How to Make Social Media Work for You in 2025 with Janine Hardy

Catherine Erdly: [00:00:00] Social media in 2025. Are you feeling like it’s a bit of a minefield or maybe a rollercoaster ride? Then you’re not alone. Hi, I’m Catherine Erdly. I’m your host today on the Resilient Retail Game Plan. I’m also the founder of the Resilient Retail Club. It’s my mastermind membership and done for you services for product businesses.

You can head over to resilientretailclub.com to find out more. Today on the podcast, I am joined by Janine Hardy. She is an experienced social media manager and she’s going to be sharing her thoughts with us on social media in 2025. And if you’re a Club member, just to let you know that Janine will be coming to the Club very shortly to give a workshop on how you can use Social media most effectively as a small business in 2025, so you don’t wanna miss that out.

If you’re not a member, then head over to resilientretailclub.com where you can sign up.

Welcome to the Resilient Retail Game Plan, a [00:01:00] podcast for anyone wanting to start, grow or scale a profitable creative product business with me, Catherine Erdly. The Resilient Retail Game Plan is a podcast dedicated to one thing, breaking down the concepts and tools that I’ve gathered from 20 years in the retail industry and showing you how you can use them in your business.

This is the real nuts and bolts of running a successful product business, broken down in an easy, accessible way. This is not a podcast about learning how to make your business look good. It’s the tools and techniques that will make you and your business feel good. Confidently plan, launch, and manage your products, and feel in control of your sales numbers and cash flow to help you build a resilient retail business.

Janine, welcome to the podcast. It’s so good to have you with us. Do you want to start off by introducing yourself and what you do?

Janine Hardy: Yeah, sure. Thanks so [00:02:00] much, by the way, for inviting me on. It’s really exciting. I haven’t done very many podcasts, so this is really fun. Yeah, I’m Janine, and my business is Connected and Inspired, and I’m a freelance social media manager. And I really help small businesses. I like to say I help you to have an impactful social media presence because what that looks like for one business is different to another.

Catherine Erdly: Yes, absolutely. And you’ve always, I’m amazed you’ve not done more podcasts because every time you come into the Club, which you’ve done a few times now, and you’re doing again in a week or so, I always get such great response. Everyone really loves hearing from you and hearing what you have to say.

What small businesses need to know about 2025 social media trends

Catherine Erdly: So I’m excited to delve into social media with you today. So let’s talk about social media trends in 2025. I mean, it’s a tough subject because there’s so much going on and so much changes so quickly, but when you think about 2025, what are some of the key things you feel like small [00:03:00] businesses need to be aware of?

Janine Hardy: There are a couple of things that come to mind. Top of them, and I think most people are making the mindset shift now around short form video content. Whether that be, you know, Instagram reels, TikTok or YouTube shorts. Those snackable short form video that quite annoyingly, dare I say, has us all hooked in a scroll just being like, Oh my gosh.

That is obviously a massive, it’s a really big draw at the moment, socials. And I would definitely encourage small businesses to lean in whichever platform works best for them. 

But short form, you know, video content. I also think things around for example, if you’re a small business and maybe you use like TikTok, particularly if you’re like an e com business, which I know a lot of your audience are leaning into things like TikTok shops. I’m not even going to lie. TikTok [00:04:00] shops is pretty cool. I’ve browsed on there and grabbed a few, things as well.

And it’s becoming more and more popular and turning into more of a marketplace at the moment. And it’s not an area I can massively use, but I think it’s one that I’ve got on my hit list for this year to upskill in because I’m really seeing the emergence of TikTok shops. So if you are ecom business, yeah, that is definitely one to consider leaning into.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah, that’s an interesting one. Do you think, I mean, my sense of TikTok shop is it’s interesting, depends who you talk to. Some people are like, oh my goodness, I love it. I have to stay away from it because I just buy all this random stuff.

