Inspiring shopping local ahead of Small Business Saturday

userby Amy Rountree

December 7 2019 marks the annual Small Business Saturday. According to the event organisers, 2018’s event saw £812Million spent at small businesses on the day itself. But supporting small businesses is not a seasonal trend. So ahead of Christmas, we’ve taken a look at the conversation around .#shoplocal to see what we could learn from listening to independent retailers and their customers. 

Using social media analytics, we can help indies identify the kind of content and conversation they should be creating and utilizing within their social media strategy. In addition this insight will help you increase your social media engagement so that you can spend your efforts on content that works, and engage with customers who love to shop local.

Where your shop local customers are

From October 20 - November 11 2019 there were a whopping 264,000 conversations using the hashtag #shoplocal. 90% of them occurred on Instagram. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Holiday feels ??Comment below some fun holiday traditions you and your family share! Tap the pic to shop this look??‍♀️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #clothingsale #boutiquesale #carrollton #gaboutique #boutiquefashion #trends2019 #boutiqueclothing #fallarrivals #fallstyle #fallstyle2019 #falltrends #autumn #autumnstyle #autumnarrivals #autumntrends #ootd #shoplocal #shopsmall #clothinghaul #newclothes #carrolltonga

A post shared by Rosie Daze Boutique ™️ (@rosiedazebtq) on

Shopping local inspires action

On average each piece of content about #shoplocal gained 10 social media engagements, delivering in total over 2 million engagements over the period.

The Maybe Social Media Engagement report for the conversation about #Shoplocal. 

Fire up the festive FOMO

Our social media analytics show us that Christmas is leading the #shoplocal social media engagement charge. You’ll also spot lots of time specific content terms such as dates, and the days of the week. So couple seasonal content with time bound or event type content, perhaps showcasing limited offers or pop ups, and you will create some urgency around your products and services. No one likes to miss out after all.

The Maybe* What's being said' report for the conversation about #Shoplocal. See the most popular topics your audience talk about on social media.

Get involved with #shoplocal

Incorporate the #shoplocal hashtag into your own Instagram content alongside hashtags about the location you’re in, and the services and products you offer. In addition use hashtags for the town, city or shopping centre you’re located in. Don’t know where to start with a hashtag? Check out our handy tips and tricks.

Ensure your social media strategy includes content that is timely and urgent, creating a sense of ‘get it before it’s gone’ or must have, lust have. 

Maybe’s social media engagement report gives you the insider knowledge you need to create a better social media strategy. Quickly measure how engaged your audience is with your posts and narrow your focus to the type of content that gets people’s attention. Get started for free.

Recent posts

Card image cap

Social media news roundup 23rd October – Instagram’s spicing up comments with polls, Facebook Pages hitting the airwaves, and more

Step right up and ride the digital carousel with us 🎠 As the wheels of the social media funfair whirl and twirl, platforms are aimin...

Card image cap

Don’t miss out on the ultimate guide to daily hashtags for social media success

Daily hashtags are a great source of content inspiration and a super way to increase your social media reach  Daily hashtags are a ...

Card image cap

Social media news roundup 16th October – Spook-tacular tools from TikTok, AI holiday magic from Meta, and more

🌊 Plunge into the digital deep with us 🌊 As the currents of the social media ocean ebb and flow, platforms are diving deeper to e...