Building Community: Social Media Strategies for Small Town Businesses with Kat Tapylo Murphy
Description
If you run a small town or local business and feel like “big city Instagram advice” doesn’t quite fit, this episode is your permission slip to do social differently. Laura sits down with Kat Tepylo Murphy, founder of Social Kat Media, to talk about community-driven content, setting healthy social media boundaries as a mom in business, collaborating locally, and why connection beats aesthetics every time. You’ll learn practical ways to attract nearby customers, use Instagram and Threads together, and create simple, real content that actually converts.
In this episode you will hear:
00:00 – Name giggles & real-life vibes
00:29 – Why this topic matters now
00:58 – Meet Kat
02:37 – Entrepreneurship at 21
04:41 – Life comes fast
06:23 – The two-week “leave”
07:45 – What Kat does best
08:04 – From sports to small towns
08:39 – What counts as “small town”?
09:59 – Why local lights Kat up
11:08 – Small town ≠ “online coach” tactics
13:17 – Followers vs. Foot traffic
14:50 – Your socials are a “vibe check”
15:51 – If you’re online-only
17:39 – Be where your locals are
18:18 – Collaboration courage
19:15 – Two big marketing regrets (and what to do instead)
21:22 – Boundaries for social pros
22:58 – The smartest boundary: a business phone
24:44 – “But what about DMs?”
26:08 – Know your intent
27:11 – What to post right now
28:37 – Real > perfect
30:30 – Polished or just post?
30:43 – Do aesthetics matter?
31:49 – Favorite platforms
32:21 – Use Threads as a testing ground
33:52 – Community from unexpected posts
34:27 – You’re not doing it wrong
Kat's Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialkatmedia/
Website: https://socialkatmedia.com/
Join This Mother Means Business : www.thismothermeansbusiness.com
Laura's Links:
• Website
• Laura's Instagram
• LJSocial Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• TikTok
United States
