In 2025, having social media accounts isn’t enough. If you’re a small or medium-sized business (SMB), you need a strategy that works even when you're offline. The right content plan can help you reach new customers, build a loyal audience, and generate leads—without spending hours glued to your phone.
Here’s the 7-step content strategy top-performing SMBs are using this year to stay consistent, smart, and results-driven.
Step 1: Know Your Audience
Before you create any content, you need to deeply understand who you're creating it for.
- What are your customers struggling with?
- What inspires or entertains them?
- Which platforms do they use most?
Action: Build customer personas using insights from social media analytics, website traffic, and reviews. The better you know your people, the easier it is to create content they care about.
Step 2: Pick the Right Platforms
You don’t need to be everywhere—you just need to be where your audience already is.
- B2C? Focus on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook.
- B2B? LinkedIn or YouTube might be more effective.
Time-Saver Tip: Use tools like Baked to cross-post your content and keep things organized. You’ll show up consistently without doubling your workload.
Step 3: Plan Around Core Themes
Every brand needs a content backbone. Choose 3–5 themes (also called content pillars) that reflect your business and values.
Examples: Educational tips, Customer stories, Behind-the-scenes moments, Industry trends, Promotions and updates
Pro Tip: Baked lets you build a repeatable content calendar using your themes, so planning your week (or month) becomes plug-and-play.
Step 4: Batch Create and Schedule
Batching is your best friend. Instead of scrambling to post every day, dedicate a few hours per week to create a batch of content. Then schedule it all at once.
Why it works:
- Keeps your feed active (even on your busiest days)
- Reduces decision fatigue
- Improves content quality
Use Baked: Our smart scheduler automatically fills content gaps and suggests ideas based on past performance.
Step 5: Mix Up Your Formats
In 2025, variety = visibility.
Use a mix of:
- Reels or TikToks (great for reach)
- Carousels (for deeper storytelling)
- Images and quotes (easy and engaging)
- Short videos (to boost retention)
Content Hack: Repurpose one idea into multiple formats. A blog post can become a quote graphic, a video tip, and a carousel.
Step 6: Engage With Intention
Don’t just post—interact. Respond to comments. Answer DMs. Join relevant conversations. The more engaged you are, the stronger your community becomes.
Automation Tip: Let Baked surface your top-performing content and filter comments or DMs by priority—so you spend less time scrolling and more time connecting.
Step 7: Measure and Adjust
The final (and often forgotten) step is to analyze what’s working.
Ask:
- Which content types are performing best?
- What time of day gets the most engagement?
- Are certain platforms driving more clicks or leads?
With Baked Analytics: You’ll get platform-specific insights, engagement breakdowns, and growth trends—so you can double down on what works and pivot away from what doesn’t.
Why This Strategy Works
This isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about building a system.
By following these 7 steps, you’ll:
- Save time by batching and scheduling
- Stay consistent with minimal effort
- Grow your audience with purpose
- Keep your brand top-of-mind
- Spend more time running your business, not managing posts
And with tools like Baked, even a one-person team can look like a full-scale marketing department.
Final Thoughts
Smart content doesn’t have to mean complicated. With this framework, you’ll have a strategy that works for your business—today, next month, and all through 2025.
Plan smart. Post smarter. Grow faster.
Would you like help creating your content pillars, setting up a smart scheduling workflow, or analyzing your top-performing posts?