Social Media Lessons for Small Teams
If you’ve ever stared at a blinking cursor wondering what to post or posted something only to hear crickets, you’re not alone. For smaller businesses and one-person marketing teams, social media often feels like another full-time job.
During September 2025’s Intersessions, our friends Jenna Wachtmann and Susan Brumley at Ball Brothers Foundation (BBF) shared how they’ve built a sustainable social media approach that works, even without a dedicated social media staff. Their lessons are a reminder that success on social media is less about doing everything and more about doing the right things consistently.
58% of consumers first discover new businesses on social media, and 78% of shoppers research social media before making a purchase. If you’re not showing up, you’re missing a huge opportunity to connect with your audience before they ever step through your door. (Synup, 2025)]
Pick Your Tools (Not All of Them)
One of the best analogies from the session: treat social media like a toolbox. Just because you can use every tool doesn’t mean you should. BBF started small, experimenting with Facebook before adding Instagram and LinkedIn over time.
That’s the first lesson: you don’t need to be everywhere. Trying to master six platforms at once is a recipe for burnout. Instead, identify where your audience spends time (is it Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok), consider what kind of content you can actually create consistently (short videos, photos, long-form text), and start with one or two platforms you can realistically manage.
Be intentional. It’s better to show up consistently in one place than spread yourself thin everywhere.
Find Your Voice
Your voice is your secret weapon. BBF shared their organization’s guiding principle of positioning their grantees as the heroes of the work and stories they share. That mindset shapes their voice online to be friendly, approachable, and community centered.
Your version might look different. Think about what you want to be known for. Your voice is what makes people want to engage with you.
Are you witty? Warm? Educational? Direct? There’s no wrong answer but be consistent. Create a mini brand voice checklist for yourself. Write down three words that describe how you want your brand to sound and check your posts against them.
The way you speak online will shape how people feel about your brand before they ever make a purchase or read more about you.
People Want to See People
It’s easy to default posting about products, promotions, or announcements. Numbers and graphics have their place, but BBF sees the most engagement when they highlight real people—board members, grantees, or staff in action.
That aligns with what we see across our various clients. Human content outperforms polished content almost every time. People are wired to connect with faces, stories, and emotions.
Don’t underestimate the power of a human touch. You don’t need a big production, just a quick photo of your team at work from your phone, a behind-the-scenes moment, or a highlight of a customer story. Pair it with a thoughtful caption, and you’ll get people to stop scrolling.
Don’t Overcomplicate Content
One of the most relatable things BBF shared is that they only allot themselves to spend “five minutes a day” on social media. While they usually spend more than that, the idea is to not let social consume your whole day.
Keep posts short and clear.
Use photos with context (who’s in the photo and why it matters).
Done is better than perfect. Sometimes a grainy video is still worth posting if it tells the story.
Some ways to simplify how you organize and create content can be batching your work. Instead of writing posts daily, draft and schedule a week’s worth in one sitting. Create templates of post formats that have proven to increase your engagement to cut down brainstorming time. You can even repurpose content. A blog can turn into three LinkedIn posts, two Instagram graphics, and an email snippet.
For busy business owners, this is permission to keep it simple. Social media is all about staying visible and connected.
Make It Manageable
Here’s a peek at how BBF organizes content:
Content calendar: They aim for three posts a week, mixing planned posts with in-the-moment updates.
Shared drive: All photos and stories are stored in one place, organized by month and project and every team member is responsible for uploading their own assets.
Team review: Every post is reviewed by at least one other person for grammar and tone.
If you’re a one-person team, create a system that works for you. That might be scheduling posts in batches, keeping a running list of content ideas, or setting a weekly “social hour” to write, schedule, and organize.
Focus on What You Can Control
Algorithms shift constantly, but the truth is no one outside of the platforms themselves really knows the secret formula. Don’t waste your energy chasing every update. Instead, focus on what you can control. For BBF, that is telling authentic stories and showing up consistently.
Here’s how you too can apply that mindset:
Don’t panic over every algorithm rumor.
Measure what matters (reach and engagement are great, but website clicks or sales conversions may matter more to you).
Show up regularly, even when posts flop, because one strong post can make up for a quiet week.
Social media is a long game. The brands that win aren’t the ones that “go viral” once, they keep showing up with content that feels real and valuable. Don’t let the latest platform updates distract you from the basics.
Final Word
Social media can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to. As the Ball Brothers Foundation team reminded us, it’s about progress, and not so much perfection. Start with the right tools, share stories that matter, and remember you don’t need to do it all.
Learn tips from BBF on sharing news to create interest and promote engagement on social media.