Let’s imagine that you have a small business in Santa Barbara, CA and are looking for more customers. For instance, somebody could be looking for “best coffee shop in Santa Barbara.” Well, how do make sure that your coffee shop is the one that pops up first? This where your local social media plan and strategy comes in.
Social media platforms are like your virtual storefront on State Street. Most business would not just open a shop and hope that people walk in, of course not. You would not put up signs, decorate your windows, and maybe offer free samples of coffee. Social media is the same and is about being actively involved with the Santa Barbara, CA community online.
Read on to find out how to make a social media plan that rivals the best Santa Barbara County wines.
Location of Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara is located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, in the southern part of California on the Pacific coast about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. The city is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains giving it a Mediterranean climate. The population of the city is about 85,000 and the county has about 441,000 people.
Knowing Your Santa Barbara, CA Audience
If you are an avid reader of my posts related to marketing, I have talked a lot about how you need to know your target audience before passing go. Well, in this case, we will talk more specifically about the audiences around Santa Barbara, CA. This knowledge will allow you to produce laser-focused social media campaigns that appeal directly to the local community. Audience characteristics to look at in Santa Barbara, CA include:
- Demographics:
- Age: Are you trying to reach University of California – Santa Barbara (UCSB) students craving late-night eats, young families in Goleta looking for kid-friendly activities, or retirees in Montecito with disposable income and a taste for the finer things? Each group hangs out on different platforms and responds to different types of content.
- Gender: While many businesses appeal to everyone and others may have products or services that skew towards a particular gender. For example, a surf shop might use different messaging than a spa.
- Income: Santa Barbara, CA has a diverse economic landscape. As a result, you need to ask, are you catering to budget-conscious students or affluent residents? This will influence your pricing and how you position your offerings.
- Occupation: Are you targeting the tech workers in the Funk Zone, the artists on Coast Village Road, or the academics at UCSB? Understanding the professional lives of your audience can give you insights into their needs and interests.
- Interests:
- Outdoor Enthusiasts: Santa Barbara is a paradise for hikers, surfers, kayakers, and beachgoers. If your business relates to these activities (e.g. outdoor gear, adventure tours, healthy food), your content should reflect it and bring it out.
- Foodies: Santa Barbara, CA has a vibrant food scene. If your business caters to the culinary world, show mouthwatering visuals and work with local food bloggers.
- Arts & Culture: Santa Barbara draws in people with an interest in art and history because of its Spanish Colonial architecture, museums, and theaters. If it is relevant to your business, tailor your content to highlight these cultural aspects.
- Sustainability: Santa Barbara has a strong environmental consciousness. Those businesses that are eco-friendly should emphasize their commitment to sustainability.
- Online Behavior:
- Social Media Platforms: Ask yourself, where do your target customers spend their time online? Are they active on Facebook groups, scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest, or checking out local recommendations on Nextdoor?
- Content Consumption: What types of content does your audience like? Do they prefer videos, images, articles, or interactive polls?
- Hashtags: Research what hashtags are popular in Santa Barbara. Using these hashtags can help you reach a wider audience.
Ways to Find the Information Above
- Facebook Audience Insights: This tool can provide valuable data on demographics, interests, and behaviors of Facebook users in Santa Barbara, CA.
- Instagram Insights: Facebook’s visual cousin, this tool can show insights into the demographics of the audiences on Instagram and their usage patterns.
- Google Analytics: Website traffic from social media can be tracked to see which platforms and content are more effective in driving visitors to your site.
- Social Listening Tools: Online conversations and mentions of your brand or relavant keywords can be monitored to see what people are saying about your business and the local market.
How to Pick a Social Media Platform
Each social media platform has its own strengths and weaknesses and understanding the nuances is important for your success in Santa Barbara, CA. Be sure to focus on those platforms where your audience is and do not spread yourself too thin. Some of the social media options you can use in Santa Barbara are:
- Facebook:
- Strengths:
- Massive Reach: Facebook has the potential to not only reach locals in Santa Barbara, but also people visting from afar.
- Versatile Content Formats: Share text, images, videos, live streams, and stories to engage your audience in various ways.
- Community Building: Create a Facebook page for your business, join local groups (e.g. “Santa Barbara Locals,” “SB Events”), and participate in local discussions to get your name out there.
- Targeted Advertising: Facebook ads allows you to target your ideal customer in Santa Barbara with laser precision, based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. More about this is covered towards the end of the post.
