The City of St. Catharines is leading a regional project to improve online presence in 12 business improvement areas in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Port Colborne and Fort Erie. As the market has shifted with technological innovation over time, it has become important for businesses to modernize and promote themselves online.
The city received a $70,000 grant from Digital Main Street, which is a program funded by the province, to hire a Digital Service Squad co-ordinator. This person will work one-on-one to train as many members of the 12 BIAs to help modernize their businesses. The co-ordinator will also help businesses apply for a $2500 grant offered by Digital Main Street.
The initiative works to help businesses build an online presence, whether that is through website development or getting on various social media platforms. They hope that this will eventually get more consumers to go and shop on their main streets.
Read more at the St. Catharines Standard