Reva, SD – Tom & Briana Fabris have leveraged social media platforms like Facebook to connect with customers from their family ranch in Reva, SD. After the unexpected sale of Tom’s family ranch, the couple determined to find additional income sources to continue ranching. They turned adversity into opportunity and pursued business ideas including precast concrete and high-quality beef. They committed to raising small-batch beef cattle finished on non-GMO, organic corn calling their beef business Cowboy Prime Meat Company.
This National Small Business Month, small businesses in South Dakota, like Cowboy Prime Meat Co., face a challenging economic environment. Although cattle prices on the hoof are currently at record highs, most often markets are filled with uncertainty about supply chains and prices. New data from Meta shows South Dakota business owners are embracing the opportunities of social media to stay competitive amid economic uncertainty.
Cowboy Prime Meat Co. is one of an estimated 80,000 small businesses in South Dakota that are actively using Facebook. Over half of these businesses, about 58%, are located in rural areas. For Cowboy Prime Meat Co, connecting with customers via Facebook and Instagram was critical to their success since they don’t have a storefront, just the images and videos of them raising cattle on their social media pages.
“Social media platforms have been an incredible tool for connecting with customers. As a family-run business we just didn’t have the time to find customers in-person and traditional advertising was cost-prohibitive. Social media and a website provided a platform for online business like ours to easily use from day one, and it has proved to be an incredible way to continue building our brand and relationship with customers,” said Briana Fabris with Cowboy Prime Meat Company.
Digital tools continue to help South Dakota small businesses connect with customers and reach new audiences. The Fabris’ have been able to connect with their customer base exclusively through social media platforms like Facebook.
Meta continues to find new ways to support small businesses. One innovative tool Meta recently announced is the AI app, a new way to access the AI assistant.
