When Bryan Mumford started his concealed carry training business a decade ago, he gained clients the old-fashioned way — visiting businesses and trade shows, shaking hands and handing out cards.
But PDX Arsenal really took off online when Mumford posted class openings on Facebook and Instagram. Community Facebook groups in Oregon, particularly those with a public safety focus, drove massive traffic to his page.
“I’d get 150 to 200 comments and 300 likes on our social media posts, which generated a lot of revenue for the company,” he said.
Recently, though, Meta’s crackdown on firearm-related content has turned those platforms into “a dead avenue.” The same kind of posts net single-digit likes. Mumford feels invisible online.
“We’re kind of having to take it back to where we started,” he said.
‘DISRESPECTFUL’ AND ‘AGGRESSIVELY LEFT-WING’ ADVERTISING SPURS GROWTH OF PARALLEL ECONOMY
Meta, the parent company that owns Facebook, Instagram and other social media apps, has …