.How This Business Owner Used Social Media to Survive the Pandemic

When the pandemic first hit, many retail stores across the globe were forced to shut down their brick-and-mortar locations and transitioned to online shopping, using virtual platforms to display and sell items.

For Sindy Hernandez, designer and owner of Queen’s Shoes & More in Watsonville, social media in particular has been a boon for her business during the crisis.

After Hernandez had to close her shop, she and her employees first focused on sewing face masks for the community, donating a huge chunk of them to local nonprofits and selling the rest.

“I think we ended up producing over 6,000 masks,” Hernandez said. “We went through rolls and rolls of fabric. It helped me stay in business.”

In the meantime, she was busy creating a new website where people could order online for pickup or shipping. She also dove headfirst into the world of social media. 

Hernandez began posting regularly on her many accounts, especially Instagram and TikTok. She posted photos and videos showing off the store’s offerings and Hernandez’s own line of clothing.

“Had I not created the website and been so active on social media, I think our story would be totally different,” Hernandez said. “It’s about taking advantage of a free service—you don’t have to pay for social media. I just realized how important it was.”

Business increased. Locals started buying more for pickup, and the small store began shipping items further and further away. 

And then, one dress in particular that Hernandez designed started getting lots of attention on TikTok. Thousands of people watched the video and hundreds flooded the comment section, praising the design, asking questions and requesting different sizes and colors.

People from as far away as Germany ordered the dress, Hernandez said.

“It was amazing to see the response,” she said. “I thought, ‘Wait, maybe I do have a chance of taking my [clothing] line to the next level!’ It was crazy. It’s the power of social media.”

According to a survey report on visualobjects.com, more than half (56%) of small businesses in the U.S. now engage on social media at least weekly, and expect growth in 2021 despite continuing Covid-related challenges.

Almost all small businesses (78%) use Facebook, making it the most popular social media platform. TikTok is rarely used by small businesses (14%) despite its rapidly-growing user base.

Hernandez says she isn’t exactly sure why that dress in particular gained so much traction on TikTok. But she thinks consistency is key.

“For a long time I was hesitant, I didn’t want to be one of those people who would post and post,” she said. “But you have to. When people see a picture or a video of an item, they are more likely to buy it.”