Unit #2 Draft

    My main focus for this Unit 2 Project is understanding the connection between growing businesses and social media.  I started with the question, "How does social media marketing affect the growth of businesses and startups?"  Through my research, I find a positive correlation between the two, seeing social media as an asset in the beginning of businesses.  I believe that social media marketing significantly influences startups and businesses in a positive direction, by targeting members of their specific demographic and creating posts that are engaging with the correct audience, which leads to profit for the company.  Through research articles, TED Talks, and even first-hand experience with what our demographic sees on social media, the use of social media is going to show growth in the world of businesses.  

Social media marketing has been something that is a big focus lately, and more or less seen on common social media apps used such as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.  This is one way businesses can reach an audience without having the in-person interaction that is usually seen, making their services expand over locations.  This also allows for an increase in marketing as the goal is to persuade the targeted demographic that is interacting with posts that increase profit and business, creating potential revenue just from a post interaction.  Being able to share content that the demographic can see, different sides of on social media, also is a potential increase in how customers will react to the business themselves.  The use of social media in this generation seems like key revenue for businesses and startup companies to enhance their marketing skills, and create a wider expansion of customers and opportunities for business. 

Before even starting my research, I sent the questions to friends to get their opinions on the matter.  My little sister, Lily, replied "I see a lot of videos of people asking "watch this video" or such and such many times to help start my small business and it provides feed for the entrepreneurs themselves by receiving live feedback and support of the people they wish to service."  Through this I gained just a general basis without research on social media marketing from what my peers are seeing, as well as what I may see on social media.  From here is where I thought my research needed to be more thorough, and conducted towards the positivity that social media can bring, instead of the negative attention people enjoy focusing on.  

In his TED Talk,"How Social Media is Changing the Way We Do Business," Austin Falter discusses how we use social media to capture business. He begins by sharing his story, explaining that he had two months to get himself "out of the ditch" and make something with his company. Falter then runs straight to TikTok to see how this would help. In doing so, Falter was looking at how big the influencer marketing economy can be when you know what to do. The main message in Falter's TED Talk was that if you know how to grasp people's attention, then you can make a profit, and run a successful business from this. Falter used the example of Dungeons and Dragons on TikTok. When being discussed how the group used the content throughout to make a profit, he stated, "... it's in the hundreds of thousands and now it's millions of people who every night they are on their live stream, watching these nerds play D and D for four hours, and now all of a sudden they have revenue coming in from their content...," (Falter, 2023). Falter emphasizes throughout his talk and his own experience that if you know how to capture people's attention, the emphasis on how social media can be used as a positive when promoting businesses, and stories can be successful.