Social Media 101 Guide

Simple, practical ways to show up online, even if you're short on time and resources.
Most organizations know social media is important. But knowing why it matters isn’t the same as knowing how to do it well, especially when you don’t have a dedicated marketing team. That’s the reality for many public agencies, transit systems, city departments, and small businesses: the work is critical, but the marketing support is stretched thin.
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At CRAFT, we help teams make the most of what they have. This guide breaks down how to approach social media simply, strategically, and sustainably, even if you’re wearing multiple hats.

What Social Media Can Do for You
Whether you're running a transit alert system, promoting a public event, or growing a small business, social media can help you:

• Keep your community informed
• Build trust and transparency
• Promote programs and initiatives
• Attract talent and boost recruitment
• Share stories that matter
  
  

And the good news? You don’t need to post daily or go viral. You just need to show up consistently and clearly.

How to Use the Big 3 Platforms

Facebook
Best for: Community updates, event promotions, alerts, and public outreach

• Great for local audiences and multi-generational reach
• Use visuals and short, clear messages
• Tag partners and community organizations
• Consider boosting key posts ($10–$50 can go a long way for visibility)
  
  

Instagram
Best for: Photos, videos, community engagement, and storytelling

• Share behind-the-scenes, events, milestones
• Use Stories and Reels to get more visibility
• Keep captions short and human—think like a tour guide
• Use 5–10 relevant hashtags (not 30)
  
  

LinkedIn
Best for: Professional updates, hiring, thought leadership, partner visibility

• Ideal for B2B, public sector updates, or recruiting
• Highlight wins, partnerships, staff milestones
• Post with purpose: 1–2x per week is fine
• Encourage your team to re-share and comment for added reach

How to Post Smarter, Not Harder.

Batch and Schedule Your Posts
Use free or low-cost tools like Buffer, Later, or Meta Business Suite to schedule posts in advance. You can plan a week or month at a time, freeing you up to focus on other things.

Reuse and Repurpose
One story = many posts. A community event can become:

• A Facebook event listing
• A photo recap on Instagram
• A thank-you post on LinkedIn
• A short video with community reactions
  
  

Use Boosted Posts and Basic Ads (When It Matters)
Don’t run ads all the time. But for things like a job opening, public meeting, or safety campaign, a $25–$100 Facebook or Instagram boost can significantly increase reach, especially to people outside your current followers.

Partner with Community Influencers
You don’t need to hire celebrities. Think local: a librarian, teacher, youth leader, or nonprofit partner. Ask them to help spread the word by re-sharing your content or tagging your page.

Create a Simple Template Library
Use Canva to build reusable templates for alerts, events, quotes, and reminders. This saves time and ensures everything looks consistent, even if multiple people post.

A Few Quick Tips for Content That Works

• Use photos or video whenever possible, posts with visuals get 2x more engagement
• Write like a person, not a press release
• Include a call to action (RSVP, learn more, tell a friend)
• Respond to comments, it builds trust
• Track what works, but don’t obsess, consistency matters more than perfection

CRAFT Helps You Build Sustainable Marketing, Even with a Small Team
At CRAFT, we work with cities, transit agencies, nonprofits, and small business teams to create social media systems that scale. Whether you need a content calendar, templates, training, or someone to help build your first strategy, we’ll help you build a plan that works for your bandwidth.

You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to show up in the right way.
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Let’s make your message go further. www.cocraft.org