The Jacksonville Main Street has been working hard to help small businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest way Jacksonville Main Street is trying to do this is by developing an Online Marketing Playbook designed to help businesses with both online marketing and transactions. After many local businesses have been reaching out to Main Street about concerns of small businesses about marketing in the COVID-19 age and their lack of knowledge. Main Street developed the handbook with the help of Groupon professionals new volunteer service.
Judy Tighe, the Executive Director of Jacksonville Main Street, says the playbook was developed for people of all skill levels: “It really starts with the basics and helps people get started, and then there’s also a section for people that have familiarity with online marketing and sales, but maybe want to do a little bit more, so for the more advanced users there’s a section that would address them. It’s really easy to refer back to, so people can learn and use it at their own pace, and their own skill level.”
Tighe says the playbook is free for all to use and can be accessed via the Main Street website and printed via PDF: “It’s a PDF, but it is also online, and the links obviously are live on our website. Anybody can go to our website and click on the resources and COVID-19 tab, and on the drop down menu, there’s the Marketing Playbook. Once it’s open, then there’s a place to click for the PDF file download, and then you could print it out. It’s free to use. There is no obligation to us or Groupon to use it.”
Tighe says that the playbook is one of the many ways Jacksonville Main Street has tried to promote local businesses. They recently partnered with The Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce and Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau to put on the annual Santa Stroll: 12 Days of Loving Local.