Thank you for taking the time to fill out our application for our November 1st - November 30th 2023 Holiday Virtual Market. Organized and facilitated through our Ontario Small Business Community. We use our ever growing platforms as a tool to promote and support small businesses, creatives, entrepreneurs, and artists. With a focus on e-commerce traffic, reaching new potential customers and building social presence. This is an ideal and affordable way for sellers to maximize their reach, content value, and drive potential customers to their e-commerce platforms. Thank you for sharing your brand and goods with us! We look forward to working with you and helping you build your online presence and introduce customers to your brand and goods. ​

Fee To Participate: $50.00

Date: November 1st - November 30th 2023

What Your Participation Fee Includes:

• Promotional posts on Instagram (43k+ followers) & Facebook (9k+ followers). That includes the four pictures of your product/service. Unique and appealing copy written by our team tailored to your brand that shares your unique brand and its features, story and value. Intended to elevate and appeal to a wide customer audience. Compete with hashtags relevant to your brand and to widen your reach of potential customers and relevance in social search and social algorithms. With direct links to your Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok and website/online platform. Post stays active across all social media channels for one calendar year.
• Weekly engagement posts that engage our community with the small businesses participating in our virtual market for a specific season. Via our small business Sunday initiative. This builds engagement consistently and on a weekly basis. This is once a week for the duration of the virtual market - four weeks in total. 
• One Instagram video reel with direct links to sellers website/online platform Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok. 

Please Note: It is not mandatory to have all of these platforms. We suggest that sellers have at least two platforms they are using for their business. Example: Website, Facebook and Instagram | Website, Instagram and TikTok | Facebook and Instagram. We find it most effective when we can offer potential customers a couple different platforms to connect with you and your business. When doing your posts on any platform we will include whatever social platforms or websites related to your business you have.

• A portion of your free, $10 will be spent on paid advertising of your post on Facebook and Instagram. With direct links to your website/online platform. Using geographically targeted ads for your small business to help introduce you to new potential consumer audiences. 
• All sellers' websites and online platforms along with social links. Are listed in our Facebook event, which is before the start of the virtual market paid to be promoted though Instagram/Facebook. As well as  will be shared by other sellers as well and engaged customers and shop local enthusiasts.
• Two Instagram/Facebook stories. All with direct links that send potential customers directly to your website or online platform. The first Instagram/Facebook story is a seller spotlight, the second is a story that includes your reel for further re3ach and viewability. 
• On your specific seller promotional day, your Instagram page and online store listed in our Instagram bio for a full 24hrs. Once your feature day is complete, said sellers website/online platforms will be listed in our Linktree bio and active for 90 days after the virtual market is completed. 
• Advertisement of any sales, deals, or promotions you may be having while the virtual market is taking place. 

Please Note: If you are planning on running a sale, have deals on offer or promotions. We strongly suggest using a code for folks to access said sale, deal or promotion should it be applicable. The reason for this is sites like ''Honey'' and their browser extensions look for discount codes on sites, socials and other places. Putting it into a database, so should a person land on your site and have that extension on their device. They are statistically more likely to finish a purchase if there is a code available, which the extension provides to them. Many large brands do not have ''automatic' discounts for this reason. So they can convert potential customers into buyers. This also allows you to stop and start a sale, discount or promotion when you wish to and have better control over your customer funneling. 

• All sellers are listed in our virtual market guide. Which stays up and active for one calendar year on our Instagram. Each seller is listed with a picture of their offerings, direct links to their socials and websites/online platforms. 
• All sellers' first story posted on their feature day - seller spotlight. Is saved in the highlights section of our Instagram under the virtual market they participated in. Which stays up and active for one calendar year. It includes a photo, direct links to the sellers Instagram as well as a link to the sellers website/online platform. 
• All sellers are listed on our website which receives 2k+ unique visitors a month. Listening stays active for 90 days after the virtual market has taken place and while it is running. Each seller's listing includes a photo of their offerings, and direct link to each seller's website/online platform.
• All sellers included in an introduction post on Instagram and Facebook. This pre promotion is prior to the start of their virtual market. Complete with sellers websites/online platforms and socials. This is group promotion of the sellers as a whole to help sellers promote themselves and their fellow small businesses. 
• One mini group post virtual market prior to the start of the virtual market. Where sellers are broken down into small groups and promoted as a grouping, that includes pictures of the small businesses item or service. Along with their websites/online platforms, as well as their socials. This smaller group promotion gives our audience a sneak peek at your brand and is called passive pre promotion or if it is post the market this is called recapture promotion. 
• All sellers spotlight post shared to industry relevant groups of potential customers on Facebook. To widen your reach as a small business and provide visibility for your small business to new audiences. For instance if you are a fashion brand - we are going to share your spotlight posts in groups of fashion enthusiast. If you are a baker - we will share your spotlight posts to food enthusiast groups. 

Find our social, website and other links below. So you can get to know us and what we do better.