From 0 to 10,000: How Triovia Grew Coleraine BID's Social Media Following and Put the Town In The Press

The Social Media Starting Point

When Triovia took over the full management of Coleraine BID's social media accounts in 2019, the organisation's digital presence was modest. Like many BIDs, Coleraine had an existing Facebook page but lacked the consistent strategy, content volume, and community engagement needed to make it genuinely useful for member businesses or the wider public.

Social media, done well, is one of the most powerful tools a Business Improvement District can deploy. It creates a direct line to residents and visitors, amplifies member businesses at no extra cost, and builds a sense of community around the town centre. Done poorly, it's invisible. Triovia's task was to make Coleraine BID's presence impossible to ignore.

The Strategy: Consistent, Value-Driven Content

Triovia advised on and implemented a content strategy built around three core principles: consistency, genuine value, and community celebration. This wasn't about posting for the sake of posting - every piece of content was designed to either inform, entertain, or actively promote local businesses.

The content mix included regular business spotlights shining a light on individual member businesses in Coleraine, events coverage before, during, and after key dates in the town's calendar, BID news and updates presented in an accessible, engaging way, seasonal campaigns tied to major shopping and community moments, and community storytelling that celebrated what made Coleraine special.

The Results: Over 10,000 Facebook Followers

Through sustained, strategic content management, Coleraine BID's Facebook following grew to over 10,000 - a significant milestone for a town of Coleraine's size and an indicator of genuine community engagement rather than passive accumulation.

More importantly, the quality of engagement was high. Posts about local businesses generated real shares and comments. Events content drove footfall. The social media presence became a trusted source of information about what was happening in Coleraine - exactly the role a BID's digital channels should play.

Newsletter Campaigns: Creating Content That Media Wanted to Publish

Alongside social media, Triovia produced and distributed regular digital newsletters for Coleraine BID. These weren't simply internal communications - they were crafted to the standard of publishable media content, and that investment paid off.

Triovia's newsletter content was picked up and published by a remarkable range of regional and local media outlets, demonstrating both the quality of the content and the reach it achieved. Publications and platforms that featured Coleraine BID content included Coleraine, Ballymoney and Ballycastle Chronicle, the Newsletter, Coleraine Times, Love Ballymena, Fuse FM, Ballymoney Buzz, Love Belfast, Explore Causeway Coast and Glens, Causeway Coast Community, and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.

This media distribution extended the BID's reach far beyond its immediate audience, placing Coleraine in front of readers and viewers across Northern Ireland. For member businesses, this represented significant marketing value at no additional cost.

The Compounding Effect of Consistent Media Presence

One of the less visible but most important aspects of Triovia's social and media work for Coleraine BID was its cumulative impact. Each newsletter that got picked up by a regional outlet built credibility. Each social media post that reached a new audience added to the following. Each business spotlight created goodwill among members.

Over six years, this compounding effect transformed Coleraine BID's digital and media presence from negligible to genuinely significant. The organisation became a recognised voice in Coleraine's public conversation - and that recognition directly supported member businesses.

Key Outcomes at a Glance

• Full management of Coleraine BID social media accounts from 2019
• Facebook following grown to over 10,000
• Regular business spotlights, events coverage, and BID updates
• Newsletter content published by 10+ regional media outlets
• Consistent media distribution across Northern Ireland
• Increased visibility for member businesses at no extra cost

Coleraine BID's social media and newsletter programme stands as one of the clearest examples of what a well-executed digital strategy can achieve for a town centre organisation. The numbers tell part of the story. The media coverage tells the rest. Triovia is proud to have built both.