Some people worry that it’s too uh, what’s the word, too bargain driven.

It’s like works really well for those low price point, very impulse purchases. I heard a stat that the average order value on TikTok shop is about 30 pounds, which I suppose plays into that. But I do think we’ve seen a bit of a shift with more types of businesses going on to TikTok shop. So do you feel like it’s getting [00:05:00] almost like a slightly better reputation or a more normalized reputation as we go along?

Janine Hardy: I think especially Christmas this year, I think that, we are in a time where finances for a lot of families are difficult. So people are looking at alternative ways to get the things they like at good prices. And yes, TikTok shop does, I guess, have a bit of a reputation for having like things that are very discounted.

However, I think that I’m seeing more brands leaning into it and using it and also collaborating with UGC creators on TikTok to promote their businesses. So I think the more, the longer it goes on, the more established brands or small businesses that are not necessarily, you know, bargain basement, you know, are going to be utilizing it more.

But I think if you notice that you have an audience there already, then lean into it. It would be silly to not have that as an option if you are using TikTok [00:06:00] anyway. If you don’t have one, you can test it out, be an early adopter for your niche, maybe.

But I think, yeah, it’s worth testing and seeing if it works for you.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah, I think and you made a really good point there about the user generated content, the UGC creators and that relationship. Because one thing I find very interesting, from a broad top level trend with social media is that ad spend, you know, obviously has. Well, it works really, really well for some people.

It can be difficult for others, I think there’s a slight resistance among amongst more business owners that I’ve spoken to about, do we have to pay for ads or is there another way of doing it? And I think that’s an interesting model that TikTok shop has that where you can have these UGC creators making content for you and then they’ve got an affiliate link to your website, but you’re only paying if they make a sale.

So it’s actually a very interesting prospect for some people when it’s like, okay, well, I either, I pay a content [00:07:00] creator if they make a sale or I’m paying the same or possibly more to acquire through an ad. So I think that’s an interesting point that, why not try it? It’s obviously. The risk is getting, sucking your time too much, but yeah, you said if you’ve got an audience on TikTok, why not try? See if it works for you.

What retailers should look for in UGC creators

Janine Hardy: Exactly that. And I think it’s like, if you’re going down the UGC route, which is going to be massive again this year. It’s only going to continue to grow. I think as a trend, I think if you are going to be going down that route, you want to look for UGC creators who you think are going to resonate with your audience.

Whether you’re going to use their content on your website for ads. And I think it’s about thinking of UGC, for example, it’s marketing, okay? It’s just looking at how you’re marketing your business. So you’re going to put aside some kind of marketing budget for it. It’s going to cost you either way, right?

Whether you’re just sending free products, you’re spending money on the product, or if [00:08:00] you’re going to, maybe pay for a more experienced UGC creator who maybe can give you a better quality video outcome.

Catherine Erdly: Mmhmm.

Janine Hardy: Or photographic one. Probably more video, I would assume these days but you’re either way, there is going to be some level of cost and you’re going to, as a small business, need to budget for that accordingly.

There are so many UGC creators who are, who accept just products. But obviously do you want to be paid a fee? And then, you know, you’ve got those usage rights for however long you can use them on your website, you can put them in your ad, whether you’re doing, Facebook, Google ads, whatever.

So I do think there is a space for it. And again, if you’re going to go down the route of the UGC creator getting a commission, you’ll really want ones that have got a really great following.

Catherine Erdly: Mmhmm.

Janine Hardy: Have got good engagement, who have built up a really strong relationship with their audience. Who have that like, know, and trust.

So if their audience says this candle or this jewellery is [00:09:00] phenomenal, then you know they’re going to go and buy it. You know, you want to ask for stats, like do your due diligence so that you’re not essentially as a small business owner going to be not getting a good return on investment or getting, dare I say it, scammed by someone who’s not as or dealing with as much integrity as they should.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah. That’s great advice, really good advice. Yeah, and I think just as a side note, I was talking to somebody who has a fulfillment company. And I think what really fascinated me was that one of the things that they do periodically is they do PR gifting fulfillment for a big skincare company. Because when they launch a new product, they send out several hundred to influencers.

