Small Businesses That Operate Only on Social Media

Small businesses find social media to be a great platform for sales for a variety of reasons. A recent CNN Money article spotlighted a few different companies that have become immensely successful by launching on social media, a cotton candy company that does 75% of its business on Facebook, a female-centered snowboarding gear company, and a creative wine bottle stopper company. So how are these companies successful using only social media accounts? Here are some tips on how to make the most of small business marketing on social media.

• Start your pages/accounts before you launch your actual product or company – it’s all about the hype. An air of mystery often can draw in followers. Ask your family and friends to follow and share your progress. People will keep coming back for more if their interest is piqued. Social Media Examiner uses a blurred-out logo as an example of a teaser.
• Unify your message across platforms. In addition to Facebook, leverage Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram to promote your company and your products as well. Pinterest, being a strictly visual platform, is an awesome place to showcase new products, a new logo, or anything visually exciting to your customers.
• Identify your target audience and if social media is the right way to reach them. The above-mentioned CNN article talked about a snowboarding gear company aimed at women. The founder, Wendy Gavinski, saw that the industry was saturated with products for male snowboarders, not so much for women. She decided that she could best reach her target audience, young women, by finding and selling to them on Facebook. She was successful and now has more than 40 thousand followers on her page. Her company is turning a profit.
• Be consistent. As anyone who has anything to do with small business, you know that the going can get tough (and yes, even the tough sometimes get going). Social media is all about persistence and consistency. Keep posting, sharing, and adding as often as you can.