The Mullet is our small rural business and marketing advice mini-series, brought to you by Richard P and Callum of CountrySlide.This episode the discussion turns to how much time small businesses should spend on Social Media around running the day-to-day, admin and having a life outside of work.
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CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.
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The Hosts
Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website
Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.
Richard P: Here we are again with another episode of The Mullet, the business and content marketing advice offshoot of Countryslide. We have just recorded three episodes back-to-back and this is the fourth episode in that chain. So this is probably going to be the silliest of the lot. That's what tends to happen.
Callum M-R: Some of them were good, I think.
Richard P: Some of them were good. There was definitely some content in there. I think it's my turn to read the question out, isn't it?
Callum M-R: Yeah. Can you do a Welsh accent? Oh, wait, it's East Devon.
Richard P: East Devon.
Callum M-R: Oh, you've got that in the locker. No, actually, don't do that. It's inappropriate. This is very serious business. Stop it.
Richard P: Right, stopping. Here's the question: "How much time should I actually spend on content? I run a small eco-cleaning business in a rural area. Nothing fancy, just me and a couple of part-time staff. I keep hearing how important social media is, but between doing the actual work, admin, and trying to have a life, I've got about 20 minutes a week spare. Is it better to do the odd scrappy post when I can, or should I carve out proper time and try to make a plan? – Claire, East Devon." Actually, that's across the other side of the Tamar, so it's a bit more Cornish. Oh, I've got stuff to say about this.
Callum M-R: First of all, I don't know what eco-cleaning is. I assume you don't use things that will kill stuff and burn your lungs out.
Richard P: You don't spray bleach everywhere. You use an army of trained termites that eat away at the limescale in the kettle.
Callum M-R: Twenty minutes spare. I feel like they're either overworking or they need to put their prices up. It's really easy in business to create a prison of your own making and not have time for all the things. We've done it. You end up not with a business, but with a job that you've given yourself, plus lots of liability and stress. So, if you've got such limited time, look at your pricing. Maybe you could put it up a fiver an hour and get some of that time back. That would afford you the ability to actually do some marketing.
Richard P: My thought follows on from that: Why are you thinking about this? Is it just because you think you should do it, or is it because you want to find more customers? And if you want more customers, when are you going to serve them if you're already flat out? Unless you can find someone else to come in and expand the team—which it sounds like Claire is doing with her part-time staff.
But getting to the point where you're working on the business rather than in the business is really difficult. Particularly when it's your baby, you scale it, hire people, and then end up managing them at multiple levels. Getting to that 10,000-foot strategic view is hard when they're used to you working alongside them. Trades often have this problem—builders, carpenters, sparkies. You know how to do the job, and your reputation relies on it being done properly. When you hire someone else, you're almost standing over their shoulder making sure they're doing a good job. In which case, you may as well have just done it yourself.
Callum M-R: Exactly. Or you spend as much time explaining how to do the job as it would have taken to just do it. I suppose that's a control thing as well. You want to control the quality.
Richard P: If you're somebody who had to teach yourself how to do something by observing, trying, and figuring out what works through trial and error, it is almost impossible to step out of that. Your brain relies on a continual series of memories and experiences to solve problems instinctively. You can't coldly step back and write a logical, step-by-step paragraph of "this is how you do it and why."
Callum M-R: I combated that in my web design business by writing an entire operations manual—an exact blow-by-blow of how we did certain things. It's a great way to separate yourself and give people a protocol to work to. It holds them accountable because they have no excuse if they didn't follow the step-by-step instructions. But I think we got sidetracked.
Richard P: I think it's good universal advice! But back to social media: do you actually need to do it? Let's keep it on the social media side of things since that's what Claire asked.
Callum M-R: If you put your prices up, it might free up some time and naturally replace the terrible clients—the ones who want it cheaper and cheaper—with good clients who value the service. Once the business is profitable and your pricing strategy is right, you could easily just pay somebody else to keep up with your social stuff.
But if not, leverage hyperlocal Facebook groups. What I see with cleaning companies is they'll set up and target broad hashtags like #CleaningCompany, talking about products. The only people liking those posts are other cleaning companies. What you actually need are local people in your area who need your service. So, leverage an East Devon community group.
Richard P: There's another element to it as well. It's not just about finding new customers; it's about keeping existing ones. It's maintaining trust and quality of service. Social media can just be about serving that existing customer base, making sure you show things aligned with what they value.
(Dog noises in background) There's heavy breathing in the background because my dog has just arrived at the desk. You're very interested in social media strategies, aren't you?
Callum M-R: Just say "ROAS."
Richard P: Yes, Return On Ad Spend. Gets all the marketing types really excited. Anyway, what you put out on social media could just be, "We've done this amazing job here yet again." You don't expect much interaction from it, and it might not get you new customers today. But in six months' time, someone might look through your Instagram grid and think, "Yes, this person does consistently good work over an extended period." For a service-based business, sometimes people just want to see that you are reliable, active, and good. Posting once a week isn't going to get you massive growth, but it proves you're still trading.
Callum M-R: That's a big one.
