Member Article

Big Social Media Show a big success

Over 200 small businesses and SMEs from across Yorkshire joined Superfast West Yorkshire and Microsoft at the Big Social Media Show on Monday March 9.

The event saw digital skills specialists and leading trainers in the field speaking and hosting breakout sessions aimed at helping them get online and make the most of the digital marketplace.

Held at Leeds Beckett University the event provided practical help with topics such as generating leads via social media, building your ideal social network and creating content for social media, as well as specialist sessions on social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Opened by Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, the event is in response to research which has shown that more than half of consumers (55%) find it difficult to shop locally because local businesses aren’t online with a business website.

It also showed that one in three customers (39%) have had to buy goods and services outside of their local areas against their wishes, because they can’t find local companies listed on the Internet.

The businesses attending ranged from those that currently had no digital presence to those that needed to fine tune social media campaigns. Many praised the event for being informative, bringing to their attention ideas they had not ever considered before and giving them the chance to network with other businesses from across the region.

Sharon Jandu, Strategic Partnerships Small and Medium Business Microsoft Ltd commented: “The right technology can help businesses succeed, innovate and grow, and Cloud technologies in particular have levelled the playing field and made IT accessible for businesses of all sizes, rather than just the largest enterprises. It’s great to be meeting lots of small businesses at the Superfast West Yorkshire Big Social Media Show.”

Ian Gray, chair of the Superfast West Yorkshire project board said: “It has been fantastic to see so many small businesses attend the Big Social Media Show today.

“There has been a real buzz about the event, and it really shows that local businesses across our city region are keen to broaden their skills and knowledge of social media.

“The speed at which social media is dominating the business agenda is only set to continue, and through offering businesses the chance to harness this potential we hope to see many more businesses with an online presence reaching wider audiences.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .