More businesses are being urged to join Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID) after the launch of a new online system which makes it easier to become a member.
The BID is committed to promoting Shrewsbury and improving the trading environment for town centre businesses through ongoing support, lobbying and the delivery of programmes, projects and services.
Businesses within the river loop with a rateable value of more than £12,000 are automatic members of the BID, but membership is also open to those who don’t meet this criteria, and it is now easier than ever to join.
Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said: “Businesses within 15 minutes walk of The Square and those below the £12,000 threshold can become a voluntary member of the BID, which gives them access to all our projects, campaigns and services.
“It may be that some businesses falling within this category have previously been unaware they could join the BID, and this seems a good time to explain the situation with the new steps we are taking to simplify membership.
“We have made it much easier to join by launching a new online payment system and hope this will encourage more businesses to get involved. Ultimately, the more members we have, the bigger our collective voice in pursuing our mutual goals of making Shrewsbury a thriving, vibrant and successful town for business.”
Businesses also have an option to become an ‘Original Shrewsbury’ member, which gives them access to the Original Shrewsbury website and social media platforms.
Seb added: “Again, this is open to any business within 15 minutes of The Square, accommodation providers within five miles and any attraction and education providers within 20 miles of Shrewsbury town centre.
“The website is now the number one site for what’s on listings in Shrewsbury, and members are able to add their own events which can be accessed by a wide audience.
“The Original Shrewsbury social media channels are hugely popular, with followers currently standing at more than 20,000 across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
“We have recently started offering Instagram takeovers, where a business uses the Instagram account to promote themselves over a weekend, and these have typically reached over 7,000 people and increased the businesses’ followers by 16 per cent.”
To find out more about becoming a member of Shrewsbury BID, email members@shrewsburybid.co.uk visit www.shrewsburybid.co.uk or call 01743 358 625.
