Branding for Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)

Through our collaboration with OneMaidstone, we have contributed to the growth of the BID district by creating a meaningful impact on their brand, website and social media channels. We created the OneMaidstone brand in 2017, helping them create a presence within the town centre district, promoting their bid campaign and ultimately achieving BID status for the town. Throughout their BID status, we have helped support them through the use of a number of design projects, including a quarterly magazine highlighting the work of the BID, promotional and branded material for events as well as annual reviews and web design support.

What exactly are BIDs?

BIDs, often referred to as city improvement districts or CIDs in some countries, have effectively used private money in cities to spark urban renewal. Well-run BIDs have helped to raise property values, boost sales for nearby merchants, and lower business vacancy rates.

A BID is a PPP in which business and property owners decide to contribute jointly to the upkeep, growth, and/or promotion of their commercial district. A majority of property owners must consent to pay an additional assessment to support the BID. The fundamental idea is based on the shared maintenance system used by many suburban shopping malls.

The retail space at malls is often divided up among a number of tenants by a single property manager. A common area maintenance fee that tenants pay helps to pay for services that improve the look of common spaces and offer cooperative advertising for the mall and its merchants.

The creation of a dependable revenue source for supplementary services and initiatives, such as public safety or marketing of a neighbourhood brand, is one advantage of the BID framework. BIDs often offer the capacity to adapt more swiftly than the public sector to the changing requirements of the business community because they are self-managed and funded by the owners themselves.

How can social media help with branding for BIDs?

Social media has altered how society functions. That may sound a little dramatic, but consider this: People may now message businesses on Facebook or Instagram instead of calling them with questions. A person could post a review on Google or Yelp and invite their friends to read it if they had a good (or bad) customer experience.

Businesses and tourist locations that depend on customers or visitors to survive need to keep up with social media in particular. However, like with any new technology, it can be challenging to follow rapidly shifting trends.

For Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) wishing to interact with audiences on social media, here are some pointers:

Be receptive

Although it might seem straightforward, this merits discussion. Simply put, creating a social media account for your place of business or travel destination is insufficient; you also need to be present. Regularly publish pertinent information, like and share posts from other accounts, and reply to user comments and inquiries. Additionally, you should confirm that crucial details, like a phone number or operating hours, are accurate.

Partner up and work together

Along with enjoying and sharing content, collaborate with other companies or industry leaders to create original, branded content. Give a partner control of your social media page for the day so they can post content from another place or run a contest with unique prizes. To encourage people to stop by, you can even arrange to go live on special occasions like farmer’s markets or ribbon cuttings. After you finish filming, the live post will appear on your page to reach additional people throughout the day. And always remember to include the handles and pertinent hashtags of your partners.

Use video

The most effective technique to grab viewers’ attention when they scroll through postings is through video. This format, which records actions and feelings in real-time, is the most like actual life. On most platforms, videos should be brief and to the point (no longer than a minute) unless you’re posting an interview or an instructive video that needs more time. Bonus advice: Since many people, these days, use social media without sound, you might want to add captions with readable text.