Facebook can transform your business: How one small start‐up stimulates sales

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the value of social media as an additional sales, marketing and communication channel for small businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

It presents a case study of a family‐owned, internet‐only business start‐up, describing their use of Facebook to communicate with customers and its direct and indirect impact on the business.

Findings

It must be the dream of every company leader ‐ and every marketing executive ‐ to find something that will allow them to double sales quickly and cheaply. And if using that tool gets the business closer to its customers, understanding their needs and engaging them in a two‐way conversation, well, so much the better. Online social networks (OSNs) may be the answer ‐ and for one small company, the decision to use social media has transformed their situation.

Practical implications

The paper shows that social media can be a valuable tool for small businesses as well as large corporations.

Social implications

It points out that many of The Sleep Store's customers are already using social media in their daily lives. It warns that other consumer groups may not be as ready to share their experiences or use this as their main communication channel with companies.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates the value of combining word‐of‐mouth recommendation with use of the internet. It is one of the first investigations to research the use of social media by small businesses.

Citation

(2013), "Facebook can transform your business: How one small start‐up stimulates sales", Strategic Direction, Vol. 29 No. 9, pp. 9-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-08-2013-0050