The Business of Social Media by Maryam Meschi, JAGS

Four years ago, Heena C Khan started a bespoke home accessories business called Mummys Bubble. The business works solely online and social media has helped it to grow. From having no experience with social media, Heena has developed her business greatly using the platform. Most sales are carried out on the website  (https://www.mummysbubble.com/) and on Etsy, however Instagram also plays a big part for publicity. Many customers discover them on social media and these referrals generate sales, ‘free publicity is major for small businesses’ she says. Through Instagram, customers receive an insight behind the scenes which may encourage them to shop as they can see the brand is genuine, which can be an issue with online shopping. The publicity she has managed to achieve is widespread, ‘social media has helped greatly because it has spread awareness from across the world. If we didn’t have social media, we wouldn’t have that global reach’ Heena says.

Daniel Pitts is an artist who also uses social media to promote his work and completes most of his sales through Facebook and Instagram. He did have a previous understanding of how the sites worked, however he has been able to develop strategies to maximise publicity. By painting many different subjects, he manages to keep everyone engaged and work at a larger target market. For example, one week the theme will be a movie star, the next a landscape and he will reach a wider demographic by doing this. Social media also has its own built-in features, such as Instagram and Facebook stories which disappear after 24 hours. These can be used as a teaser for the coming week’s artwork which generates interest and creates momentum. From his base in Manchester, he has reached a global audience and caught the eye of many celebrities whom he has painted for. You can find him on Instagram or Facebook @danielpittsart.