Why The UK Town Centres Died And How To Fix It With Social Media

I am a passionate believer in the idea of the town centre. In fact, I grew up loving my weekly visit to the town with my parents so that I could enjoy a 'sausage roll and a gingerbread man' while sat on a bench watching the world go by.

Sadly the current state of the UK town centres is nothing to shout about!

Shops stand empty and instead we see an abundance of charity shops and bars. It is said that 15 shops close their doors for good on the British High street every day.

So what is being done about it?

Very little it seems.

I recently read an article about my hometown Newcastle-under-Lyme in the Huffington Post. It was titled; "Death of the British High Street" and told the story of a bakery shop in my town that had closed and her treatment from authorities. To quote the article:

"Our high streets are becoming ghost towns and organisations like our councils that are able to make sweeping and innovative changes are choosing apathy at best and Jobsworth Fascism at worst."

It would be easy to join the bandwagon and criticise the councils and other agencies for things like rates and parking fees. Instead in the next few minutes, you are going to learn exactly why the high street died and how to fix it using social media.

Why The High Street Died

The death of the high street was once attributed to online retailers. This is the biggest tap out in history, and it is total bull.

Saying the online growth of Amazon and other shops is the cause of the decline of the high street is like blaming McDonald's for making people fat. In truth, the responsibility for the decline of the high street lies with a few individuals.

Yes, you read that right, just a handful of people.

So who are these people?

That is a good question as I am sure that the vast majority are doing other jobs now, but the blame falls entirely on the shoulders of anyone responsible for increasing footfall in the town centres themselves.

So, if that is part of your role at work you need stand up and say 'I got it wrong'.

The town centres died because we were not given a compelling enough reason to go to them. Plain and simple.

It is easy to make excuses and blame supermarkets, online retailers, the weather and the economy. That is easy to do, what is not easy is saying 'hey people are not coming to the town centres, how can we fix this'.

So here is the hard truth:

People do not go to the town centre to buy something; they buy something while they are there!

Does that sound like rubbish, let me back it up:

The Reasons We Buy Anything

We are human beings, and as such we are programmed with particular desires which shape how we act.

These wants be broken down into:

Survival

Enjoyment of life

Freedom from pain

Sexual Companionship

Comfortable Living conditions

To be superior/significant

Care of loved ones

Social approval

These 'wants' are facts of life, and we are biologically driven to satisfy them.

You will notice that 'going to a charity shop' is not among them.

This is the core issue, people are too focused on retail being the answer to the town centres 'there aren't enough good shops' is not the answer, because trust me if the people are coming to the town centres in their masses the shops will want a piece of the action.

Fix footfall, and you fix everything.

So how are you going to grow a number of people that come to town centres? We will cover this next.

The Manchester Christmas Markets

Have you ever been to the Manchester Christmas markets?

I go every year; some people go 3 or 4 times a year even though they only run from November to January.

They started in 1999 with just 15 stalls and now it has over 300, and in 2012 the economic value of the Manchester Christmas Markets was over ￡50 Million, I am guessing it is even more now!

So why did the Christmas markets grow? Two reasons, human desire and social media.

First off, we go to Christmas markets not because we all need a new Christmas ornament or that we want mulled wine. The shoppers go the markets for the enjoyment of life.

Due to the rise of social media and improvements of technology, we tell others about our visit and share our super cool selfies that show work parties, couples days out, family fun and anything that makes out like we are having super fun (which we are).

And while the shoppers are having fun they buy presents, Chorizo and even Turkish delight, 99% of which is cheaper and more convenient to buy online and in the supermarkets.

Footfall matters when it comes to town centres, and it comes first!

"But you cannot possibly run Christmas markets all year round."

First of all, most town centres do not even bother to run Christmas Markets, but secondly, there are only 12 months in a year. Simply by running 12 events a year, you could massively increase the footfall.

Yes, just 12!

And as we will see next these events do not have to be amazing or

How To Use Social Media To Grow The Town Centres

I saw a new town centre social media campaign get launched the other day and I thought 'yet another load of crap'.

It does not matter how many hashtags you use unless the subject of the social media campaigns are worth people sharing.

So yes, having a 'Blues Festival' might seem like a great idea and might bring people in, I guarantee that it would not be anywhere near as powerful as a superhero month where every month people dressed up in superhero costumes head into the town centres to meet residents.

It would go something like this:

1.You tell people it is happening

2. You let kids and parents have pictures taken and guess what they upload them to social media

3. People see this, and they come too.

Want some more free ideas:

Harry Potter month, Doctor Who weekend, wildlife month, car month (have a car show every weekend for a month), Victorian era month (have actors, Victorian rides/ games, etc.).

The list goes on and on!

And the best thing, once the framework is done, every town centre can benefit. The key here is to 'ignite the imagination' of the public to give them a reason to visit. After all, they do not need to go to the town centre for a new razor.

Social media wise it is simple from this point on; people will do the work for you. Sure free WiFi can help/ will help this move along. However, basics like custom Snapchat geo filters, Facebook live, Periscope, Twitter, Facebook video and all the other platforms will help!

Now before people step in and say 'this will cost too much' please take a reality check. People do this stuff for free!

Yes, each week fans of things in popular culture such as 'Harry Potter' attend events across the country, and they pay the organisers for the privilege to attend! Finding free or low-cost volunteers is not the issue!

Sure there are things that every store can do to help themselves and some store owners probably don't use social media well enough, but that you cannot tell the store owners it is their fault the town centres do not have enough shoppers.

What About Monday To Friday

If you are reading this you might be saying 'that fixes the weekend, but what about Monday to Friday'. That is an excellent question.

This is where a bit of common sense comes in, and this is different for every town centre.

Your town centre might have many office workers that could visit but instead, sit in their buildings eating a packed lunch. The question is 'what can we do to encourage these people to walk a few metres to the town centre'.

This could be as simple as building an area where workers (not local drunks) can sit and chat in town that is for them. Perhaps have a street musician play each lunch time.

If it is students that you are after then arrange for something they might like. A local band could be asked to play at lunchtimes each Wednesday.

If you want more mums to come into the towns, why not arrange a toddler event every Thursday morning where you have a puppet show, town centre mascot and discounted coffee served at supporting coffee shops.

Again this is not rocket science, just practical advice.

Conclusion

The ultimate question everyone asks themselves is 'what's in it for me'.

We ask this everytime, we are exposed to any marketing message, and you need to give people a reason to visit town centres again. Focus on the desire and social media will sort itself.

If you want a great example, look at Disney. People flock to Disneyland every year in their droves because it changes them. It makes them feel good!

Sure there are rides and Mickey Mouse, but that is not really why people go, they go to connect with their family, to be happier and see their kids smile. It is about an experience.

No one is saying you need to turn every town centre in the UK in Disney land; you need to focus on one thing, making people smile. When we are happier, we will share these moments with our loved ones, and this is where the power of social media comes in.

However, for those responsible for the footfall of the town centres the message is clear, do not try and get people sharing the town centres in their current form, instead give them a reason to share something.

All the clever hashtag campaigns will not change the fact that people still need a reason to come to the town centres, your job is to give them that reason.

Thanks for reading

Andrew Holland