As part of the Med Digital programme, preparations are currently being made for implementing the final stage of the programme which includes a number of workshops and forusm for activating consultation services in the field of digital marketing in Syria in the upcoming months.

The programme aims to support and enhance the use of web solutions as a main tool to promote and market products and services of SMEs in the Mediterranean region and the European Union in Syria, Lebanon and Morocco. The second phase was completed recently which included the training of trainers on digital marketing held in Talinn, Estonia at the premises of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI).

The training workshop’s objectives were to provide additional expertise to national experts of the countries participating in the programme on the best methods and tools of digital marketing enabling them to provide consulting and support to SMEs in their respective countries. The training covered topics such search engine optimization, search engine marketing, getting  the maximum number of page visitors, increasing possibilities of interest in final product or service, blogs, forum, ad campaigns, email marketing etc.

The training was organized by ECCI in cooperation with the Consortium for Commercial Promotion of Catalonia (COPCA), with the participation of experts on digital marketing representing the Syrian Enterprise and Business Centre (SEBC), the International Chamber of Commerce in Syria (ICC-Syria), the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon (CCIAB) and some consultants from the private sectors in participating countries.

As for the first phase of the programme, an evaluation of the current situations of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructures, the role of the government and its support to the ICT sectors and e-commerce initiatives, marketing and media capacities in the countries taking part in the programme. The evaluation resulted in a number of recommendations one of which was to build the capacities of national experts on the methods and tools of digital marketing which took place in the above mentioned workshop in Estonia. At a later stage, transfer of expertise would be done to more beneficiaries such as marketing managers, ICT department managers in SMEs in participating countries.

Med Digital is an initiative of SEBC, and under the management and supervision of the ICC-Syria, in cooperation with CCIAB, the General Confederation of Enterprises of Morocco (CGEM) and CAPCO. The progamme is partially funded by the Invest in MED. Invest in Med is a project funded by the European Union and implemented by ANIMA Network from 2008 -2011 which SEBC joined in 2008. Invest in Med aims at encouraging European direct investments in the Mediterranean in order to foster cooperation joint development in the Mediterranean region.