Rethinking Small Business Marketing In The Days of Tanking Social Media Reach
If you are a small business owner with any social media presence, then we don’t have to tell you that your social marketing efforts aren’t going as far as they used to.
In the early days of social media marketing, we used to espouse the incredible opportunity it gave small businesses to communicate with large numbers of potential customers at NO COST. Coming from the days of print and television advertising that preceded this low-budget marketing season, small businesses (with small budgets) were given an incredible opportunity to reach people with some effort and minimal expense.
Fast forward to 2024, social media has become the default marketing platform for many businesses. We’ve seen many iterations of algorithm updates, and in more recent months, it’s become almost impossible to get your hard-worked content in front of your ideal customer. The catch, of course, is that constant content creation has become a customer expectation.
Even for the businesses who are consistent, creative, and doing “everything right,” organic posting now seems to be a time suck with little-to-no payoff. So, what changed?
Let’s talk about the ever-evolving algorithms and how they’re making organic visibility harder than ever. Once we understand the problem, we’ll give you some practical steps that you can make in your business going forward.
The Organic Reach Crisis
Let’s start by giving support to what we already know. Social media is necessary for brand awareness but it’s becoming very hard to feel confident that you’re doing it well. According to a 2024 report by Semrush, nearly 90% of small businesses say they rely on social media for brand awareness, yet only 1 in 5 feel confident in their results. Much of that frustration stems from one common factor: declining organic reach due to algorithm shifts.
On platforms like Instagram and Facebook, organic reach has plummeted from double-digit percentages to the low single digits. Some businesses report less than 2% reach on their posts. Translation: Even your most loyal followers who want to keep track of what you’re sharing may not be seeing your content.
These changes have consequences, too. Especially for those businesses who don’t have an entire marketing department to crunch numbers and consistently update their campaigns. The Forbes 2024 Small Business Marketing Report shows:
58% of small business owners feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with changing social media algorithms.
42% have reduced their posting frequency or stopped using at least one platform altogether.
Among Gen Z business owners—who grew up on these platforms—nearly half say they’re frustrated by how hard it is to gain traction organically.
Translation: Business owners are burned out and discouraged, leading some to withdraw from the social media game altogether.
Why and How Algorithms Are Changing
Many social media users and marketing experts have strong opinions about the ever changing algorithms, the role of AI and fake accounts, among other things. All of those could warrant their own blog posts. But, the indisputable fact is that the big 3 social media platforms (looking at you: Facebook, Instagram, X) try to stay ahead of the many people trying to game the system for attention.
Most of us, while fatigued, understand the importance of social media and continue to stay in the organic marketing game on at least one or two platforms. So, for those warriors who are ready to adapt, here’s what’s cutting through the clutter right now:
Meaningful interactions (comments, saves, shares) over likes or views.
Short-form video content (especially Reels and TikToks).
Private sharing (DMs and saves) that aren't visible to public metrics.
Organic posts are not guaranteed to get in front of your ideal audience but playing to these three algorithmic gold stars can help increase your odds.
The “Pay to Play” Reality
The bottom line is that the companies that run these sites want to increase their share of your attention and, with it, their profits. An outcome of these drivers is that paid advertisements are becoming necessary for those that want to use social media as a part of their marketing funnel. Even digital-native entrepreneurs are struggling. As Inc. Magazine recently reported, “algorithms have become the gatekeepers,” making visibility a paid privilege. Social media may still be free to use, but real visibility often comes at a cost. Boosting posts or running ads is now a basic requirement to compete—even with your own followers.
What You Can Do, outside of paid advertising
I know that this has all seemed very somber up until this point. But please bear with me because all is not lost.
Despite these challenges, there are smart, sustainable ways to adapt within the major social media players and some even more effective ways to consider outside of the social media ecosystem. Here are our five game-changing alterations you can make in this shifting marketing climate.
Get more personal - People love posts that seem personal, authentic and clearly not written or produced by AI. No matter where you’re posting, adding the human element will cut through the clutter.
Experiment with video- Short-form videos (Reels, TikToks) are still favored by most algorithms. They don’t need to be highly produced—just authentic and informative.
Diversify your platforms - Consider expanding to platforms like YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, Pinterest or small, niche-specific places where your target audience hangs out
Make sure you’re focusing on the whole picture - Social media is important, but it isn’t everything. It establishes credibility and awareness; but most often, e-mail marketing and in-person connections are where you convert. So don’t fall into the trap of spending so much time trying to increase impressions that you forget to nail your highest-converting channels.
Don’t forget about SEO - People find products and services they’re looking for through search engines more than any other avenue. That means, you need to be thinking about your website, and optimizing your content (whether it lives on social or outside of it) to increase your rankings there, too. This is becoming easier than ever with AI inside of many web hosting platforms. Squarespace just added this tool in its latest release and I’m loving it!
Final Thoughts
The algorithm changes are real, and they’re frustrating for all of us who had gotten accustomed to low-cost marketing strategies that relied on them. But all is not lost. There are ways to pivot in the challenging world of organic social posting. And, for many, it may make sense to spend that additional energy making creative strategy changes to reach people in other places.
Some closing advice for our small business brethren:
Experiment consistently,
Prioritize progress over perfection,
And understand that brand visibility is a long game, not just a one-post wonder.
You are doing great!
Shameless Plug: Want help navigating these changes?
At Doodling Pandas Creative, we help small businesses turn brand confusion into clarity—from standout visuals to strategy that grows with you. Message us today to see how we can support your next step.
Giving Credit Where It’s Due (AKA Sources):