Facebook has brought together 15 rapidly-expanding small businesses from across the country to form its first UK SME Council – a platform to connect SMEs with Facebook executives.
The initiative was set up to better understand what people need to make their business thrive.
The UK SME Council will meet bi-annually to discuss progress on solutions and new challenges faced by the 70 million businesses from around the world that use Facebook to connect with consumers, and find new customers.
In the latest Future of Business Survey, an ongoing collaboration between Facebook, the OECD and World Bank, more than half (52 per cent) of UK businesses questioned say that they learn from each other and are more confident as a result.
Of businesses that collaborate with their peers to share knowledge, more than half (53 per cent) are confident in the outlook of their business for the next six months.
Some 48 per cent anticipate jobs will be created within their business in the next six months, and 54 per cent are involved in international trade.
Furthermore, half of businesses questioned (50 per cent) seek advice on marketing (finding customers, targeting etc.) and advertising (creating engaging content etc), and over a third (39 per cent) seek advice on digital marketing specifically.
UK SME Council: a platform for businesses to learn from each other
Ciaran Quilty, SME director at Facebook says, ‘There is no better way to understand the challenges that small businesses face, and the opportunities that exist to help them grow, than by talking to them directly.
‘This council will not only give Facebook first-hand knowledge to improve our products and services on behalf of these important business owners, but also provide a forum for them to learn from other fast growing, digitally innovative companies in the UK.’
Olly Sewell, senior manager, SME EMEA adds, ‘We’ve assigned a team dedicated in the UK to understand how businesses use Facebook and Instagram. Using those insights, we’ll work with business owners to help them evolve their approach and continue to tell their stories creatively, at scale – across all devices, and no matter where they are located.’
Further reading on Facebook
