AFTER launching her own social media business two years ago, Lou Davis is now celebrating its two year anniversary – after surviving three national lockdowns and helping other businesses thrive.

The 49-year-old created Cheshire Vibe after being made redundant and covered just three towns in Cheshire East.

Always knowing she had a creative flair, Lou’s brainchild grew and she is now helping businesses from small to large make the most of their social media pages, especially during the pandemic.

“We have a wide range of business from beauty to bars, fitness to finance all over Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and a couple in Staffordshire.

“We are so much more than a business directory, as our main focus is social media, including support, training and also networking events.

“Social media management can be very expensive so we offer something in the middle where we help businesses become self sufficient with their own pages.

“As we have a following of nearly 9,000, it gives them the exposure to boost their business.

“We average about 50 new followers each week, so that’s potentially 50 new followers for them, as well as being potential customers too.”

And the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the way businesses promote themselves online on social media, Lou explained.

“I didn’t know where the business was going at the start of lockdown,” she said.

“But then people cottoned on to the fact they they needed get a website and use social media while they were not able to open.

“People have been in limbo for so long but now things are opening up again, we have made sure to stress in our newsletters, ‘don’t disappear on social media now’ and ‘keep up your posting’.

“It’s quite hard to build up that trust with your business so you need to keep it up.”

Lou created Cheshire Vibe to ‘bridge the gap’ between businesses which had marketing departments and small businesses which are a ‘one man band who has been around for years with a Facebook page’.

“As well as giving businesses a listing, they can create a social media post and tag us in it so we can re-share it and they get that extra reach,” Lou said.

“We’ve never bought followers, they are all organic.

“We’ve survived three lockdowns and have increased our subscribers during it.

“We pride community over competition.

“When we welcome a new subscriber on our page they get comments from other subscribers and it’s nice that we promote this good work ethic.

“There is space for everyone.”

Visit cheshirevibe.com.