2 minute read
Love Northern BC
Northern Development staff celebrate Plaid Friday.
PLAID FRIDAY PRIZE PACKAGES WORN WITH PRIDE BY RECIPIENTS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
SMALL BUSINESS TOURISM
Plaid Friday is a grassroots alternative to Black Friday which strives to encourage people to support local, independent businesses as they begin their holiday shopping. Participating Love Northern BC communities host their own Plaid Friday celebrations for their residents and local businesses. To support the entire region, Love Northern BC supports the individual communities in their festive efforts and hosts their own Plaid Friday social media contest.
This year, Love Northern BC held an online contest named “A Hunting We Will Go”. With 20 plaid prize packages available to be won, 81 people from the Trust’s service region entered the contest by identifying the location of four carved ambassadors. “Thanks very much! I will wear these lovely items with pride and mention your page to all who ask about them! Everyone I know has been shopping local more often since the pandemic began as it’s SO important to keep small business afloat! Thanks for all that you do to encourage support of our local businesses!” – Angela from Queen Charlotte, prize winner.
In April 2021, Love Northern BC hosted their first ever Easter Contest, the Love Northern BC Egg-Stravaganza. During the contest period, the Easter Bunny took over the entire website, replacing the classic hearts with pastel eggs. Participants were encouraged to hunt for their favourite local, independent businesses by adding them to a digital ‘basket’ when they clicked on the Easter Eggs. The contest winner received a $100 Support Local BC gift certificate to use at a local, independent business of her choosing to keep the ‘shop local’ spirit flowing in the region.
NEW LOVE NORTHERN BC SIGNS ARE GOING UP ACROSS THE REGION
To provide a refresh to the existing Love Northern BC signage, Northern Development distributed new aluminum signs to participating communities. The new design prominently displays each community’s shop local webpage, as well as a map of our service region. These new signs will remind locals and tourists alike to check out the local, independent businesses that make our communities great.
Photo: Northern Development
SOCIAL MEDIA AND ANALYTICS
• @LoveNorthernBC surpassed 2,000 Instagram followers just in time for Plaid Friday 2021!
• Leading customers to storefronts! Website visitors have asked for directions to businesses 1,337 times.
• During the Plaid Friday 2021 campaign, the
LoveNorthernBC Facebook page reached 128,677 people, a 19,000 per cent increase over the previous month.
