Member Article

Digital campaign reaches 20,000 businesses in 100 days

Not-for-profit campaign, ‘Do It Digital’ has rounded off its annual 100 Days of Digital and nationwide digital roadshow having provided digital makeovers for small businesses around the country, delivered workshops attended by around 500 people and watched online by an estimated 20,000 small business owners.

During its two-week digital roadshow to ten locations around the country, including Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester and London, the campaign delivered hands-on advice sessions and workshops. The roadshow also brought to a close the campaign’s 100 Days of Digital, which signposts readily available opportunities for assistance with digital and online training and services available to small business owners up and down the country. The campaign will continue throughout the year with further events and workshops available free of charge to small business owners.

The campaign has also moved closer to its target of helping 1 million more small businesses become digitally active in 2017. HSBC, eBay UK, Google, Nominet, the official registry for .UK domain names and 123Reg, the domain name registration and web hosting provider among others to make pledges to help in excess of half a million small businesses. Other organisations are expected to make further commitments in the coming weeks.

The campaign has also received Government backing. Matthew Hancock, Minister of State for Digital and Culture, says:

“We want to see the benefits of the digital economy spread across the country to help build a stronger and fairer Britain that works for everyone. Our Digital Strategy sets out how we are working closely with businesses and others to improve the nation’s digital skills as part of this ambition.

“Small and medium-sized businesses with a strong online presence grow twice as quickly as those with little or no presence, export twice as much and create twice as many jobs, and the Do It Digital campaign is doing a tremendous job at equipping businesses around the UK with the digital tools they need to succeed.”

Michelle Ovens MBE, Director at Do It Digital, says:

“What has become clear over the past few months, both during the 100 Days and on the nationwide roadshow, is the appetite that exists among small business owners across the country to embrace digital for the benefit of their business. That’s both encouraging but also indicative of the size of the challenge and the opportunity that still exists to get our small businesses digitally equipped for the present as well as the future. That’s why we welcome the pledges we have received and why we are committing to carry on working towards our 1 million target and continuing the campaign with additional activity throughout the rest of the year.”

For more information visit www.doitdigital.co.uk , on Twitter @doitdigitaluk , and at www.facebook.com/doitdigitaluk

Ends.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Howard Robinson .