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Business district launches ‘Explore Webster’ content framework and marketing subcommittee
Summary
The Webster Groves Business District Commission approved a marketing subcommittee process to vet business-submitted content for the city’s Explore Webster platforms, aiming to centralize social posts and refresh the city website; staff reported roughly 11,000 Facebook and 4,000 Instagram followers and a website refresh planned for May.
The Webster Groves Business District Commission on an unspecified date agreed to a formal content-review process for Explore Webster, the business-led initiative to amplify local merchants through social media and the city website.
A presenter (Speaker 10) described the proposed framework: businesses would submit content to a marketing subcommittee for review and the subcommittee would send approved packages to the city for posting. "We presently have about 11,000 followers on the Facebook page or around 4,000 on Instagram," the presenter said when describing current reach. He also said the city is planning a website refresh tentatively scheduled for May to improve the community calendar and search performance, and recommended a secure file-transfer tool (FileTransfer.io) to exchange large media files.
Commissioners focused on process details. Speaker 6 urged creating regular submission and review deadlines to prevent an uncontrolled avalanche of content and to make posting predictable for businesses. The commission discussed whether BDC letterhead should be used on recruitment materials and what kinds of business representatives the subcommittee should recruit, with suggestions ranging from marketing professionals to college interns. Speaker 4 emphasized the need to collect marketing data from participating businesses so the subcommittee can identify what produces revenue rather than just engagement.
Members also discussed governance: the marketing subcommittee will vet content and provide recommended formats (image sizes, file types) for social platforms; the city’s IT staff advised against using Dropbox and suggested a secure transfer platform. The presenter reiterated that the initiative is primarily an industry-driven effort supported by the city rather than a city-run advertising program.
Next steps: commissioners tasked Speaker 4 and city staff to finalize a recruitment letter for subcommittee members, to set a proposed calendar of submission/review deadlines, and to start recruiting marketing professionals and business liaisons. The commission directed staff to circulate a draft of the letter and a one-paragraph summary of the content process for inclusion in the next newsletter.
