How Lowes Food Utilizes Localized Content to Crush Their Competitors

Consumers flocked to search and social sites at the beginning of the pandemic to get the most accurate and updated business information. There has been a shift in consumer behavior, and the local connection is more important than ever before. What does this mean for your multi-location business? Throughout this blog, we'll dive deeper into what this shift to local means and how your multi-location business can adjust your localized marketing efforts accordingly. We'll also recap a recent webinar with Kelly Davis, Senior Director of Guest Engagement at Lowes Foods, who shares some of the localized social best practices Lowes Foods has used throughout the pandemic to find success and crush the competition.

A Shift to Local First

Before the pandemic, many multi-location businesses and franchises could operate the same way across their business locations - this is no longer the case. Since the pandemic, business operations have shifted across business locations, including open hours, operating procedures, and so much more depending on the local regulations. To accommodate these changes, brands have shifted their thinking to ensure their communities and consumers are informed with the most up to date information. This has caused the shift to local-first marketing and will continue long after the pandemic subsides. As a result of this shift, local content has become king. Local content creates connectivity and will help your multi-location business increase local leads and sales. Now that you're aware of the shift to local, it's time to start implementing localized content into your localized marketing efforts.

Local Social Is Where It's At

One out of every three minutes a consumer spends with media is spent on a social network. Similarly, 25 percent of consumers now say they've discovered new brands and products through recommendations or social media posts. Is your multi-location business's local social strategy at the top of its game? How are you standing out from your competition? These are essential questions to consider. Outside of being an excellent tool for lead generation and discovery, social now influences 78 percent of purchasing decisions. Social can create a need that consumers didn't know they had before. Your local social pages should be shoppable to meet this need for consumers. Whether you're responding to local messages that your business receives or producing local content about a business location, it's essential to take your social efforts to the local level. As a multi-location business, you can't entirely rely on corporate for this local-first marketing. There needs to be a mix between local and corporate content. Later in this blog, we'll consider how you can effectively manage social efforts across your business locations while providing consumers with the local content they're craving.

Lowes Foods Dominates Localized Marketing Through Local Social

Lowes Foods has been a great example of success when it comes to a local content strategy. Lowes Food saw a 163 percent lift in engagement when they began implementing a local content strategy with the help of SOCi. Lowes Food is a supermarket chain with more than 75 locations in North and South Carolina. Every Lowes Food has its local presence, which has helped the supermarket chain survive and even find success amid the pandemic. Many Lowes Food stores also have a community table that would host events at the local level every week, pre-COVID. Whether it's a charcuterie class or a wine tasting class, this community table strives to bring a local connection with customers, beyond being the location where people are just pushing around their shopping carts and filling them up. A few Lowes Food locations also have a brewery in house. Davis shared all this information to show that not only is Lowes Food unlike a typical grocery store, but they put time and effort into making a local connection with the communities they serve. From localized content to local events and discussions, Lowes Food strives to make each store feel local. Lowes Food requires that each of their local stores produces two local posts per week. With all the various events Lowes Food hosts at other locations, localized social pages are a must. Without them, Lowes would not speak to a number of the offerings they have available. A store on the coast in South Carolina is very different from a store in the North Carolina mountains. Speaking at the hyper-local level is critical. When it comes to localized content, Davis explains that Lowes uses pictures to tell their story. Photos help connect local consumers with your brand. Whether it's an image from your actual store location or a picture of an event, your multi-location business must use imagery at the local level. Lowes has also shared content throughout the pandemic that shows what efforts they're taking to keep consumers safe throughout the pandemic. From photos of employees wearing masks to local content sharing how you're supporting other local businesses, there's a lot you can do at the local level to show your consumers you care during the pandemic.

Take Your Localized Content to New Heights

As you can see, Lowes Food has it figured out when it comes to localized content. While Lowes Food is a great supermarket chain, Davis explains that their success in localized marketing couldn't have happened without the help of SOCi. Lowes Food leverages SOCi's social media management solution, which helps multi-location marketers to ensure brand-consistent content and engagements across all their social pages. SOCi's social media management solution also empowers enterprise and local teams to publish localized content, manage content libraries, respond to social engagements, and analyze performance — all within one powerful platform. If your multi-location business wants to crush the competition and find success like Lowes Food has, SOCi is here to assist you. Not only can SOCi help you excel in local content, but we're also the all-in-one platform for multi-location marketers. For more information on how SOCi can boost your localized marketing efforts and make you number one in your industry, request a demo today!