Teach Me Something Wonderful

Those of you who’ve been reading the blog know we’re kinda big on social media around here. And sure, we could quote statistics until we’re blue in the face, but is anyone actually using this whole “social media” thing to build a brand?

Enter Bacon Salt. The seasoning that’s well, exactly what it sounds like: bacon flavored salt. This product, only 18 months old, is growing quickly thanks to a social media presence that began before there was even a product.

According to Adweek, Bacon Salt founders Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow began their venture creating a Myspace profile for Bacon Salt and then taking the time to search for and befriend everyone on Myspace who mentioned bacon in their profile. There were 37,000 such users.

Did it work? Indeed, orders began pouring in, exceeding their capacity to fill them. Then the Myspace attention transfered over to other sites and before they knew it Justin and Dave had a hit on their hands. But they’re not the only small company to find success in social media:

Bacon Salt is not the only small company to thrive in harnessing the power of social media while larger brands stumble. And not all the small players are producing sexy products like up-and-coming musicians. Other examples include blender manufacturer Blendtec. Its “Will It Blend” video series has been a long-running hit on YouTube. Midsize brands like Zappos have also thrived, using social media channels like Twitter as a rolling focus group and customer service channel.

It seems that in the social media arena small business actuall has an advantage:

Lefkow and Esch, out of necessity, provide the personal touch. They found the more they listened and engaged with their customers — each spends hours each week personally responding to e-mail messages and even don bacon costumes on the road to hand out samples — the more sales they made, the more buzz they generated.

So next time you think that social media is just for big business, think again. Small businesses have the advantage with a personal touch and a message that hasn’t been run through 10 lawyers before posting. It’s a rare opportunity for small businesses to have an advantage like this, so make sure you’re getting the most out of your web presence by working with a company that knows social media and how to apply best for your business. Your customers are waiting.

// posted by Justin @ 12:32 AM