The Argyle Business Improvement Association

Transcription

1 The Argyle Business Improvement Association Member Survey July 2013

2 The Argyle Business Improvement Association Member Survey In July 2013 The Argyle Business Improvement Association surveyed 45 of its businesses. The BIA wanted to gain information which could be used to plan and implement future initiatives to promote and beautify the area. A mixture of independent stores, corporate stores and franchises were surveyed from various areas within the boundaries of the BIA. Business owners, managers and employees were among the respondents. Goals of the Survey The purpose of the survey was to give The Argyle BIA direction for effective initiatives to implement in the future. Questions were designed in order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the area form the business s perspective. This includes issues such as infrastructure, safety, reputation and communication. The Argyle BIA wanted to look at the effect of these issues on individual businesses and the business community as a whole. Special attention was given to questions about the conditions of the area for beautification programs. Attention was also paid to advertising and social media practices. Moving forward, online networking will be a major cornerstone of The Argyle BIA s work to promote and support its businesses. Given the diverse nature of The BIA s members, it is important to find convenient and practical ways to stay connected. It is also important to connect to the community in order to promote the area. The survey looked at advertising strategies in order to understand how The Argyle BIA can support existing strategies and create new ones. The BIA wanted to know how member businesses are reaching their customers and what The BIA can do to help businesses reach customers more effectively. Survey Responses t all questions that were asked in the survey are included in the report. The purpose of the report is to present the most useful information gathered during the survey. The survey was meant to gather information to be used to develop plans for the Argyle BIA to support its members. Questions: 1. What do you think are the strengths of the Argyle Area? Variety of stores Supportive community Accessible Everything is offered Fast food restaurants Residential Lots of traffic Family friendly Diversity High volume of Community oriented people Big box stores Convenient Connected/ Big changes networking Affordable Implications: Many of these strengths were mentioned multiple times. Going forward it will be important to focus on these aspects of the Argyle area. Promotions and advertising should highlight these qualities in the future.

3 2. What do you think are the weaknesses of the Argyle Area? Poor reputation Loitering/ begging High turnover Need more popular stores We need more pride! Need a lane for bikes The roads are dangerous- speeding Smoking, littering cigarette butts Image needs improving Property management Bad stigma Implications: These were the most popular weaknesses that were mentioned. Some of the responses were location specific and some affect the entire area. Some things are not within the scope of The Argyle BIA, but these responses will be a great starting point for developing new initiatives that will improve the area. 3. Are you concerned about safety security? Are You Concerned About Safety/Security? 68% 32% Implications: Lighting and traffic were the most common safety concerns. Speeding on Dundas Street is a problem for some businesses. Different strategies can be discussed with the City of London to try to solve this problem. Lighting is another issue that can be included in future programs. This would require the cooperation of businesses in certain areas to find where installing better lighting would be most effective. 4. Do you have any problems with graffiti? Do You Have Problems with Graffiti? 12% Implications: The City of London is concerned about graffiti so they have offered funding to assist with cleaning up graffiti. The survey data indicates that very few businesses have a problem with graffiti. If a business ever has a problem in the future they should inform The Argyle BIA so they can help get the graffiti removed. 88%

4 5. Would you like to see more recycling/ garbage areas? Would you like to see More Recycling/ Garbage Receptacles? 12% 88% Implications: This issue was an important topic for many businesses. The Argyle BIA is looking into providing more garbage and recycling receptacles. There are noncommercial units being installed in August and hopefully more on the way. The BIA is also looking into commercial recycling services. Cigarette butts were another concern related to garbage. Looking forward The Argyle BIA will concentrate on recycling and garbage initiatives that address these concerns. 6. Does your business participate in any social media sites? Many of The Argyle BIA members belong to corporations who handle social media for them. It is important for smaller companies to utilize these free online tools to generate an online presence as well. Often the internet is the first place people go to discover or research a business. It s important to create a great first impression online to get people to come in person. 7. Would you be interested in classes or tips on improving your online presence? Are You Interested in Social Media Tips/Classes? N/A 41% 30% 29% Implications: Given the divided interest on the idea of classes the Argyle BIA may look into different avenues to help members with social media. It is hard to organize a time when interested members can get together so a special newsletter or instructional video would help members learn on their own time when it s convenient. Social media tips may also be infused into one of The BIA s B2B networking events.