- Weaknesses:
- The Organic Reach can be Limited: Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes content from friends and family, so if you are a business, you may need to invest in paid advertising to reach a wider audience.
- It can be Overwhelming: With so many features and options, it can be challenging to manage a Facebook page effectively.
- Strengths:
- Instagram:
- Strengths:
- Visual Storytelling: Instagram is focused on interesting visuals (images). Use this platform to highlight the beauty of your products, services, and the environment around Santa Barbara.
- Engaging Features: Utilize stories, Reels, and interactive stickers to get attention and interaction.
- Local Hashtags: Location based hashtags like #SantaBarbara, #SBLocal, and #VisitSantaBarbara can be used to reach audiences interested in the area.
- Influencer Marketing: Try to partner with local influencers to tap into the their following and promote your business to your target audience.
- Weaknesses:
- The Content Formats are Less Versatile: Instagram is primarily used for visual content, making it less suitable for businesses with textual information.
- It can be Time Consuming: Creating the visual content, keeping it organized, and have an active presence can require a large amount of time.
- Strengths:
- Nextdoor:
- Strengths:
- Hyperlocal Focus: Nextdoor connects neighbors within specific communities, allowing you to reach a highly targeted local audience in Santa Barbara.
- Strong Community Engagement: Users on this platform are actively seeking recommendations and are involved in discussions about local businesses and services.
- Build Trust and Credibility: When you participate in Nextdoor, you can establish your business as a trusted resource in the local community.
- Weaknesses:
- The Reach is Limited: Nextdoor is primarily focused on local neighborhoods.
- Restrictions on Content: Nextdoor has strict guidelines on promotional content, so it is important to provide value and build relationships.
- Strengths:
- Other Platforms:
- Yelp: Good for businesses that rely on customer reviews.
- TikTok: Good platform if your content is short-form video and is geared to younger audiences.
- Pinterest: Similar to Instagram, but content is arranged in Pins.
Producing Content for Your Santa Barbara, CA Business

Just like blogging, you need to have content for your social media and especially that which is of interest to people in Santa Barbara. Your social media feed is like a net with each post or piece of content being a knot. Each knot provides another grain on information about your business adding to the larger story and providing a more in-depth perspective. In the process, express your business passion and your connection to the local community.
Here are some ways to help your content rise to the top.
- Have Visuals Fit for Your Audience:
- High-Quality Images: Have professional images of your business, products, services, and of the coastal paradise of Santa Barbara.
- Stunning Videos: Have interesting videos of your business and of Santa Barbara. For instance, you could have videos of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, drone images of the coastline, or a behind-the-scenes look at your business.
- Local Backdrops: You can show Santa Barbara landmarks or scenery in your visuals. For example, you could have the Santa Ynez Mountains in the background or a video of the Santa Barbara Mission.
- Show the Local Flavor:
- Customer Testimonials: Feature reviews from satisfied Santa Barbara residents. Local reviews will carry more weight with the community.
- Show Your Community Involvement: Show your participation in local events, such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival or the Summer Solstice Celebration.
- Partnerships: Highlight collaborations with other businesses, like a joint promotion with a winery or an event with a boutique.
- Santa Barbara Stories: Share anecdotes or historical tidbits about Santa Barbara that connect your business to the local culture.
- Delight Your Audience:
- Have Interactive Content: Get a conversation going with a poll or quiz. Ask questions like, “What’s your favorite Santa Barbara hiking trail?” or “Which local beach is your go-to spot?”
- Behind-the-Scenes: Show the making of your products or the inner workings of the business.
- Contests or Giveaways: Have a contest with local prizes, like gift certificates to Santa Barbara restaurants or tickets to local attractions.
- Make Use of User Generated Content: Have your customers share their experiences with your business using a branded hashtag. The re-share their content.
- Provide Value in Your Content:
- Have Informative Content: Always provide valuable information about your industry or about the local area. Share tips, advice, or insights your audience will find useful.
- Entertaining Content: Share funny anecdotes, inspiring quotes, or beautiful images that capture the spirit of Santa Barbara.
- Authenticity: Let your personality shine through in your content.
The Importance of Consistent Content

When producing social media content is important to be consistent in its production. Do not post a flurry of posts, and then take a long break. Be sure to post regularly so your visitors will always have something new to see. Below are some of the ways to maintain consistency.
- Keeping Regular Content:
- Content Calendar: This is your social media tide chart, so to speak. Plan your posts in advance, map out themes, topics, and formats. Having a plan can help you have a balanced mix of content and prevents your feed from being monotonous.
