Social Media for Small Businesses

I work for small gift and stationary store in my hometown called Lula Bell Art and Designs, where the owner designs all the art sold in the shop. Amy Gantt, the artist and owner, has been working over the past two years to increase her social media presence in order to bring in more customers. Lula Bell initially started as just a wholesale business, which means her merchandise is only sold in other stores across the country. As of August 2016, though, Mrs. Gantt opened up a retail store in so she could sell to people locally instead of random stores across the United States. Since then, she has recently sold the wholesale part of the business to a different company so she can focus on the retail part of it. Because of this, Mrs. Gantt has learned the importance of building her profiles so more people are aware of the products and services she has to offer. 

Although Mrs. Gantt is still working to build her accounts, she has started to gain following on her profiles on Facebook and Instagram. Her frequent use of these outlets has done great things in getting her name out to the public, and she is still working to increase that presence with different techniques. There is something special about social media outlets for businesses that people refuse to see because they can only see the negatives. With social media comes networking opportunities that are not available in any other way besides utilising the outlets. For example, through social media, Mrs. Gantt has found multiple other women-owned businesses like hers that she has had the chance to collaborate with on projects. By reaching out to people that are outside the inner circle of customers and collaborators, there is room for business owners to increase their presence in their community. The most important thing Mrs. Gantt has put into effect in what she posts is using media, whether that is photos or videos, in everything she posts. By using these platforms, Mrs. Gantt has successfully advertised sales, events and promotions she is holding in the store along with updates on the business. The way Mrs. Gantt has used social media can be a lesson for any small business that is looking to increase their following and get the business that is being advertised out into the world. 

I have always been a strong believer in the impact that any social media usage can have on business, but that belief is often overshadowed by people speaking negatively about social media. Ever since I started working at Lula Bell, I have seen the true importance of utilising these platforms to benefit the company. During my senior year, I decided to dedicate my English project on social media’s impact on society as a whole and specifically small business to find out what people had to say about social media. Based on the conversations I had with my boss and my peers, I found that the common consensus on social media usage was that if it is used in the right ways, it can be a beneficial thing for society. Using it for small business is exactly the right way for social media to be utilized without harm or any negative effects coming to society. Social media can connect not only businesses and customers, but businesses to other businesses. Based on these beliefs, I will continue to work with Mrs. Gantt in order to benefit her business while still learning how to use social media in the right ways. Although the problem is not a quick fix problem, if people become aware of the true impact social media can have, social media will finally be used in the ways it was intended to be used.