Flagstaff County is showcasing their local businesses and entrepreneurs in the area including some in Wainwright and Irma.
Following the success of Vermilion’s online festival, Flagstaff County is holding an online showcase every Thursday until July 2. The showcase promotes and features several small businesses in the area including restaurants, cafés and retailers.
The county’s Economic Development Coordinator Jordyn Prior says they saw what Vermilion was doing and how successful it was and wanted to help their local businesses as well.
“We saw how powerful it was for their business community and we were looking for something like this for our business community. How to get them more online and get them involved with different social media platforms and getting their websites up and running.”
Prior says they’ve one showcase so far and businesses saw the results immediately.
“Although it was something out of their comfort zone, they were really excited to go ahead try out the showcase and they had a blast. They saw numerous increases in their engagement, their sales and new customers to their store.”
She says the live interactions with the community and audience are proving to be successful for their businesses. The county also has a program dedicating to helping local businesses expand their online presence. The Flagstaff Crafted program currently helps 55 businesses in the area through online marketing opportunities and mentorship.
“A lot of makers have a Facebook page but they don’t necessarily have an Instagram account. And it’s like how can I utilize and make that account and how can I make my product shoppable to my audience.”
Prior says it isn’t only limited to businesses as they will have the Flagstaff Scottish Club and The Riverjacks playing some music during the day.
The showcase is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the county’s Facebook page but Prior says the end time could be extended depending on the businesses availability.