The South Georgian Bay Small Business Enterprise Centre’s Digital Service Squad (DSS) is a free resource to help small and medium sized businesses grow online.
Currently the DSS is helping businesses apply for the (DTG) with the aim of helping hundreds of businesses enhance their digital marketing.
“The $2,500 DTG 3.0 is available and the deadline to apply has just been extended to Nov 30 (or until grant funds run out). It is also important to note that the eligibility has changed from previous grant rounds; is not just for downtown/main street businesses anymore," Ben Frisch explains.
"Any business in Ontario with a brick-and-mortar location that is paying commercial property tax or has a lease could qualify. We can help businesses anywhere in Meaford, The Blue Mountains, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, and Clearview, to assess their eligibility and apply.”
The DSS is a team consisting of five digital marketing experts that are also providing assistance through one-on-one, virtual consultations until February 2022.
Just some of the ways DDS helps include digital audit, brand and content building, Google analytics, 360 degree photos of your retail location, social media support, and digital marketing fundamentals training.
“The goal” says Ben, “is to assist 300 businesses in this term (Aug 2021-Feb 2022) and that can be assisting them to apply for the grant, doing a digital audit, or helping them with something like setting up their Facebook or Instagram shop.”
There has been a lot of interest in Facebook and Instagram lately, as more businesses realize the potential for multichannel shopping experiences. With powerful tools like Facebook and Instagram Shop, the DSS has been helping many businesses set up and learn how to use these kinds of tools.
Ben knows that for many entrepreneurs, “Digital marketing is often overwhelming!”
“We try to simplify things so business owners can work towards improvement in a way that is manageable and focused on their own goals,” he says.
“An example of this is ‘how do I improve my SEO?’ There are hundreds of ways this can be done, and some are very technical. We help simplify that process into something the business owner can understand and use to improve themselves or we can help them find a local vendor to hire.
Another common question we get is, ‘can you help connect my Facebook shop?’ The answer is yes! We have sat down with many businesses to successfully troubleshoot this connection and get their Instagram and Facebook shops up and running.”
Services like these are free to help you, as a small business owner, succeed. Visit https://enterprisecentre.ca/digitalservicesquad today to book a consultation, and ask how the Digital Transformation Grant and your Digital Service Squad can help you grow your presence online.