That's an insightful topic! Calgary small business owners are definitely leveraging social media in strategic ways, particularly amid economic uncertainty, by focusing on several key areas:

🎯 Key Social Media Strategies
Cost-Effective Marketing: Social media offers a more budget-friendly alternative to costly traditional advertising (like print or radio). Businesses can run highly targeted ad campaigns for a fraction of the cost or focus on creating valuable content to gain organic reach for free.

Hyper-Local Engagement: They are actively connecting with the local community to increase brand awareness and drive traffic.

Local SEO: Optimizing their online presence by incorporating location-based keywords (e.g., "Calgary lawn care," "Inglewood boutique Calgary").

Local Hashtags: Using specific hashtags like #YYCLife, #CalgaryBusiness, #ShopLocalYYC, and #YYCEats to increase visibility among Calgary residents.

Building Trust and Community: This is crucial during tough times, as people tend to shop with brands they trust.

Authentic Content: Sharing "behind-the-scenes" stories, highlighting locally-sourced ingredients, or showcasing their involvement in local events and charities.

User-Generated Content (UGC): Encouraging customers to post photos/reviews and reposting that content to build social proof and community.

Real-Time Interaction: Responding promptly to comments, messages, and reviews (both positive and negative) to show they value customer feedback and build loyalty.

Direct Sales and Promotions:

Social Commerce: Utilizing shopping features on platforms like Instagram and Facebook to allow customers to browse and purchase products directly without leaving the app.

Targeted Deals: Offering coupons, discounts, or flash sales specifically to their followers to incentivize immediate purchases.

Content Diversification: To keep audiences engaged, they are using various types of content, with an emphasis on visual media.

Video Content: Prioritizing video (especially short-form video on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels) which often gets better reach.

Live Sessions: Hosting live videos (e.g., Q&As, showing new arrivals) for real-time engagement.

Micro-Influencers: Partnering with local, niche influencers who have smaller but highly engaged followings. This is seen as a cost-effective way to build authentic trust within specific demographics.

In short, social media provides Calgary small businesses with a vital, affordable platform to communicate, connect, and conduct transactions directly with the local audience, helping them stay visible and competitive.