Call For Lower Manhattan Small Businesses to Apply for Get Social — a Social Media Bootcamp
The Alliance for Downtown New York, the nonprofit managing Lower Manhattan’s business improvement district, has opened applications for Get Social, a free program to teach local businesses how to best use social media to enhance their business. The Alliance will pair 10 businesses with social media consultants, each of whom has demonstrated skills and strategic insight in how to build an audience on a variety of platforms. The Alliance will also provide each participating business with a $1,500 grant to spend on advertising and content creation.
“We’re on the ground every day talking with store owners, and we often hear about struggles to make an impact in the digital space,” said Jessica Lappin, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York. “Our program aims to solve this dilemma — training businesses to use social media effectively and have fun while engaging with potential customers.”
Eligible participants must meet the following criteria:
- Be open at the time of application
- Be an independent business with no more than five locations in New York City
- Not be a national chain or franchise
- Be located in the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District
This program is part of a continuing effort by the Alliance to help Lower Manhattan’s business community recover from the Covid-19 crisis. In 2020, the Alliance awarded over $600,000 in rental assistance grants and, at the height of New York’s pandemic, provided 25 small businesses with one-on-one technical assistance to ensure Covid-compliance. The Alliance also formed a partnership with the platform BentoBox to offer local restaurants a free alternative to third-party delivery services.
Businesses can apply at downtownny.com/getsocial