Web Marketing for Shopping Malls and BRZs/BIAs

Get the highest online visibility for Business Revitalization Zones (BRZs) or Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) and YOUR MEMBERS using  the FoundLocally.com free listings. Shopping Mall Management also works to create the highest traffic & visibility for their tenants, and needs to promote not only the Mall but the various stores and services that draw in traffic.

FoundLocally is a great way for business districts to raise their own visibility, not just by adding themselves to the high-traffic community directory, but by posting news, jobs, events, and savings to increase the number of pages on their FoundLocally listing, and therefore the number of link-backs to their website.  This is especially handy for those hosting events & festivals, or those taking a lead in community business advocacy.

BIAs, BRZs, and SHOPPING MALL MANAGERS, should also review our time-saving web marketing recommendations for chain & franchise organizations.

This approach is very effective for SEO (search engine optimization): the more pages on FoundLocally, the more link-backs you have, and the higher your ranking and findability! Many BRZs and BIAs overlook this business opportunity:  member businesses/tenants, SHOULD ALSO increase their online footprint by participating in as many directories as possible (and especially the free ones!) With a little bit of effort, they can enhance their online marketing to support their operations: posting jobs, promoting events, promoting sales, discounts and coupons, posting news announcements.  Help your member businesses  reach an ever-increasing online customer base, save money [on traditional media], increase revenues and become more profitable,

BRZ/BIA Issues & Opportunities

What are Business Revitalization Zones (BRZs) or Business Improvement Areas (BIAs)? The two terms are equivalent, and differ based on which prince or municipality you are in.   These organizations (1) support & promote businesses collectively, (2) fund area improvements to increase desirability, and (3) collect municipal levies collected by municipalities as a property tax add-on. These levies cover the cost of improvements, interest & payments on loans for large capital costs, district marketing & advertising, the costs of hosting year-round festivals and events, and administration costs (salaries , rents, office costs) of the BIA/BRZ.

 

Businesses are considered “members” by virtue of their location, and by virtue of the fact they are levied for the BIA/BRZ, though the degree of accountability depends on the specific district and their governance rules. Districts have their executive and board of directors elected by and from member businesses (which is good), while other appear to be self-running fiefdoms for the benefit of their executive directors and office staff (which is not good). BIAs ad BRZs enable businesses to provide direction on how effort & expenditures better benefit area businesses, with changing needs & priorities over time.

Good BIA/BRZ websites also have a directory of area businesses (with web links),  typically organized by category. Our directory is a supplement to that, and reaches a broader regional geographic audience.

More proactive BIAs and BRZs also help their area businesses grow by hosting educational seminars, either over breakfast (before stores or offices open), at lunchtime (for office-type businesses), or in the evening (after business hours). These seminars educate area businesses on a variety of issues including staffing, benefits plans, advertising and web marketing, handling credit cards and payment alternatives.

Educational resources:

Make the Most of Your PROFILE

You can add an organizational listing to promote the BRZ/BIA:

  1. The Description field should state your key branding message (and describe the area and its unique qualities
  2. The Products/Brands should identify key groups of businesses and industries your district focuses on.
  3. Link to the BRZ/BIA website, and include the district logo.
  4. In the Contact field, link to website’s Contact Us webpage instead of an e-mail address, to reduce chance of spam e-mails.

Have your members add themselves to the community’s FoundLocally directory (click on “Free Listings”)

TIP #1: Have your members/tenants add themselves to the Free Listings as well, not just for the mention of their name in FoundLocally’s directory (which you, the BIA/BRZ, might do), but enable them to post their own News, Events, Jobs, and Savings items to their free listing.

TIP #2: When members/tenantsadd themselves, remind them that they should insert the Mall or BIA/BRZ name in the Address2 field, so that users searching by that  location they can be found, too!

Multiple CONTACTS may Update Listing(s)

  1. Set up multiple contacts per listing using the CONTACTS tab and “Add New”, to add additional staff people in your organization, so each can post items to your listing, or login and ad additional clients and their websites & locations.
  2. Add Marketing, HR, and Operations persons so each can login and update the operational components of their FoundLocally listings, letting you focus on web marketing and website design.

Post NEWS & Announcements

  1. Post announcements to FoundLocally listings at the same time as it is sent out to other media outlets.
  2. Dramatically improve your findability with good f keywords in the news story with your/your association’s web site and name. In addition this can improve your/your organization’s creditability as an industry information resource.
  3. Announcements stay posted until you take them down. On FoundLocally, news has a long shelf life. FoundLocally news is not thrown out or recycled the next day, like with a newspaper!

Post EVENTS

  1. Use the EVENTS tab to post any special events, like “live remotes” with a local TV or radio station. EVENTS postings can link to their own web page if you have an event that people need to RSVP for or buy tickets.
  2. See special tips for Festivals & Community Events
  3. Link to pages on your website, a tenant’s or a third party (like, say, TicketMaster or eVite)

Post JOBS to fill staffing needs

  1. Post JOBS to recruit people for internal or tenant needs using the JOBS tab.
  2. For non-profit clients and their fund-raising activities, you can use the JOBS tab to post volunteer opportunities, either under their listing or yours.

Ways YOU can be found

Here are links to FoundLocally.com’s info which we would be pleased to add to or update:

BRZs and BIAs:

Shopping Malls:

Add Your Organization to the FoundLocally Directory Now

Add your business to the FoundLocally directory where you are located. (If you are not sure.)

Don’t forget to also post your News, Events, Jobs, and Savings (Coupons or Sales) to promote all aspects of your business and operations, (using the respective tabs in your listing).

PLEASE PASS THE WORD to individual stores, services, and restaurants so they can add themselves to FoundLocally.com and increase their online visible (whether they have a website of their own or not). Chain organizations have special tips and instructions

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