FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
Should you hire a social media manager? What they do and what it costs in the UK
What a social media manager actually does, what the different routes cost in the UK, and the signs that you are ready to hand it over.
When showing up as yourself helps a small business, when it doesn't, and how to do it without becoming an influencer.
Most small business owners do need a personal brand, though not the influencer kind. People pick most services, trades and local firms partly for the owner. Then good photographs and a clear story build trust faster, along with a face people recognise on your site and socials. If the founder plays no part in the purchase, keep it light.
“Personal brand” sounds like something for celebrities and LinkedIn gurus. For a small business owner it’s far more ordinary. It’s what people already say about you and how easy you are to find. It’s also whether what they find makes them want to pick up the phone.
Below we look at when a personal brand helps a small business and when it doesn’t. We also cover what it costs you in time and privacy, and how to build one that fits the size of the business you really run.
For most owners it’s simply the public side of you as it relates to your work. Your story and your expertise are part of it. So are your values and your face. You’ll find it in a handful of places:
Fame and follower counts don’t come into it. A plumber with a local name for turning up on time and explaining things clearly has a personal brand. So does the accountant whose short videos answer the questions clients always ask.
In a small business, the owner usually is the business. The UK government’s latest business population estimates counted about 5.7 million private sector businesses at the start of 2025. Over 99% were small (0 to 49 employees). Around three quarters had no employees at all.
With no team or marketing department behind you, and no logo anyone recognises, people are deciding whether to trust one person. That’s where a personal brand earns its keep, in a few specific ways.
Run a service business and your customer is buying more than the service. They’re paying for your judgement and your reliability, and for how it feels to deal with you. Show that early. It saves you both time, and it puts off the people who were never going to be a good fit.
Most people look you up before they get in touch. A real photograph, a plain account of who you help and a handful of posts in your own voice answer the question that’s really on their mind: “Is this person any good, and will I get on with them?”
Posting as a faceless business is hard work. There’s only so much you can say about a service. Your own experience and opinions give you far more to talk about, and so does your day-to-day work, and it all tends to sound more natural.
Picture two local firms offering the same thing at the same price. What the customer remembers afterwards is usually the person. Your story is the one part of the business a competitor can’t copy.
Jack Cartwright, the bestselling author who founded The Limelight Company, learned this first-hand.
“I spent years developing a brand. It was only when I stepped out from behind it that the results truly came.”
A personal brand isn’t right for everyone. Be honest with yourself about the cases where it adds little or causes trouble.
The first is when the founder plays no part in the purchase. If you sell a product online and customers never deal with you, a strong product brand may count for more than your face.
The second is a sale on the horizon. Buyers get nervous about paying for something that leans heavily on one person. A business brand that stands on its own is easier to hand over.
Then there’s privacy. Being visible means giving up some anonymity. You can draw lines (no family, no home, no politics), but decide where they go before you start.
If clients mostly deal with your staff, putting the team in the spotlight may do more for you than putting yourself there. And if you don’t have time to keep it going, think twice. A personal brand that goes silent after three weeks can look worse than having none.
For plenty of owners the answer sits somewhere in the middle. If that’s you, our guide to personal brand vs business brand looks at which one to build first.
You get to choose how much of yourself to show. Here’s a rough way to think about it.
| Level | What it looks like | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Light | A good portrait and a clear “About” story on your website, an up-to-date LinkedIn profile, your name on reviews and replies | Product businesses, owners who value privacy, businesses being prepared for sale |
| Moderate | All of the above, plus regular posts in your own voice, occasional video, and photographs of you at work | Most service businesses, trades, local firms and consultancies |
| Front and centre | You are the main face of the business on social media, in video and in ads | Experts whose knowledge is the product: coaches, advisers, authors, speakers, creatives |
Most small business owners do well at the moderate level. Customers get enough of you to recognise and trust you, and the business doesn’t fall apart if you take a fortnight off.
The owners who struggle tend to start by posting. They skip the bit where they decide what they want to be known for. Work in this order instead.
For a fuller view of what to tackle first, read what order to build your personal brand in.
You hear the same objections over and over. “I haven’t got the time.” “I don’t know what to say.” “I’m not one for self-promotion.” “I hate being on camera.” “It’s all so fragmented.” Every one of them has a workable answer. A pace you can keep, or help with social media management, fixes the time problem. Writing your story down first fixes not knowing what to say. For camera nerves, a good photographer or director and some practice will get you further than forcing yourself into daily talking-head videos.
Posts about your own business can count as marketing under UK advertising rules, even when they go out on a personal account. The ASA explains that own-brand marketing still has to be clearly identifiable as marketing. If you’re not sure, go straight to the ASA’s guidance.
We help business owners work out what they want to be known for. Then we turn it into a consistent story across photography and film, your website and your social presence. Our brand design work begins by listening to your story, and our social media management keeps it running so you can get on with the business. Want to talk it through? Start a conversation.
No. For a small business owner a personal brand is just your public reputation as it relates to your work: your story and expertise, and your face on your website and social media. Most owners need a modest version kept up consistently. A big following isn’t the goal.
It can, if the business hangs entirely on you and buyers can’t see how it would run without you. If selling is part of the plan, build a business brand that stands on its own next to your personal profile. Get advice on valuation and succession from a qualified business adviser.
No. Good photographs and a well-written story will carry you a long way, especially alongside posts in your own voice. Video does help people get a feel for you, but you can bring it in slowly, and a good director makes the whole thing far less painful than filming yourself on a phone.
That depends on the level you pick. The light version needs a few days to set up (your story, photographs and the “About” page on your website) plus the odd update. The moderate version needs an hour or two a week, or less if someone else plans and publishes for you.
Usually from both, with each doing a different job. Your own presence builds trust and tells the story, and the business presence carries the offer and the useful details. On Facebook, Meta’s terms expect personal accounts to be used for personal purposes, so business activity belongs on a Page or a profile in professional mode.
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Four quick questions, and we’ll show you where we’d start. Your answers come straight to us with your message, so you won’t have to explain it twice.
A 30-minute introduction call on Microsoft Teams, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Your answers come with the booking, so we’ll be ready for you.
Prefer to talk it through? Make an appointment for a 30-minute call on Microsoft Teams, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
A closer look at the work behind each part of your plan.
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