Before social media, you had to pay to get out information about your business. Now, every person and company is its own media brand - and there are significantly less barriers to reaching people.his has allowed smaller brands to gain a foothold in the market much easier. When we see trends like craft beer, food trucks, and local fashion, that is often the result of harnessing social media platforms to build a following in a cost effective way.  Prior to smartphones and social adoption, it was much more difficult (and expensive) to reach people, especially if your location wasn’t on a main street. One or two small businesses isn’t enough to worry a big brand, but millions of them around the country can make a serious dent in their market shar