Towards the Digital Shift: Elevating Small Businesses with Social Media

By Dr. Dhanashree Giri Amatya

Small Businesses & Social Media

In today’s digital age, social media has become the backbone of modern businesses. These platforms offer powerful tools to connect, engage, and build communities, enabling small businesses not only to survive but to thrive at unprecedented speeds. With just a click, these tools grant global reach – a revolutionary leap when considering that the World Wide Web was introduced only about three decades ago. From sharing a snapshot of a product on Instagram to hosting a live chat on Facebook, social media has made building a customer base and driving sales easier than ever.

Social media offers unparalleled growth opportunities for niche businesses – if used strategically. Take Azra, an artisanal baker from West Malaysia, as an example. Azra dreamed of opening her own bakery but was deterred by the high costs of a physical storefront. She would often bake for family and friends and pour her heart and soul into crafting beautiful recipes.

She started posting photos of her creations on social media without realising the immense potential of these platforms. Her first post led to her first order, then her second and third. Within a year, her passion project had skyrocketed into one of Kuala Lumpur’s most sought-after bakeries, serving over 70,000 customers. Azra’s story exemplifies how small businesses can harness social media platforms’ power, combined with consistent, thoughtful efforts, to achieve remarkable growth.

Building an Online Brand

One of the key functions of social media is to boost visibility, making it essential for businesses to establish a strong online presence or brand. Creating a cohesive and relatable brand identity can make all the difference. Personal touches like warm or soft tones, aesthetically pleasing visuals, and consistent themes help draw attention and build a loyal following. For example, Azra’s social media posts maintained a visual identity that resonated with her audience. Her account’s cozy and vibrant aesthetic kept followers engaged and eager for updates.

Visual storytelling further elevated her brand, with a cartoon character representing her journey and products in a unique, memorable way. Social media algorithms tend to favour posts that are visually appealing and consistent, which helped Azra’s content gain more visibility and engagement.

Engagement and Interaction

However, success on social media goes beyond creating cohesive and visually appealing posts. Engagement and collaboration are equally vital. Azra frequently reposted tagged photos from her customers, thanking them for their orders. This simple gesture fostered a sense of community, trained platform algorithms to boost her profile, and increased her visibility. She also engaged directly by replying to comments, responding to direct messages, and interacting with her followers’ content – a strategy that built trust and loyalty while fostering organic growth.

Influencer Marketing and Beyond

In today’s landscape, influencer marketing has become a popular strategy for businesses to reach new audiences. Collaborating with influencers can expose brands to entirely different customer bases, albeit at a cost. Interestingly, Azra’s journey did not rely on this strategy. Whether due to budget constraints or the challenge of finding the right influencer, she opted for alternative approaches such as self-driven promotions and customer engagement.

She relied on contests and promotions to further amplify her reach. By offering discount vouchers and limited-edition goodies, Azra created excitement around her products. Contest participants were often required to follow her page and tag friends, significantly boosting engagement and expanding her audience. These strategies not only promoted her business but also strengthened her brand’s authenticity.

Over time, Azra herself became an influencer. Her engaging content and growing fanbase opened up multiple income streams. Today, she is not just a baker but also an influencer, YouTuber, baking instructor, and soon-to-be published author with her own recipe book. Her journey underscores the importance of consistency, creativity, and strategic resource allocation in building a business on social media.

Unlocking Social Media’s Full Potential

Azra’s success story highlights the immense potential of social media in driving small business growth. With the right mix of consistency, strategy, and creativity, businesses can flourish from scratch. In today’s digital era, social media is not just a platform; it is a transformative tool for expansion and success. By leveraging its full potential, small businesses can achieve new and unimaginable heights.

Dr. Dhanashree Giri Amatya is a lecturer and Head of the Department of Media and Communications at Curtin University Malaysia’s Faculty of Humanities and Health Sciences, with over five years of industry experience in digital media. She earned her doctorate in Media and Communications from Amity University, India, in 2019 and has been engaged in research in the field of media and communication ever since. She has published several research papers and presented at conferences globally. With two grants to her name, she is actively involved in promoting media- and communication-related activities. Additionally, she is also involved in international tennis and has been a proactive member of the International Tennis Federation for more than 20 years as an international tennis official. She has represented her country as a technical official at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and Southeast Asian Games. Her research interests include media and communications, disaster risk reduction and media, sustainable advocacy through media, and media and sports. For inquiries and collaborations, she can be reached via email at dhanashree.amatya@curtin.edu.my.