Businesses in neighbourhood shopping areas in Leicester have been given the opportunity to access expert digital skills training and social media tools to improve their use of social media and increase sales. The initiative was funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Welcome Back grant from Government to support businesses as they recover from the restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
Leicester City Council appointed social media tech company Maybe* to deliver the digital skills training. Businesses that have signed up to the scheme received £400 worth of training to increase their digital skills and capabilities, paid for by the ERDF grant funding.
Insight shows that around 4,500 (18 per cent) of businesses in Leicester are active on social media against a UK average of 24.4 per cent. However, 40% of consumer in England say they are spending more than 3 hours a day on social media†.
The social media training and tools being delivered by the team of experts at Maybe* covers everything from the basics of how to get started on social media through to advanced strategies, such as using Facebook advertising networks to deliver winning sales tactics.
Polly Barnfield OBE, CEO of Maybe* said, “It’s a privilege for Maybe* to be able to support the local commercial neighbour business community in Leicester. We are enjoying working with these local businesses to help them use social media to connect with customers and improve their ability to reach new markets.”
Cllr Danny Myers, assistant city mayor for jobs and skills at Leicester City Council, said: “It’s really important that we support our local businesses to make the most of social media, and the opportunities it can present for growing your customer base.
“Engaging effectively on social media not only reinforces customers from the immediate local community but also has the potential to support local high street businesses to draw customers from all over the city.
“Leicester has a reputation as a great city for entrepreneurship, and we want to do all we can to support that. I hope lots of local businesses will be able to see the benefits of this expert training.”
