As part of its remit to facilitate the promotion of ICT applications in business operations, the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) is currently leading an initiative aimed at addressing potential misconceptions on the use of Internet marketing and highlight how effective this can be in bringing in new business leads amongst local small entrepreneurs, whilst increasing reach to new markets. With the assistance of the Malta Enterprise and the Kordin Business Incubation Centre (KBIC), the MCA is organising a number of short information sessions for entrepreneurs who are seeking to gain an insight into the business value of internet marketing and how it can be leveraged to achieve competitive advantage.
The MCA has engaged the services of a University lecturer specialised in internet marketing to deliver these sessions, who has designed a bespoke programme that covers all the key areas of the subject, in a 3-hour session. Sessions were purposely kept relatively short to encourage attendance by an entrepreneurial audience.
Despite the fact that Internet marketing is no new concept in the world of business, some misconceptions with regard to a detachment from traditional, offline marketing tools prevail amongst entrepreneurs with no formal training on the subject. These sessions are therefore geared towards guiding participants as to how they can avoid common pitfalls that will deflect any genuine efforts in designing a successful Internet Marketing strategy for their respective businesses.
Few of the areas tackled throughout these sessions include:
- Defining a set of clear market objectives to start generating or enhancing the businesses’ online presence
- Highlighting main advantages and challenges of internet marketing
- Identifying best channels for internet marketing
- Understanding the metrics of internet marketing
The MCA is strongly encouraged by the level of interest expressed in these sessions, as well as by the diversity in the entrepreneurial backgrounds from businesses focused on nano-technology to bakery businesses. The Authority is rolling roll out additional sessions to what was originally planned to accommodate the higher than expected demand and to maintain small groups to ensure the highest benefit for each participant.
