href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmy.leadpages.net%2Fleadbox%2F14e8a0873f72a2%253A145e5c846b46dc%2F5804990018879488%2F&sref=rss" target="_blank">class="alignright" src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/6LBEjLvQcUHUsdSuvSUGrmJNU53tRUG6xUXMrTfUPpCR_pft1QG8z3cu-U01ZWp8dFh11qOXJPKM7Lb9rPUZ=s0" alt="" />Social media marketing can be difficult for smaller, local businesses. Business owners are busy running the day-to-day operations (not learning social media marketing 101!) and the options and possibilities around social media are overwhelming.

In the following how-to, you’ll create an automated social media marketing strategy that will syndicate content across the top 5 most important social networks.

Every social post will originate from Instagram, which means you only have to worry about creating content for Instagram. No wondering what to say on Facebook, or if that’ll work for Twitter too. Just one place: Instagram.

Why Instagram?

It’s the fastest growing social site globally, and much of the interest and engagement on Instagram is driven locally. Local discovery is, obviously, critical to local businesses, so it’s a match in that regard.

Instagram is the fastest growing social site, & much of the engagement is driven locally.
/>href='https://twitter.com/share?text=Instagram+is+the+fastest+growing+social+site%2C+%26amp%3B+much+of+the+engagement+is+driven+locally.&via=michellem&related=michellem&url=http://www.michellemacphearson.com/simplest-social-media-marketing-strategy-local-business/' target='_blank'>Click To Tweet

The posts you make on Instagram are easy to distribute to the other top social networks, so it’s a natural place to focus on for that reason as well.

It’s easy to create content with Instagram – just take a picture of your day-to-day operations:

• daily specials
• regular customers
• sale items
• a new employee
• your facilities
• coming events
• equipment and tools
• job sites
• before & afters or results
• the storefront
• staff
• new inventory

There’s always something happening in your business, and you just need to capture a quick snapshot each day and post it to Instagram. With Instagram operating as an app on your phone, it’ll take you all of 2 minutes.

The steps below will then take that Instagram photo and send it to your Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, LinkedIn Company Page and Google+ Page – all essential social media profiles. You won’t have to touch a thing, it’ll all happen on it’s own in the background.

It requires some time to get the accounts set up, which I’ll walk you through below. Once this initial set-up is complete, you don’t have to worry about anything else but getting your one post per day up on Instagram.

Some business owners, no matter how simplified their social strategy is, prefer to focus solely on their operations. In that case, you can href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.socialmediadaily.com%2Fsocial-account-content%2F&sref=rss">outsource your social media to our experienced team or white label our services through our href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.socialmediadaily.com%2Fwhite-label-resellers%2F&sref=rss">social media reseller program.

href="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/social-media-blueprint-local-business.png">class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4988" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/social-media-blueprint-local-business.png" alt="social-media-blueprint-local-business" width="500" height="500" />

You’ll need the following social media accounts:

• Instagram account for your business (you’ll need the href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Finstagram%2Fid389801252%3Fmt%3D8&sref=rss">iOS or href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.instagram.android%26amp%3Bhl%3Den&sref=rss">Android Instagram app)
• href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2Fcreate%2F&sref=rss">Facebook Fan Page for your business
• href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fsignup&sref=rss">Twitter account for your business
• href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbusiness.linkedin.com%2Fmarketing-solutions%2Fcompany-pages.html&sref=rss">LinkedIn Company Page for your business
• href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplus.google.com%2Fpages%2Fcreate%3Fhl%3Den%26amp%3Bppsrc%3Dgpda0&sref=rss">Google+ My Business Page for your business

If you don’t have all of these, open them now.

Note that a Facebook personal profile (what you might have today to connect with your family) is different than a Facebook Fan Page. Same principle for LinkedIn Company Pages – they are different than your LinkedIn personal profile, and Google+ My Business Pages are different than your Google+ personal profile. The links above will direct you to the correct URL’s to open these business accounts if you don’t have them already.

Best practices when creating your social media accounts: use the same header images and profile pics to ensure brand recognition and continuity amongst accounts. Fill out ALL possible profile details – i.e. address, phone, URL, hours, etc.

You’ll need the following accounts to automate everything:

• href="http://www.michellemacphearson.com/buffer/">Buffer account for your business (the free plan is plenty)
• href="http://www.michellemacphearson.com/zapier/">Zapier account for your business (the free plan is plenty)

Open accounts with both of these services. They both have a free level of service which is all that is necessary to fully execute this plan.

Buffer is a social posting platform. It connects to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles in one place and allows you to post to them without having to log in to each account individually.

Zapier is an automation / connectivity service. In this how-to, we’ll use it to connect Instagram to Buffer (which will then connect to your social profiles).

In this step you’ll load your new Buffer account with your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts so that it can post to them when you post a new Instagram photo.

When you create your Buffer account, you’ll get this “Welcome” screen:

class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4942" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-01-at-7.28.49-PM-540x199.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-01 at 7.28.49 PM" width="540" height="199" />

Click “Connect a Twitter Account,” and, if you’re not already signed in to Twitter, you will be prompted to do so. Then you’ll be redirected back to Buffer.

