By Rieva Lesonsky
Social media remains a mainstay for marketing and customer engagement for small business owners. But the social media environment is in nearly constant motion—and has been for months—shifting as users abandon old platforms and embrace new ones.
Twitter (now known as X) lost more than 30 million users since peaking at 368.4 million in 2022. Since then, new platforms have emerged, including Bluesky and Meta’s Threads.
Originally the brainchild of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Bluesky is a rapidly growing independent, open-source, and ad-free platform. Bluesky has over 33 million users (including numerous X refugees), up from nine million last September. If you’re interested, you can track its real-time growth.
For small businesses, Bluesky offers an opportunity to engage with an audience seeking authentic connections without the algorithmic barriers. With early adopters still shaping the platform’s culture, establishing a presence on Bluesky might be worth your while.
Should entrepreneurs and small business owners join Bluesky? To gain insight about the value of Bluesky for entrepreneurs and small business owners, I talked to Alycia Leno, the director of content marketing at GoDaddy.
What to Know About Bluesky
Rieva Lesonsky: How does Bluesky differ from other social media channels such as X, Threads, or Facebook?
Alycia Leno: Bluesky started as a project to explore decentralizing Twitter before it became X. Decentralized social media platforms are designed not to be owned by a single corporate entity. Bluesky gives users more control over their experience and data. Built on the AT protocol, it also offers greater transparency into how the network operates.
Bluesky is unique among social platforms by offering a dual identifier system. Users can create their handle @username.bsky.social or use a custom domain (or subdomain) owned by the user (e.g. @domain.com or @subdomain.domain.com). This allows businesses to own their domain on Bluesky, offers better portability if moving between servers, and avoids potential username conflicts. My team created a guide on how to set up Bluesky for your business.
Lesonsky: Why should a small business start engaging on Bluesky?
Leno: At 33 million+ users and growing, Bluesky is smaller but growing among tech-savvy audiences. It’s worth testing different social networks and measuring engagement and conversation around your brand. For local businesses, using local hashtags (such as airport codes) can help your posts show up in feeds that local Bluesky users may be following.
Should Your Small Business Join Bluesky?
Lesonsky: Should small business owners join Bluesky even if they don’t have time to engage right now?
Leno: Yes, absolutely! The platform shows great signs of future growth, and you want to secure your username for the default bsky.social handle. Creating a handle for your domain name can wait until you’re ready, since only someone with access to your domain name’s DNS settings can claim it.
Lesonsky: What’s the best way to start engaging on Bluesky?
Leno: Like any social platform, the key is to post often and experiment with formats, creative approaches, and targeting. Focus on creating valuable content and participating in meaningful conversations to build trust and loyalty.
Many businesses actively comment on posts made by users in their niche, even if those users aren’t yet following them. Seeing a company engaging with their content is exciting for many users.
As you start getting engagement from users, make sure to respond. Social media should feel like having a conversation with your community. Follow users who engage with you and don’t be afraid of engaging with their content.
Lesonsky: Is it possible to build a loyal community, or is it too soon?
Leno: Depending on your niche and location, Bluesky has some very active communities, most notably in the fields of art, education, and STEM. For local businesses, large cities are likely to have a stronger user base, and getting in early could help your company engage with less noise. For e-commerce businesses, communities related to art, science, and technology have more followers. Some industries, like beauty, automotive, and retail, may grow further down the line as the platform develops.
You can search for topics and hashtags using the Bluesky Feeds section. Explore custom feeds tailored to your business, niche, or audience interests to reach target audiences more effectively.
Lesonsky: Are there potential benefits for small businesses to be early adopters of Bluesky, especially compared to larger competitors?
Leno: At this early stage, businesses that actively engage on Bluesky will likely find a receptive audience. As the user base continues to grow, competition for attention will grow with it.
I highly recommend small business owners investigate and play around with the platform to assess the opportunity. If your ideal customer persona has a lot of affinity categories that align with active Bluesky feeds, or your local community has a growing user base, then it’s worth experimenting!
More from AllBusiness:
How Businesses Can Get the Most from Bluesky
Lesonsky: What types of content or messaging work best for small businesses on Bluesky?
Leno: Actively engaging with users in your target demographic is a great tactic to generate interest in your brand handle—especially if you have a domain connected. Folks may be curious to know who is replying to their content and investigate what your business is all about.
Lesonsky: As Bluesky grows, what trends or opportunities should small business owners watch for to maximize their presence on the platform?
Leno: Bluesky’s user base is growing quickly, but the platform is not as feature-rich as other microblogging platforms. Right now, Bluesky is focused on adding developers and moderators to its team, and there is evidence that the team is watching for features that users want to see. For example, the Trending Topics section was introduced in January, and you can now upload three-minute videos, three times the previous limit.
There are increasing reports of agencies, organizations, and municipalities expanding their presence to Bluesky. Many brands are adjusting their advertising investment across different platforms for various issues. As social platforms continue to evolve, pay attention to where journalists and thought leaders choose to share their insights.
About the Author
Rieva Lesonsky creates content focusing on small business and entrepreneurship. Email Rieva at rieva@smallbusinesscurrents.com, follow her on Twitter @Rieva, and visit her website SmallBusinessCurrents.com to get the scoop on business trends and sign up for Rieva’s free Currents newsletter.
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