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3 September 2020 Media Release: Let’s talk more about the businesses we support

Media Release: Let’s talk more about the businesses we support

For Immediate Release
3 September 2020

COVID-19 has severely impacted businesses, including Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). It is for this reason that the Garden Route District Municipality has decided to launch a campaign in collaboration with Garden Route and Klein Karoo Tourism and the Garden Route Development Partnership to help these businesses to recover, remain open and to keep their current employees.

September is also Tourism month, with the focus on boosting tourism and rural development. These role players are critical and play a major role towards the development of rural communities through measures that could alleviate poverty, create jobs and stimulate the economy.

According to the GRDM Tourism Coordinator, Ms Amagene Koeberg, the impact of COVID-19 on the Tourism sector was devastating, causing most businesses not to operate for months. “This resulted in many communities to having no form of income, however communities can help get businesses back on track by promoting them amongst their friends and family on social media,” said Koeberg.

Call-to-Action

Garden Routers are therefore invited to participate in a campaign which seeks to boost the visibility of businesses on social media. This can be done by posting a positive review of a business you often support to your personal profile on social media. We recommend that people include photos/videos of the products or services rendered to make the post more appealing.

For the GRDM to be able to track the campaign success, hashtags of #gardenrouteandme and #myfavouritebusiness have to be used. Posts also need to be made public (shareable). If a person is not making use of social media, pictures or videos can be shared to communications@gardenroute.gov.za. The GRDM primarily uses Facebook and Twitter, but will monitor other social media platforms too.

What does this campaign offer to businesses

The primary benefit for a business is visibility. When Garden Routers promote a business by reviewing it and using the hashtags provided, posts are shared to social media pages of Local Government and Tourism offices. After this, possible re-shares, mentions and interactions might occur. Word-of-mouth is also at play here, because awareness is created about the existence of businesses that might not be known to everyone else. Also, the person sharing pictures and a word of support also means that a business might get some leads.

It is now more than ever before important for us to show businesses our support. Let’s all be committed to get the region back to work safely.

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