CIMSPA strikes strategic partnership with Google to support the free Digital Marketing Hub for sport and physical activity
CIMSPA has announced a strategic partnership with Google as part of the Digital Marketing Hub for the sector, which launches on 14 September.
The partnership will enable anyone in sport and physical activity in England to access free advice and resources from experts at the tech company, to help enhance their digital marketing skills. Anyone signing up to the Digital Marketing Hub will benefit from:
- Tailored 1-to-1 mentoring from digital experts at Google
- A series of 12 Google Digital Garage live webinars designed to get your business discovered online and find new customers.
- Signposting to specific and relevant courses available in the Google Digital Garage
The CIMSPA Digital Marketing Hub is a free programme, supported with National Lottery funding and expertise from Sport England and powered by content from the Digital Marketing Institute, designed to help people and organisations to improve how they apply digital marketing tools and techniques, to encourage more people to play sport and be active. It comes as a direct response to Sport England and Digital Marketing Institute research* which found a significant opportunity to improve digital skills within the sector:
- 81% of respondents said that attracting new participants was very or extremely important, but 63% said they don’t have a clear plan to deliver that through digital channels.
This research also highlighted that the digital skills gap has always existed within the sport and physical activity sector, but the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issue and made engagement more important than ever before.
The Hub is tailored to small businesses, self-employed professionals and volunteers at frontline organisations and clubs, as well as marketing and communication professionals at larger organisations. It will contain a wealth of resources including expert webinars, on-demand training and mentorship.
The CIMSPA Digital Marketing Hub will launch on 14 September with a webinar hosted by TV presenter and host of The High Performance Podcast, Jake Humphrey; and will be free to anyone involved in delivering sport and physical activity in England. Individuals and organisations can find out more and register their interest now at https://digital.cimspa.co.uk/.
About Google Digital Garage
Google Digital Garage is one of Google’s flagship investment programmes in the UK, providing free digital skills training to individuals and businesses. Since its launch in 2015, they have visited more than 500 villages, towns and cities across the UK and trained over 600,000 people face-to-face and online. With the Google Digital Garage webinar series, you can access free live training designed to help grow your business, jump-start your career or develop new skills - all from your own home. The live webinars are absolutely free to attend and open to everyone - delivered by expert Google Digital Garage trainers ready to help and support your learning, whatever your goals.
Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA, said:
“We are really excited to announce this partnership with Google, which will add enormous value to the Digital Marketing Hub for everyone in the sector. This is a fantastic opportunity for individuals to gain skills and knowledge from some of the world’s leading experts in digital marketing. “Digital marketing has a central role to play for anyone in sport and physical activity looking to engage a wider, more diverse and more inclusive audience, in order to grow participation and income as we recover from the impacts of Covid-19.”
Al Strang, Director of Strategic Marketing at Sport England, said:
“We are delighted that CIMSPA is partnering with Google to support the Digital Marketing Hub. Our research found that many people and organisations who are working to help people to be active are doing so without the knowledge or confidence they need in digital marketing. It is important that this skills gap is addressed so that the sector can emerge stronger than it was prior to Covid-19.
“The Digital Marketing Hub is part of our strategic ambition to tackle inequalities and ensure every single person in the country has the opportunity to be active. It will play a key role in upskilling those organisations involved in the delivery of sport and physical activity – including local clubs, charities, community groups and organisations with national reach. This will support the nation to feel that sport and physical activity is accessible to them.”
Ronan Harris, Google UK & Ireland Managing Director, said:
‘Now more than ever, having the right digital skills can have a transformative impact on business sustainability, growth and job creation. By partnering with CIMSPA, to provide free live webinar training through the Digital Garage, we hope to inspire and upskill individuals and businesses throughout the UK, helping people to find a job or grow their skills from home. Despite the ongoing uncertainty, we want to show how digital skills can help people and businesses restart and thrive.’
*Research conducted by the Digital Marketing Institute on behalf of Sport England, undertaken with over 1,000 people involved in sport and physical activity marketing and communications.