More than 14,000 people over the past four years have been trained in Central Macedonia under Google’s initiative, Grow Greek Tourism Online, which aims to train tourism entrepreneurs in digital tools. In 2019 alone, 4,000 people have been trained in Central Macedonia and have met personally with the specialized team of Grow Greek Tourism Online. Overall in Greece, over the five years of operation of this particular Google programme, a total of 120,000 people were trained, 67% of whom saw a difference in their businesses, which sometimes translates to more clicks to their websites or more phone calls and social media interaction.
Google’s next step in supporting Thessaloniki’s small and medium-sized enterprises to grow internationally is Market Finder. This tool provides free guides, videos and information so as to help businesses get into international and export markets.
Market Finder operates as follows:
Step One: It identifies the best markets for each business. Once the entrepreneur registers his website in the Market Finder tool, he will be able to see which export markets are most appropriate for his product or service. It will also show him the number of monthly Google searches for his company’s products as well as the gross domestic product of potential markets. Market Finder analyses consumers’ use of the internet, their demographics and disposable income, providing clear indicators and valuable information on the growth potential of a market.
Step Two: It prepares the business for the world market. Market Finder prepares small and medium-sized enterprises for international success by making them ready for export. This is done with market tracking tools as well as guides and tips that indicate the most effective ways of communicating with new markets, regardless of the language, customs or desired payment methods. In addition, logistics experts describe the rules of international freight shipping services for each selected market. Finally, payment guides present a variety of alternatives available worldwide and point out the most suitable for each market.
Step Three: It brings customers to your business. Market Finder provides digital marketing training to ensure that users who are looking for your business will be able to find it. For example, it shows how to create Google Ads campaigns that, through case presentations, guides and videos, are effective and oriented towards the selected markets.