And I just think, if you’re looking at how big businesses are looking at this stuff, they’re really leaning into it. Now, I’m not suggesting for most small business owners that you’ve got the budget to send out hundreds of a product. But it’s just interesting to know that’s [00:10:00] how, if you ever wondered, how do big businesses do it with their gifting?

Like they have so much gifting that they have to have someone send it out for them, you know. I thought it was really interesting sort of development in this whole situation. So, let’s talk a little bit more about the different platforms. Obviously, there’s been a lot of drama. We’ve had TikTok with the near TikTok ban in the US and but how do you feel that people can use the platforms. Or build basically a sustainable social media presence?

Is there such a thing as a sustainable social media presence?

Catherine Erdly: Is there such a thing as a sustainable social media presence?

Janine Hardy: yeah, I do think there is actually, and I think there are a few things in place that it’s, I think, if you want as a business to build that sustainable social media presence, it’s about boundaries and being accountable to yourself. That’s what it comes down to at the most granular level.

So, boundaries that you’re going to [00:11:00] say, this is how much I’m going to post. This is what I’m going to do. This is my target, my strategy. Be really clear on that and then being accountable to yourself and actually showing up and doing the thing you say you’re going to do, which I guess in tying it up in a bow is discipline.

And how hard is that? I struggle and I’m like having to have this voice in the back of my head that says get off of that scroll right now.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah. Yeah.

Janine Hardy: Put the phone down and walk away. It’s so addictive. It gives you that, those endorphins of just like being in that scroll and you can waste so much time.

Catherine Erdly: Mm hmm. 

Janine Hardy: I really do think a lot of it is about the discipline to and the strategy that you’ve got in place. So I’m just having a clear social strategy, being really clear on who your audience is, the best times to post the type of content that resonates most with them. And then a lot of that does come through testing and trial and error.

Catherine Erdly: Yep.

Janine Hardy: Using like maybe a scheduling tool, then you can look at the insights.

They’re a bit easier to read. I [00:12:00] think sometimes the data and the insights that come from a scheduling tool, then from the apps like Instagram or Facebook themselves. I personally, I’m just a little bit easier to read on from the scheduling tools. Automate using a scheduling tool. Set your bulk content creation days aside where you’re going to do a bit of filming and things like that.

And don’t be scared to repurpose. And also, I know as a product business, you want things to look polished and there’s definitely a place for that. But don’t be afraid to, if things look a little bit rough around the edges, but it’s okay if it’s not the most polished video in the world.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah.

Janine Hardy: I think as long as you’re still communicating your brand message and it’s not, you know, tatty or shoddy piece of work.

It don’t be afraid if it isn’t the most polished. Sometimes people are like, okay with that. Oh, what’s her name? Oh, she started her brand with the strong girls.

Catherine Erdly: Oh, motherhood. Motherhood Goods.

Janine Hardy: Yes. And I remember following [00:13:00] her when she first started and her content is, was not polished. She built that community around the brand values and I think that’s really powerful.

But it was just, she’d be like, “look at this t shirt, it’s just arrived.” And she brought everyone on the story, on the journey. So if you’ve got your new stock coming in, get your, you’re going to be looking at it anyway. Get your phone out, just do a little film, like, and build that excitement with your audience. So you’re slotting your content creation into your everyday anyway, and it doesn’t feel like a massive slog. So you’re making it more sustainable for you. Because you’re unboxing it, it’d be like, you could put it on Instagram stories You could be like, “guys, anyone want to see me unbox my fab new product?”

