Running a business is one job.
Talking about your business online is another.
As a branding agency in Morris County New Jersey, I see this every day. My clients in Mount Olive and across the county are great at what they do, but social media often feels like a never-ending chore.
In this episode of This Might Get Creative, I sat down with Patti Singer, founder of Follow Me Social Media Consulting, to talk about how branding, social media, and networking actually work together in real life.
From Furniture & Chimneys to Social Media
Patti didn’t start out planning to run a social media company.
After being laid off during the 2008 recession, she opened an Amish furniture store with her boyfriend. Her daughter pulled her onto Facebook (for FarmVille, of all things), and Patti quickly noticed something: when she posted photos of furniture, jams, and shop items, people actually came into the store.
Later, while working for a chimney sweep company, Patti managed their social media and found herself answering more questions than the “official” social media trainer at a guild meeting. That’s when it clicked: small businesses needed simple, practical social media support from someone who spoke their language.
Today, she works with small and mid-sized businesses who don’t have a marketing department but know they can’t ignore social media anymore.
Why Consistency Feels So Hard
If you’re a business owner, you’ve probably felt this:
You know you should post consistently
You’re busy actually running the business
Every platform has different sizes, rules, and quirks
Your branding looks one way on your website… and totally different on your social media
As a branding agency in Mount Olive New Jersey, I often see beautiful brands and websites that never make it onto social media in a consistent way. Patti sees the same thing from the social side.
Part of the problem is technical — long logos don’t fit into tiny profile circles, images crop weirdly, and Meta changes something again. The other part is emotional: people feel overwhelmed, confused, and a little resentful of the whole thing.
Branding + Social Media: They Have to Match
Patti’s goal is to make sure a business looks and sounds like the same company everywhere.
To keep social media aligned with the brand, she:
Meets clients (when possible) and listens to how they talk
Walks their physical space if they have one
Reads their website copy and existing materials
Asks for photos and a quick description so she can understand context and tone
From the branding side, my job as a branding agency in Morris County New Jersey is to build the visual and verbal foundation: logo, colors, typography, messaging, and website. Patti then carries that foundation into day-to-day social media content so followers don’t get mixed signals.
Social media should feel like the short, conversational version of what people see on your website — not a completely different business.
The 80/20 Rule: Stop Selling All the Time
One of the most helpful things Patti shared is the 80/20 rule for content:
80% of your posts: educate, entertain, inspire, or show behind-the-scenes
20% of your posts: direct or soft sales messages
People don’t want to see “buy now” in every post. They want:
A look behind the scenes
Faces and stories from your team
Little moments that show your personality
Helpful tips that make their lives easier
A great example Patti gave was a plumbing client whose team accidentally dropped car keys down a well pipe and had to lower the owner in by his ankles to retrieve them. They posted the photos, and engagement exploded. It was human, imperfect, and memorable.
That’s consistency too — not just posting often, but showing up as a real, relatable brand.
Networking, BNI & Being a Human, Not a Billboard
We also talked about networking for small business owners, especially through BNI.
Patti has been in BNI for over a decade and credits it with a huge portion of her business. But it’s not the “hand out cards as fast as you can” version of networking. It’s the slow, relationship-based kind.
One line that stuck with me:
“I wish they taught networking in college or in high school — how to talk to people, how to really listen, and how to ask ‘How can I help you?’”
As a branding agency in Mount Olive New Jersey, I’ve seen the same thing: the more I genuinely connect with people, the more my work grows. Networking, branding, and social media are all extensions of the same thing — being someone others know, like, and trust.
One Big Piece of Advice: Let Go and Delegate
We ended with a simple but powerful message for overwhelmed business owners:
You don’t have to be the expert in everything. Delegate what drains you.
You’re the expert in your business. You don’t also have to be the expert in social media, branding, bookkeeping, and everything else. Whether it’s working with a social media consultant like Patti or a branding agency in Morris County New Jersey like Lyon Creatives, bringing in support can actually make you more visible, not less.
Connect with Patti:
Website: www.besttofollowme.com
Facebook: @FollowMeSocialMedia
LinkedIn: @patriciaasinger
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