As small business owners, our time is precious. And nothing is more annoying than social media feeds cluttered with self-serving, shouty and annoying content. So it’s important to curate a feed of good people to follow, whether it’s because their content is fun, interesting or thought-provoking – or all of the above! Here are 8 great social media accounts to make your social media feed a better place to be – and get some inspiration for doing social media well.
Did you know that 77% of small businesses use social media to reach customers? That’s a huge number of people competing to have eyes on them. We often talk about the really huge businesses with millions of followers when we talk about who is “doing it well”. But as I’ve said before, you don’t need to go viral or have millions of followers to be successful. You just have to create content that reaches the right group of people.
The best way to do this? Be yourself, do something a little bit different and – most importantly – make people smile! Social media can be a dark place at times, and these accounts are the opposite of that! I hope this list helps you to discover a new favourite and open your eyes to new ways to make social media work for your small business.
1. Pilot Beer on X* (Twitter)
Pilot Beer is an Edinburgh-based brewery where everything “from brewing to branding, kegging to canning, sales to social media” is handled in-house by their small but mighty team.
Founded by Matt Johnson and Patrick Jones, who met on their Master’s course in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in 2011, the brand has gone from strength to strength in recent years.
Their X/Twitter account is a great example of a business that really knows who they are, and isn’t afraid to show it! Their cheeky tone of voice full of sarcasm and puns is instantly recognisable to their followers – something to take note of. They share content they’re tagged in by other accounts, spreading the word about their products in a way that feels really community-based.
True to their brand identity, they have a down-to-earth vibe, with the odd swear word thrown in now and then, and they aren’t afraid of a topical reference. As a beer brand, it feels like a really genuine reflection of who they are as a team. This is something you want to try to harness for your own accounts, whether you have a team around you, or you are a freelancer working solo!
Read more about why developing your tone of voice is so important for your small business.
*Not a fan of Twitter (erm, X)? You can find Pilot Beer on Instagram as well (just a tad less funny).
2. The Cultural Tutor on X (Twitter)
I don’t know about you, but I love an opportunity to learn new things – and The Cultural Tutor on X/Twitter delivers just that!
Every Friday, they post a thread with a few really interesting insights into a specific topic. They have already covered so many topics in art, literature, architecture, the Middle Ages and even classical music, even just looking back at their older posts is sure to teach you a thing or two. As is the case with all posts on the platform, each post on the thread is limited to 280 characters. This means each segment is easily digestible, and written in a really concise way.
They also often find ways to tie the lessons in with current events. So, for example, at the time of writing this post, the Paris Olympics is on. The last two lessons have been on the history of the Olympics and the history of Paris’s architecture and layout. A lesson in how it became the beautiful city it is today!
Knowing that these posts go out every Friday is such a great incentive to follow along. I’m always keen to see what the next topic is. And, considering they’ve now amassed a whopping 1.7million followers, I’m not the only one! This says so much about the importance of consistency in your posting – something I’ve talked about many times before. So, if you’re looking for great social media accounts to follow, make this one of them!
Struggling to be consistent? Check out my tips on creating a social media content plan to help you get into a good routine.
3. Orkney Library and Shetland Library on X* (Twitter)
This is a really fun one. The libraries of Orkney and Shetland, the Northern Isles at the very top of Scotland, each has a Twitter account.
Both accounts in and of themselves are great. They’re witty, funny and genuinely really interesting, sharing news from the libraries as well as book content, fascinating photographs from their local archives and puns galore.
That alone would be great – but it’s the interaction between the two that makes the magic happen here!
The libraries have a really fun competitive vibe between them, tagging each other to try to one-up each other in really silly, funny ways. It’s an added incentive to follow along, watching out for their next interaction and being able to chime in and be a part of the joke! In terms of great social media accounts to follow, this is a strong example!
The way these two accounts work together is a great example of collaboration. They could easily just have kept themselves entirely separate but, by developing this back and forth, they are gaining access to one another’s audience! This is something we can all learn from as business owners.
Interested in learning more about marketing collaborations? Check out this post for my top tips.
*Again, you can find these guys on Instagram as well if you’d rather avoid X/Twitter: Orkney Library and Shetland Library.
4. Effin Birds on Instagram
Moving over to Instagram, my first recommendation is the EffinBirds account!
Honestly, the best way to experience this one is just to see it for yourself. Artist Aaron Reynolds creates artwork with beautiful illustrations of birds, with captions so many people will relate to. Think the opposite of “live laugh love”!
These swear word filled, frustrated, weary captions are such a brilliant juxtaposition to the lovely illustrations. The series has a wide range of merch from calendars, drinkware and pins, to t-shirts and an actual book!
