Marketing snapshot: A year in review

Despite facing further lockdowns in 2021, our marketing activity was still successful and allowed us to engage with our audience.

Some highlights included our Christmas Family Day where Santa did laps around the precinct in a motorbike sidecar. This was complemented by roving musicians and entertainers to give the precinct a festive atmosphere. We refreshed our food and dining campaign following its success the year prior, to ensure our restaurants, cafes, and eateries were well promoted throughout lockdown periods. We also managed to take several campaigns online, including a virtual experience of Camberwell on Canvas, and maintained production of The Camberwell Citizen. Sustained marketing of the precinct is valuable to all traders, as it allows us to attract people to Camberwell Junction for shopping and services.

HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES COMPLETED IN 2021:

Produced promotions, including advertising and competitions, for New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, food and dining, Father’s Day, Camberwell on Canvas, and Christmas

Created and advertised 3 x seasonal campaigns (autumn, winter, spring) to showcase traders and the precinct, incorporating video, editorial, social media, competitions, and digital advertising

Created and distributed 12 x detailed monthly newsletters to our email database

Created unique content including ‘Meet a Trader’ articles, and guides for seasonal fashion, back to school, food and dining, Black Friday, and Halloween

Ran digital versions of our Business Forum events (free for traders)

Produced 3 x issues of The Camberwell Citizen newspaper with 30,000 copies of each issue distributed to local homes, shops, and key locations

Produced 12 x SEO articles to improve our online profile and search engine performance

Refreshed the ‘What’s on the menu?’ campaign to highlight food and dining category

Produced numerous COVID-19 articles and resources to keep traders informed of governmentdirected changes and updates

Advocated and petitioned for traders at local council on key matters such as parking, dining parklets, and support during COVID-19 trading restrictions

Delivered regular updates to traders including quarterly email and print newsletters.

Our online marketing activities continue to yield strong results. Here’s a snapshot of Camberwell’s digital audience numbers:

• More than 8,200 email addresses in our subscriber database

• More than 151,600 visits to the websites over the past year

• More than 8,700 followers on social media

The Great Camberwell Easter Hunt

As part of our Easter promotions, we will run The Great Camberwell Easter Hunt competition. The competition, which runs annually, encourages people to find the golden eggs hidden on posters in shop windows around the Camberwell Junction precinct for a chance to win a $200 shopping voucher. The more golden eggs that entrants find, the more chances they will have to win, which incentivises people to visit as many shops as possible. The competition is supported by digital advertising and social media activity. This year we will also have the Easter Bunny visit the precinct to meet and greet shoppers, and to share goodwill for the holiday season. Traders can make the most of this opportunity by having photos in-store or in the precinct with the Easter Bunny.

Proposed car park under review

Boroondara Council recently sought community consultation on a proposal to build 90 additional car parking spaces by adding a level on top of the existing council-owned Junction West multi-level car park in Camberwell, funded by the federal government as part of their Urban Congestion Fund. The car park is designed to keep the existing 290 car parking spaces, add approximately 87 new car parking spaces, and

relocate about 14 on-street car parking spaces from the council-owned Harold St car park which will improve pedestrian safety and connection. These additional car parking spaces have the potential to benefit community members who commute by train or tram, as well as visitors who want to shop, dine and explore the Camberwell Junction area. The council is now reviewing consultation findings and, following a meeting in late March, will progress discussions with the government about the funding offer.

Business resources and support

We’d like to remind you about the many resources and business support channels available to assist you in operating your business, including:

• Trader Portal: Be sure to check the Trader Portal on our website for regular news and updates in relation to COVID-19, trading advice, support services, grants, rent relief schemes, government notices, and more. Visit: camberwellshopping.com.au/cca-association-news

• Free webinars: There are regular webinars and workshops listed on the Camberwell Business

website. Many of these are free and cover a range of topics including business operations, bookkeeping, marketing, sales and more. Visit: camberwellbusiness.com.au

• Business Victoria: The Victorian Government offers a comprehensive website which includes a range of valuable information and advice for running your business. Find COVID-19 business information, tools and templates, guides to grants and programs, as well as links to mentoring and workshops. Visit: business.vic.gov.au

• Australian Retailers Association (ARA): The ARA is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body. Representing more than 100,000 retail shop fronts, the ARA informs, advocates, educates, protects and unifies independent, national and international retail members. Their website has helpful resources and guides. Visit: retail.org.au