Give your business a free marketing boost
21 January 2008
A free programme which aims to help people successfully market their businesses has been launched.
The business support programme is being held on a number of dates during the year at the Derbyshire County Council-run Markham Vale Environment Centre at Markham Vale near Chesterfield.
The programme, which is being run by Derbyshire County Council and the European Regional Development Fund, consists of two workshops and people signing up are asked to attend both sessions to fully benefit.
The first workshop helps people identify markets and potential customers for their business and then set out a strategy to help them gain more sales.
The second workshop helps people to evaluate the image of their business, looking at their marketing materials and websites, and then giving advice to make them more effective.
Using a mix of communications, with an emphasis on IT, experts running the programme will show how people can use the marketing materials available to them to make them work more successfully.
The programme also gives those taking part the opportunity for a one-to-one business advice session with a specialist adviser and on-going networking opportunities.
The first sessions are being planned for late January, early February and exact dates will be set up when it is clear what the demand is for the programme.
Each programme will be limited to 15 people so places will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
After each session people will be able to look around the Markham Vale Environment Centre – the county council’s flagship building for the £65 million Markham Vale regeneration scheme.
Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for regeneration Councillor Geoff Carlile said: “These free courses will be incredibly useful for people running their own businesses and I’m sure they will prove very popular.
“The right marketing of a business can greatly enhance it, leading to increased sales and more secure jobs, which is why we are right behind this programme.”
He added: “The Markham Vale Environment Centre is the perfect setting for a course like this and I hope after the sessions people will take the chance to have a look around the state-of-the-art facilities.”
To ensure your place on the first programme contact Markham Vale Environment Centre manager Trudi Novakovic on 01246 826000.
(MC:19.08)