This is so exciting. Build that a little bit of excitement. The next slide, just talk them through your unboxing it. Save those videos, go into CapCut, edit it together, and then you’ve got a reel, a TikTok, or a YouTube short. [00:14:00] So take that piece of content, repurpose it, and then there you go. Your one piece of content is working extra hard for you, going off on multiple platforms without having to film something five times over.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah, I love that. It’s great advice because I also think as well if it’s too polished don’t you think sometimes it slightly puts people off?

Janine Hardy: Yeah,

Catherine Erdly: It’s almost like a glossy ad and they’re like, what’s this?

Janine Hardy: Well exactly, and I think you, people expect Nike or Adidas to be super polished. But if you are a smaller brand or smaller business, I think people want to feel like they know you. Using the Motherhood lady again, like her. I think a lot of her success is that people liked her little girl, Reg, who probably isn’t very little anymore. Cause I can’t tell you the last time I looked at her account.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah

Janine Hardy: You felt like you were growing with her business and with her family and people bought into her [00:15:00] messaging. 

Catherine Erdly: Yes. 

Janine Hardy: Which is really powerful.

The best way to use AI and automated for social media

Catherine Erdly: Yes. Yes, for sure. I mean, that brings me on to another question then, because obviously AI, the huge topic. I think it’s crept into almost every conversation I’ve had this year about marketing. And there’s also automations, things like that. How do you think it’s best to use AI and automations for social media?

But obviously, there’s a lot of resistance to actual AI generated content itself, understandably. People feel like it’s undermining people who are creatives. But what are some of the ways you think that people can use it to save time, to help them with their marketing without compromise or loss of that personal touch?

Janine Hardy: So I think one way that’s really popular at the moment are chatbots. Whether that’s on your website, having a chat bot there to help with customer service. Or on your socials, we will see it now, comment blue and I’ll send you [00:16:00] link.

Catherine Erdly: I have that myself. Many chat. Yes.

Janine Hardy: A lot of, I think, Stan’s store have just launched their own version. I need to try it out actually. I haven’t tried out the Stan’s store version yet.

Catherine Erdly: Okay.

Janine Hardy: Obviously ManyChat is the most popular one. And you can just think using a chatbot to help with your engagement in that way is a great way of using AI for your socials.

And I think people have accepted that now and understand that and then I don’t think there’s much resistance to it. In fact, I think people like they, “Oh yeah, great. This is a really quick way of me getting the link. It can be there in my DMS and I can come back to it when I want to. There’s no pressure,” which is great.

Another way that you can really use AI is with actually, if you’re using something like a scheduling tool, it’s already using AI to track your metrics and give you insights and data. So you can leverage that to help you understand what’s working well with your content, you [00:17:00] know how you can refine your strategy and obviously things like ChatGPT.

If you can use the right ChatGPT prompts and train your ChatGPT in the right way, then you can use that to generate content ideas. You obviously don’t just copy and paste what it gives you. You must tweak it, put it in your brand voice and make it relevant. But you can obviously use ChatGPT as a way to help with your ideas generation.

So, for example, you can put a prompt into ChatGPT to be like, “I’m a small e commerce business. I make custom t shirts for women aged,” da da da da da. Give it all the information about your ideal target. I need a social media content that features one reel, one carousel, one static post per week for the next four weeks.

I want the content ideas, a script or a [00:18:00] caption, give me a hook and hashtag for each and put it in a table format. ChatGPT will do that and you just copy and paste that table into whatever you’re using, Google, Excel, whatever, and then you fill it out and you tweak it. So instead of sitting down for five hours scrolling on social media trying to think of what content plan can I do?

Use AI in that way to help you create a content plan, give you the ideas, and then you put your personal touch on it, and make it your own.

Catherine Erdly: Yes, I love that. I think that’s the key thing, isn’t it? It’s like, it’s the ideas. It’s the we no longer have to sit and scratch your head and you can also ask it to be quite directive, right? What image? What kind of image would be good or this kind of thing?

