North East Enterprise Agency Limited: Digitising our town centres
Digitalising our Town Centres (DTC) support is available to independent town centre traders from across Gateshead, aiming to increase and improve digital skills within businesses. The aim is to help businesses adapt to changes within town centres and drive more traffic into stores and therefore town centres as a whole.
What will the programme cover?
Support available includes a Digital Audit of the business, which features analysis of the company website and other social media, SEO analysis and assessing digital marketing goals.
Businesses will work on a one-to-one basis with an adviser for up to 10 hours to develop and then work through a Digital Action Plan.
Who can apply?
Businesses based in the town centre areas of Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council who are keen to assess and develop their digital skills.
Project summary
This project will work with town centre traders from across Gateshead to increase their digital skills and drive more traffic into their store and therefore the town centre as a whole.
Delivery will take place through a targeted programme with several key elements:
- An initial diagnostic which would look at several key elements: understanding the business and its current business model; the volume of traffic that is entering the store; assessing any digital assets they currently have and assessing their non-digital marketing to analyse the different strands of their business and how/where customers are accessing their store.
- For those with an existing digital presence, a digital audit will subsequently be undertaken. Pending the outcome of the diagnostic, this will incorporate some desk based advisor work alongside direct dialogue with the beneficiary. It is envisaged this will be conducted across approximately a three week period and will consist of the following core elements including digital market goals; website audit; SEO analysis, as well as others.
2022-25 delivery
During this period, 51 clients were supported on programme, with 51 jobs safeguarded as a result and 44 businesses introducing a new technology or process into their business. Anecdotally, clients also reported an increase in both online and offline sales, an improvement in their use of social media for business, increased digital confidence and development of new digital skills.
Contact
Sue Parkinson
sue@s-parkinson.co.uk
07833 741 287
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