Small business began from social media post
Jess May started with a Facebook post – and then stumbled into being an entrepreneur.
‘‘I never did get that full-time job – I created one instead.’’ Jess May
Jess May refers to herself as an accidental entrepreneur. The Australian built her business from a Facebook post. When May and her fiance returned to their hometown in north-east Victoria, Australia, last December, she intended to get a full-time job.
With employment hard to come by and bills to pay, she posted in her local Facebook group, which then had around 1000 people in it, about her experience in corporate administration.
‘‘I wrote about my experience in corporate administration in a range of different industries and offered my services on a subcontractor basis to local businesses,’’ she says. ‘‘Before I knew it, I had three clients and several inquiries every week.’’ What she had hoped to be a temporary stint to tide her and her fiance over until a full-time job was in hand, turned into a small business, Beautiful Business Systems.
‘‘I never did get that full-time job – I created one instead.’’ Almost seven months on, she now employs a sub-contractor.
‘‘I work from a leased office space at a facility in my little town and travel to see local clients in their workplaces,’’ she says.
May says people were commenting on her Facebook post the same day that she posted her services.
‘‘Within a week of posting it, I had my first chat with someone who wanted help, and she is still my client today.’’
Social media expert and managing director of L&A Social Media, Gina Lednyak, says the key form of marketing for a lot of new businesses is social media. ‘‘They do essentially start from a Facebook post or an Instagram post.’’
Social media is the starting point for a lot more small businesses because it’s extremely cost effective, she says.
So has Facebook become the old-fashioned noticeboard?
‘‘It definitely already has,’’ says Lednyak. ‘‘It’s essentially a hyperactive community board with the whole community standing around the board at the same time.’’
To harness the reach of Facebook, one of the things Lednyak recommends would-be entrepreneurs do is start a business Facebook page. ‘‘Having a business Facebook page allows more flexibility and it allows you to advertise as well. Facebook advertising lets you reach people in a very, very targeted way.
‘‘The second thing is start finding relevant groups that you could join. So find your local community group or a local business group and start engaging with people there.
‘‘Once you are comfortable with your business offering, what you can actually do is launch your Facebook advertising, where you can actually target people that are exactly in your postcode.’’
Gina Lednyak’s seven steps to business success on Facebook
Develop a strategy: Have an understanding of what your business offering is, who you are targeting and what you would like them to do.
Get creative: Think of an engaging way to deliver your message. Facebook is a crowded channel and the only thing that will cut through is creative and engaging content.
Look professional: Triplecheck for typos, make sure your image is the right size. Your Facebook page is a reflection of your business.
Create conversations: Once you start posting content on Facebook you will start to see conversations coming through about your business. It is crucial to respond to everyone that engages with you.
Build a community: Engage and network in community groups, invite your friends to ‘‘like’’ your page or launch Facebook advertising.
Campaigns: Introduce social media promotions or competitions if right for your business. This is a strong way to build up your email database and create engagement around your business.
Track and measure success: Success to you might be engagement, leads or impressions. Whatever the important numbers are for you, be sure to track them daily and use this information to build on your strategy.
– Sydney Morning Herald