Janine Hardy: I was testing it before, and I was like, I need a story template for da da da da da, and give me, I want five slides. And I gave it all, like, the parameters, and then it came back, and it was like, the image should be this and that. And some of it worked, some of it didn’t.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah.

Janine Hardy: But I was like, okay, but this makes it [00:19:00] easier and quicker. Because once you’ve got those little prompts, you can then go and really quickly just pad it out. Give it your own thing, make it more relevant to your audience and your business rather than all of the time it takes. Sometimes coming up with the idea is the longest.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah. I 100 percent agree with that. It’s like, okay, right. I got to think of some things now and it’s like that, that can just help so much. 

I agree by the way, I find that is one of the biggest challenges is that they’ve got so good at working out what catches your attention that you have to be really disciplined.

The most common social media mistakes small businesses make

Catherine Erdly: Go on to the platform thinking I’m creating, I’m not consuming, but it’s so easy to get sucked in. When you’re on social media, what are some of the most common social media mistakes small businesses make and how can they avoid those? 

Janine Hardy: I think one of them can be, and this might sound controversial, but trying to be everywhere and everything to everyone. I don’t think it works. I think it’s worth going on whatever, all the platforms [00:20:00] and making sure you claim the handle. So that you’ve got it, you own it. Or you don’t own it, but you have it.

And someone else is going to turn around and show up with your business name on TikTok, you make candles and they’re doing something wildly inappropriate or crazy that you don’t want associated with your business name or anything like that. So I think definitely create accounts and get the handles.

But don’t bow to the pressure that you have to be on every platform.

Chances are, if you’re a small business owner, if you have the budget to outsource to a social media manager or a VA to help you with your socials, great. But even then, doing multiple platforms is obviously going to cost you more. So if you’re a small business owner, you may not have the budget or the time, resources to be everyone, everywhere.

So that kind of feeds into your marketing being sustainable. So go for the platform that works best for you. That may not be Instagram. It could be Facebook.

Facebook works really well [00:21:00] for some businesses and Instagram doesn’t work as well. So it’s about figuring out, and there is a bit of trial and error, which platforms work best.

And then maybe prioritize just maybe one or two of them and really go in and be consistent and show up as an authority in those platforms. And at a later date, when you got the space, the budget, the resources, the everything you can branch out onto others. Another mistake I think is only posting like sales or promotional content.

People want to feel like you, you need to be able to build that like, know, and trust with your audience before they’re ready to buy from you. That honestly doesn’t only apply to maybe things like online services. That also applies to retail and ecommerce. For example, if you’re a skincare brand, people need to believe that your lip balm or your cream is actually going to work and that it’s legit.

They [00:22:00] need trust. So maybe you might want to think of adding in value based content. Some people do the 80 20 rule, so like 80 percent being the value content, stuff that maybe gives tips, that teaches them how to use your product, that tells them about your products, that tells them about your business values, etc. And then the other 20 percent being the promotional side.

Catherine Erdly: A hmm. It’s good rule. Yeah, yeah.

Janine Hardy: Analytics and the thing is, I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you can just hone in a little bit and like look at your insights and your data. Then that’s really going to help you to understand what works well and stop you wasting your time on content that isn’t helping you in converting. 

And I also think just not being able to adapt to new changes on socials, like being a bit too stuck in one way or an older way of doing [00:23:00] things when the algorithms have moved on, they’ve changed. So, for example, there was a time when everyone would put all 30 hashtags in the post. Now that’s less relevant, maybe just two or three.

And it’s more about making your posts, for example, on Instagram, more SEO friendly. So putting the keywords in there. And I also really do have to say not engaging with your audience.

Catherine Erdly: Mm, mm hmm. Yeah, I still see this and it amazes me when people get questions on their posts and they’re not answered. And I always think, I mean, that’s a pretty easy one to do, right? If someone asks a question now, how big is this? Or you know, then they’re showing interest in purchase.

