Building Community: Social Media Strategies for Small Town Businesses with Kat Tapylo Murphy

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 vibes00:29 – Why this topic matters now00:58 – Meet Kat02:37 – Entrepreneurship at 2104:41 – Life comes fast06:23 – The two-week “leave”07:45 – What Kat does best08:04 – From sports to small towns08:39 – What counts as “small town”?09:59 – Why local lights Kat up11:08 – Small town ≠ “online coach” tactics13:17 – Followers vs. Foot traffic14:50 – Your socials are a “vibe check”15:51 – If you’re online-only17:39 – Be where your locals are18:18 – Collaboration courage19:15 – Two big marketing regrets (and what to do instead)21:22 – Boundaries for social pros22:58 – The smartest boundary: a business phone24:44 – “But what about DMs?”26:08 – Know your intent27:11 – What to post right now28:37 – Real > perfect30:30 – Polished or just post?30:43 – Do aesthetics matter?31:49 – Favorite platforms32:21 – Use Threads as a testing ground33:52 – Community from unexpected posts34:27 – You’re not doing it wrong Kat's Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialkatmedia/Website: https://socialkatmedia.com/Join This Mother Means Business Community : www.thismothermeansbusiness.com/community Laura's Links:• Website • Laura's Instagram • LinkedIn • Facebook • Pinterest • TikTok