Thursday, January 21, 2016

Social Media Impact on Up and Coming Businesses




Any business stays afloat by the customers that they have.  If there are not constantly trying to increase their customer base, they are not going to thrive in today’s economy.  It is vital that a business in today’s society uses social media to really help spread their names to as many people as possible. It is one of the best advertising tools that any business has nowadays.  For those areas that were not so mainstreamed, it has been the lifeline needs to catapult them to the forefront.  

More and more companies and groups are looking towards social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to help spread their name.  By connecting with people this way, they are able to start with one individual and grow to hundreds and thousands of followers to their page.  The one thing that many do not anticipate is the amount of time that needs to be put into it.  Social media platforms can be very helpful in advancing any company but if they are not taking the time to see what is happening or the comments that are being left, it is just another page lost in the shuffle.

Embracing the changes and challenges of these new technologies is how many of the smaller companies have been able to grow.  One of the great examples is Moonlight Meadery in Londonderry, NH.  Michael Fairbrother started out with a simple plan to spread the idea of an old tradition, mead.  Similar to wine, it is fermented honey instead of grapes.  It was through their social media pages that they were able to spread the word (O’Neil 2010).  They were able to list times and places that customers could sample their products. 

  


Starting in 2010, Moonlight Meadery has been able to expand throughout New England, the Unites States, and some overseas locations.  Many of these advancements came from the requests they received through social media.  Customers would come to New Hampshire and try the mead but it wasn’t available in their area.  To help these customers that were posting to both their Facebook and Twitter pages, Fairbrother worked to get his company to the requested areas.  Mead production increased throughout the United States 128% from 2013 to 2014 (Hahn 2015).  

This is one shining examples of how marketing through social media has helped grow an industry that is very specific with their audience and product.  By embracing these changes and using them to their advantage, groups are able to ignite their growth.  It’s giving those that were not on anyone’s minds before to make an impact and have society take notice.  But more importantly, to get consumers to take notice of the products that they are producing and have made available to them (Cook 2015)


References

Cook, M. (2015). Social media add twist to modern marketing: Basics still apply despite the march of tech advancement. Arkansas Business, 32(11), 14.

Hahn, Fritz (2015, November 16).  This centuries-old drink isn’t just for Renaissance festivals anymore.  Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/this-centuries-old-drink-isnt-just-for-renaissance-festivals-anymore/2015/11/15/b0c6b638-87d0-11e5-be39-0034bb576eee_story.html

O’Neil, Luke (2013, March 8).  A taste of honey:  Moonlight Meadery.  Retrieved from http://thephoenix.com/boston/food/152580-taste-of-honey-moonlight-meadery/

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