11 ‘Social Search’ Plays: How Customers Find Businesses on TikTok & Instagram in 2026

People don’t just “Google it” anymore. A growing chunk of customers social search inside TikTok and Instagram first — especially for anything local, visual, or experience-based.

They’re not looking for perfect branding. They’re looking for signals:

“Are these people legit?”
“Do they do what I need?”
“Do they service my area?”
“What does it cost?”
“Can I trust them?”

If you already get views but not enquiries, it usually means your content isn’t set up to convert. And if you want your socials + website + suburb targeting to work together (so people can find you in multiple places), SEO consulting Melbourne can help tie the whole funnel together.

Here are 11 plays that work right now.

1) Put the service keyword in the first line of the caption

Don’t bury it. Lead with it.

Example:
“Emergency plumber — same-day callouts (inner suburbs).”

TikTok/IG are scanning your text. Humans are too.

2) Say the suburb/area out loud in the video

This is a cheat code.

A simple line like:
“We’re in Bentleigh today fixing a blocked drain…”

It helps local relevance and makes people feel “they’re near me”.

3) Turn your comments into a lead funnel

Instead of answering every question with a novel, use a pattern:

“Comment ‘QUOTE’ and I’ll DM the price range.”
“Comment your suburb and I’ll tell you availability.”

Then DM with a short script and a booking link.

4) Pin 3 videos that do the selling for you

Most visitors watch your top pinned videos. Make them count:

What you do + who it’s for
Proof/results (before/after, testimonials)
Pricing/timelines (qualify leads)

This reduces tyre-kickers and increases serious enquiries.

5) Use “problem → process → result” structure

This format is insanely bingeable:

What was wrong
What you did
What changed

Keep it tight. 15–30 seconds is enough.

6) Do the “price range” video (yes, really)

Avoiding price creates mistrust.

Try:
“Most jobs like this cost between $X–$Y depending on…”

People who can’t afford you will scroll. People who can will DM.

7) Show your face (at least sometimes)

You don’t need to become an influencer. But a face builds trust faster than logos.

A quick intro:
“Hey, I’m Sam. I run X. Here’s what we’re doing today.”

It’s basic. It works.

8) Use local proof, not generic proof

If you’re a local service business, show local work:

suburb mentions
recognisable streets/areas (without doxxing)
local customer stories

Even “we’re booked out in the north this week” creates scarcity and trust.

9) Make one weekly “myth-busting” video

These get saves and shares:

“Do I need to replace the whole thing?”
“Is this normal?”
“Why is it priced like this?”

Educating proves expertise without sounding salesy.

10) Collaborate with micro-creators (the local kind)

You don’t need big influencers.

Look for:

local mums/parents pages
foodies
community pages
gym/fitness creators
tradie humour accounts (if it fits)

Trade:

free service add-on
small paid fee
referral deal

Local creators often drive the highest-intent DMs.

11) Build the “second step” for after they find you

Social search is often step one. People then:

Google your name
check reviews
look for pricing
check if you service their area
look for “how to book”

So make sure your website, Google profile, and service pages support that second step.

If you want a broader snapshot of how people actually discover local businesses across platforms (not just social), this is a good read: top 10 ways customers actually find local businesses online.