Buffer then might suggest some posts for you. There’s a small, greyed out “Skip this step” link in the bottom left – you can safely click that.

Inside Buffer, click the “Schedule” tab and set your posting schedule. This is the days of the week and times each day you want posts to go out for your business.

Click the “x” next to a time to remove it, and use the dropdowns to edit the default times.

href="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-01-at-7.39.51-PM.png">class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4943" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-01-at-7.39.51-PM-540x348.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-01 at 7.39.51 PM" width="540" height="348" />

Don’t forget to change the timezone to your own.

You must post at least once per day. Use your knowledge of your customers/fans to determine what time is best for you and your business. For example, a bar might schedule posts around 6pm while a coffee shop would find 6am gets a better response. If you need more help in finding the best times to post, the information in my href="http://www.michellemacphearson.com/calculating-personal-optimal-facebook-posting-times/">Calculating Your Optimal Facebook Posting Times article will help you. But don’t overthink it – once per day, every day, while people are awake is all you need to get started.

It can be as simple as 10:30am, every day, which would look like this:

href="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-01-at-7.51.00-PM.png">class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4946" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-01-at-7.51.00-PM-540x147.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-01 at 7.51.00 PM" width="540" height="147" />

Next click the little “+” button next to “Accounts” in the upper left of Buffer to add your next account.

Add your Facebook Fan Page by clicking the “Connect a Page” button:

href="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-01-at-7.45.07-PM.png">class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4945" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-01-at-7.45.07-PM-540x310.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-01 at 7.45.07 PM" width="540" height="310" />

Facebook will ask if you give Buffer permission to access your account. Yes!

Facebook will ask you to select the Page you want to connect to Buffer, choose the Page you created for your business.

Then edit your timezone and posting times in Buffer’s “Schedule” tab just like you did when connecting your Twitter account. It’s a good idea to use the same posting times for all of your accounts, just to keep things simple.

Next, click the “+†next to “Accounts in the upper left of Buffer again and go through the steps to connect your LinkedIn Company Page. Edit your post times and timezone.

And finally, go through those steps one last time to connect your Google+ Page, again editing your posting times and your timezone.

You’ll set up automated tasks in Zapier so that every time you make a post to Instagram, it will automatically post to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn  (via Buffer) as well.

INSTAGRAM TO TWITTER ZAP

I’ve created templates for you so that you don’t have to set everything up from scratch.

The first automates posting from Instagram to Twitter. href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzpr.io%2FfGRn&sref=rss">Click here to use it.

class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4950" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-10.52.50-AM-540x243.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-02 at 10.52.50 AM" width="540" height="243" />

Click “Start using this.” Step 1 is already complete, so you can click “Continue.”

In step 2, you’ll click the “Connect an Instagram account” and authorize Zapier with Instagram. Then click “Continue.”

In step 3, you’ll click “Connect a Buffer Account.” Go through the prompts to give Zapier access to your Buffer account and then click “Continue.”

Step 4 is completed as is, so you don’t have to change anything. Click “Continue.”

In step 5, under the “Profile” dropdown, select your Twitter account from the list. Under “Photo URL,” click “Insert fields” and select “Image Standard Resolution URL.” It’ll look like this:

href="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-11.07.29-AM.png">class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4951" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-11.07.29-AM-540x561.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-02 at 11.07.29 AM" width="540" height="561" />

Then click “Continue.”

You’ll be given the opportunity to test what you just created. The goal is that your Instagram posts will go through to Twitter, so click “Test Zap with this sample” and check your Twitter – you should have a new post with an Instagram photo attached.

When you’re confident things are working they way you’d like, click “Continue.”

Name your Zap “Instagram to Twitter,” and then click “Turn Zap on.”

After you create a “zap” you’ll be brought back to your Zapier Dashboard. You can also get to it any time by clicking “Dashboard” on the upper right.

INSTAGRAM TO GOOGLE+ ZAP

You’ll make a new zap by clicking “Copy” in the dropdown under your “Instagram to Twitter” zap:

class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4952" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-11.15.53-AM-540x331.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-02 at 11.15.53 AM" width="540" height="331" />

Then click “Edit” on the new, copied zap:

class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4953" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-11.18.35-AM-540x424.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-02 at 11.18.35 AM" width="540" height="424" />

Since you’ve already connected your Instagram and Buffer accounts, you won’t have to go through the set-up processes again (yay!).

You can scroll down to step 5 and you’ll only need to replace  Twitter account with your Google+ account in the “Profile” dropdown. Everything else remains the same:

class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4954" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-11.23.02-AM-540x571.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-02 at 11.23.02 AM" width="540" height="571" />

Just like you did before, you’ll want to “Test this Zap” (step 6 in the zap set-up screen), but this time you’ll look for the Instagram post to appear on your Google+ Page.

class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4955" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-11.27.57-AM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-02 at 11.27.57 AM" width="297" height="391" />

Change the name of the zap to “Instagram to Google+” so you can identify it, then “Turn Zap On.”

