Free workshops to boost digital skills for south Wales businesses
FREE BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
SUPERFAST Business Wales, the Welsh Government’s digital technology support service, has launched a new programme of free digital technology workshops starting in January.
Designed for trading businesses, the workshops will give business owners the chance to learn how they can use digital technology to grow their business in an informal setting, with like-minded business people.
Topics include digital marketing, social media, search engine optimisation, and how to increase your web traffic. There is also a dedicated workshop for tourism businesses to get help with using social media to promote their business.
Superfast Business Wales is a fully-funded Welsh Government and European Regional Development Fund-backed scheme offering free one-to-one digital business advice, a free website review, digital technology workshops, and online information hub.
South Wales businesses have been January 8, 9am-1pm, Caerphilly January 9, 9am–1pm, Bridgend January 10, 9am-1pm, Tonypandy January 16, 1pm–5pm, Barry January 17, 9am–1pm, Merthyr Tydfil quick to take advantage of the support available, with more than 2480 registering onto the programme so far.
One business to benefit is Cardiffbased Red Squirrel Marketing run by multi-award winning entrepreneur Damian Burgess:
Mr Burgess said:“Digital is not just part of the service we offer, it’s the backbone of how we operate.
“Although I am tech savvy, I was seeking a fresh pair of eyes to look at my offering, as well as general business support.
“I approached Superfast Business Wales and attended a digital marketing workshop, and received one-to-one advice and a website report.
“One piece of advice that really helped me was to pin down the main services we deliver and to focus on these in our marketing.
“It keeps content on the blog, social media, and e-newsletter focused and consistent. I receive approximately five new enquiries per week via Facebook and the emails send a lot of traffic to the website.
“I also received recommendations on keywords and SEO (search engine optimisation) to increase my visibility in search results. I now get about 12 enquiries per week via my site.”
■ Businesses can register for the free workshops now. The full programme of workshops can be found by searching online for Superfast Business Wales events.