For businesses in Surrey, social media is a powerful tool that can work alongside other channels, such as SEO or PPC, and can give you the opportunity to reach thousands of potential customers with just a single post. However, with the ever-changing digital landscape, it can be confusing thinking about where to start.

Well, never fear, because Thunderbolt Digital is here with a guide to show you exactly how to use social media to build a base of loyal followers that want to buy from you and will engage to further increase your reach.

Why Social Media Marketing Matters

First up, let’s discuss why social media marketing matters for businesses in Surrey and surrounding areas.

Social media gives Surrey businesses the ability to:

• Build brand awareness in the local community
• Connect directly and personally with potential customers
• Showcase products and services, effectively serving as your digital shop window
• Generate enquiries
• And most importantly, grow your sales figures

Platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and even Reddit allow you to connect with audiences in their digital ‘third space’, creating connections in their spare time.

Next, let’s walk through which platform is right for you.

What Social Media Platform Is Best For Your Business?

With an array of choices when it comes to social media platforms, it can feel overwhelming to know where to start. Should you be everywhere? Or is there a best practice?

The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when marketing your business on social media. The key is to focus on where your target audience actually spends their time and where your types of content will perform best. Here’s a breakdown of the major platforms:

Facebook

Best for: Local businesses, community engagement, and event promotion.

Facebook is still the go-to business for connecting with local audiences in Surrey and London. Groups, events, and local pages can help expand your reach locally without spending a penny on ads.

Good advice for Facebook is to post updates and behind-the-scenes content, promote events and offers and use local hashtags and Facebook Groups.

Additional tips for success:

• Encourage customers to leave reviews on your page, these build trust and boost visibility
• Pin important posts, such as special offers or key announcements to keep them visible
• Use Facebook Insights to track which posts are performing best then create more content in that style

Facebook works best when you focus on building relationships, not just broadcasting messages. It is called social media for a reason: be social! The more you engage with your local community, the more your business will naturally appear in feeds and searches.

Paid activity on Meta platforms like Facebook can also be a huge way to reach targeted audiences. Take a look at our Facebook social media marketing campaign with Raymond Weil for more information.

LinkedIn

Best for: B2B businesses, professional services and networking

LinkedIn is the best platform for building credibility and connecting with other businesses, suppliers, and potential clients. For Surrey-based companies, it’s an ideal platform for professional networking and establishing thought leadership.

Tips for success:

• Share case studies, client success stories, or industry insights to showcase your expertise
• Join Surrey business and industry groups to connect with local professionals
• Encourage employees to engage with your posts to increase reach and credibility
• Publish articles or longer posts to position your business as a thought leader

LinkedIn can be a B2B powerhouse when your content is professional, informative, and consistent. Engaging regularly with your audience helps you stay visible to the local business community.

Bonus tip: Compliment your LinkedIn social media marketing efforts by getting your teams involved: a simple post share can significantly increase your reach!

Instagram

Best for: Visual brands, lifestyle businesses, retail and hospitality

Instagram is ideal for showing off your brand personality and visual content, including behind-the-scenes shots through to finished projects. For many businesses, it’s perfect for connecting with customers through appealing visuals and Stories.

Tips for success:

• Use Stories and Reels to highlight your work, share tips, or showcase products
• Get involved with trends that are relevant to your business
• Geotag your posts for Surrey locations to attract local followers
• Collaborate with other local businesses, community pages or micro influencers to expand reach
• Keep a consistent aesthetic to make your brand instantly recognisable

Instagram is extremely effective when your content feels authentic, visually engaging and consistent in posting. Authenticity builds trust with your audience, showing the real people and stories behind your business. Consistency keeps your audience familiar with your brand, increases visibility in the algorithm and helps you build a loyal following over time.

TikTok

Best for: Brands targeting younger audiences, creative content and viral campaigns

TikTok is a fast-growing platform where engaging and entertaining content can reach a wide audience quickly. It’s excellent for any business looking to showcase personality and creativity.

Tips for success:

• Create short, authentic videos showing your products, services or day to day operations
• Use trending sounds and hashtags relevant to your industry to increase discoverability
• Share educational or behind-the-scenes content in a fun and relatable way

TikTok works best when content is entertaining, authentic, and easily shareable. Don’t be afraid to show personality! Experiment with trends, sounds, and challenges but always adapt them to your brand voice and target audience.

Bonus tip: Post consistently. TikTok rewards accounts that upload regularly.

Reddit

Best for: Community engagement, niche industries, and thought leadership

Reddit is a discussion-based and mostly anonymous platform where value and expertise are rewarded. For businesses, it’s ideal for connecting with niche audiences or participating in local communities.

Tips for success:

• Join relevant local or industry-specific subreddits
• Answer questions and provide helpful advice without directly selling
• Share insights or case studies that demonstrate your expertise
• Monitor discussions to understand trends, needs, and pain points in your target audience

Users respond to businesses that genuinely add value, answer questions and share expertise in relevant subreddits. Engaging consistently builds credibility, and observing conversations allows you to understand your audience’s pain points and interests. Even if there’s not an opportunity to sell, there’s often an opportunity to further understand your target market.

Bonus tip: Avoid hard selling. Value comes from providing knowledge and guidance.

How Often Should You Post On Social Media?

A common misconception is that you need to post every day, or even multiple times a day, to succeed on social media. However, in our experience, quality and consistency matter far more than quantity. Posting every day can become overwhelming, and posting for the sake of posting can do more harm than good.

Our suggestion is to start small: aim for 2-3 posts per week on your main platforms to keep your brand visible and avoid burning out. Partnering with a social media marketing agency (like us!), working with a freelancer, or hiring a marketing manager can help with this.

Use stories and short updates to help maintain presence and keep your brand at the top of your audience’s mind.

