How Small Businesses Can Use Social Media for Good

Our world shifted forever with the introduction of social media. Small businesses were given a fighting chance against the big brands. Ordinary people like you and me can spread our ideas and our passions to others, and get paid for it.

On social media, I don’t think campaigns are successful. The best marketing I’ve seen are when value is provided. An excellent example of this is from Jack Butcher’s account, Visualize Value. He dedicated himself to making a graphic that would be meaningful to his followers. After years of this, he was able to successful sell courses, e-books, and build an audience around him.

Social media has its downsides. Teenagers like myself are bombarded with too much information and lies. They get drowned in a sea of consumption, which the apps using their data to add to the tsunami. Our focus is diminished as we use it, as the scroll is never-ending. Nobody can sit down and have a civilized conversation without it turning into a fight. The comments have turned into a slugfest of hateful words.

As the Joker once said, “Everybody just yells and screams at each other. Nobody’s civilized anymore! Nobody thinks what it’s like to be the other guy.”

To find success as a business, you must solve a problem or make somebody’s life better. Clearly, there is a problem within these social media platforms that affect teenagers. Small businesses have the chance to help out young ones to use social media in a more meaningful way.

They can provide support for teenagers in the tough times. Many of the youth are unable to go out to play, or meet with other people. Perhaps they want to learn more, and feel like normal school isn’t cutting it. Some may need a comfort zone, a place to feel safe. We have many more needs that small businesses can help with. Social media is an avenue to show what you can do for us.

Paul Budnitz, one of my inspirations on entrepreneurship, is a great example of this. He created a social media platform named Ello, to combat the ideas of Facebook and Instagram. In his app, there are no ads and your data is not bought and sold. It was designed to foster community and expression, mainly for creators of all kinds. His endeavor was successful, as they had far less toxicity than on well-known platforms.

In conclusion, what small businesses can do with social media is provide value. Value could mean many things to many people. You could show them information that they can use in their everyday lives. You can entertain them with memes and comedy.

That’s the great thing about social media; anybody can provide value, from the big brands to the small businesses to the ordinary joe. Social media is a tool to promote change and create freedom for all.