- Posting Frequency: A question often asked, but instead it is more important to be consistent, whether it is daily, weekly, or monthly.
- Quality over Quantity: It is better to publish less frequently with quality content, than it is to post a lot of low quality content.
- Timing of the Content:
- Prime Time: When are your Santa Barbara followers most active on social media? Use the analytics on your chosen platform to identify their peak activity times.
- Day of the Week: Experiment with posting on different days of the week to see what works best. For instance, weekends might be good for a leisure-oriented business, while weekdays could be better for targeting professionals.
- Special Events: Align your posting schedule with local events or holidays in Santa Barbara. For example, share content related to the Summer Solstice Celebration or the Old Spanish Days Fiesta.
Become a Digital Santa Barbara Socialite
In order to effectively promote your business locally, you need to master the art of digital socializing. In this case, becoming an active member of the Santa Barbara online community. In previous times, a socialite in Santa Barbara might have hosted garden parties, attended charity events, or participated in local gatherings. Now, a lot of the social interaction happens online.
So how do you become a digital socialite?
- The Art of Socialite:
- Be a Conversationalist: Do not just shout your message across the digital medium. Be active in a genuine conversation with back and forth. This means responding to comments on your posts, answering questions thoughtfully, and participating in discussions relevant to your business and community at large.
- Actively Listen: Pay attention to what your audience is saying. What are their interests? What are their concerns? Use the information gleaned to tailor your content and interactions.
- Show Appreciation: Acknowledge your followers, thank them for their support, and make them feel valued. Thank them when they offer valuable insights.
- Help to Build the Digital Community:
- Join the Club: Become an active member of Facebook groups, like “Santa Barbara Moms,” “SB Foodies,” of other local groups specific to your industry.
- Utilize Local Hashtags: Use hashtags like #SantaBarbaraLife, #SupportSBLocal, or #SantaBarbaraEats to connect with other users and businesses in the area.
- Cross-Promote Content: Partner with other businesses to co-host contests, giveaways, or online events.
- Show Your Social Side:
- Show the Personality of Your Business: Let your unique voice and personality come out in your interactions. Be authentic and approachable.
- Be Supportive of the Community: Share the content of other businesses and individuals in Santa Barbara, leave positive comments, and collaborate.
Using Paid Advertising to Narrow in on Your Audience
So far we have discussed using organic social media. Using paid advertising, we can narrow down our targets based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Ways to use paid advertising include:
- Being Precise on Your Audience:
- Demographics: On social media channels, you can focus in on the specific characeristics of your audience such as age, gender, location, interests, education, and online behaviors. For instance, you could target young families in Goleta that are interested in organic food or UCSB students who love surfing and live within a 5-mile radius of your surf shop.
- Interests: Ads placed on social media can be targeted to people of various interests. These could include outdoor activities, the arts, local food, sustainability, or interests of relevance to your business.
- Behaviors: You can reach people based on what they do online. For example, you could target people who have recently visited your website, interacted with social media posts, or have shown interest in similar businesses.
- Target a Specific Location:
- Geotargeting: Confine your ad delivery to specific neighborhoods, zip codes, or even a radius around your business. This leads to better return-on-investment (ROI) by advertising to those customers who are near you.
- Geo-fencing: This form of marketing targets those people who are currently, physically near your business. With geo-fencing, you can offer a discount to people walking past your shop.
- Your Budget:
- Be Sure to Set an Advertising Budget: Determine how much you want to spend for advertising. Many social platforms allow you to set daily or lifetime budgets, so costs do get out of control.
- Bidding Strategies: Explore different bidding options, such as cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM), to optimize your budget.
- Use A/B Testing: Try to determine what advertisment type works best with your audience. This can lead to a maximum return on investment.
- Track Your Results:
- Monitor Metrics: Be sure to assess the effectiveness of your campaigns. Ask, are your ads driving traffic to your website? Are they generating leads or sales?
- Make Adjustments: Use data to refine your targeting, adjust your bids, and optimize your ad creatives. Having a process for continuous improvement is your key to success.
Conclusion
To conclude, we have looked at how to develop a social media plan for your business in Santa Barbara, CA. Parts of your plan are audience analysis, platform selection, content creation, posting consistency, and specific targeting with paid advertising. The true magic happens when you use these strategies with your own creativity, passion, and understanding of the Santa Barbara community.