Renton Shop Local Program offers grants to small businesses for marketing

Renton businesses can apply now and attend upcoming informational sessions.

With the new Renton Shop Local Program (RSLP), the City of Renton and Sound Publishing are partnering to fund $600,000 in marketing grants with the support of the Renton Chamber of Commerce.

Sound Publishing is bringing the Renton Reporter newspaper back to print in October 2022.

Local small businesses who are eligible can receive up to $8,000 in RSLP grant funds to invest in a marketing program that removes the boundaries between sales and marketing channels to create a unified, integrated approach to promoting an effective Shop Local program in Renton.

There is no financial obligation to a business that participates. Sound Publishing will conduct a consultative marketing analysis with each approved local business. They will return with recommendations to assist each local business reach its 2022/2023 marketing goals.

Learn more and register: Learn more about the grants and get a full overview at one of our informational sessions. Three sessions per day will be offered at 8 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12, and Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the Renton Chamber of Commerce, 625 S. 4th St. Visit the event page (click here) to view all the sessions and make reservations. For more information, contact Advertising Director Carol Greiling: 253-872-6681 or cgreiling@soundpublishing.com.

Our commitment to grantees

• Quality interactions: You will be treated with respect and candor.

• Clear and consistent communications: You will know promptly when a decision has been made on your grant. Sound Publishing will then provide marketing consultation and work with you on a campaign strategy and content creation. You can expect monthly campaign reports from your Sound Publishing consultant once your campaign is underway.

• Flexibility: You will have opportunities to adjust your campaign tactics–as we will use the monthly reporting to make continuous improvements.

Our grantees and partners are at the core of Renton’s economic resurgence. We are most effective when we come together as a community to achieve the shared impact we all desire. Achieving results depends on many factors, including the quality of our partnerships. We can achieve better outcomes by forging stronger relationships with our most important partners — local businesses.

We welcome your feedback along your campaign journey. It is a critical part of our commitment because your ideas and our monthly data assessment will help to ensure success in our mutual goal — to bolster Renton businesses.

“The City of Renton is pleased to partner with Sound Publishing and the Renton Reporter to initiate a Shop Local program for our Renton businesses,” said Amanda Askren, MPA, PLS Acting Economic Development Director, City of Renton. “The Shop Local program will offer a unique opportunity for local businesses to leverage the experience and expertise of the staff at the Renton Reporter to find new ways to market their business. COVID has changed how consumers shop, and as society continues to adapt to the new normal, so must businesses. The Shop Local program helps businesses find new ways to promote themselves and engage with customers in a post-COVID world. We look forward to the economic impact this project will bring to our business community through this advantageous collaboration.”

More information

For more information about this program, contact Advertising Director Carol Greiling: 253-872-6681 or cgreiling@soundpublishing.com. Visit the event page (click here) to view all the sessions and make reservations.