How Social Media Changed the Business Game
BY NWANDO NWOSU, GRADE 8
Social media is a powerful avenue for people to join together and share their ideas with others. Some of these ideas can be sold too, essentially as products for business. As the popularity of social media rises, they become a great way to improve business sales. Social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, and even Twitter have become useful tools for businesses, allowing them to gain their footing in the business industry.
TikTok
One of the top social media apps today, TikTok, has helped various businesses with popularity and revenue growth. In February 2021, Bruce Graybill’s Sider’s Woodcrafting was just about to close down when his video went viral on TikTok. This increased traffic on their website by 4000%, and they sold everything on their website within 24 hours. The app has helped Bruce earn $30,000 sales from TikTok alone. This goes to show that social media can lift a business up even if it’s at its lowest point. A similar situation like this occurred early 2020. The co-founders of Sani, sisters Ritika and Niki Shamdasani, posted a video on TikTok which amassed about 3 million views. After this success, they used TikTok to prolong business awareness.
Twitter, believe it or not, has also made a huge impact on the business world. According to twitter.com, Manny’s Deli in Chicago took off with a viral tweet asking for support from locals. Although the deli was already well-known, the pandemic made business tough. Danny Raskin, the owner, explained it would be difficult to pay the employees, and posted on Twitter in an attempt to call attention to their struggle. It made national headlines and they got coverage from, it seemed like, every media outlet in Chicago. This made Manny’s Deli more popular than ever, and led to a 1,500% increase in sales, 20 million media impressions, and 500,000 engagements.
Social media has changed business in many ways, such as growing popularity, sales, and customers, and the change will only grow from here.
This article was written during the GWS Summer Writing Workshop. Taught by the GWS Publication Team, the workshop hosted young journalists in grades 1 through 12, each with a passion for writing and learning. Over five weeks throughout the summer, students brainstormed, researched, outlined, drafted, revised, and ultimately produced an article about a topic related to women in business. Learn more about the workshop here.