What Businesses Actually Want From Their BID

Every BID exists to support businesses. Yet one of the biggest challenges many BIDs face is understanding what businesses actually want. It's easy to assume that businesses want more events, more marketing or more initiatives.

However, after speaking with hundreds of businesses across BID areas, we've found that most businesses are looking for something much simpler. They want value. The challenge is that value means different things to different businesses.

Businesses Want More Customers

Let's start with the obvious one.

Most businesses want more people through their doors.

Whether that's through events, marketing campaigns, seasonal promotions or destination activity, businesses want to see initiatives that help attract visitors and encourage spending.

While they may not always engage directly with campaigns, they want to understand how BID activity is helping drive footfall and awareness.

Businesses Want To Feel Heard

One of the most common frustrations we hear is:

"Nobody asked us."

Businesses want opportunities to share ideas, raise concerns and contribute to discussions about the area.

This doesn't mean every suggestion can be implemented, but it does mean businesses want to feel involved in the conversation.

Often, simply listening can be just as valuable as delivering a project.

Businesses Want Clear Communication

Business owners are busy.

They don't have time to read lengthy reports or search for information.

They want communication that is:

• Clear

• Relevant

• Useful

• Easy to access

The most successful BIDs communicate regularly and demonstrate the value they're delivering in a straightforward way.

Businesses Want Visible Results

Many BID activities happen behind the scenes.

While important, they aren't always visible to levy payers.

Businesses want to see:

• Improvements being made

• Campaigns being delivered

• Events taking place

• Partnerships being formed

• Positive outcomes being achieved

Demonstrating impact helps build trust and engagement.

Businesses Want Strong Relationships

At its heart, a BID is about people.

Businesses are far more likely to engage with a BID when they know the team, trust them and feel comfortable having conversations.

That's why occupier liaison remains one of the most important tools available to BIDs.

Relationships drive engagement.

There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Every BID area is different.

A retailer may have different priorities to an office occupier, hospitality venue or service provider.

The key is understanding your audience and creating opportunities to listen.

The strongest BIDs aren't necessarily the ones delivering the most activity.

They're the ones that understand what matters most to their businesses.

Let's Start The Conversation

Whether you're looking to improve business engagement, strengthen communications or better understand your levy payers, we'd love to hear about your experiences.

📧 zest@key-lime.co.uk