Wellington Businesses Offered the Chance to Learn

MEDIA RELEASE
7th June 2013

Wellington Businesses Offered the Chance to Learn from Some of New Zealand’s Best Business Brains 

·         37 per cent of Wellington SMEs don’t have a website
·         Only 19 per cent of Wellington SMEs who have a website do any mobile marketing

Passion for your product or service is a given for most small business owners, but that doesn’t mean you’re automatically equipped with vital skills like accounting or marketing. Finding time to develop these skills, while managing the day-to-day, is a challenge for those who run small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

This is particularly evident when considering the digital environment SMEs now operate in, which has changed the way consumers interact with companies and purchase products. It is vital for SMEs to up-skill to future proof their business.

In a bid to help Wellington SMEs access information to run their business better, Yellow® is hosting The Biz™, a free education and networking event, supported by Xero, GoogleTM, Telecom, Gen-i and BNZ. The nationwide tour visits Wellington on June 10.

Evan Lawrey, marketing director at Yellow®, says The Biz™ was created after conducting the Yellow SME Digital Readiness Survey[1]. The research, conducted by Colmar Brunton, revealed 37 per cent of Wellington businesses don’t have a website and only 19 per cent of SMEs who have a website do any mobile marketing.

“During the last three years New Zealanders’ personal mobile internet use[2] has doubled[3], indicating that while having a website is vital for marketing your business or product it is only the first step. It is now becoming increasingly important for websites to be mobile-friendly for people who search on the go,” says Lawrey.

Lawrey is quick to point out that, of those Wellington SMEs that do have a website, 28 per cent plan to implement a mobile website, mobile application or text marketing within the next year. Another 21 per cent of businesses plan to get a website in the same time period.

The findings suggest many Wellington SMEs plan to expand their digital tool kit. The Biz™ Wellington will provide a forum for local businesses to share their stories, and learn from some of New Zealand’s best business brains, about a wide range of topics including digital marketing, research, customer management and business finance.

The presenters include Tenby Powell, of Hunter Powell Investment Partners, a passionate SME advocate who is convener of the Government’s Small Business Development Group and founder of the New Zealand SME Business Network.

“The best thing Wellington small business owner can do is up-skill themselves. Seeking sound advice from business advisors and networking with other SME owners is vital in order to grow a business and prepare it for the future. Throughout my networks I find that businesses that don’t invest in education, don’t reach their full potential,” says Tenby. 
In addition to inspiration from Tenby, Malcolm Rands, founder of ecostore, Stu McKinlay founder of Yeastie Boys and Declan Scott, co-founder of SHE Chocolat will share their stories, challenges and successes.

Yellow®, KPMG and Colmar Brunton will also provide priceless information on industry trends, how to set your business up for success and how to to overcome challenges.

Wellington event details:
10 June, 2013      
Trentham Racecourse
10 Racecourse Road
Trentham
Upper Hutt
To register visit www.bizevents.co.nz
First session: 8am – 10:30am
Networking and light breakfast from 8am, with presentations starting at 8:30am
Second session: 5pm – 7:30pm
Presentations start at 5:30, with drinks and canapés served afterwards
The Yellow® SME Digital Readiness Survey results include:
·         49 per cent of Wellington SMEs use social media, compared with 30 per cent of Christchurch SMEs and 65 per cent of Southland SMEs
·         32 per cent of Wellington SMEs use email marketing, compared with the national average of 32 per cent
·         13 per cent of Wellington SMEs don’t use any online marketing tools, compared with 29 per cent of Northland SMEs and seven per cent of Tasman SMEs
·         21 per cent of Wellington SMEs plan to implement social media in the next year or so, compared with 16 per cent of Otago SMEs and  22 per cent of Auckland SMEs
·         32 per cent of Wellington SMEs have a listing on an online directory and 31 per cent plan to create one in the next year or so
·         35 per cent of Wellington businesses with a website are using search engine optimisation to drive people to the website. A further 28 per cent of these businesses are considering implementing search engine optimisation in the next year or so
·         10 per cent of Wellington SMEs with websites currently use online videos about their products and services to market their products, and a further 33 per cent of these businesses plan to add videos to their marketing mix within the next year or so.

Source: Yellow® SME Digital Readiness Survey (Colmar Brunton SME Panel - Overall sample size = 1008 and Wellington sample size = 167)

1 Colmar Brunton’s online SME panel, made up of self-employed businesses, business owners or key decision makers representative of the NZ business population
2 Mobile internet use is defined as internet use connecting through cellular, datacards, hotspots or Wi-Fi
3 Statistics New Zealand. Household Use of Information and Communication Technology: 2012

ENDS

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