Behind the Scenes – Why We Built Aunty Social
Working with SMEs through my digital agency, I watched the same frustration repeatedly: business owners knew they needed social media but couldn't afford £600+ monthly for management. After months researching which content types could be automated whilst keeping authenticity, we built Aunty Social – proper social media for £29 a month, because every business deserves a voice online, not just those with marketing budgets.
Dave Smith
I'm going to be honest with you – Aunty Social wasn't born in some Silicon Valley incubator or dreamed up by venture capitalists. It came from pure frustration, watching the same problem play out over and over again.
Working with SMEs day in, day out through my digital agency, I kept hearing variations of the same story. Business owners knew they should be on social media. They'd watched competitors build engaged audiences whilst their own pages gathered dust. They desperately wanted someone to handle it for them, but when quotes started at £600 a month, the conversation ended before it began.
It felt wrong. Here were passionate business owners who had brilliant stories to tell, valuable expertise to share, and genuine connections to make with their customers. But because they couldn't afford a dedicated social media manager, they were effectively locked out of the conversation.
I kept thinking – there has to be a better way. Could we automate the heavy lifting whilst still creating content that actually matters? Not just random motivational quotes or generic industry waffle, but proper, relevant, engaging posts that sound like they came from the business owner, not a bot?
So I went down the rabbit hole. I researched every type of content businesses post, analysing what resonates and what falls flat. I worked out which elements could be automated without losing authenticity. Industry insights? Absolutely. Company milestones? Definitely. Myth-busting content? Perfect for automation. But always with that crucial human touch – your tone of voice, your expertise, your perspective.
It's taken months of late nights, countless iterations, and more testing than I care to remember. There were moments when I questioned whether it was possible to bridge that gap between affordability and quality. But then we started getting feedback from early users – business owners finally showing up consistently on social media, actually enjoying the content we create for them, and most importantly, seeing real engagement from their audiences.
That's when I knew we were onto something. Every SME deserves a voice on social media, not just those with marketing budgets. That's why we built Aunty Social, and that's why we'll keep making it better.
Join us in democratising social media for small businesses. Aunty Social – because every business has a story worth telling.