Keep your social media strategy simple

In the final excerpt of our investigation into the changing cost of acquisition of social media for SMEs we talk to Zoe Goodhardt. Zoe is a Partner at TAG, a digital growth consultancy that brings together strategy, people, marketing and technology to unlock growth across the full customer journey. The company started 11 years ago. It works on the basis that growth doesn’t come from one channel in isolation. Rather, it comes from aligning brand, systems and people – and now increasingly AI – so they work in concert.

Zoe sees social media as an important part of that equation, but only if it’s approached with clarity rather than complexity. “Organic social media remains one of the most accessible tools to build trust and familiarity,” she explains. “Too many small businesses over-engineer it.” Zoe laments the fact that many small businesses overanalyse metrics, overthink creative and wait for perfection before posting.

It’s all about building trust

“In reality, consistency beats polish,” she says. “Social media is a trust-building channel. It’s about showing up regularly with clear, authentic messaging that reflects your brand. It’s not about chasing every trend or producing studio-level content for every post.

Where Zoe believes social media becomes more nuanced is paid advertising. “For many small businesses, especially in e-commerce, believing you can scale purely organically is unrealistic,” she cautions. “Reach today is limited without media spend. Advertising can feel out of reach when budgets are tight, but it’s often the lever that turns visibility into revenue.”

To that end, if purse strings are tight in B2C, Zoe sees TikTok as offering one of the most cost-effective points of entry. And particularly for those brands willing to create native, lo-fi content. In B2B, she feels that LinkedIn is often underappreciated. “With only a relatively small percentage of users posting consistently, there is a significant opportunity for visibility for those prepared to show up strategically,” Zoe says.

“What also makes these platforms cost-effective is the ability to test quickly,” she adds. “Both allow brands to experiment with messaging, positioning and creative without large production budgets. The key is to treat early activity as market research. Observe what resonates, refine your offer and double down where engagement signals genuine demand.”

Cost-effectiveness doesn’t necessarily mean low cost

Zoe stresses the importance of keeping in mind that cost-effectiveness isn’t just about low spend. It’s a case of learning velocity. “The faster a founder can validate positioning, pricing or audience response, the better placed they are to allocate future budget,” she says. “When used in this way, social media becomes a feedback loop, not just a broadcast channel.”

Zoe advises new founders to choose the platforms where their customer already spends the most time and commit to them properly. “Don’t just post and hope for the best – be strategic,” she urges. “A product-led B2C brand might want to invest in TikTok, even taking your audience on the brand-building behind-the-scenes journey. A service-based business might look to build authority through thought leadership on LinkedIn. If you do that, leverag the founder’s own profile to add value.”

The goal is to establish a consistent posting cadence – consistency is key. Once that is achieved, Zoe recommends you use your insights to understand which platforms are helping your business build trust and drive action, not just visibility. “Adjust your approach accordingly – this is how you really achieve bang for buck,” she says. “And always remember, the businesses that succeed on social media aren’t necessarily the loudest or the ones with the most followers. They’re the ones who show up often enough to be remembered.”