San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
City offers digital help to some businesses
A $700,000 collaboration between the city of San Antonio and Herospace, a local digital marketing agency, could help small-business owners reach more customers online.
The city’s new Digital Presence Program, paid for by funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act and the city’s general fund, aims to teach business owners — especially those struggling because they’re within the city’s long-term construction sites — how to set up websites and streamline their social media presence to attract new customers and better connect with current ones.
“The City of San Antonio is home to a variety of small businesses that each have their own unique business needs,” Brenda Hicks-Sorensen, director of the city’s Economic Development Department, said in a statement. “A company’s digital presence can be pivotal for awareness and customer growth, which is why we are bringing professional digital services resources where there is a need.”
The need for help has increased for many small-business owners in recent years as projects to repair streets, build new housing and retail space, and upgrade cultural landmarks
like the Alamo have kept customers from their doorsteps.
Early last year, the city announced plans to spend about $2.25 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds on grants for businesses impacted by the lengthy infrastructure projects.
While most City Council members expressed support for the grants, some said the aid
was too little, too late. They were approved about a month after business owners blasted a City Hall plan to direct about $400,000 toward marketing focused on helping small businesses within 13 current or future construction zones with 10 or more small businesses affected by city projects lasting longer than a year.
Now, the city is offering digital
help.
To access the free services, businesses must be based in San Antonio and meet size guidelines. Business owners must complete the Digital Presence Program survey online to begin the process. The program’s organizers then will determine precedence based on which businesses need the most help.
“Businesses will then meet with a digital marketing expert who will go over the report and make a customized plan to improve their online presence related to their website, social media accounts, photos, or videos,” the release said. “Small businesses that need the most assistance or are in areas with long-term City construction projects get extra digital help for free.”
The $700,000 Digital Presence Program is funded with $550,000 of ARPA funds and $150,000 from the city’s general fund, according to city spokesperson Celeste Garcia.
“The $150,000 allocation from the general fund specifically supports small businesses located in long-term city-initiated construction zones,” she said. “This targeted funding recognizes the unique challenges these businesses face and aims to give them the resources they need to boost their online presence and stay competitive during periods of construction-related disruption.”
In addition to downtown, construction along Broadway and St. Mary’s Street, and at Alamo Plaza have made it hard for customers to get to some businesses, resulting in some closures. Additional work along the I-35 corridor and across area highways and interstates also has created headaches for many other businesses.