Social Media Tips for Small Business: How to Highlight Culture and Attract Talent

Social media is not just a tool to share company news or market products and services anymore —it’s a powerful and authentic way to highlight your employees, showcase your company culture, and attract top talent. Now, when candidates look into companies, they aren’t just looking at job descriptions —they want to truly understand what it’s like to work there. Do employees feel valued? Is your workplace fun and collaborative? Would I like it here? These are the kind of insights and clarity that social media can offer.

For small businesses, hiring and attracting the right people can have a huge impact on success. Social media provides an opportunity to stand out and compete with larger and well-established companies in the battle for talent. By effectively leveraging social media, small businesses can humanize their brand, differentiate themselves, and build trust and authenticity.

With fewer resources, navigating the complex world of social media can feel overwhelming for small businesses—but it doesn’t have to be. This blog post will guide you through practical, easy-to-implement social media strategies to help you attract the right talent to your small business.

Social Media Tips for Small Business

Show & Tell 

Take it back to elementary school; as children, we were always so eager to share with our classmates and teachers about what we did over the weekend, new things we tried, and what happened during recess. This idea can be applied to your business and highlighting recaps of your events, from holidays, to conferences and volunteer events. Candidates are interested in seeing what your company is doing and if your values align with what matters most to them. By showcasing and highlighting these moments, you build an authentic employer brand.

Try this: The next time your company hosts a holiday party, attends a conference, or takes part in a volunteer activity, capture a few group photos and share a little bit about what your employees did or what they learned. Pro tip: When it comes to volunteer events, consider collaborating with the benefiting nonprofit on social media. It’s an easy way to expand your reach to potential new candidates and draw greater attention to your social impact efforts.

Highlight Your Employees 

Just like we celebrate and recognize milestones outside of work, it is equally important to celebrate them at work. Feature employee stories, highlight their contributions, and share why they love being part of the team. You can also highlight your owner or founder with a Q&A or even show them taking part with employees at company events. A potential candidate might connect more with content that showcases: a personal story, what a typical day at the office looks like, or the people in positions of leadership.

Try this: Recognize employees for themed holidays such as Employee Appreciation Day, or major months of awareness like Women’s History Month and Black History Month. This is a great way to showcase belonging, inclusivity, and company culture. You can keep track of all these holidays in one place by developing a calendar that can be updated yearly. You can also highlight employee testimonials for work anniversaries, milestones, or through a team introduction with video interviews or photos.

Use Humor & Tap Into Relatable Content

Companies that successfully blend professionalism with personality attract more attention and talent. Humor and relatable content help your brand feel approachable, authentic, and human, making potential candidates feel connected to your company. Tap into appropriate trends and trendy conversations to reach a wider audience.

Try this: Share pop-culture-related memes that highlight everyday work life, or leverage polls like asking the audience what their favorite work snack is to drive engagement.

Promote Work Perks and Benefits Creatively

Rather than simply stating, “We offer great benefits,” bring those benefits to life with visual and interactive posts and present them in a creative and compelling way that will make a lasting impact. Make it personal — let employees share their stories about how your company’s perks have benefited them.

Try this: Ask a handful of employees about their favorite company benefit, either through video or photos. Another option is to spotlight an employee who has benefited from a perk and share their story on how it impacted them. Whether it be through wellness initiatives, flexible work arrangements, or professional growth opportunities, these are real and engaging ways to showcase what your company can offer candidates. 

Engage Your Employees as Brand Advocates

Employees are your best and most authentic storytellers. When they share their experiences at work or on projects, it adds credibility to your company culture. Employees who love what they do will naturally want to share their experiences. They may share “day in the life” posts, career growth journeys, or exciting projects they worked on. 

Try this: Keep an eye out for mentions and tags—repost, comment, and engage with these posts to celebrate your employees. It also boosts morale and belonging within your team. Pro tip: Incentivize employees with giveaways or contests on social media. You don’t need a big budget—choose prizes that resonate with your team, like gift cards, company swag, or a charitable donation in their name.

Leverage free or low-cost tools 

Without a dedicated social media team, creating engaging content can seem like a challenge. The good news is that you can make an impact by taking advantage of free or low-cost tools and repurposing user generated content. Tools like CapCut and Canva can help with video editing and the creation of graphics. Word or Excel documents can be used to organize and create a social media post calendar that ensures a consistent posting cadence. Getting the support of an intern seeking valuable work experience can also be a helpful solution for smaller teams. 

Try this: Explore free design templates on Canva to quickly create eye-catching graphics and use built-in scheduling tools on platforms to automate posting, saving time and ensuring a consistent content flow.

Conclusion

Attracting top talent goes beyond job postings—it’s about showing what it’s like to work at your company. Through authentic storytelling, relatable content, and employee-driven advocacy, social media gives you the platform to highlight your culture, connect with potential candidates, and humanize your brand.

By implementing these social media strategies, you’re not just filling roles—you’re building a community of employees who are excited to be part of your team. Stay consistent, be creative, and most importantly, let your company’s personality shine. With the right approach, social media can become one of your most powerful tools in attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent.