Stay connected during lockdown #2 . . . any way you can

At Maybe* we are championing the importance of staying connected, especially during lockdown#2 to aid local recovery. While you may not be able to trade, you can still join in conversations relevant to your local area. You can also listen and participate in the conversations your customers are part of to stay connected to them that way.

Every week we profile the social media prowess of different towns and cities across the UK, demonstrating what indie businesses are doing to stay active, stay connected, and inspire new and existing customers to shop and spend locally.

Next stop is the Cotswold town of South Cerney. Any business in any local place can apply these tactics. In fact we’re working with the whole of the Cotswolds to help them make social media work for them in a bid to support recovery across the UK.

How many businesses in South Cerney have social media accounts?

Maybe* Place Insights shows us that 32% of businesses in South Cerney, marked in yellow, have social media accounts. That’s higher than the wider Cotswold Local Authority which sees 29% of businesses having social accounts. It's also higher than the UK average of 28%. Good work South Cerney!

Explore Maybe* Place Insights

How many businesses in South Cerney create social media content everyday?

Of those 32% of businesses, an average of 24% of them are active every day. While the wider Cotswolds area sees a big drop off in activity in the weekends, South Cerney’s drop is not quite as steep. This shows more of South Cerney’s businesses try to stay active over the weekends.

How many posts do businesses make and how engaging are they?

South Cerney businesses created an average of 80 pieces of social media content per day throughout the first week of the second national lockdown. Those social posts earn approximately 150 engagements per day. That’s about two engagements per post.

South Cerney’s posting volumes are low, and therefore engagement follows suit. Businesses should increase their activity, especially in the run up to Christmas and while we are locked down so businesses can stay connected and encourage people to shop local either online, via click and collect or with those businesses who are deemed essential.

What is South Cerney’s best social media content?

We’ve used the Maybe* Best Post in a Place tool to find South Cerney’s best post on Sunday November 8.

The post came from Unique Homestays who list Cotswolds properties to let for out of towners. While travel is currently forbidden, the business has done a great job of continuing to post content which might inspire people to book once lockdown is over, and when people are in real need of a getaway from their own four walls.

What conversations do South Cerney’s businesses create?

South Cerney’s businesses create topical conversation and reference TV shows. However there is also conversation about Remembrance Day and getting outdoors and exploring the local area. Both South Cerney and the Cotswolds feature as place hashtags. If you can’t sell to customers at the moment, creating content on popular topics of conversation is a great way of staying connected to them and ensure you're a part of their conversations.

The mood of the conversation across South Cerney stays positive while the wider Cotswolds area's mood is a little flatter. This shows the importance, especially at the moment, of staying upbeat and doing what you can to stay connected to customers.

Key takeaway

Staying connected to customers does not have to mean selling to them. It's a great tactic to join in existing conversations so you can stay front of mind, but remember to still show some love to your place and those businesses who are still trading.

Wondering why using hashtags in the conversation about place matters? Read all about it.

Maybe* is a social media management platform that helps organisations make social media work better for them. We provide easy to use engagement tools, smart insights and reports that rock.