I think the abrasive, comical captions are what makes this account so popular – the content is just so shareable and engaging. And if you’re having a bit of a bad day, nothing will brighten it up quite like the delicate image of an elegant bird saying exactly what you feel!
Trying to focus more on your social media engagement? I have whole post on this – check it out to learn more!
5. Objectables on Instagram
The team at Objectables design and make funny greetings cards, and that humour translates perfectly to social media. I think this quote from their About Us page really sums them up:
“We have been established as a publisher for 6 years or is it 7, I have no idea really. In 2017 we moved to Kent and thought it would be a good idea to open a shop because it wasn’t stressful enough.”
Their casual approach is something I really enjoy. The account is a mixture of unpolished, fun content, a lot of sarcasm and the odd spotlight on one of their products here and there. That’s the thing – great social media accounts do the job without having an intense salesy vibe. What keeps people coming back is the personality it exudes. And Objectables has this in spades!
A great example of this is their Sushi Fridays – for a card shop to sell Sushi from a local food delivery service is such an unexpected mix, but it’s become a star feature in their regular content. This odd sort of mismatch always attracts some laughs – and, just as importantly, some customers!
Looking to follow Objectables’ lead and inject some personality into your social media content? Here are my top tips.
6. Matt Eicheldinger – Instagram
Matt Eicheldinger is a teacher and a New York Times best-selling author, and his Instagram account is such a lovely place to visit for a hopeful pick-me-up.
In each of his posts, he tells a story from one of his classrooms. Over the years, he noted down one interesting thing that happened every day and so he has thousands of notes to choose from. From the unexpected to the inspiring, each story has a lesson in it, and to have that impact in just ninety seconds or so is really amazing.
This one reminds me a little of The Cultural Tutor – totally different format and subject matter, but that same feeling of knowing that whenever they pop up on your feed you’re going to leave having learned something or gained a new perspective.
I think when running a small business we can get caught up always looking to the next thing. When in fact, looking back and reflecting on our journey can be a great way to position ourselves as the experts we are in our individual field. This is something Matt does really well, and is definitely something we can learn from.
Another great way to share your expertise, if you’re not a fan of filming yourself, is by sharing your experiences in blog post form. Here’s how to get started.
7. Jo Watson – A Good Write Up on LinkedIn
Jo Watson from A Good Write Up is genuinely a joy to follow on LinkedIn. Her content never fails to put a smile on my face. And I think that is a pretty consistent feeling within her audience!
Part of Jo’s offering as a copywriter (it’s right there in her bio) is to help people put personality into their projects. And she really does practice what she preaches. From photos of her cat sunbathing in a harness, to funny memes about her own moments of self-doubt, interesting longer form articles and shout-outs for members of her community, there’s a lot to love.
And that might sound disconnected from her business – but it’s not. It’s all part of the appeal. Her content is written in such a witty, engaging way that she doesn’t even really have to plug her services for you to understand she’s great at what she does. That’s truly what makes her one of the great social media accounts to follow!
This is, of course, partly achieved through her expertise as a copywriter. But the other half of it is just her being confident enough to be herself on her platforms! It’s a winning combination.
As so many of these accounts show, taking the time to really work on your marketing copy can be transformational. Here are 12 essential tips to help you improve your copy.
8. Lewis Kemp – Lightbulb Media on Linkedin
Lewis Kemp is CEO of Lightbulb Media. You’ll find him on LinkedIn sharing content around paid advertising, copywriting, running a business and making the platform work for him.
If you’re easily offended, Lewis himself says, his approach to his social media might not be for you! He says it like it is, isn’t afraid to have a debate, and frequently shares his cheeky sense of humour.
Naturally, that is going to get some people offside. But for many of us? It’s a breath of fresh air. The politics of LinkedIn can make it feel like you have to water yourself down/follow a formula to create “acceptable content”. But that just isn’t true. By being yourself, you’re going to stand out, attact the right people, and save everyone time!
Lewis’s content is bold, no-nonsense and effective. You just need to look at the engagement on his account to see how well he initiates conversation. It is obvious, from his approach, that he is passionate about what he is doing, and that spark is infectious. He’s showing that you don’t have to follow a cookie cutter approach to succeed. In fact, the opposite is true!
Lost your marketing spark? Let’s help you find it: How to Find Your Marketing Spark as a Small Business Owner
FURTHER READING
If you are interested in reading more about this topic, have a look at these:
9 Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
How to Add Personality to Your Social Media Marketing
4 Types of Social Media Content You Should Focus on
Why You Should Focus on Your Social Media Engagement
