The Local Advantage: Why Chilliwack Businesses Have a Marketing Edge

If you’re a small business in Chilliwack, you’re not just competing with the big guys — you’ve actually got a massive advantage they can’t buy: local love.

Why local businesses win

In Chilliwack (and the Fraser Valley in general), we care about:

• Who owns the shop

• Who we’re supporting

• How something’s made

• Whether it’s local

People want to support small — but they can’t support you if they don’t know you exist.
That’s where local marketing comes in.

Your edge = connection

Big box stores can’t:

• Show their face on Instagram with their morning coffee

• Remember a regular’s name

• Share a behind-the-scenes of how your products are made

• Snap a pic of your kid helping you pack up orders

But you can. That’s your superpower.

3 Things You Can Start Doing Right Now:

1. Use your face and voice on social media
   People don’t follow logos. They follow people.

2. Tag your location and local hashtags
   Let people know you’re in Chilliwack. Use tags like #chilliwackbusiness #shoplocalchilliwack, and of course, #AroundChilliwack

3. Talk like a human, not a brand
   Keep it real. Your followers aren’t corporate — they’re your neighbours.

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You’ve got the local love. Let’s help people find you and cheer you on.
In the next post, we’ll cover how to make sure your business has a brand that people can recognize and connect with — no graphic design degree required.

📣 NEW BLOG SERIES: Marketing Your Chilliwack Biz

You started your business to do what you love — maybe baking, building, painting, planning, serving, or selling something awesome. But now you’re finding out that running a business also means... marketing. Social media. Emails. Photos. Hashtags. Algorithms. Buzzwords.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? You’re not alone.

This new blog series is here to break it down for you — in plain English, with local flair. No jargon. No pressure to “go viral.” Just helpful tips that make sense for real Chilliwack businesses.

Whether you're a home-based maker, a downtown shop owner, a tradesperson, or running a side hustle, these posts are here to help you:

• get seen,

• connect with your people,

• and grow in a way that feels like you.

Start Here: What is Marketing (Really)?

Let’s be honest: most small business owners didn’t get into this to become marketers.

You’re juggling orders, emails, invoices, inventory, kids, chores, and the actual work your business does. Then someone tells you, “You really need to be on Instagram more.” Or “Have you tried email marketing?” Or “You should totally go viral on TikTok.”

Cue the eye roll.

Here’s a breath of fresh air: marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
And it doesn’t have to feel fake, forced, or expensive.

So, what even is marketing?

In simple terms, marketing is everything you do to help people…

1. Know you exist

2. Understand what you offer

3. Trust you enough to buy from you

It’s not just ads or salesy pitches. It’s the everyday stuff that helps people get to know you and your business.

If you’ve ever...

• Posted a behind-the-scenes photo of your setup

• Answered questions in your DMs

• Offered a little free advice to someone curious about what you do

• Put out a sandwich board on the sidewalk

• Shared your story on your website or social media

• Asked a happy customer to leave a review

...guess what? You’re already marketing. 🎉

Good marketing is just good communication.

It’s about showing up and connecting — not being perfect, not having a huge following, not spending thousands on ads. Just helping people understand who you are, what you do, and why it matters.

People buy from businesses they:

• Know

• Like

• Trust

So your job as a marketer (yes, you're one now!) is to help that happen. And the best part? You can do it in a way that fits you.

What marketing isn’t:

• It’s not having a perfect aesthetic grid.

• It’s not being on every platform.

• It’s not faking a big personality you don’t have.

• It’s not pushing things on people who don’t need them.

Let’s throw all that out the window.

So, where do you begin?

Start small. Choose one way to show up this week:

• Share a photo and tell a short story behind it.

• Introduce yourself on your feed or in a Reel.

• Show the process of something you’re working on.

• Ask your audience a question to get them talking.

You don’t need a giant strategy yet. You just need to start.

Coming up next:

In our next post, we’ll talk about something you do have — and the big businesses can’t buy: your local edge. Learn how being a small business in Chilliwack gives you an automatic marketing advantage (and how to use it to your benefit!).

You’ve got this. We’re cheering you on — and we’re right here with you.