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At a recent study session, the Danville Town Council showed support for revisions to its retail retention and promotion incentives program. Originally adopted in 2009, the new program will make it easier for businesses interested in enhancing their online presence to access grant money.
“Merchants are being very prudent with the money they do have. Research is basically showing the increase in online marketing and how powerful it really is,” said Economic Development Manager Jill Bergman.
The town’s retail incentive program already provided approximately $338,000 in grants for marketing assistance, facade improvements and cooperative marketing for shopping centers. When $4,500 in “online min grants” for social media improvements disappeared quickly, Bergman said the town decided to modify their program to fit growing demand.
“Typically business owners have been operating their businesses as they’ve known in the past and social media has come into the scene so rapidly that its very difficult to keep up with,” Bergman said. “These grants will help them get involved at least at the basic level…to find what social media will work for their business.”
For Danville Chocolates owner Terri Vollmer, the online mini grant was not only helpful in developing her business but a push to pursue something she otherwise wouldn’t have.
“(The marketing grant) enabled me to hire a Danville based marketing company to help me with my website and business cards,” Vollmer said, adding that she also received a facade improvement grant to add another door to her shop. “If I didn’t have the marketing grant I don’t think I would have even gone to the marketing company right away, it would have been lower on the totem pole.”
The new program would add the mini grant category, which provides local businesses with $500 to put toward online marketing, to the general marketing category. Remaining funds from the retail incentives program, approximately $54,000, will now be available for online marketing use.
“We don’t want to close a program that was very successful,” said Bergman.
Since 2009, the town has given 49 marketing grants, 28 facade improvement grants and 5 cooperative marketing grants. The economic development department still needs to prepare a staff report and get authorization from the Town Council in order to officially revise the program. Bergman expects the council to vote on the program in November.