Richard P: How many businesses have you looked up two years after using them, only to find nothing has changed on their website or Facebook? You start wondering if they've gone bust, and you actually have to ring them to ask, "Are you still open?" It's not just about finding new people; it's continual maintenance and contact with an audience.
Callum M-R: I would post transformations—before and afters—if you can get client clearance. Or a bit of educational content: "Of all the cleaners I've used, this is the best. No harmful chemicals. Did you know bleach does this?" I wouldn't sell hard unless you're in local groups where you can push it.
Richard P: I just realized something. Cleaning businesses are hard ones to do before-and-afters for.
Callum M-R: Because you have to get clearance from the client?
Richard P: Well, there's a social element to it. If your business is car detailing, taking a filthy Porsche to a clean Porsche is great. People have no problem showing off a dirty sports car because it implies they've been driving it hard, and they're rich enough to pay someone to clean it. Personal trainers can do before-and-afters. But if you post, "Look at this person's filthy toilet before I cleaned it"—nobody is happy with that transformation being public! I think you just have to show the after and hint at it. "This took 17 hours of solid work to get the stain out of this mattress."
Callum M-R: I'm sure spilling advice would be really good. Just a little guide on how to get blood out of a rug, and put that into your local Facebook groups. There's no way people wouldn't bite on that. I'm giving you that one for free. Does white wine get out red wine? I can't remember.
Richard P: I've just made the worst cocktail ever. Carpet wine. That could be a new cocktail! You know you're onto a good one when the producer types "Jesus Christ" into the production chat.
So, to summarize: look at why you are doing social media. If you're happy with how things are now, just do maintenance. Keep it ticking over with good, consistent stuff. Then, if you need to ramp it up in the future to grow, or if you finally step back to work on strategy, you've got a base to build on. Just do one post a week. And when customers tag you in positive stuff, share it to your stories! It takes 10 seconds, makes the customer feel good, makes you look active, and maintains that relationship. Ignoring those tags is like blanking them in real life.
Callum M-R: Ghosting, that's what the kids say. People don't like being sold everything.
Richard P: No. I mean, I don't know what they're being sold on this podcast. The ability to unsubscribe?
Callum M-R: No, they should be sold the Patreon! For just three pounds a month, you can go to countryslide.co.uk/support. You get professional end-of-show segments full of the best stories, and you get access to "Nice Twitter," AKA our WhatsApp group chat. It is popping off. Richard Negus is around posting pictures of his pints.
Richard P: It's where all the best discussions happen. And if you want to send in your questions, use the email address in the show notes below this episode on your podcast player. We'll sift through them and record the best ones.
Callum M-R: You can also message us on the Countryslide Pod social channels: InstaFace, and X.
Richard P: Yes, X.com. Musk Chat. We're here, and now we're going. That's all that can be said.
Callum M-R: Okay, thanks. Bye!
Callum M-R: Some of them were good, I think.
Richard P: Some of them were good. There was definitely some content in there. I think it's my turn to read the question out, isn't it?
Callum M-R: Yeah. Can you do a Welsh accent? Oh, wait, it's East Devon.
Richard P: East Devon.
Callum M-R: Oh, you've got that in the locker. No, actually, don't do that. It's inappropriate. This is very serious business. Stop it.
Richard P: Right, stopping. Here's the question: "How much time should I actually spend on content? I run a small eco-cleaning business in a rural area. Nothing fancy, just me and a couple of part-time staff. I keep hearing how important social media is, but between doing the actual work, admin, and trying to have a life, I've got about 20 minutes a week spare. Is it better to do the odd scrappy post when I can, or should I carve out proper time and try to make a plan? – Claire, East Devon." Actually, that's across the other side of the Tamar, so it's a bit more Cornish. Oh, I've got stuff to say about this.
Callum M-R: First of all, I don't know what eco-cleaning is. I assume you don't use things that will kill stuff and burn your lungs out.
Richard P: You don't spray bleach everywhere. You use an army of trained termites that eat away at the limescale in the kettle.
Callum M-R: Twenty minutes spare. I feel like they're either overworking or they need to put their prices up. It's really easy in business to create a prison of your own making and not have time for all the things. We've done it. You end up not with a business, but with a job that you've given yourself, plus lots of liability and stress. So, if you've got such limited time, look at your pricing. Maybe you could put it up a fiver an hour and get some of that time back. That would afford you the ability to actually do some marketing.
Richard P: My thought follows on from that: Why are you thinking about this? Is it just because you think you should do it, or is it because you want to find more customers? And if you want more customers, when are you going to serve them if you're already flat out? Unless you can find someone else to come in and expand the team—which it sounds like Claire is doing with her part-time staff.
But getting to the point where you're working on the business rather than in the business is really difficult. Particularly when it's your baby, you scale it, hire people, and then end up managing them at multiple levels. Getting to that 10,000-foot strategic view is hard when they're used to you working alongside them. Trades often have this problem—builders, carpenters, sparkies. You know how to do the job, and your reputation relies on it being done properly. When you hire someone else, you're almost standing over their shoulder making sure they're doing a good job. In which case, you may as well have just done it yourself.
