A strong social media presence is needed for local businesses: an assessment on Ithaca's businesses

The world has converted into a digital landscape. According to “Mobile and Social Media Journalism” by Anthony Adornato, 85% of adults access news via a mobile device. But news can have various types of meanings and doesn’t just pertain to television or print news.

Have you ever walked up to a friend or called your parents and said “I have something to tell you” or “I have news to share?” This is news; information that you are passing on to one a person or groups of people that didn’t know the information you are sharing.

To get to my point here, news can be personalized.

I want to share how this relates to local businesses and business owners.

This past week while I was reporting for Ithaca Week on a story about Ithaca’s local wineries, one quote stuck out to me from Ports of New York Winery owner Frédéric Bouché. He said, “the first few years before you become a destination on the internet, you need your local people and they are here.”

This quote had me thinking… Local businesses need to prioritize a strong social media presence just as much as we do as journalists to share news to optimize their brand, but it is also needed even for locals to hear about a new up-and-coming business, new products being launched, events, promotions, etc.

According to Adornato, an important piece of a mobile and social media strategy is authentic engagement with your audience to build trust. Additionally, it allows for what Adornato calls “social listening,” the idea that you are promoting your work and sharing information, but also listening and responding to what people say on social media. This can include feedback, answering questions, crowdsourcing, and holding Q&As.

If business owners prioritize social listening, they can hear feedback and talk to their customers directly.

But do all local businesses utilize this tactic of social media activity? The answer to this may be surprising.

Let’s assess the three wineries that I covered this past week and their social media engagement.

Results:

Ports of New York is located in downtown Ithaca and only has one website. There is no social media that I can find for their business.

Six Mile Creek Vineyard not only has a website, but they have an Instagram with more than 1,700 followers, Facebook with more than 4,500 and Twitter with more than 1,000. Six Mile is not active frequently on Twitter, with their last post being in June. They tend to post on Facebook and Instagram about once a week that features events and products being served.

Six Mile Creek Vineyard's Instagram page

Lastly, South Hill Cider similarly has a website, Instagram with more than 6,600 followers, Facebook with more than 5,100 and Twitter with more than 500. South Hill has not posted on Twitter since 2021, where they are more active on Facebook and Instagram with a few posts per week, featuring events and new products that are launching or being featured.

South Hill Cider's Facebook page

Based on these results, who do you think is the most well-known and exposed winery?

I believe with a stronger social media presence from posting consistently about your products and events, the stronger your business will be in attracting customers. Therefore, I think South Hill Cider seems to be the most engaged as they have the most overall followers, as well as post more frequently than the other two.

Do you think Ports of New York would attract a different demographic of more customers if they were to start up a social media presence? I believe they can.

If a local business wants to optimize their brand they must utilize social media. Sharing their latest updates and news as well as improving their social listening is key to sustaining local businesses and attracting community members through a mobile device.