INSTAGRAM TO FACEBOOK ZAP

Back at the dashboard, you’ll copy your “Instagram to Twitter” zap again, and edit it. This one requires no editing, except to change the “Profile” in step 5 of the Zapier set-up to your Facebook Fan Page:

class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4957" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-11.35.22-AM1-540x575.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-02 at 11.35.22 AM" width="540" height="575" />

Always test your zap to make sure it’s working, this time checking your Facebook Fan Page for the photo and caption. Edit the title of the zap to “Instagram to Facebook” and  then “Turn Zap on.”

INSTAGRAM TO LINKEDIN ZAP

Copy your “Instagram to Twitter” zap again, and proceed to the “Edit” screen.

Change the “Profile” to your LinkedIn account.

Under “Text” you’ll need to make a small adjustment. Next to “Caption text” put in a space, then click the “Insert Fields” and choose “Link.”

Delete “Image Standard Resolution URL” from the “Photo URL” dropdown. It’ll look like this:

href="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen_Shot_2014-08-02_at_12_07_55_PM.png">class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4963" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen_Shot_2014-08-02_at_12_07_55_PM-540x565.png" alt="Screen_Shot_2014-08-02_at_12_07_55_PM" width="540" height="565" />

Scroll down and test it, checking your LinkedIn Company Page for the image and caption. Change the name of the zap to “Instagram to LinkedIn” and then “Turn this zap on.”

You should have 4 automated zaps turned on in your Zapier dashboard:

class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4964" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-02-at-12.10.05-PM-540x361.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-08-02 at 12.10.05 PM" width="540" height="361" />

You’re done! You’re ready to start posting!

I gave you a list of image post ideas in the beginning of this tutorial, and I bet you’ve got a few ideas of your own. Now all that’s left is for you to start posting those images to Instagram. The Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ posting will happen automagically without any interference from you.

YOUR INSTAGRAM CAPTION

You’re a pretty smart individual, so I won’t tell you how to write a photo caption. src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":-)" class="wp-smiley" /> Every post you make to Instagram should include a caption, so have at it.

I’m sure you’ve seen hashtags – they are the pound sign # followed by a word. The hashtag for my town is #Petaluma.

Hashtags help people find content that is interesting to them, particularly on Instagram and Twitter.

As a local business, you want to use hashtags when posting to Instagram. You should ALWAYS use the hashtag for your location so that other people in the area can find your business.

If you were a coffee shop and you posted an image of a barista working, your caption might read, “Sarah’s been working on her latte art rosettas! #Petaluma”.

You can add additional hashtags, when appropriate, about the subject of the photo. In the example above, you might add #latteart #barista #coffeeshop to the post.

WHAT ABOUT TEXT UPDATES?

Instagram is a photo-based social network, which means you have to have a photo in order to post.

But what if you have an announcement or other text-based update you want to get out to your social networks?

There are a few options:

You can take a photo of something associated with the update you’d like to post and write the update as the caption. A plastic surgeon with an upcoming  Botox event could post a pic of a vial of Botox, for example, and the time/date/signup details would be in the caption.

You can use another app, like Notepad or InstaQuote, to create an image with text on it. That text would be the written update you want to share.

Or, you can skip Instagram and post your text-based update via Buffer to Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter. Here’s how:

Log in to Buffer, click the “Content” tab. Write your update in the text box. Click the social networks you want your update to post to (LinkedIn, twitter, Google+, Facebook).

You can choose to “Share now” and the post will go out immediately to the 4 social networks:

href="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen_Shot_2014-08-02_at_1_56_53_PM.png">class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4976" src="http://media.michellemacphearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen_Shot_2014-08-02_at_1_56_53_PM-540x382.png" alt="Screen_Shot_2014-08-02_at_1_56_53_PM" width="540" height="382" />

Or, you can click “Add to queue” and your post will go live at the times you selected in Step 3 above, when you connected your social accounts to Buffer. You might choose this option when you’re working late and want to get the post scheduled but know right then isn’t a good time to post. Or when you have several updates you want to go out over the next few days (like reminders leading up to a sale or event) and create them all at once. By batching your social media in this way, you’ll save time. Buffer allows you to do this easily.

Buffer has an href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fbuffer-for-social-media-twitter%2Fid490474324%3Fmt%3D8&sref=rss">iOS and href="http://redirectingat.com?id=18586X757374&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dorg.buffer.android%26amp%3Bhl%3Den&sref=rss">Android app, so you can do this easily from your phone as well.

You’ve got everything in place that you need to execute a winning social strategy for your local business.

You can give your co-owners, managers or other trusted employees your Instagram and Buffer logins and they will be able to post to your business accounts too.

The rule: post once per day to Instagram. If you have additional, textual updates, you can send them through Buffer.

Everything else is done for you thanks to the steps you put into place from this tutorial.

That’s it – once per day! You’re really, really done!

Video and audio versions of this post:

The post rel="nofollow" href="http://www.michellemacphearson.com/simplest-social-media-marketing-strategy-local-business/">The Simple, Automated Social Media Blueprint For Local Business appeared first on rel="nofollow" href="http://www.michellemacphearson.com">Michelle MacPhearson.