Virtual Tour of Broadway – our good news story this week!

  By now, many of you have seen the exciting promotional video that we shared on the Downtown Orangeville Facebook page last Friday.   This virtual tour of Broadway was made possible thanks to a generous offer from The Art of Storytelling, a local media production company.   We were only able to capture a small section of Downtown Orangeville in the time that was allotted to us, and we let the videographer choose based on the lighting at that time of day and other factors, but we hope that the video will entice customers to come and explore all that Downtown Orangeville has to offer. Our goal was to show tourists and residents alike that Downtown Orangeville is once more a safe and friendly place to come shopping, dining, and access services.   We wanted potential visitors to see our beautiful buildings and streetscape, our friendly people, our unique shops and restaurants, and the incredible energy that exists here.  We wanted to give local residents a chance to tour stores that maybe they had never stepped foot in before and remind them how much great local food, art, shopping and every type of service from hair cuts to tax filing, is available and waiting for them, right here at home.   I hope that all of you will share the video, even if you’re not featured this time around (yes, we hope to do it again!).  Tell people that you are proud to have your business Downtown and let customers know that you’re excited to welcome them again:  “check out my neighbours”, “I’m right across the street”, “we have one of the most beautiful Downtown’s”, etc.   Enthusiasm is contagious and if you put it out into the world, people will want to be a part of it!    Many thanks to everyone who participated in the video on that incredibly HOT day! View the video here.   Click “Share” to add the video to your own Facebook page, or copy and paste this link into a new Facebook post or email: https://www.facebook.com/downtownoville/videos/659180671351393 Don’t forget to encourage your customers to enter the contest for a chance to win a $100 Downtown Orangeville Gift Certificate (contest closes this Friday at noon, details can be found on the original post)!  

The Art of Storytelling Webinar

  If you enjoyed the virtual tour of Broadway and are wondering how you can incorporate video into your own marketing, then check out The Art of Storytelling’s free Webinar: Video Storytelling on Social Media.  The video is available to watch now, click here to view.  

Business Hours Survey Results

  Thanks again to everyone who responded to the survey. In summary, the responses indicate that businesses are more likely to be closed on a Sunday, with only 30% of businesses stating they were open. 97% of businesses are open on Fridays, making this the number one day of the week. Thursday is second at 95%, with Wednesday and Saturday at joint third with 89%. In regards to business hours, businesses are most likely to be open between 11am and 3pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, and with a slight extension in hours between 11am and 5pm Wednesdays to Fridays. Restaurants reported busy patio’s at dinnertime 4pm-8pm. Our recommendations are for retailers to extend their hours to capture the dinner crowd when possible.  This may mean shifting your hours from 9am – 5pm to 11am-7pm for example.  We recommend testing this out once per week for a few weeks on a Thursday or Friday night.  Make sure to announce to your customers on social media the you are “Open Late!” and share with Downtown Orangeville so that we can help with promotion!  The retailers that are likely to have the most success with this are those who are in close proximity to an open restaurant. We also recommend that retailers display merchandise outside on Saturday’s during the Farmers’ Market to encourage shoppers to explore beyond the Market.   Restaurants may also want to consider opening before the end of the Market to capture the brunch or lunch crowd.  As you leave the market and look up or down the street and beyond to the side streets, attractive outdoor displays & open patios make you want to keep shopping! Our administrator Cara has done an excellent job of compiling the results, which are presented in the PDF document below. [pdf-embedder url="https://downtownorangeville.ca/wp-content/uploads/Survey-Results-Graphs-July-2020.pdf" title="Survey Results – Graphs July 2020"]  

Curb Appeal

  When I was Downtown last week, I noticed that most of you had your doors closed.  While I understand that this may be necessary on hot days to prevent the air conditioning from escaping, an open door is like an open invitation to shop!  When possible, you should leave the door propped open as a clear signal to both foot and vehicle traffic that you are open.  As a shopper, nothing entices me more than a glimpse of a beautiful display just through an open door.  If the door must remain closed, make sure that you have a visible OPEN sign on your front door and some cheerful messaging: “Welcome, we’re so glad you are here!  Thank you for wearing your mask!” I also noticed some unsightly weeds Downtown!  We have notified Public Works and asked for their help in this matter, but they are short-staffed this summer as many people had to be laid off during the pandemic.  They will do their best to take care of the common spaces, but please do your part to keep your storefronts looking tidy by pulling weeds, sweeping if necessary and keeping windows and doors clean.   With the stress of COVID-19, we are all short on time these days and focusing our attention on recovering as best we can, but these little things tell the customer that you take pride in your business and that you care about their overall experience.

 

Are you open on Sunday?

  Reminder: Please let us know if you are open on Sundays!  If enough businesses respond, we will put together a social media post advertising those of you who are open for business on Sundays. Many people are taking day trips close to home (within a few hours drive) and we expect that we could attract more visitors on Sundays if we have enough businesses open.  Once we have the list compiled, we will share it with you!  

COVID-19 Ontario Tourism Survey: Tracking the impact of COVID-19 & advocating for the tourism industry

  To monitor the progression of COVID-19 on the tourism industry in Ontario, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) and Regional Tourism Organizations are working together to provide up to date information to the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism & Culture Industries. They are asking for your assistance in providing some information so that they can continue to advocate on your behalf with all levels of government.   Please complete the survey here   Thanks everyone!