By Sarah Hoben
Main Street America, the national Main Street organization, is expanding the Small Biz Digital Trainers program it launched in 2023. The program is aimed at building small-business owners’ digital skills.
It provides in-person training, individual coaching, and virtual live and on-demand workshops on a variety of topics. MSA developed the program in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group’s research found small-business owners were eager to learn more about digital tools that could help with marketing and operations. The initiative is led by a team of four expert coaches who host quarterly 90-minute webinars, a series of short learning modules, and a weekly office hour for open dialogue and Q&A.
Topic areas include using SMS for marketing, creating video content for social media, choosing the right e-commerce platform, and integrating artificial intelligence into marketing. Since the program kicked off in spring 2023, more than 115,000 people have participated.
In post-training surveys, 94% of program participants said the partnership’s impact on small-business owners has been either somewhat or extremely positive. Seventy-five percent of the respondents indicated the impact was extremely positive.
Main Street also offers a variety of small-business resources on its website, including a series of free, on-demand video workshops and “Main Street Business Insights,” a podcast featuring interviews with Main Street business owners from across the country. Visit bit.ly/4cl2a6D to learn more about the Small Biz Digital Trainers program.
