More than 150 people from SME across the midwest attended the first Staying Ahead Roadshow organised by Google today.
Held in partnership with Enterprise Ireland which aims to upskill and educate Irish SMEs in reaching new customers, expanding their businesses, and future-proofing their operations for a digital world.
The Roadshow takes its cue from the Digital Garage breakfast briefings which run regularly in The Foundry, Google’s innovation centre in Dublin.
The series will involve talks and workshops on the various Google tools that can help Irish SMEs find and understand new clients overseas, followed by sessions with key Google executives.
“The midwest region has a strong tradition of innovation which we see every day, working directly with SMEs from the region to help them break into new markets and reach new customers,” said Fionnuala Meehan, head of Google Ireland. “With only 17% of Irish businesses selling across borders online, we see huge opportunities for Irish SMEs, including companies in Limerick, Clare and the midwest, to be innovative in the digital marketplace and to become exporters of goods and services.”
The Staying Ahead Digital Roadshow is part of a dedicated programme which has seen Google provide training in digital skills to more than 60,000 businesses and individuals across Ireland.
Google is now partnering with Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Offices to bring their Digital Garage to a number of regional locations over the coming months. With more than 90% of jobs requiring digital literacy in the near future and small companies growing twice faster when they have a strong web presence, it is crucial that both employers and employees keep up to date with the opportunities presented by online technology.
Caroline Dunlea, CEO, Core Optimisation, a digital marketing agency based in Shannon Co. Clare, said: “Since becoming a Google Premium Partner in 2016 we have significantly grown our client base and seen our revenue grow by 170%. We represent a wide array of clients – both large and small, local and international – and by working closely with Google’s teams we ensure they receive exceptional results and a greatly increased return on investment from their marketing budget.
“Leveraging the power of Google’s suite of tools and industry expertise is today an essential component of any online marketing strategy and delivers definitive, tangible results, even – and often especially – for the smallest of businesses.”
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