Social media for businesses: what to post and how often

Most businesses don't have a social media problem. They have a consistency and judgement problem. They post three days in a row, get tired, disappear for a month and come back with a "Happy Monday" and a stock photo. You build nothing that way. If you run a business in Granada, Malaga or Madrid and you want your social channels to work for you, the first thing to understand is that it's not about posting a lot, it's about posting with intent.

Let's set the generalities aside. Here's what to post, how often, and how to know whether it's working. No textbook theory.

Before you post anything: what your channels are for

A neighbourhood shop in Seville isn't after the same thing as a software company in Madrid. Before you open Instagram, be clear about what you want to happen when someone sees you: that they come in to buy, that they call you, that they remember your brand or that they trust you as an expert. Each goal changes the kind of content.

If you sell to other businesses, LinkedIn matters more than Instagram. If you have a physical premises in Cordoba or Almeria, Instagram and Google are your priority. Don't be on five platforms half-heartedly. Better to master one than to drag along four abandoned ones.

The four types of content that actually work

Forget the magic 80/20 rule everyone repeats. In practice, the content that moves the needle for a small business falls into four groups. Mix them across the month.

• Content that teaches: tips, common mistakes in your sector, how to choose well. It positions your brand as an expert and gets shared on its own.
• Content that shows who you are: the team, the workshop, how you work. People buy from people, not from logos.
• Content that sells without hiding it: product, offer, what's new, booking. There's nothing wrong with selling. That's what the business is for.
• Content that builds trust: reviews, real cases, before and after, happy customers. Social proof sells more than any slogan.

If every week you hit at least three of these four blocks, your profile stops being a dull display case and starts to look like a living business.

Don't post to fill the feed. Post so that someone, on seeing you, takes the next step.

How often to post (really)

The ideal frequency is the one you can keep up for twelve months straight. Full stop. A business that posts twice a week consistently beats one that posts daily for three weeks and then disappears.

As a realistic benchmark for a small business in Andalusia or Madrid: three to five feed posts or reels a week, and stories almost daily because they're quick and expire in 24 hours. Reels bring you new reach; the feed builds your image; stories keep the people who already follow you warm. You don't need to shoot cinema-grade productions. A well-thought-out phone video performs better than a perfect photo with no message.

And yes, you need a calendar. Even if it's a simple table with the topic for each day. Improvising at eleven at night is the fast track to giving up.

How to know whether it's working

Likes don't pay the bills. Look at metrics that genuinely matter: reach among people who weren't following you, saves (a sign your content is useful), shares, clicks to your link and, above all, messages and bookings that come in from social. If you post a lot and no new customer comes in over three months, the problem isn't the algorithm: it's the message.

Review your numbers once a month, not every day. Spot which format worked best and repeat it. Social media rewards those who listen to what their audience is already telling them through their interactions.

The mistake almost everyone makes

Wanting to speak to everyone about everything. A brand that tries to please anyone interests no one. Define who you're talking to (the family looking for somewhere to eat in Granada, the company that needs a website in Malaga) and speak to that person as if they were right in front of you. Generic content is invisible.

At Prisma we run social media for businesses all over Andalusia and Madrid, and the difference between those who grow and those who don't is never the budget. It's consistency and judgement. That can be built.