Is It Worth Starting a Business Through Social Media?

 There’s absolutely no doubt that social media is still one of the best ways to get noticed and bring more attention to yourself. It’s because you can interact with virtually anyone in the world with no boundaries to get in the way, and you can communicate with people from all different walks of life with different interests, tastes, and time zones.

There are just so many people on social media that it really makes sense to start a business there. But while it can be a lucrative endeavor, it’s important to understand what this actually entails and how you can use social media to grow a new business.

Source: Unsplash (CC0)

Social media is all about generating buzz

No matter what kind of industry you’re in or the types of products that you want to offer, at the core of social media is the need to generate buzz. It’s about getting noticed, getting people to talk about you, and also forming new connections with people in the industry.

Let’s say you’re starting up your own fashion brand. Getting noticed on social media means that more people take notice of your product, leading to a higher sales volume. However, if you can get noticed with a viral picture, or even work with influences who would be happy to wear clothes from your brand, then you can start building up your business even higher. To make things even better, it’ll help you establish industry connections that you can use to find partners, reach a wider audience, or even collaborate with other businesses.

However, you still need to think about yourself

Although it’s important to generate buzz around your business and get noticed, you also need to think about your personal branding as well. After all, the social media account that you’re using to grow your business isn’t just about your company–it’s probably your personal account, or the persona that you’re trying to adopt.

So while many people try to focus on uplifting their brand, you can’t forget about branding yourself as well. Sometimes this means establishing trust with your audience by engaging with them, it can also mean sharing your story and your successes, or even leveraging multiple social media platforms to further your reach.

Regardless of the positives, it’s still time-consuming

You have to remember that although social media is ripe with opportunities, it’s also extremely time-consuming to grow your brand due to the amount of competition and the consistent effort it requires. Many large companies have entire teams dedicated to building a social media presence, so doing it alone can feel overwhelming and extremely tiring.

Not only do you need to focus on multiple different social media platforms, but you also have to engage with your audience. This includes accepting negative feedback, potential harassment from upset customers, or even being roasted by other brands for your products. There can be a lot of negativity to filter through when you’re trying to build a business through social media, so it’s important to take breaks now and then to reset yourself mentally.