Most local businesses post once a week, slap a stock photo on it, and wonder why nobody engages.

Here's what actually moves the needle for local businesses on social media:

1. Google Maps + Instagram is your new storefront.

Before people walk in, they check your page. If your last post is from 3 months ago, you look closed. Consistency > perfection.

2. Reels of your actual work outperform any ad.

A 15-second clip of a barber doing a fresh cut, a restaurant plating food, or a gym transformation — that's content that gets shared locally. Stop overthinking it.

3. Reply to every single comment and DM.

Local businesses that respond within an hour convert 3x more followers into customers. Treat your DMs like a cash register.

4. Post for your neighborhood, not the world.

Use local hashtags, tag your city, geo-tag every post. The algorithm rewards local relevance.

I run social media for local businesses full-time. If you want someone to handle all of this for you — check out what we do at Karan Media.