nine ways to support regional creatives
BY KATE EATS, VICTORIA-BASED MEDIA STRINGER
Who we support now, determines who will be left standing. Here are nine ways to support creatives in regional Australia and help them feel visible and valued.
1. ENGAGE LOCAL CREATIVES ON THE GROUND
Talented creatives exist in every corner of regional Australia. The makers and the creatives are struggling in these uncertain times, especially with sustainable employment. Wherever possible hire and buy from regional creatives.
2. REFERRALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Send work their way. People are more likely to engage regional creatives, if recommended by a trusted source. Word of mouth goes a long way; tell your community (friends, family and colleagues) about the talented creatives you would recommend working with and buying from.
Supporting creatives in regional Australia helps stimulate the local economy so they don’t have to leave their community in search of work. If the option isn’t available, or you’re not in a financial position to engage regional creatives, there are other ways to show your support.
3. SUPPORT BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT LOCAL CREATIVES
There are amazing businesses that showcase local talent and get the creatives names out there. Support these businesses and help regional communities survive.
4. SOCIAL MEDIA
Comment on posts, stories and blogs. Respond to polls and questions so that your favourite account doesn’t feel like they’re just talking to themselves. Tag your contacts in a post if you think it’s something that they might be interested in.
Like and Share posts.
Share a post to your story or send a Direct Message (DM) to someone in your online community to help spread the word. By online community, I mean your network consisting of work colleagues, friends, family. You don’t have to have a large social media following or a public account to make an impact.
Shoutouts.
Let your community know about the regional creatives that you love. For example, highlight a photographer, content creator, artist, director, copywriter, videographer etc. A shoutout from a trusted source is one of the best recommendations.
Follow hashtags.
It’s difficult to support people if you don’t know local creatives on the ground. Hashtags can help you discover more creatives, campaigns and businesses. For instance, here are some examples to follow on Instagram #storiesfromthesticks #buyfromthebush #ruralroommediastringers #regionalcreatives
5. WRITE A REVIEW
Often people read online reviews before engaging a creative. Rate businesses, products and services you love with 5 stars. In other words, share your experience and let others know how happy you are with the service/product. Google, iTunes, Facebook - there are so many platforms to choose from!
6. COLLABORATIONS
Let creatives know about opportunities, grants and initiatives they may not be aware of. Suggest a collaboration - you may know of another creative that would complement their offerings.
7. SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION
If you would prefer not to write a review or give a shoutout, support local creatives by saying thank you. Similarly, send a note or private message to let them know you are thinking of them and you appreciate what they do.
8. SUBSCRIBE TO PODCASTS AND NEWSLETTERS
Stay up-to-date on the latest developments from creatives. While this may seem like a small gesture, don’t underestimate the impact you can have by supporting regional creatives and giving them hope.
9. CONTRIBUTE AND PROVIDE CONTENT
Do you have a story or a great photo of a product/service? Why not forward it on to the creative and give permission for them to use it. If you want to be credited, include your details. If not, state that you are happy for it to be used without acknowledging the source.
To sum up, it doesn’t cost anything to support local creatives. If you have found this information useful, please tell people about it. The more this is shared and promoted, hopefully the more people will engage, promote and connect with local creatives. Together with Rural Room we can help creatives feel visible and valued.
BACKGROUND
Kate Eats is the founder of Grampians Eats. It’s a play on her name and where she lives. It’s Kate’s way of painting a picture of the Grampians region, engaging with the community, helping creatives and businesses.
As a media stringer with Rural Room, Kate is passionate about the survival of our rural communities now and in the future. For this reason, she recently launched a support local campaign for the Grampians region. Kate believes it’s relevant in all rural communities so she adapted her blog to focus on supporting local creatives. The original blog post is on her website - 4 ways to support local business.
