Facebook is currently introducing Facebook Community Boost. A program to help small businesses in the US grow and also to equip more people with digital skills so as to compete in the latest economy.Facebook Community Boost (FCB) will visit about 30 US cities in this year. The cities to be visited includes Houston, St. Louis, Albuquerque, Des Moines and Greenville, South Carolina. Facebook is set to work together with local enterprises to provide digital skills and training for people in need of work, to help already existing businesses and also non-profits get the most out of the internet and to advise entrepreneurs on how to get started. It has been noted that since 2011 Facebook has invested more than $1billion to support small business. The Boost Your Business program is said to have trained more than 60,000 small business in the US and hundreds of thousands more around the world.
The Facebook’s free online learning hub “Blueprint” has experienced the usage of over 1 million small businesses user and about 70 million small businesses have also used the free page to make their business presence online.
Based on previous research by Mornin Consult and US Chamber of Commerce Technology Engagement Center and Facebook, small business’ use of digital translates into new jobs and opportunities for communities across the country. Small businesses provide opportunities for communities all over the country.
According to newsroom.fb.com
- About 80% of US small and medium businesses on Facebook say the platform helps them connect to people in their local community.
- Businesses run by African Americans, Latinos, veterans and those with a disability are twice as likely to say that their business was built on Facebook, and one and a half times more likely to say they’ve hired more people since joining the platform
- One out of three US small and medium-sized businesses on Facebook say they built their business on the platform, and 42% say they’ve hired more people due to growth since joining Facebook.
- 56% of US small and medium-sized businesses on Facebook say they increased sales because of the platform; 52% of say Facebook helps them sell products to other cities, states, and countries.
Facebook CEO and co-founder said they are looking forward to making it easier for people to grow their business or find a job. He further announced the dates for the first five US tours which includes:
- St. Louis, Missouri – March 26 – 30
- Houston, Texas – April 3 – 6
- Albuquerque, New Mexico – April 30 – May 4
- Greenville, South Carolina – May 29 – Jun 1
- Des Moines, Iowa – June 4 – 8
It was also revealed that businesses using Facebook to hire has recorded increase in sales. The use of facebook page tool has increased the growth of since the invention of the platform.
US state-level data can be found in the full report and in dashboards at economy.fb.com.
To make sure these programs fully benefit each community, the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Said “we’re working with Morning Consult to survey business managers and people in search of skills and work in each city we plan to visit. We want to find out what digital skills would be most valuable and then build programs accordingly”.
The Facebook team has revealed the observation they have made over-time with their first stop on the tour:
- There are wide gaps between the digital skills job seekers know they need and the skills they feel they have. While 93% of jobs and skills seekers say digital skills are important when looking for a job, only 12% rate themselves highly in this area.
- Managers also see gaps in the skills they need to grow their businesses. For example, the majority of managers in St. Louis said that creating a mobile-friendly interface was important to growing their business, but very few saw themselves as proficient.
We’re committed to investing in small businesses and their communities, and we’re excited to continue to share what we learn along the way. Find out more and share your feedback.
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