Guest post by Tarik Zahzah, Head of Global Partnerships at Visable
Government agencies all over the world are supporting SMEs in their export business by subsidising trade fair appearances.
But moving people and complex goods, such as machines, around the globe to be displayed at an event is costly and in times of growing climate consciousness increasingly questionable.
Covid-19 is further complicating matters, as the pandemic has led to most of the leading industry events being cancelled.
For this reason, several government agencies have collaborated with Visable: With years of experience in increasing the presence of B2B-focused SMEs digitally, the platform-provider is a strong partner in the agencies’ efforts to promote commercial exports.
Many government agencies are focused on helping small and medium-sized enterprises stimulate exports. While they do this by subsidising trade show appearances and promotional activities, Visable supports businesses’ sales efforts digitally: A listing on its leading B2B platforms EUROPAGES and wlw (“Wer liefert was”) helps companies connect with purchasers around the globe.
In addition, Visable offers a range of online marketing services geared towards maximising companies’ visibility on the web.
These digital options are becoming more and more important, since conventional means of boosting sales, such as trade shows, expos and other industry events, are both cost prohibitive and, given the cancellations due to Covid-19, increasingly limited.
Moreover, even the leading trade fairs have been reporting diminishing visitor numbers for years. Government agencies therefore are looking for alternative ways to promote trade on a global scale.
The alternatives provided by Visable support export sales at a fraction of the cost otherwise spent on personnel, floor space and booth rental as well as travel expenses, logistics, giveaways etc.
The platform-provider thus helps government agencies optimise their budget while backing them in their mission to promote commercial exports.
Digitalisation as a main challenge for SMEs
Government agencies and their offices worldwide are vital supporters of local businesses when it comes to increasing exports. Visable is working with tens of thousands of SMEs in the B2B sector exporting goods across Europe and beyond.
Both from its work with these companies and from collaborations with government agencies, the B2B experts know that there is a significant need for education on digital means of furthering export and sales operations.
Most of the SMEs in question do not have designated digital marketing teams and due to a lack of resources and guidance often make poor investment decisions during their first forays into the digital world.
However, the pandemic has shown that most industrial companies are strongly dependent on using digital tools to keep their supply chains stable. Without a well-thought-out digital strategy, many SMEs are at risk of not surviving the pandemic.
In order to further develop the digital prowess of B2B focused companies, Visable offers an education program tailored to each country and the requirements of their local SMEs.
In several sessions, this bootcamp provides them with the know-how needed to increase their digital presence and to maximise their success on international markets.
Following Visable’s collaboration with the Moscow Export Centre, more than 20 Russian companies have already joined the B2B digital marketing training program – the Visable Accelerator – and another 20 are on their way. They will continue to participate in the Accelerator Program in order to further educate local SMEs and promote the digitalisation of their sales.
More information here
