We’ve worked in marketing for 27 years and social media marketing for nearly 17 years.
Every single day we’re chatting to clients about business and marketing, advising them on the best approach for the year we’re actually doing business in.
While the fundamentals of marketing always remain the same, the platforms, routes to market and trends change over time.
Here’s 7 Social Media Marketing Tips Every Business Should Follow in 2026
Human-first approach to Social Media and AI
AI has been all anyone has talked about for the past two years.
ChatGPT this. Claude that. AI will change our lives. AI will ruin our lives. AI will replace whole marketing teams.
A lot of it has been hyperbole from AI companies, people selling AI courses, or the press looking for fear-inducing clicks.
Naturally, as marketers we’ve explored AI. We use it sparingly, and we know what currently looks good and what looks bad from a marketing perspective.
And for our clients, we’ve landed somewhere we’re happy with.
A human-first approach to AI, where 95% of what we produce is human and people remain at the heart of the marketing.
That’s always been our philosophy, but right now, with AI slop images and generic ChatGPT captions everywhere, it’s helping businesses stand out even more.
Remember, the fundamentals of marketing are about building a unique brand. You can’t do that if you look and sound the same as everyone else.
Avoid trend slop on Social Media
For 17 years we’ve never been big on following trends.
It’s just not us. It’s not our clients either.
We grew up in the days before TikTok, before everybody started producing exactly the same content.
I mean, sorry…
I’m not laughing for the millionth time I’ve seen a coffee shop, restaurant or pub throw beer, coffee or pancakes in someone’s face.
I’m not laughing for the millionth time a business owner lip-syncs to Gemma Collins.
I’m not laughing for the millionth time a business hijacks the Met Gala because the 20-year-old marketing assistant loves it, while their customers are all in their 50s and have absolutely no idea what it’s about.
Use trends sparingly. And if you’re going to do one, do it bigger, bolder, better and earlier than everyone else.
Maximise The Exposure Of Facebook Groups
I honestly think most local businesses are missing out on local Facebook Groups.
They’re incredibly valuable if you’re a local business serving local customers.
Post once a week in your local Facebook Group (that’s the rule in most groups).
Join the conversations in the comments at least once a day.
Repeat.
Your local Facebook Group could have anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000 members.
To put that into context, in the last seven days, 165,462 people have viewed our local Altrincham Facebook Group.
You’ll probably reach more local customers in those groups than you will from a week’s worth of posting on your own Facebook Page.
Upskill your team on LinkedIn to increase visibility and sales
For professional services and B2B businesses, one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing is training your team to use LinkedIn properly.
Employees on LinkedIn typically have 10 times the reach of company pages.
A whole team posting consistently can reach more people than that magazine advertising package you’re paying thousands of pounds for every month.
Since the pandemic, demand for this has grown, but we’ve been working with law firms, accountancy practices, IFAs and a whole range of professional services businesses for well over a decade.
The best companies book us every year to train any new starters who’ve joined over the previous few months.
They see training as an ongoing process rather than a one-off event.
Be intentional with social media engagement
For two minutes, I want you to stop reading this blog.
If you use LinkedIn, look at the last five comments you left.
If you use Instagram, look at your Activity and the last five posts you liked or commented on.
How many of those interactions are helping you build relationships with ideal clients or referral partners?
Or are you just engaging without any real direction?
Our advice to clients is simple: be intentional with your engagement instead of commenting on everything.
Even as a business like ours, where we can work with almost any industry, we’re still thinking carefully about who we really want to work with.
Share topical hot takes on social media about your industry
Some of our best-performing posts recently have been hot takes.
Hot takes on AI.
Hot takes on Lisa Nandy leaving Twitter.
Hot takes on the social media ban for under-16s.
Hot takes on the proposed social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds.
They’re all related to our industry, but they’re also genuine opinions from people who work in it every day.
The key is speed.
These posts need to be turned around quickly while people are still talking about them.
And you need to be willing to pick a side rather than sitting on the fence.
Are you prepared to put your opinion out there?
Nothing changes on social media unless you change
Social media is like the seasons.
What worked three to six months ago might not work today.
We always remind clients to stay open to new ideas and listen to the advice of their social media manager or trainer.
One of the biggest advantages of working with an external marketing agency is that they have a broader view of what’s working across multiple industries.
And when something does work, do more of it.
Don’t step away from a strategy that’s delivering results just because you’re bored of it.
CONCLUSION: 7 Social Media Marketing Tips Every Business Should Follow in 2026
A lot of businesses are still looking for:
- The latest hack.
- The newest platform.
- The secret algorithm.
- The quick win
We’ve worked in social media for 17 years and we’re proof that consistency works
The above points are all relevant to 2026, but they’re refining what we’ve been saying for years.
If you’ve heard us say any of the above, but you’re still not changing.
Maybe it’s time to book in a 121 and an accountability session.
NEED HELP WITH SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Looking for authentic ways to grow your social media
Chat to us about Social Media Marketing for YOUR organisation , so we can better understand YOU and what will grow your organisation
We can only find out what is unique to your business by chatting with you
Look at our Social Media Training and Social Media Management services
We offer Social Media Training on
* LinkedIn
* Instagram
* Facebook
* TikTok
* Blogging
We can do this
* 121
* Corporate Workshops
* Group Workshops
* Face to Face or Via Zoom
Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
