This week’s Wednesday Wisdom comes from Tiff Gowing and Rebecca Harrod, co-founders of The Norfolk Edit, a social media content business dedicated to helping Norfolk’s small businesses tell their story.
The Norfolk Edit grew out of Tiff and Rebecca’s shared love of creating content and a desire to support local businesses. Both had spent years creating family content, and when their youngest children started school, they saw the opportunity to turn that experience into something bigger, a business focused entirely on Norfolk. Today, they work alongside local businesses to create authentic social media content that captures who they are, what they do, and the people behind them, becoming an extension of the team for owners who don’t have the time or confidence to create content themselves.
For Tiff and Rebecca, the key to standout content is authenticity. Real people, genuine moments and the atmosphere of an event will always outperform anything overly polished, and local audiences respond to familiar faces and behind-the-scenes glimpses that make them feel part of the experience. Their advice for small businesses and event organisers looking to grow their reach is just as straightforward: show up consistently, don’t wait for perfection, and if content creation isn’t your strength, work with someone who brings a customer’s eye to the stories you might overlook.
Engagement, they say, comes from being genuinely social, replying to comments, building relationships, and treating social media as a conversation rather than a broadcast. It’s an approach that has helped them build real friendships and business relationships across Norfolk’s close-knit community of businesses supporting businesses.
Looking ahead, Tiff and Rebecca see authenticity only growing in importance, with real-time, behind-the-scenes content from trades and small businesses set to keep outperforming polished advertising over the next 12 months.
Can you tell us more about The Norfolk Edit?
The Norfolk Edit was born from our love of creating content and supporting local businesses. We’d both spent years creating family content, and when our youngest children started school, we saw an opportunity to turn that passion into a business focused entirely on Norfolk.
We work alongside local businesses to create authentic social media content that showcases who they are, what they do and the people behind the business. Many business owners simply don’t have the time or confidence to create content themselves, so we become an extension of their team, helping tell their story in a genuine and engaging way.
What’s your top tip for creating standout event content for local audiences?
Keep it real. The best-performing content captures real people, genuine moments and the atmosphere of an event. Show what’s actually happening rather than trying to create something overly polished. Local audiences love seeing familiar faces, local businesses and behind-the-scenes moments that make them feel part of the experience.
What’s your best advice for small businesses and event organisers to increase their social reach?
The biggest piece of advice is simply to show up consistently. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect- share what you’re doing, introduce yourself, show the people behind the business and let your passion come across.
If creating content isn’t something you enjoy, work with someone who does. A content creator brings the perspective of a customer and often spots the stories and moments that business owners overlook because they’re so focused on the day-to-day running of the business.
What’s one proven way to boost meaningful engagement with followers online?
Be genuinely social. Reply to comments, answer messages and take time to build relationships with your audience. Social media shouldn’t just be about broadcasting content- it’s about creating conversations.
We’ve built some fantastic friendships and business relationships through social media, and that’s especially true in Norfolk. There’s a brilliant community here where businesses genuinely support one another, and that sense of community is something people really connect with.
What trends will shape Norfolk social content over the next 12 months?
We’re seeing a huge shift towards authentic, behind-the-scenes content, particularly from trades and small businesses, and we think that will only continue to grow.
People want to see what’s happening today, this week and in real time. They want real people, real stories and genuine insight into local businesses rather than highly polished advertising. Authenticity will continue to outperform perfection.
Follow Tiff & Rebecca and The Norfolk Edit on Instagram and visit https://thenorfolkedit.com/ to see more information and learn more about them.