How To Plan Your Posts

• Creating a content calendar can help you keep track of what’s coming up and allow you to plan your content production effectively.

• Mix evergreen content (timeless content such as tips, guides and testimonials) with timely content (trends, promotions, local news, events)

• Review your performance with the in-platform analytics tools. Dial in your focus on content types that drive engagement, enquiries or website clicks

Bonus tip: If you’re stretched for time, it’s often worthwhile to batch content by shooting multiple photos of videos in one session. This reduces stress and keeps your social media active and professional. We organise content production days with our social media marketing clients, at times that suit their business, to produce a month or more of content in just one session.

What Type Of Content Should You Post On Social Media?

Knowing what to post is often one of the biggest challenges with social media. The key is to focus on content that is informative, entertaining, valuable and balanced. Informative content positions your business as an expert, helping your audience solve problems.

• Entertaining content captures attention, encourages sharing and keeps your brand memorable (and human).

• Valuable content provides real and tangible benefits to your audiences, whether tips, advice or insights, so they keep coming back for more.

• And finally, a balanced approach ensures you’re not always promoting yourself. Think about what your audience wants to see!

Content Ideas That Work

Show Off Your Work

Share completed projects, before and after photos or client success stories. Case studies or testimonials help potential customers see the quality and results you deliver.

Days Of The Year

There are multiple “Days of the Year” which can be a fun way to jump on trends and create content that’s a little more fun. For example, utilise Surrey Day on May 9th, or Earth Day on April 22nd if your business is sustainability/eco-friendly focused.

Behind the Scenes

Give audiences a peek into your day-to-day, your team, or how products are made; this humanises your brand and builds a stronger connection with followers.

Tips And Advice

Answer common customer questions (FAQs), share industry insights or bust common industry myths. Educational content positions your business as an expert and builds trust.

Local Content

Highlight collaborations with other businesses, local events, or community initiatives. You can even Geotag posts to increase visibility and strengthen your online presence in your local area.

Promotions And Offers

Share special deals, seasonal promotions or time-sensitive offers. Combine with eye-catching visuals and clear CTAs to drive enquiries or sales.

User Generated Content (UGC)

Encourage happy customers to share photos or reviews of your products or services. Reposting UGC builds social proof and engages your audience.

Short Videos

Reels, TikToks and Stories are quick and easy ways to show your business in action that can outperform static posts in reach. Quick demos, tips, or behind-the-scenes clips are ideal for capturing attention.

How To Turn Likes Into Customers

Getting likes and followers is great, but that’s not what makes your business money. The real goal is to convert that engagement in a solid flow of enquiries, leads and sales by turning casual interactions into meaningful connections.

So how do we move your audience through the funnel?

Include Clear CTAs

Encourage your audience to take the next step in their journey. This could be booking a consultation, visiting your website or signing up for a newsletter. CTAs should be clear and specific, and good practice is to ensure there is only one in your post captions.

Engage Directly With Your Audience

Respond to all comments and DMs quickly, especially during business hours, as this builds trust and signals that your business is approachable. Personalised responses create relationships and help make potential customers feel valued.

Offer Social Media Specific Incentives

Consider creating early-access or exclusive offers just for your social media followers. This encourages action beyond a simple like or share. Instagram’s broadcast channel feature is a great way to share this.

Guide Followers From Social Media To Your Website

Your bio, captions and posts should include links to relevant landing pages, the more specific to the CTA, the better! Use your content to draw in the audience and then direct them to your website.

Track And Optimise

Use insights available from social media platforms to see what types of content are sparking conversion and double down on what’s driving your results. Social media is a conversation, not a broadcast. The more value you give to your audience and the more authentic you are, the easier it is to turn followers into paying customers.

How To Reach Local Customers With Social Media

As global as social media is, it is still a powerful tool to connect with customers in your local area, whether in Surrey, London or even a remote village in the Cotswolds. The aim here is to make your content and strategy relevant to your community.

Use Local Hashtags And Geotags

Make sure you’re using relevant hashtags, keywords and Geotagging where possible to ensure your post appears in local feeds.

Engage In Local Communities

Join local Facebook and LinkedIn Groups where your audience is active; there are often many for just one town! Comment, answer questions and share advice to build credibility and ensure you’re front of mind. Over time, as your name gets more well-known, you may find that others are recommending your services on your behalf!

Collaborate With Other Local Businesses

Partner with complimentary local businesses for giveaways, events or content swaps. Perhaps you could take over each other’s stories for a day: think hairdresser and makeup artist content swaps! Similar target market, different service.

Promote Local Events And Initiatives

Piggyback off of local promotions by sharing community events, charity work or sponsorships you’re involved in. Being active in the local scene shows you’re invested in the community and will increase engagement from followers.

Use Paid Ads Strategically

Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram allow super local targeting based on town, postcode or radius, which means even a small but focused budget can deliver highly relevant traffic.

Local social media success is about relevance, visibility and engagement. By showing that your business is part of the community, your audience will naturally grow.

Final Thoughts

Social media doesn’t have to be overwhelming! When approached with a clear social media marketing strategy, goals and the right platforms, it’s one of the most effective ways to grow your business online.

It’s also important to remember to stay focused and consistent, showcase your expertise and build connections. You don’t need to be everywhere; you just need to be somewhere and to do it well.

Ready To Get More From Your Social Media Marketing?

If you’re struggling to find the time or ideas to make social media work for your business, you’re not alone.

We work with customers across Surrey, London, and further afield to plan, create and manage content that not only looks great but drives real results. We work from the ground up, including social media marketing strategy and content planning through to content production days in a fully done-for-you service. We help you stay visible without the stress of doing it all yourself.

Get in touch today to see how we can support your social media marketing efforts and turn your online presence into enquiries and customers.