Callum M-R: Exactly. Or you spend as much time explaining how to do the job as it would have taken to just do it. I suppose that's a control thing as well. You want to control the quality.
Richard P: If you're somebody who had to teach yourself how to do something by observing, trying, and figuring out what works through trial and error, it is almost impossible to step out of that. Your brain relies on a continual series of memories and experiences to solve problems instinctively. You can't coldly step back and write a logical, step-by-step paragraph of "this is how you do it and why."
Callum M-R: I combated that in my web design business by writing an entire operations manual—an exact blow-by-blow of how we did certain things. It's a great way to separate yourself and give people a protocol to work to. It holds them accountable because they have no excuse if they didn't follow the step-by-step instructions. But I think we got sidetracked.
Richard P: I think it's good universal advice! But back to social media: do you actually need to do it? Let's keep it on the social media side of things since that's what Claire asked.
Callum M-R: If you put your prices up, it might free up some time and naturally replace the terrible clients—the ones who want it cheaper and cheaper—with good clients who value the service. Once the business is profitable and your pricing strategy is right, you could easily just pay somebody else to keep up with your social stuff.
But if not, leverage hyperlocal Facebook groups. What I see with cleaning companies is they'll set up and target broad hashtags like #CleaningCompany, talking about products. The only people liking those posts are other cleaning companies. What you actually need are local people in your area who need your service. So, leverage an East Devon community group.
Richard P: There's another element to it as well. It's not just about finding new customers; it's about keeping existing ones. It's maintaining trust and quality of service. Social media can just be about serving that existing customer base, making sure you show things aligned with what they value.
(Dog noises in background) There's heavy breathing in the background because my dog has just arrived at the desk. You're very interested in social media strategies, aren't you?
Callum M-R: Just say "ROAS."
Richard P: Yes, Return On Ad Spend. Gets all the marketing types really excited. Anyway, what you put out on social media could just be, "We've done this amazing job here yet again." You don't expect much interaction from it, and it might not get you new customers today. But in six months' time, someone might look through your Instagram grid and think, "Yes, this person does consistently good work over an extended period." For a service-based business, sometimes people just want to see that you are reliable, active, and good. Posting once a week isn't going to get you massive growth, but it proves you're still trading.
Callum M-R: That's a big one.
Richard P: How many businesses have you looked up two years after using them, only to find nothing has changed on their website or Facebook? You start wondering if they've gone bust, and you actually have to ring them to ask, "Are you still open?" It's not just about finding new people; it's continual maintenance and contact with an audience.
Callum M-R: I would post transformations—before and afters—if you can get client clearance. Or a bit of educational content: "Of all the cleaners I've used, this is the best. No harmful chemicals. Did you know bleach does this?" I wouldn't sell hard unless you're in local groups where you can push it.
Richard P: I just realized something. Cleaning businesses are hard ones to do before-and-afters for.
Callum M-R: Because you have to get clearance from the client?
Richard P: Well, there's a social element to it. If your business is car detailing, taking a filthy Porsche to a clean Porsche is great. People have no problem showing off a dirty sports car because it implies they've been driving it hard, and they're rich enough to pay someone to clean it. Personal trainers can do before-and-afters. But if you post, "Look at this person's filthy toilet before I cleaned it"—nobody is happy with that transformation being public! I think you just have to show the after and hint at it. "This took 17 hours of solid work to get the stain out of this mattress."
Callum M-R: I'm sure spilling advice would be really good. Just a little guide on how to get blood out of a rug, and put that into your local Facebook groups. There's no way people wouldn't bite on that. I'm giving you that one for free. Does white wine get out red wine? I can't remember.
Richard P: I've just made the worst cocktail ever. Carpet wine. That could be a new cocktail! You know you're onto a good one when the producer types "Jesus Christ" into the production chat.
So, to summarize: look at why you are doing social media. If you're happy with how things are now, just do maintenance. Keep it ticking over with good, consistent stuff. Then, if you need to ramp it up in the future to grow, or if you finally step back to work on strategy, you've got a base to build on. Just do one post a week. And when customers tag you in positive stuff, share it to your stories! It takes 10 seconds, makes the customer feel good, makes you look active, and maintains that relationship. Ignoring those tags is like blanking them in real life.
Callum M-R: Ghosting, that's what the kids say. People don't like being sold everything.
Richard P: No. I mean, I don't know what they're being sold on this podcast. The ability to unsubscribe?
Callum M-R: No, they should be sold the Patreon! For just three pounds a month, you can go to countryslide.co.uk/support. You get professional end-of-show segments full of the best stories, and you get access to "Nice Twitter," AKA our WhatsApp group chat. It is popping off. Richard Negus is around posting pictures of his pints.
Richard P: It's where all the best discussions happen. And if you want to send in your questions, use the email address in the show notes below this episode on your podcast player. We'll sift through them and record the best ones.
Callum M-R: You can also message us on the Countryslide Pod social channels: InstaFace, and X.
Richard P: Yes, X.com. Musk Chat. We're here, and now we're going. That's all that can be said.
Callum M-R: Okay, thanks. Bye!