|
New BIA website opens doors to downtown |
|
|
|
 Ashley House, SIMCOE REFORMER, 2008-06-04 Faces of Downtown Introduces Public to Community Merchants - The Simcoe Business Improvement Area has launched a new, streamlined, consumer friendly website.
"Our old site was clunky to say the least," said BIA executive director Deb Murphy. "We couldn't keep it up to date and it was not image-rich or easy to navigate." The new website (www.downtownsimcoe.com) is exactly the opposite. Photo galleries, news, pull down menus of services and shopping sectors in the core are all easy to navigate through with the new website that was launched last Friday. "Our priority was that it was easy to update," Murphy said. "Things change quickly in the core and we needed something that would be up to date." The website is directed at both local residents and tourists, she added. "While not everyone has access to the Internet, that is how most people do their research," Murphy said. "And brochures are outdated as soon as they are printed." With photo galleries featuring the Faces of Downtown, an information section about the BIA and a listing of all the businesses, Murphy said people can learn a lot about the downtown community with just a click of a mouse. BIA board president Brendalee Engelhardt, owner of Eden Day Spa, agreed that websites are the number one way people research information. "I find more and more clients and people are using the web as their feet," she said. "So the more links and hook-ups I have to my business website the more it is to my benefit."The Simcoe BIA offers this benefit through its Web Active Member link that businesses can opt into through the website. "If businesses have a website we can create a link from our page," Murphy explained. "When you search downtown Simcoe, we are the top hit so it can really attract people to the site." Besides providing consumers with up to date information, Murphy said the new website really gives people a feel of the downtown community. "There's always this feeling of a neighbourhood or community when you think about the businesses in the downtown core," she said. "With the Faces of Downtown photo album; you can really get a sense of the friendly faces that will be greeting you in these stores."
|
