Facebook Ireland Launches Free Online Training Series for SMEs

As businesses across Ireland adjust to shop closures and social distancing, SMEs are pivoting from an in-person to online model to keep their employees and businesses afloat during this time of crisis. For some SMEs in Ireland, the task of moving to a digital platform can seem daunting. With this in mind, Facebook Ireland has moved its business training events, ‘Boost with Facebook’ online to provide SMEs with support and tools they need to adapt and survive at this time.

Launching this week, ‘Boost with Facebook’ webinar series will run weekly on Thursdays at 12 pm and will cover essential online business training such as; how to host a virtual event; pushing creative boundaries online in partnership with VidMob; how to effectively market your product on mobile; having a presence on Instagram; how to use different channels to communicate with different customers; and more. The webinars are free and people can register to view them at Boost With Facebook.

This week’s first webinar is in partnership with Shopify and will show businesses how to build a website. Taking place at 12 pm on Thursday 2nd April, experts from Facebook and Shopify will guide businesses through a step-by-step process on how to move their business online. Businesses will learn how to create a domain name, how to build and design a website, add their products, set up payments, create ads on Facebook and Instagram and more. Commenting on the importance of supporting SMEs, communities and the economy during COVID-19, Ciaran Quilty, Vice President of Global Business Group at Facebook said;

“Small and medium-sized businesses are the engine of job growth and development in the Irish economy. It’s crucial now more than ever to support them in any way we can during COVID-19. We decided to launch ‘Boost with Facebook’ online to continue to help small businesses as many of them face unprecedented challenges in how they carry out their day-to-day business and connect with their customers. Through this series of online webinars, we will walk entrepreneurs through a step by step guide on how they can adapt and even thrive during these challenging times.

“We also recently announced a $100 million grant program to help 30,000 small businesses in 30 countries around the world, including Ireland. In addition to this grant, we also launched a new Small Business Resource Hub to support Irish small businesses. The hub has a range of resources such as a resiliency tool kit and online training sessions designed to help businesses minimise disruption during COVID-19. The ‘Boost with Facebook’ webinar series will help businesses put these resources into action over the coming weeks.”

Further updates on the schedule for ‘Boost with Facebook’ webinar series can be found at Facebook Ireland.