Giles at Portsmouth Distillery raises a glass (of rum!) to Solent Partners’ digital marketing course

Giles Collighan, founding director of Portsmouth Distillery, has ‘already started to see positive changes’ at his business after successfully completing a Digital Marketing Skills Bootcamp.

He signed up for the course, run by business support organisation Solent Partners, with the aim of moving the distillery’s digital marketing in-house and building a robust social media strategy.

“The training took me from learning the brass tacks to the more complex side of social media marketing”, Giles explained.

“Now we’re properly planning ahead with our social media posts to raise awareness of our products and engage with people – for example, by running competitions, then following up with emails to build up customer loyalty.

“The most valuable thing I took from bootcamp was gaining an understanding of the full journey the customer will take – from initially becoming aware of the company through social media and using online tools to make a buying decision, to maintaining customer loyalty afterwards.

“I’d definitely recommend the skills bootcamps to any business owner.

“You need to apply yourself 100 per cent – there are big deliverables, but you’ll get back every bit of effort you put into it in terms of the benefit it has for your business.”

The bootcamp was delivered in partnership with YTKO, a government-funded project to support small businesses.

Future skills bootcamps courses, including those aimed at the creative and other sectors, will be announced by Solent Partners shortly.

Rachael Randall, chair of Solent Partners, added: “It’s fantastic to hear the real-world impact skills bootcamps are having and to hear how those who have completed the courses are benefitting from the skills they’ve learned.

“The Skills Bootcamp programme is a fantastic opportunity for anybody wanting to improve their career skills, and for businesses wanting to futureproof their workforce.

“Our excellent courses are designed with industry to respond to skills shortages in the region and align with Solent Partners’ ambitions to promote the collective prosperity and sustainability of the Solent economy.”

• For more details, visit solentpartners.com/our-services/business-support/skills-bootcamps

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