“Just post more.”

“It’s easy if you batch content on Sundays.”

And heaven knows you’ve tried…blocked off time, opened a doc, and stared at the blinking cursor. Or perhaps you pulled out your iPhone and mindlessly walked through your business looking for something of value to post.

You’re Not an Influencer… You Are Running a Business

Here’s the thing:
You’re not a bad person.
You’re not even bad at marketing.
You’re just busy running a business.

And when you take a hard look at your organization, who else can solve those particular problems, lead that specific team, manage those complex operations, or put out that exact fire?

And somehow, you’re also expected to magically become a world-class content creator?

If you’ve ever felt behind, inconsistent, or quietly guilty about your social media presence, you’re not alone.

Why Busy Business Owners FAIL at Social Media Plans

Our little New Jersey business has felt the exact same pressures.

We were sold the same idea from our inception in 2008: do great work, build a strong team, stay focused. And the right clients will find us.

But eventually we started to realize that doing great work isn’t enough if no one sees it.

image by DataReportal

This is particularly true in the US in 2025, where people spend over 2 hours a day on social media—and more than 70% of those users aged 16+ are using social to guide purchasing decisions (DataReportal).

Basically, if you’re not visible online, you’re invisible. Period.

So we did what a lot of small businesses in New Jersey do. We tried to keep up. We captured a few behind-the-scenes clips on our iphones. We posted between client calls. We meant to plan ahead but life moves quickly. And we failed not because we didn’t care. We simply didn’t have the capacity.

And that’s when it clicked: even with a team of creatives, videographers, and editors, staying consistent on social wasn’t easy. So how could on earth can someone expect a construction company, a healthcare practice, or any local NJ business to do it all alone?

Clearly this isn’t a discipline problem. It’s a capacity problem. And we need to change the story.

When You’re Quiet Online, People Make the Wrong Assumptions

I know your business is doing incredible work but if your social media presence is silent or scattered, people tend to assume things.

They think:

• You’re not active
• You’re not growing
• You’re not relevant

Here you are doing fifteen things to serve your clients and keep the business growing. And yet, none of those activities ever gets counted in the online economy unless it’s packaged into a post. (By the way, 61% of NJ businesses said they were down in revenue for 2024…how’d you fair?)

The Hidden Cost of Staying Quiet

It’s easy to brush it off.

“I’ll post when things slow down.”
“We get referrals—we don’t need social.”
“Our work speaks for itself.”

But we’ve the same pattern again and again: when a business stays quiet online, it eventually starts to feel the effects offline.

You lose:

• Visibility in your market
• Mindshare with your audience
• Momentum in your brand story

People stop remembering what makes you different. Potential clients don’t know you exist. And that amazing candidate you wanted to hire? They scroll past, because there’s no sign your company exists, let alone thrives.

 

Silence can start to look like struggle.

 

Even if you’re doing great work every day, being absent from social media sends a negative message.

Let me be clear: It’s not about chasing followers or making dance videos. It’s about being present, being understood, and showing that you’re still here. Still doing great work. Day after day. Year after year.

Optimizing social media is about telling the story of your business and building momentum with your audience. The currency of the internet is attention and trust, and if you don’t speak up, you risk missing your share. And trust me, your competitors will capitalize on this (wouldn’t you?). The saddest part of all of this is that your competitor gets to enjoy the benefits, not because they’re better, but because they showed up.

Your work deserves to be seen. Your story deserves to be told with clarity and consistency, in a way that reflects what your brand really is.

 

Read our case study about commercial video production here: https://awakenedfilms.com/case-study/flush-guard-commercial-video-production/