So you’ve got to engage, right? Yeah.

Janine Hardy: Yeah, take the time to engage with your audience when they’re asking you questions, if they’re leaving a comment. Even if they’ve just done a little, like, dropped a little heart emoji, reply with a heart emoji. You don’t need to write a paragraph, but just engage with them. The algorithms are looking, saying, “Oh, they’re [00:24:00] engaging with their audience.”

We’ll keep showing their content to this person then, because clearly there’s a connection here. There’s a thing we want to help foster that connection. Cause if they’re more connected, they’re going to be on our app for longer. So nature of your audience, and that includes like people that are sending you maybe DMS or that are liking your stories, are commenting on your stories, reply.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah, for sure. Engage with them. Talk to them.

Janine Hardy: Especially people that are commenting in your Stories. I think you might be tempted to think others can’t see that engagement because it goes to your DMS, but it’s almost more important because for example, on Instagram, if it’s looking at like a DM conversation, it’s telling the algorithms that connection is incredibly valuable that you’re speaking in the DMs.

So it begins to show your content more to those people. So as a small business. [00:25:00] If it was me, I would proactively engage with my audience on their Instagram stories, 10 minutes a day, building connections. Particularly on stories so that we then have a DM chat, which means that when I’m posting my stories, they’re going to be at the front of their queue.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Janine Hardy: absolutely.

Catherine Erdly: That’s such a good point. Yeah, I think stories, I think it’s a really interesting one. I mean, I don’t know how you feel about this, but my sense overall with social media. I mean, I guess I should say Instagram in particular is that there is still obviously opportunity for organic discovery.

So people to discover you through Instagram. But actually a lot of the time it feels like where it’s really valuable now is it’s maybe a bit harder to get that organic reach, but there’s loads of opportunities for you to strengthen those relationships with the people who are there. So it almost has slightly shifted to more of like a nurture platform, where you can build those relationships with [00:26:00] people in the stories and on your grid. But it’s like, it’s your community platform. I don’t know. That’s the sense I get.

Janine Hardy: And I think that’s Instagram wants. As people we are hardwired, just generally in our psychology, for community. Thrive and we seek after community in whatever shape or form that takes. Whether it’s in a family, in a church, in a Club, on social media, we want community. We want to be with people that are like us and the algorithms on the platforms know this.

So where they see people with those bonds, they want to help strengthen them because you’re going to want to be there more.

Yeah. 

If you think about, for example, the short form video content like Reels, that’s kind of almost like your front facing stuff. That’s going out with the reach to hopefully draw in new audiences.

Janine Hardy: And then once those people come in, and hopefully they follow you your stories are then where you nurture them.

Okay, because [00:27:00] yes, they’re going to be maybe on your grid content and you’re going to talk to you, but think about how you use the app. Where’s the first place you go? You go to Stories.

So think about that and how if you’re using it that way, it’s likely that most others are as well. So don’t neglect your Stories. Even if you post on your grid twice a week, try and show up on your stories maybe four or five times a week.

Catherine Erdly: Great advice. Well, thank you so much Janine. It’s been an absolute pleasure as always to talk to you. Do you want to finish off by telling people a bit more where they can find out more about working with you?

Janine Hardy: Yep, the best place to find me at the moment is on IG and you can find me at Connected Inspired. I need to post a little bit more myself. I’m usually hanging out there and I’m always in the DMs, so always just come and say hi.

Catherine Erdly: Thank you so much for joining me today. Why not head over to Instagram @resilientretailclub and [00:28:00] say hello? I would love to hear what you thought about today’s episode, and love to hear what you took away. And if you have a moment to rate and review the podcast in Apple Podcasts, it makes a huge difference.

You can also rate it within the Spotify app. And of course, if you like follow or subscribe, depending on which platform you’re on, you’ll be the first to know about each new episode when it comes out on a Thursday morning. See you next week.