Yes, Denver, We’re Open was launched today to help bring awareness—and business—to the small locally-owned businesses that have remained open during the COVID-19 crisis to serve our community. What started as random acts of kindness by Westerra Credit Union employees, giving $10 gift cards from local businesses to people using the credit union’s drive-up facilities, has turned into a metro-wide campaign to let people know about the businesses they can use now, while helping the business get through the impacts of the pandemic.
“Small businesses are the heart and soul of our community,” said Jay Champion, President/CEO of Westerra Credit Union. “They are serving meals to our first-responders, making deliveries to our hospitals, and feeding families to try to preserve some sense of normalcy in these not normal times – all while complying with our Governor’s orders for safety and security, and trying to keep people employed.”
Westerra created the Yes, Denver, We’re Open website where small, locally-owned businesses can complete a short questionnaire about their business – and Westerra then creates a social media campaign by sharing a post about their business with the credit union’s 125,000 members and social media followers. By tagging the business, they can then share it with their followers, amplifying visibility for the business. Westerra is putting its own marketing dollars behind boosting the Facebook posts in the targeted areas where the businesses are located. Yes, Denver, We’re Open also provides a tool kit for the small business with signs, graphics and social media templates for getting the word out that they are open for business.
“We believe the best thing we can do right now with the marketing dollars we usually spend on our brand, is to spend them on those who are giving back to the people and places we serve,” said Champion. “As a locally-owned business ourselves, we understand the critical need to be here for our members, our employees, and our community now, through the impacts of COVID-19, and for the future.”
The credit union is also offering relief loans and skip payment options to consumers and businesses, Champion said, including the Paycheck Protection Program through the US Small Business Administration to help get relief for small businesses and their employees. With Yes, Denver, We’re Open, Westerra can do even more to help the community.
“We're standing by to do our part to support the local small businesses that are the lifeblood of our economy,” Westerra Chief Marketing Officer Wade Paschall added. “They are being there for our communities. Now, we want to be there for them. We’re asking everyone to help by following Westerra on Facebook and sharing the posts for these small businesses with your friends and family when we put them up. Our hope is this will help businesses who currently remain open, and we will do the same for other businesses when they are able to reopen.”
Locally-owned small businesses who would like free advertising through Yes, Denver, We’re Open should go to www.denverisopen.com.
To learn more about Westerra’s relief efforts, go to www.westerracu.com.