Businesses in the Dublin region are being given an opportunity to enhance their digital skills through a new partnership between Dublin Chamber and the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI).

Dublin Chamber has struck an exciting new partnership with the DMI, which will see Chamber members provided with free access to the Institute’s suite of world-class training courses and resources for a period of three months.

Dublin Chamber said the deal comes at a critical time for companies as they seek to adapt to a rapidly changing world and to accelerate their digital transformation. The Chamber said it had sought access to the DMI’s courses for its members in response to feedback from firms regarding their need to upskill to help them further their digital capabilities in response to the challenges posed by Covid-19.

There are no incremental fees for Chamber members and no limit to the number of staff from member organisations who can get access to these valued online resources.

The deal provides Chamber members with unlimited access to the DMI’s resource hub, which includes more than 500 assets, ranging from toolkits, templates, how-to guides, video demos, live webinars, short courses, case studies, and career development tools. Individuals can access up to 10 classes from the DMI’s award-winning programme, offering advice on areas such as:

•             Staying relevant: Social media marketing for business
•             Making your mark: Search Engine Optimisation
•             Being found: Paid search advertising
•             Boosting sales: E-commerce
•             Finding audiences: Digital and social selling for sales teams
•             Embracing digital and getting ahead: Digital strategy and planning

Companies can learn important skills such as: how to grow and engage a community around their brand using social media; how to execute pay-per-click campaigns using Google Ads while tracking conversations through analytics; how to learn key sales concepts underpinning effective website optimisation, website traffic generation, conversion rate optimisation, and analytics.

According to the Dublin Chamber CEO Mary Rose Burke: “We want to make sure companies have the skills they need to recover quickly over the coming months. We know from listening to our members that there is a big demand for help with digital skills. This partnership, which provides access to the best marketing courses and resources available, will be a game-changer for businesses. The importance of having a strong digital presence has never been higher. The Covid-19 pandemic has required many firms to speed up their adoption of digital techniques in order for them to keep their business functioning. Activities such as social media, online advertising, website optimisation, paid search, and analytics are now hugely important for companies.  Given the high levels of remote working that is taking place, combined with the need for social distancing and the reduced levels of physical meetings and interactions.

“The difficulty that many firms have is that they don’t have the digital skills required to take their business to the next level in each of these areas. At the same time, we know that budgets are tight for many companies currently, so this free access to DMI’s resources could not come at a better time. We are proud to be working with the DMI to deliver businesses with the kind of help they need to recover from the current crisis and to push their business on,” Ms. Burke added.

According to DMI CEO Ken Fitzpatrick: “It’s a critical time in business as we collectively recognise the urgent need to pivot with business and marketing talent, making them adaptable to emerging technologies and shifting customer demands. We are delighted to partner with the Dublin Chamber to provide ongoing learning, training, and certification opportunities for always-relevant digital acceleration as it delivers a clear pathway to business and career success.”

“Marketers are struggling with how to future-proof their organizations in the light of a skills challenge. Those organisations that come out on top will be diligent about ongoing employee development to build agile teams that can easily adapt to an era of constant change.”