Love your tweets, show me your money now
WISE16 Editorial: Love your tweets, show me your money now
The importance of Social Media
There is no doubt that social media can help businesses thrive in this ‘always on’ society. There are businesses out there that have managed to turn their fates or even succeed starting from scratch with the support of followers on social media. It is clear that Twitter, Facebook or even Instagram can play a role on the success of a bar, café, shop or restaurant.
Social media also plays a role when it comes to ‘save’ local businesses which are under threat of being closed or demolished. These campaigns are important because they highlight the issue, in many cases unnoticed by a vast majority. It causes furore and uproar that can change the fate of those places in some instances.
Though many of those pubs which reached that situation, might have done so because of the economic uncertainty due to many factors such as rent increases, higher running costs and a drop of customers.
Show me the money
So the reality of a daily run business is that bills have to be paid. This is when the idealism of online campaigns sometimes crashes with the reality of hard cash. There is a story to illustrate our point. There was a shop in Brighton in which we used to stop to see the merchandise. It was amazing to see all the glass made furniture in the shop and it was a must stop in our trips to town. We praised the quality of it yet we never made a purchase.
One day, we went back and the shop has closed down. Then the words we had been told once resounded loud and clear; “it’s all good for people to say they like the merchandise yet if there is no sales, there is no business”
This is the same way many pubs’ owners must feel when people run those Twitter campaigns in order to save this or that pub while wondering why they don’t see those people coming in to spend a pound, which probably will be even more helpful.
Do campaign, yes, though don’t forget the dosh!
We have always been supportive of any campaigns that encourage people to shop local. We feel it is important that we get the message out there in our own way.
Therefore, we also feel any campaign to save any business is always good and there should be more. It is important people know about those places that, otherwise, might have never heard of. Yet, the important action is when we spend our money in those businesses while shout it out that they need our help.
So next time you pass by you local off-licence, pub, small supermarket, DIY store, local barber shop and so on, don’t think whether you could get that cheaper somewhere else, think how your custom can help them to survive.
Disclaimer
This post only expresses personal views. There is not intentions to diminish the importance of online campaigns to save pubs or any other community actions to save local businesses.