Downtown Belleville businesses will benefit from a federal program to help them expand their digital footprint and services.
The Downtown District BIA has received $20,000 from the Digital Main Street Ontario program, delivered through FedDev, to hire a two-person Digital Service Squad.
Downtown District Media and Marketing Officer Kelsey Moniz tells Quinte News the squad will give free, one-on-one support to downtown business owners, to help them adapt their digital technologies.
“They’ll identify their first priorities as well as digital marketing tools that are available. So this could mean they’ll be working with them to activate different things such as building websites, or maybe activating social media accounts, building content calendars and even building marketing strategies.”
Moniz says with many businesses shifting to more online sales and marketing during the pandemic, the money comes at a perfect time.
“It’s definitely noticed a lot more this year, although last year we did take part in the digital service squad program as well. So we’re glad that we’re able to bring it back on a bigger scale to our members, because it’s even more necessary these days.”
She added that this type of personalized, one-on-one support is hard to get and while the visits are free, there may be added costs for business owners who choose to take part in some of the recommended programs and software.
The Downtown District BIA is in the process of recruiting this year’s squad and will be reaching out to member businesses to let them know how to get involved.
