Week of April 27th 2020

  Good morning,   Warmer weather is on the way and spring blooms are popping up all over town – a sure sign that happier days are coming soon!  Here are your updates for this week:  

OBIA Online Marketing Support Program

This week we launched a free online marketing support program that is available to all members.   The program kicks off with a webinar on Tuesday May 5th @10am.  All are welcome and encouraged to attend, please register here:  https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bia-small-business-marketing-tickets-103820433712  .  Contact me if you missed the email and would like more details about the program.  

Shopify Update:

We are finalizing set-up of the site and for those of you who have signed up, we will be sending you an email package next week with video tutorial’s and your own personal access code to login and begin to set up your own shop page.  In the meantime, there a several things you can do to prepare, including:
  • take product photos and write descriptions
  • write down your policies for delivery and/or curbside pick-up
  • choose a banner image for your business (a photo that captures your shop/restaurant/services.  This could be your storefront, menu item, a wall of products, etc.)
  • have your shop logo image ready (if available)
  • write a description of your business (example: What do you sell?  Where are you located?  What sets you apart?  Why do you love being a part of the Orangeville community?)
  • list social media links and your website address
  We are so excited to see Downtown Orangeville come to life on-line!  

Missing the Theatre?

Check out Theatre Orangeville’s fun and interactive “Celebrate the Arts” Newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/45j56VS  

Construction Notice:

The BIA has just learned that the reconstruction of Little York Street, from Mill Street to John Street, is expected to begin on May 11th and be completed in three months time. Little York Street will be closed to through traffic during the construction, but local access will be permitted.   This project has been deemed by the town to be an essential service.   You can read more here: https://www.orangeville.ca/news/2020/04/30/construction-set-to-begin-on-little-york-street .  To the affected businesses on Little York, please let us know if you require any assistance during this time.   We will reach out to you in the coming days and weeks to ask how we can help, for example by notifying the public that you are still “Open during Construction”.  

Local advertising opportunities:

Snap’d Dufferin: This community news & events paper is offering a “pay-what-you-can” 3.25” x 3” ad space to every business so that you can communicate whether you are open or closed, and share a special message with the community.   You can also create gift cards for your business through Snap’d Dufferin, please visit https://dufferin.snapd.com/ or contact the publisher Victoria Johansen for more information:  vjohansen@snapd.com / 519-307-0937 .   Get in the Loop: If you’ve thought about enlisting the help of “Get in the Loop” before, now may be a good time to try it as they are waiving the monthly fee for small businesses until the COVID-19 crisis is over.   “Get in the Loop” is an online advertising platform that notifies mobile app users of special offers and discounts in their area.    To see if this is something that might be right for your business, you can visit their website https://getintheloop.ca/business or contact their Orangeville sales representative,  Kayla Odorico: kayla.odorico@getintheloop.ca / 519-217-2666.   *Please note that the OBIA is not directly affiliated with either of the above mentioned organizations, but we wanted to let you know what support they are offering to help local businesses during this time.  

Good News Story

Each week I hope to send you a positive update from one of our members.  If you have something uplifting to share, please get in touch!   As you know, the OBIA is launching an online Marketplace for Downtown Orangeville on Shopify.  Many of you have signed up, but I know some of you are still undecided so I thought I would share some positive feedback from Michael at Broadway Music who reached out to share his recent experience with Shopify: “We jumped onto Shopify the first day of the shutdown: Their process for creating a web store is uncomplicated and very user friendly.  We focused on the most popular items in the store, so we were putting in front of people what we knew they would like. It takes about 5 minutes per item to get them properly registered, with accurate descriptions, decent photographs and information so that freight calculates correctly. As time allows, we are continually adding additional items. Their marketing support is great: they have processes to keep in touch with customers who have abandoned their shopping cart, follow up to customers who have placed orders and generally are very positive to work with.  As the orders started coming in, the notice to the store was prompt and clearly outlined what needed to happen next. And this morning the first payment appeared in out bank, exactly on the day and in the amount we were told it would be. I know the BIA is now setting up a Downtown Orangeville spotify store: I would encourage anyone in the BIA who wants to tap into this service to do so. We are planning on putting lesson vouchers in the BIA store as well as our own, so that people have options on how they choose to pay for lessons. If anyone needs advice on using Shopify, I am not an expert, but would gladly share my experience”.   Be sure to check out Broadway Music on Shopify and note how the large, bright images really capture the feel of the store, and how user-friendly it is to browse through the products:  https://broadway-music-orangeville.myshopify.com/  Thank you so much Michael for sharing your experience, we wish you much success!   Have a great weekend everyone!