Boosting Raglan and local businesses using social media was the hot topic at a recent Boost Your Town event held at the Raglan Town Hall last Wednesday.
Over 60 people turned up at the event to upskill and gain knowledge in the art of using social media avenues Facebook and Instagram.
Wood Works Raglan craftsman Ben Grant found #BoostYourTown useful for helping with the marketing strategy for his new business.
“The workshop has been a great incentive to get out and market my emerging woodworking business using social media,” he says.
The #BoostYourTown initiative was led by About Us founder Steve Adams in association with Facebook NZ and is designed to help business communities lift their online presence and performance.
The workshop looked at how to use Facebook and Instagram effectively, from setting up pages to producing cool content and measuring results.
“This is about putting towns on the map in a digital sense because Facebook and Instagram are where all the customers are. There are around 3.2 million New Zealanders on Facebook, so you could say everyone is using it,” Steve says.
With many people turning to online shopping, he says it’s important business communities are armed with the tools available such as Facebook and Instagram and know how to use them.
“Raglan is the perfect place to be promoting a business on Facebook and Instagram, because it’s such a beautiful town – there’s a great post around every corner. The reach of Facebook and Instagram means you can run your business from Raglan and reach customers anywhere in New Zealand or the world.”
The #BoostYourTown initiative has been touring the country since May and has taken in towns such as Whanganui, Whangarei, Kerikeri and Hawera, getting businesses excited about using social media as a marketing tool and supporting the community of businesses in their towns.
About Us offer free workshops, training and online resources to support small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and community groups to get the most out of Facebook and Instagram and support a thriving a connected community.
Janine Jackson
To enrol for the free online training programme created by Facebook and Instagram visit aboutus.co.nz.
