The programme will be launched in partnership with the Saudi ministry of communications and information technology and the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority
Social media major Meta announced the launch of Saudi Arabia’s first ‘Meta Boost’ – formerly Boost with Facebook – a global program focused on training and enablement for small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
‘Meta Boost’ was launched in partnership with the Saudi ministry of communications and information technology (MCIT) and the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at).
Meta will also work with AstroLabs, the technology ecosystem builder that enables the growth of people, companies, and innovation capacities on a regional level, to support the management and execution of the SMB trainer-led workshops in Saudi Arabia.
The program aims to support 20,000 SMEs with educating and training on the use of Meta products and tools to accelerate their business growth online.
It is aimed to increase the productivity of Kingdom SMEs and increase their contribution to GDP to 35 percent by 2030, in keeping with the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030.
SMEs in Saudi Arabia leverage social media and digital tools and see them as a fast and personal way to connect with their customers, according to a SMB survey by Ipsos.
As high as 52 percent of SMEs reported that their business currently has plans to establish greater online presence and reach, while 65 percent of SMEs surveyed said that digital personalized ads are more effective than traditional advertising at helping their business increase the cost effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.
Assistant deputy minister for technology and investment at MCIT Nasser Alnasser said MCIT ambitious efforts aimed to contribute to the digital economy of the Kingdom, and SMEs are considered as a key integral part of the sector and a cornerstone of its future plans which are driven by Vision 2030.
“We at MCIT are proud to work with Monsha’at and Meta to support SMEs through Meta Boost to realize those plans,” he said.
Head of policy programs at Meta MENAT Joelle Awwad said the Kingdom’s SMEs account for 99.5 percent of all businesses, so helping the SME community in Saudi Arabia thrive and grow is a priority for the company.
“This is why we developed a tailored Meta Boost program that supports the digitisation of 20,000 local SMBs through a series of capacity building workshops and resources,” Awwad said.
Meta Boost programme features a SMB Resource Hub and a Watch Channel.
The hub will provide SMEs with access to a suite of free tools, on-demand training videos and best-practice digital marketing strategies directly from Meta experts.
The hub will also feature local case studies and success stories to drive inspiration, as well as live training sessions over the coming months from AstroLabs.