Looking active online isn't five hours a week. It's five small things.

Five hours a week feels like a lot.

Where am I supposed to find five hours? Fair question. The honest answer is: you don't have to. Looking active online — really, looking open — comes down to five small things, and most of them take a minute.

The five things

1. Post what's coming up this week. An event, a special, a Saturday menu. Write a few sentences — what it is, when, why it's worth showing up. The detail helps customers decide, and it helps Google find you.
2. Refresh the weekly special. If the same special has been on the homepage for months, it tells customers more about your attention than about the deal.
3. Share a recent photo. Doesn't have to be staged. The chalkboard, the front of the case, a regular at the counter. Something from this week, not from a 2024 holiday party.
4. Freshen up something you already made. Last summer's market flyer? Update the date and double-check the details before re-posting. The Facebook post about your Saturday hours? Update anything that's changed, swap the photo.
5. Keep the basics current. Hours on the website match the hours on the door. The phone number works. The "About" page mentions a team that still works there. Boring, easy, and the things customers actually check first.

Closer to wiping down the counter

None of these are marketing campaigns. Nobody is going viral. It's closer to wiping down the counter than running an ad.

Five small things, kept current. That's the whole job.

Writing the post is yours. Posting it in multiple places is Cahoot's.