This year, an important campaign has been set up to help small businesses get to grips with digital technologies. Do It Digital, the independent, not for profit campaign, has been set up to help small businesses thrive online, whether that be for a website, platform trading or social media.
Matt Hancock, Minister of State responsible for digital and culture policy at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
This years’ campaign aims to help 1 million small businesses with increased access to those businesses and organisations that can help them to thrive. The campaign itself aims to help small businesses with the following:
- Realise the benefits of digital engagement
- Help small businesses take their first steps online
- Get more comfortable and willing to use digital
- Help small businesses to grow
- Gain access to more opportunities
In September 2016, 123 Reg launched Online Business Training. This completely free to use video-based training platform allows small businesses to learn key digital marketing skills in a way that best suits their busy and demanding lives. Continuing to play our part in helping businesses get to grips with digital is incredibly important and to support Do it Digital, we have committed the following.
123 Reg’s Do it Digital Pledge
123 Reg, the UK’s largest domain registrar, is today (13th February 2017) announcing its support for the Do It Digital campaign. Set up in 2000, 123 Reg services over 800k customers including many of the UK’s small and micro businesses, and is determined to help an ever-growing number succeed online. This is because small and micro businesses are the lifeblood of the UK, and they make up nearly a fifth of the UK economy and represent 95% of all businesses.
But there is a skills gap emerging online that needs to be plugged. Research conducted by 123 Reg in 2016 showed that too many business owners lack the basic tools to grow their businesses and steal a march over larger and more established companies. An overwhelming 86% said that they were at best ‘building experience,’ with half saying they have ‘not yet started.’ But as a whole, 70% of micro-businesses thought digital knowledge was critical to their future success and wanted to improve their digital skills.
Enhancing digital skills will be vital for businesses future growth, but also for the UK economy as a whole. But, we fully understand that it isn’t always easy, with time and confidence in many cases, holding people back. To show our support for the Do It Digital Campaign, 123 Reg pledges:
‘In 2017, our aim is to introduce over 150k small businesses to our online resources, in order to help them improve their basic skills online. To achieve this, 123 Reg will focus on three key resources – our business advice blog, online business training platform and our digital skills assessment.’
If you are reading this and you want to learn more, Do It Digital’s #100DaysofDigital has returned. From 22nd December 2016 to 31st March 2017, Do It Digital is highlighting organisations that offer great tips and resources to help small businesses get online and improve their digital capabilities. Many of them are completely free! Head over to #100daysofDigital on Twitter for even more digital help and advice!
