Project case study: Sacriston Shops

The aim of the Sacriston Shops project was to champion the County Durham village’s high-street, home-based, mobile and online businesses.

In a nutshell

Sacriston Shops was a business support scheme that was an outcome of MutualGain focus groups held with local residents and businesses and Durham Constabulary in Sacriston in 2016.

Supported by the Sacriston Community Development Group and the local councillors for Sacriston division, the aim of the Sacriston Shops project was to champion retail and other businesses based in Sacriston, County Durham – whether those were high-street businesses, or enterprises that were home-based, mobile, or online.

After our help in setting it up, the Sacriston Shops project went on to be managed locally, with hopes to help businesses grow, create local employment opportunities, and encourage residents of Sacriston division to spend their money within the area.

What we did

A major focus of the project, which ran during 2017 and 2018, was making Sacriston more visible online, by using social media to promote its existing businesses and spread positive messages.

At the same time, by showcasing the village’s appeal as a vibrant, up-and-coming place to invest in, the intention was to support Sacriston’s regeneration by helping to fill empty units and create a more attractive mix of retail uses.

Commissioned and funded to deliver the project for a day a month during its initial period of development, CannyInsights.com focused on developing local traders’ digital skills, and building an online presence for Sacriston’s business community.

What impact we had

We provided free, one-to-one social media training sessions, to help retailers set up their own business profiles, showcase their businesses through great photographs, and grow their digital skills and confidence.

As a result of the training we provided, those businesses were better equipped to promote their own businesses online, while also being able to play their part in championing the wider Sacriston offer.

We set up and initially managed @sacristonshops accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and posted and shared regular updates on behalf of the project.

During our management, the Facebook account grew to over 600 followers, and achieved a monthly organic reach of around 3,000 people (in a village with a population of 5,000).

We featured over 30 different Sacriston retailers and other businesses via the social channels, helping to raise awareness of those businesses among the local community, but also to foster new networks and connections between the businesses themselves.