News Summary
To revive local businesses after the COVID-19 pandemic, Evanston has introduced the Enjoy Evanston marketing initiative, part of the Evanston Thrives strategy. This program focuses on community engagement and includes a user-friendly website, advertising campaigns, and financial support for businesses. With increased social media engagement and a bi-weekly newsletter, the initiative aims to enhance awareness and boost local commerce.
City of Evanston Implements Enjoy Evanston Marketing Initiative to Boost Local Businesses Post-Pandemic
In an exciting bid to revive local businesses in Evanston following the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city has rolled out an innovative marketing initiative called Enjoy Evanston. This program is part of the broader economic development strategy known as Evanston Thrives, which was adopted by the City Council last year. According to designer Rachael Aziz of All Together Studio, updates delivered during the Economic Development Committee meeting on June 26 have highlighted the focus on enhancing Evanston’s ten unique business districts.
Keeping Evanstonians Informed
One of the top priorities of this initiative is to ensure that the community is well-informed about all the fun and engaging activities happening in their neighborhoods. Aziz emphasized the importance of communication in her presentation, stating that keeping residents in the loop is crucial for revitalizing interest in local shopping and dining.
A Centralized Hub for Local Businesses
The centerpiece of the Enjoy Evanston initiative is its user-friendly website, which acts as a comprehensive information hub. It features a vibrant listing of businesses along with the various offerings available across all ten business districts in Evanston. What’s particularly neat is that businesses and organizations are encouraged to submit their events directly to the website, making it easier for those in the community to discover activities and support local enterprises.
Raising Awareness Through Advertising
The city is currently focusing on increasing awareness of the Enjoy Evanston platform. This is being achieved through a multi-faceted advertising campaign that includes promotions in public spaces, online advertising, and leveraging social media channels. In addition to these efforts, a bi-weekly email newsletter launched in March has already garnered an impressive subscriber count of 6,533, with a 47% open rate. The newsletter showcases upcoming events and highlights local businesses, helping to keep the momentum going.
Visible Promotions in the Community
To further enhance visibility, maps and decals promoting the Enjoy Evanston initiative have been placed throughout the city. Residents can now spot QR codes at popular locations like the skate park, leading them directly to festival information and local business listings.
Impressive Growth in Engagement
Excitingly, there has been a significant uptick in social media engagement. The Enjoy Evanston Instagram account skyrocketed from just 36 followers to an impressive 640 within a mere six months. In addition, the website received about 8,400 total visitors, with 7,000 unique visitors accessing it since January, indicating a strong interest in local community events and businesses.
Financial Support for Local Enterprises
Meanwhile, the City Council has been proactive in providing financial support for local businesses by allocating $3 million from federal funds received under the American Rescue Plan Act, out of a total of over $40 million in 2021. This funding plays a critical role in ensuring that Evanston’s local businesses can weather the ongoing impacts of the pandemic.
Personalized Gateway Signs and Banners
All Together Studio is also hard at work creating personalized gateway signs for each business district. This effort is aimed at establishing a consistent look across the city while effectively showcasing what makes each district special. Additionally, they are mapping locations for the installation of new banners across all wards in Evanston, which will serve to further elevate the visibility of local businesses.
Looking Ahead
With such a strong focus on community engagement and support for local businesses, the Enjoy Evanston initiative promises to be a game-changer for the city. As Evanstonians get more involved and excited about their neighborhoods, everyone is hopeful that local establishments will flourish once again. In a time when community matters more than ever, Enjoy Evanston is all about bringing people together to celebrate local culture, businesses, and activities. Who wouldn’t want to take part in that?
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Additional Resources
- Evanston RoundTable
- Wikipedia: Evanston, Illinois
- Downtown Evanston
- Evanston Chamber of Commerce
- City of Evanston
