Gold Pan residents have less than three weeks to shop local, snap a pic and score some cash.
The 2014 Shop Quesnel Photo Contest, a partnership between The Quesnel Community and Economic Development Corporation (QCEDC), the Chamber of Commerce, Community Futures, Quesnel Downtown Business Association, South Quesnel Business Association and West Quesnel Business Association, has been working with many local businesses to promote shopping in Quesnel through online sources.
The contest closes Dec. 15 and is as easy as snapping a selfie.
Shoppers are simply asked to post photos of their local purchases to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #IBoughtItInQuesnel for a chance to win a weekly prize of up to $100.
Two recent winners in the photo contest include Jen Simpson who posted her purchase from Mark’s Work Wearhouse and Brianne Garvin who shared a photo of her brand new car from Quesnel Toyota. Both ladies walked away with prizes of $100.
So far a total of eight lucky winners have been chosen.
The idea behind the contest came after a survey was conducted earlier this year. From that survey a number of interesting facts were brought to light, including:
• 85 per cent of surveyed residents shop local because it supports the local economy in Quesnel.
• 49 per cent of surveyed residents use Facebook to influence where they shop.
• 79 per cent of surveyed residents choose to shop local versus out of town because local business give back to the community.
“I use social media a lot to promote my business so I think this contest is a great idea,” Bo Peep Boutique owner, Sarah Shipley said.
“The incentives are really great, plus anything that helps convince people to shop locally is always beneficial.”
“We are very supportive of the #IBoughtItInQuesnel Photo Contest. It is a great way for businesses to promote their stores and engage with their customers using social media,” Executive Director of the Quesnel Downtown Business Association, Ashley Schmidt said.
According to a survey done by the provincial government, small businesses on average create a little over 100,000 jobs each year, while medium-sized and large businesses create about 17,000 and 11,800 jobs each year.
In addition it’s estimated that for every $100 spent at a local business, $46 goes back into the local economy vs. $18 re-circulated by big business.
Residents have from now until Dec. 15 to post their purchase picture with more than $1,000 in prizes to still be given away.
For information about the contest details visit the Shop Quesnel Facebook page at facebook.com/shopquesnel.