Business Perspectives: Social media strategies

RGD firm owners share their social media goals and preferred platforms and how they evaluate effectiveness.

"Social media—Instagram particularly—was an obvious start for posting work in progress, client news, design nuggets and completed projects. However, we questioned the results: the time spent versus comments, shares and low ‘like’ counts. Were we reaching new audiences or preaching to the choir—friends, supporters and peers? 

A photographer I recently worked with likened maintaining his social media experiences to a Tamagotchi virtual pet. Virtual health depends on feeding, monitoring and responding; when neglected, its health declines and must be nourished. Our team did not have the time and resources to maintain a healthy and growing social media presence via Instagram, and we stopped two posts shy of 100. This year, we are shifting focus. 

In conversation with an RGD peer, we discussed leveraging experience and industry insight to establish credibility and meet new audiences. In 2025, we will focus our efforts on LinkedIn."

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"My main goals on social media are threefold:

1. Showcase my work—sharing conceptual ideas, in-progress projects and completed designs to highlight my creative process and capabilities.
2. Promote my clients—focusing on celebrating community-driven, sustainable and independent businesses that align with my values.
3. Foster connections—sharing my journey as a freelance designer to engage with like-minded individuals, spark conversations and build meaningful relationships in the creative community.

I primarily use Instagram and Facebook, as these platforms allow for a strong visual presence and direct interaction with my audience. Success is measured by engagement quality—whether through meaningful conversations, new leads, client inquiries or collaborations that align with my values.

I manage all aspects of content creation myself, ensuring it remains authentic and personal. Some of my posts feature professionally captured work, while others are more spontaneous, reflecting the day-to-day realities of freelance life. This blend helps keep my content approachable and relatable while maintaining a professional standard."

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"We don’t share tips, we’re not macro influencers and honestly, we’re not even nano influencers, but we still enjoy posting and having fun with our social media. 

As a design studio, our main goal is to showcase client work, along with process shots and experimental pieces that didn’t make the final cut. We focus on sharing our work but try to keep things simple. Now and then, we even show our faces because, let’s face it, the algorithm loves that! All the content you see is created by either me or my partner. 

We primarily use Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. TikTok? Maybe someday. But since we’re not a full-scale agency, creating reels can be time-consuming. 

For us, social media success isn’t about the numbers. It’s about building an online community with friends, clients and collaborators who we can genuinely connect with, feel inspired by and who support what we do."

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"Our main goals for social media are to create visibility for Design de Plume and to elevate inclusive and accessible design. 

We believe in the power of knowledge sharing. It lends itself to our Indigenous ownership and our desire to contribute to building a more equitable world. We reinforce knowledge sharing through our social media platforms by sharing accessibility tips and success stories about the power of inclusion and representation in design and highlighting meaningful projects and events that create change.

Our perspectives on inclusive and accessible designs are important conversations to have. Sometimes, it feels like what we’re talking about is simple, but it actually creates a ripple effect. We’re happy to share our lenses openly and create more dialogue about these issues.

We prioritize LinkedIn and Instagram and cross-post to X and Facebook."