January 11th, 2021, Columbia County, OR– Keep it Local Columbia County is excited to announce that their 2021 holiday campaign was unlike any other— in the best of ways! What do they mean? Using turned in Wonderland Cards, similar to stamp cards for shopping locally, the Keep it Local for the Holidays campaign recorded $391,600 in local spending across Columbia County. That is four times higher than their previous record, $96,000 in 2019. With such a staggering increase, one can confidently say Columbia County is quite supportive of its small businesses and nonprofits for the holidays!
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:
What was the recipe for this year’s success? There were three important ingredients.
First, a combined 84 businesses and nonprofits participated this year, representing each of Columbia county’s major cities. Even some home businesses and one farm
joined the campaign, adding Deer Island and Columbia City into the mix. With a variety of locations to choose from across the country, it was quite easy to choose local in the campaign.
The second ingredient? This year’s marketing efforts were increased. The campaign has its own billboard in St Helens, weekly showings on KOHI AM 1600 radio, posters in participating locations’ windows, tent cards on restaurant tables, daily social media posts on Keep it Local’s Facebook and Instagram, an article cover in the Clatskanie PUD Ruralite, and other media coverages. With a conservative estimate, of what data could be captured, there were over 533,000 impressions (the number of times an ad was seen) during the campaign! Yes, that was another record-breaker.
The last ingredient, and the most important, is that people wanted to support local businesses and nonprofits. Various national data research, like this Think Google Report, stated that people shopping small would be a 2021 holiday shopping trend. This showed true for our community. Even in Keep it Local Columbia County’s August 2021 survey, 78% of locals chose the option “to support local businesses” as why they shop local. Without the desire and willingness residents shown to support local, the campaign would not have been the success it was.
Mix all these together, and add a few dashes of Keep it Local spice, and out baked a successful holiday campaign. And optimistically, 2022 should be even better!
THANK YOU!
On behalf of Keep it Local, thank you to the businesses, nonprofits, locals, and visitors who joined our campaign this year. Additionally, we send a very appreciative thank you to our sponsors this year who made the campaign possible. This year was proudly sponsored by Wauna Credit Union, Pacific Stainless, Richardson’s Furniture, Sass at Home, Northwest Plumbing Services, Columbia Economic Team, Clatskanie PUD, Columbia River Jewelers, KOHI AM 1600 Radio, and InRoads Credit Union.
