Sooner or later, a post may attract criticism, or a customer may complain publicly. Respond calmly and quickly, acknowledge the issue, take detailed discussions to private messages or phone, and follow up publicly when it's resolved. Don't argue, delete legitimate criticism or post anything in anger. Agree in advance who in your organisation can respond on social media and how serious issues are escalated.

Common mistakes

• Joining every platform and keeping none up to date.
• Posting only advertisements.
• Ignoring comments and messages.
• Buying followers or engagement.
• Failing to disclose paid or gifted posts.
• Sharing passwords instead of using proper access controls.

Key points

Set goals, choose platforms your audience uses, post consistently with useful and human content, engage with your community, measure outcomes, secure your accounts, and disclose paid partnerships clearly as the ACCC requires.