5 8. Are you interested in Promotion from the Argyle BIA? Are you Interested in Promotion from the Argyle BIA? 15% Maybe 9% N/A 3% 73% Implications: Promoting businesses is one of The Argyle BIA s mandates. Utilizing online tools and resources like social media, promotion can reach more people and be done faster than ever. Most businesses indicated they were interested in having The BIA promote for them. This requires an open line of communication between the businesses and The BIA. Businesses need to communicate with The BIA when they have events and promotions. Promotions will generally be oriented around online campaigns. Print promotions such as a coupon book are another avenue to look into in the future. 9. Are you interested in shared advertising? Are you Interested in Shared Advertising? N/A 38% 26% 24% Maybe 12% Implications: Shared advertising is a marketing tool that does not apply to members who have their advertising managed by corporate head offices. The Argyle BIA may look into shared advertising that appeals to more of our independently owned members. Shared advertising is an affordable opportunity to advertise. Even though the survey gave mixed results, The Argyle BIA does not want to exclude it from future promotional initiatives because it can be a successful tool.

6 Conclusions and Future Initiatives: The small sample size of The Argyle BIA Member Survey makes it difficult to draw broad conclusions about the area. However, this is a good starting point for The BIA to develop initiatives that address issues specific to its member businesses. Given the results of the survey the Argyle BIA is looking into three main areas to develop new initiatives. Recycling/ Littering Promotions Networking Recycling/ Littering Promotions Four recycling receptacles are set to be installed in August 2013 within The Argyle BIA s boundaries. The BIA is in talks with the City of London to get more. These recycling receptacles are non-commercial. They will be placed in high volume areas for pedestrian use. This will help with the amount of litter that is seen in the area. Along with combating litter with the recycling receptacles, the Argyle BIA wants to address the issue of cigarette butts. Receptacles designed specifically for cigarettes are one option. These would also be placed in high volume pedestrian areas, likely close to popular bus stops. Businesses expressed interest in a recycling program for themselves. The Argyle BIA is looking into the cost of having private waste management companies set up disposal units. This will require ongoing financial support from the Argyle BIA so feasibility is a priority. Input from the businesses will also be required to determine the best locations for commercial recycling units. Promoting the area as a whole means promoting The Argyle BIA as a complete shopping destination. Promoting members on an individual basis is also an important objective of The Argyle BIA. This means promoting individual sales and events using a variety of media. Online promotion is the most effective tool for promoting the area to the most people for the best price. Online campaigns will include utilizing The Argyle BIA website, twitter account and Facebook page. Going forward The Argyle BIA wants to focus its attention on the student demographic and online initiatives are a great way to reach students. With Fanshawe College so close, promoting to students will help get more people to the area. Part of this will be advertising special offers that apply to students only. A coupon book is another promotional tool being considered by The Argyle BIA. These could be coupons that appeal to students, seniors or any customers. The coupon book would be printed and distributed to members to distribute in their locations.

7 Networking Connecting our members to The BIA and to one another is a major priority for The Argyle BIA. Creating a community for businesses will help with business retention, and help attract new businesses. The Argyle BIA s website ( is the main source for connecting businesses to each other. The website will also connect businesses to the London community. The website will be a place to advertise promotions that individual businesses have, as well as promotions that The BIA has. The website also has a Member s Area. This will be a place for businesses to find information that affects them. The hope is that the website will be the first thing business owners open in the morning to find out everything that is going on in the area. The Argyle BIA wants to make their online presence a cornerstone of their networking strategy. Part of this is the website, but the strategy also includes using social media. Twitter is a great way to connect businesses to each other, and to their customers. In the future it would be ideal to have all of our businesses connected on Twitter, this would help make communication fast and easy. The BIA recognizes that there are businesses who cannot participate in social media, hopefully the website can fill this communication gap. The Argyle BIA also publishes a monthly newsletter to connect to business members. The newsletter has the most important information for that month, it is a quick and easy way to see everything that is going on at once. It will be posted online as well as sent out to member businesses. The newsletter will often have a profile of a member and their business. This is to help generate a sense of community and help people get to know their business neighbours. The newsletter will also introduce new businesses that come to the area. There have been complaints about high turnover in the area, initiatives that create a sense of community will help retain businesses in the future. If you have suggestions for improving the area or the experience of our businesses please contact us at: info@argylebia.com or