The 4-hour-per-month minimum
If you only do this much, you will outperform 80% of your competitors:
- Weekly batch shoot (45 min). Sit down once a week, take 12–15 photos at your business — products, people, environment. Use natural light. Phone is fine.
- 3 Instagram posts (30 min spread across the week). Pick the 3 best photos. Caption: 2 short sentences + a clear call to action. No hashtag soup.
- 1 Google Business Post (5 min). Same photo, written for someone searching "[your service] near me".
- Reply to every review (15 min total). 60 seconds per review. Thank by name.
What to post about (when you're stuck)
- What you made / served / installed today, in detail. Name the customer if they let you.
- The thing you wish more people knew. (For a plumber: "your shutoff valve is here, label it." For a salon: "this is what brassy hair actually is.")
- The number you're proud of. (Customers served, years open, miles driven, dogs walked.)
- The story of how you got into this work.
- One employee, one named human, one moment.
- A behind-the-scenes problem you solved this week.
What not to post about
- "Happy Monday!" without context. Generic = invisible.
- Memes that have nothing to do with your business.
- Stock photos of food you didn't cook.
- "Throwback Thursday" with no story.
- Anything you wouldn't say to a customer at the counter.
Where to invest after the basics work
- Email list. A simple monthly newsletter outperforms two-thirds of paid ad spend for a local business.
- One $30–50 Reel boost per week, after you have a Reel that organic-performed above your average.
- Local partnerships. Cross-promote with non-competing businesses on the same block. Florist + bakery. Salon + boutique. Cafe + bookstore.
- Review collection routine. Ask happy customers in person, with a QR code on the receipt, every week.
What "consistency" actually means
The single biggest difference between a thriving local business on social and a dormant one is: the thriving one posts every week, even when nothing is happening. Especially when nothing is happening. The algorithm rewards the businesses that show up. Your customers do too.
You will have weeks where you have nothing fresh to say. Post anyway. Repost a customer photo. Show what's in the case. Tell a story about why you started.
How FeedCrew makes the 4-hour minimum into 30 minutes
We read your website, learn how you write, build a 30-day calendar in your voice with industry-appropriate post buckets, surface review responses for your approval, and post to Instagram + Facebook + Google Business Profile on the right rhythm for your industry. Your 30 minutes a week is just the approve / edit pass.
Start a 14-day trial. No credit card. You'll see what your next month looks like in under 5 minutes.