Workshop aims to help businesses build online presence

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that businesses that are online grow 40 percent faster than those not with an Internet presence.

In an effort to help small businesses and nonprofits in Rocky Mount, Nash and Edgecombe counties and the entire region in Eastern North Carolina strengthen their online existence, Google will provide a workshop entitled “Reach Customers Online with Google,” that will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Oct. 18 on the campus of the Rocky Mount Mills.

The workshop will be conducted by Pamela Starr, a professional national small business trainer at Google. The program will cover how to get on Google search and maps for free, utilize free online tools and best practices for creating a free Google My Business listing, improving small business visibility in Google’s organic search results on all devices and advertising small businesses on Google.

“Small businesses are the engine of local economies, and when they flourish their communities do as well, and we want businesses in Eastern North Carolina to do well,” Starr said. “We want to help every local business get their information online to accelerate their growth potential.”

The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, the Rocky Mount Mills and NC SCORE are partnering with Google to host the workshop. SCORE is the nation’s largest network of volunteer and expert business mentors. NC SCORE consists of 10 chapters serving North Carolina.

Rocky Mount resident Mark Frohman, who has spent the past 35 years as a consultant for major corporations and nonprofits around the country, founded the Upper Coastal Plain SCORE chapter. It offers free counseling to entrepreneurs and small business owners in a five county area, including the Twin Counties.

Frohman was invited to one of the Google workshops in Raleigh. He was able to connect with Starr at the meeting, and she agreed to lead the workshop in Rocky Mount.

Frohman explained from fact-finding why it’s so vital for local and regional small businesses to attend the workshop and why building up their presence online or on social media is critical for growth, staying competitive and being relevant to customers or consumers.

“Research has showed that four out of five customers use search engines to find local information, yet less than two out of five businesses have claimed their listing on a search engine,” Frohman said. “In our region, it’s less than that, so there is a huge gap. The company that do uses online tools have the effect of trippling their likelihood to reach a potential customer.”

Frohman said that many small business owners are just inexperienced with the idea of promoting their online presence.

“Most of these small business owners are older, and this whole internet or online thing is foreign and wasn’t something they got in school,” Frohman said. “It’s not part of their wheelhouse, so they aren’t familiar with the opportunity to build their presence online and certainly not familar with the tools.”

Frohman said his goal is to sell 200 tickets, but to have at least 100 people come to the workshop, and feels confident that will occur. He added Google has requested to have a minimum of 50 people in attendance. Frohman hopes this workshop will be the catalyst of more things being done to help local and regional small businesses.

“This is not about one event, but developing a drumbeat for small businesses in Eastern North Carolina where they can get useful practical information,” Frohman said. “We need something where they will continue to come to reinforce what they’re learning. Small businesses help our economy grow. We have to help our small businesses prosper so they can create jobs, which will help our communities and region do well.”