I Went Viral on Facebook & #ShopSmall With Intent This Holiday Season
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good afternoon,
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
I hope your Thanksgiving was marvelous and surrounded by loved ones. How did you spend it? I didn’t force feed my family White House “accomplishments.” And in line with rejecting modernity and embracing tradition, I’m adhering to the golden rule of commencing Christmas cheer after Turkey Day. Hope you are too!
If you’re just discovering my musings, here’s a backgrounder and make sure we’re connected on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Go Viral, Stay Humble
Much of what is posted on social media these days is trivial. Sometimes, it’s borderline stupid.
Like many of you, I scratch my head whenever social media algorithms put irrelevant content in my timeline. I didn’t ask for this—especially if they’re not germane to my interests: wildlife, the Great Outdoors, politics, or entrepreneurship.
Why target me? What did I do to deserve to be tortured by trivial clips?
But this week, the unimaginable happened: I went viral on Facebook after posting a Reel Video to my account. It’s a blooper from a past client video shoot. It shows me hammering stave logs to no avail. (It’s pretty funny.) I don’t mind poking fun of myself during “Conservation Nation” film shoots. It shows a human side one doesn’t normally see unless there.
I’m fortunate to interview people across America and tell their untold stories. In exchange, they teach me things about their industries. As a journalist and multimedia specialist, I love documenting raw moments like this and showcasing fun moments. It’s hard work to travel, book interviews, and capture the right moments. I desire to portray people accurately and not distort their words.
If my content ever garners traction, the clips typically receive 20-35K views on social media platforms and YouTube interviews have garnered close to 60,000 views. Nothing in the millions ever. Until this week.
Did I finally crack the code? Did I use the right hashtags that triggered an incredible response from Facebook users? Whatever trick I did, it worked. Insanity!
I do wish my actual work — podcasts, interviews, published writings, etc. — got this level of attention. But one must overcome social media gatekeeping by influencers who don’t willingly share content and algorithms that favor reactionary posts.
Yes, I do lament the struggle of getting original content out there before more eyes and ears. It’s frustrating. Sometimes I feel I’m creating things with no return. I sometimes worry the fruits of my labor are worthless. That’s a normal feeling for any content creator—big or small. It’s a struggle at times. But you have to chug along.
One must reckon with this reality: Substance rarely goes viral, unless you have hundreds of thousands (or millions) of followers. Spewing nonsense or inflaming discord sadly generates the most clicks. Hot takes are perceived as sexy and cool. Silly dances catch fire. Unfortunately, people have short intention spans and tend to prefer short, consumable video segments. Le sigh.
Nevertheless, I appreciate this momentary taste of virality. Even in this one instance.
The perks of going viral, however, aren’t so bad. As of this writing, I’ve garnered at least 700 new Facebook follows, over two million impressions and people reached.
Wow! For that, I’m grateful. I hope this growth translates to podcast subscribers and readers. We shall see.
A decade working in media teaches one to stay humble when you “go viral.”
That I shall.
Don’t Just Virtue Signal on Small Business Saturday
I must confess: I’m not much of a Black Friday shopper. I haven’t partaken in this occasion before and I don’t intend to start today.
Am I betraying my free marketeer self by forgoing this American tradition? Hardly. The only time I wake up early to brace cold temperatures is to go fishing or hunting—not standing in line at Big Box Stores to score deals on appliances and whatnot.
What I appreciate about Black Friday is seeing lawful Americans buying firearms and ammunition at historic levels. Not a new occurrence. Nearly 700K background checks were conducted by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) last year. Since the FBI is severely understaffed, lawmakers urged the agency to beef up on staffers to process background checks ahead of the holidays. But gun control grinches are sullying the mood by pushing misinformation about firearms purchases:
I’ll await data and report back to you on background checks processed during the holiday weekend.
Back to Shopping Small: I prefer shopping holidays like Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Those are more up my alley. (Tomorrow I’ll be patronizing a local brewery and trying my hand at ax throwing. Ha. Wish me luck!)
The “Shop Small” movement, born out of Small Business Saturday, originated with American Express in 2010. It’s far from a cheesy holiday. Supporting mom and pop shops - struggling or not - is as American as pumpkin pie. They’ve struggled to remain competitive as larger companies offer more attractive incentives for work. And inflation isn’t helping small businesses either.
I love Small Business Saturday but could do without Amex partnering with CCP-owned social media app TikTok. I understand many purchases on Main Street will be processed online this holiday season. But channeling Small Biz Saturday campaigns through TikTok—really?!
Nevertheless, I noted at Independent Women’s Forum’s blog this week, Americans will be shopping shop at lot this weekend and into Monday:
Americans plan to patronize local small businesses ahead of Small Business Saturday—even against the backdrop of rising inflation.
In 2021, an estimated 180 million Americans went shopping during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend—including on Small Business Saturday. That holiday alone generated an estimated $23.3 billion in consumer spending last year.
Ahead of the holiday season, one survey found 84% of consumers intend to “shop small” between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Small businesses need a lifeline this holiday season as they’ve struggled to compete with large companies.
Be sure to follow through with promises to #ShopSmall this holiday season. Starting with Small Business Saturday tomorrow, November 26th.
Influencers, celebrities, and elected officials LOVE to brag about supporting small business, despite supporting policies that undermine their very existence.
Carol Roth, author of The War on Small Business, spoke with me about this inconsistency about small business in June 2021:
According to the Small Business Administration’s 2022 Small Business Profile, there are over 33 million small businesses that employ nearly 62 million employees—or 46.4% of U.S. employees.
This holiday season, budget your expenses carefully and find ways to support local businesses. And beware of virtue signalers too.
ICYMI
Articles/ commentary/media appearances from the past week.
MEDIA MENTIONS:
I recently appeared on 956 Drive Home with Zack and Davis on KURV in McAllen, TX to break down the 2022 elections and discuss Biden’s War on Freelancers.
I also joined Wake Up America with Austen Petersen to assess National Conservatism and if it’s sustainable strain of conservatism.
Julie Gunlock invited me on her Bespoke podcast to chat how parents can get their kids fishing and hunting.
And rounded out the week on WMAL News’ O’Connor and Company to discuss hunting, fake meat, the fight for freelancers, and Black Friday gun sales, among many things.
ARTICLES/BLOGS
IWF: Consumers Plan To Shop Small This Holiday Season Despite Inflation
Podcasts You May Have Missed
Catch up on District of Conservation episodes below.
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—Gabriella