Social media has a bad rep. It’s addictive, the doom scroll wastes hours of your day, the fake news and negativity can be deafening, and the algorithm makes us run in circles – so why did I think it would be a good idea to build a business relying on it?
How Ace of Media came to be
Back in 2016, my father (who has MS), my sister (who was eighteen at the time) and a family friend decided it would be fun to do a challenging bike ride to raise money for the MS Trust. My Dad has never been one for small challenges and it was soon decided that the ride would take six weeks and would go from North Wales to the French Pyrenees. This was years before I even knew that “Social Media Marketer” was a job, but they put me in charge of the Facebook page. We raised just over £7,000 and I absolutely loved running that page – even though I had no idea what I was doing!
Skip forward a few years and I was desperately looking for a job. I had no idea what I wanted to do and my only requirement was a fully remote job. I got a Kickstart job as a Social Media Administrator for Professionals in Partnership. When I started, I thought it would be a good income for the next six months, I never expected to find such a supportive boss who found me some fantastic courses, helped me set up my own business and became my very first client.
At first, I wanted to work with small businesses because I didn’t want to be a number in a huge company, but seeing your passion for your businesses quickly changed my “Why”. Your businesses deserve to thrive and I don’t want you to be held back just because you don’t know the ins and outs of social media!
Why social media is a fantastic small business tool
I love social media, but let’s face it – you didn’t set up your business to have to worry about consistently creating content. I think it’s important sometimes to take a moment and think about what we’re doing, so here are my top three reasons why I believe social media is such a good tool:
1- It’s free-ish! Yes, you have to invest your time, and you might choose to invest some money for some support – or even for someone to do it for you. But realistically, it’s affordable for even the smallest of budgets.
2- It’s a space where we can build connections with people we only met once. For example, I met a lovely lady at a networking event last year. You know how it is, you sit next to them, you start a conversation but feel like you’re not their ideal client and they aren’t yours… a few days later you can’t remember their name. This lady was different, her name is Sharon and she runs PupCakes Dog Bakery. What makes her different? Apart from the fact that she likes doing everything a little bit differently, we connected on social media and interacted with each other’s content. And that’s what I mean when I say that your target audience is your ideal client before they know it. I’d love to buy a birthday cake for Patch from her bakery one day and she’s actually joining my Special Event in my membership group next month!
3- I often hear small businesses say “Someone told me I should be doing…”. And yes, there are certain things that you need to do, but most of the tips you’ll get (even from experts like myself) are suggestions to improve on what you’ve already built. If you don’t want to share your face, you don’t have to. If you don’t want to use your voice, you don’t have to. If you don’t want to post photos, you don’t have to. But the option’s there if you do – you get to pick and choose what feels right to you!
My “Happy Dance” moments
As small business owners, we always have those “Happy Dance” moments when we get orders, when our inspiration agrees to a collaboration or when the opportunity we’ve been waiting for presents itself. Once I start supporting a small business, I share those “Happy Dance” moments with them. Their passion rubs off on me and I’ve always got a part of my brain thinking about ways we could take it to the next level.
I’d expect to feel so invested when I’m doing full management, but it was a pleasant surprise when I realised I actually feel it more when I’m doing part-management. In the last few months, since I launched my membership group, watching my members take my advice and get those results has me so many “Happy Dance” moments!
Here’s to many Happy Dance moments for us all in 2024 🥂
Thanks for reading! I share a blog like this one every other Tuesday, and if you feel like they help your social media presence, and more importantly, your business – then please consider leaving a tip.
Tesni xx
