The Town of the Blue Mountains (TBM) wants you to shop locally with COVID-19 safety precautions in mind.
“The town is in the process of undertaking a big marketing campaign to promote the idea of community safety,” said Tim Hendry, director of communication and economic development for TBM. “We want to make sure that people know that we are taking this seriously and detail some of the measures we are putting in place.”
Hendry says as TBM moves out of the COVID-19 closure, positioning the town as a safe place to visit and shop will be vital.
“It is paramount that we re-market our community and tell people that we are open and our businesses are welcoming. We need to make sure that is translated with some of the safety measures we have in our downtown core,” Hendry continues.
Tony Poole, member of the Thornbury Business Improvement Area (BIA) Board agrees, but wants to ensure the TBM puts emphasis on buying local.
“For a marketing campaign, I would like to see encouragement on people buying local and also having confidence in being a safe and comfortable place to enjoy the downtown core, whether you are shopping or just using various facilities,” said Poole during a recently held Thornbury BIA board meeting.
Hendry says the campaign will have a distinct focus on shopping locally.
“Shopping local and supporting our local businesses is of the utmost importance right now, and demonstrating to both residents and tourists that we do have a safe community, that is the entire backbone of the campaign,” Hendry said.
Deputy Mayor Rob Potter added that he would like to see the town consider adding an aspect of social media to the marketing campaign that could possibly involve town residents.
“There is a grassroots campaign going on out there that we should think about tapping into,” said Potter. “A lot of local residents are posting photos and comments about the local meals and purchases they have made. It seems to be a great way to spread the message and there are already people doing it without any encouragement and that is great to see.”
The TBM will be rolling out the new ‘shop local’ marketing campaign in the coming weeks as local businesses begin to welcome back customers.
