![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.silkstream.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/google-digital-garage.jpg\")
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I recently had the opportunity to attend a Google Digital Garage event, as it was hosted in Silkstream’s hometown: Southend-on-Sea, Essex.<\/p>\n
Google Digital Garage were visiting our humble little seaside town as part of their Coastal Tour, travelling around the country to meet with small business owners and entrepreneurs face-to-face for free workshops and coaching.<\/p>\n
The Google Digital Garage project was launched in 2015, to enable anyone<\/em> to learn the fundamentals of online marketing so that they can take their business online and enjoy all the benefits, regardless of their skills or background. The free online learning platform<\/a> delivers a full digital skills course, using relatable examples of how different types of small businesses can use digital channels in different ways. Upon completion of the online course, learners will then receive a certificate endorsed by Google and the IAB Europe.<\/p>\n The accompanying Google Digital Garage events are to promote the online certification program, and give learners the opportunity to meet the experts face-to-face, ask questions and be coached through the fundamentals in a more social setting.<\/p>\n For the many who are unable to attend these Google Digital Garage events, you can read our write-up of the day complete with the links to all the slideshows presented and takeaways. I met a woman who had come up to Southend from Brighton specifically for the event! (Which is an interesting contrast from us online marketing professionals travelling to Brighton for the Brighton SEO<\/a> conference.) But understandably, not everyone has the time or means to travel to one of these events.<\/p>\n Skip to:<\/strong><\/p>\n Google Digital Garage in Southend was hosted at the new Twenty One cultural venue on Southend seafront, directly opposite the main Adventure Island entrance, so it was hard to miss walking past. The fa\u00e7ade of the venue was decked out with all the funky signage you’d expect from Google.<\/p>\n Seats packed out quickly, with many people resigned to standing at the back. With other talks and conferences I’ve attended in the past, it’s quite normal for most people to bring with them a laptop for note-taking and following along, but I didn’t spot a single non-Googler sporting one at their seat. Not that you’d have had much room to use a laptop comfortably, but I did find it interesting. So if you do get a chance to attend, feel free to leave your laptop at home and just bring along a notepad and pen – or a tablet device! Those seemed to be popular.<\/p>\n Once seated, a short introduction was given by John Glen MP, the UK’s cultural minister, who spoke about the importance of promoting digital skills in coastal communities in order to boost domestic tourism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The first session of the day served as a great introduction for the sessions to come. It covered the basics of digital marketing, including search engine optimisation, social media marketing, and search engine marketing.<\/p>\n This was quite possibly the best session of the day for anyone who is just looking to get a feel for the digital landscape, and the concepts behind digital marketing and why it’s important. We explored how the growth of digital technology has impacted traditional marketing, and how the new consumer purchase journey spans through different phases of searching.<\/p>\n The New Customer Journey:<\/strong><\/p>\n Following this, we also delved into what exactly\u00a0is<\/em> search engine optimisation<\/a>, and how do search engines actually work?<\/p>\n (Cue video featuring 2010-edition Matt Cutts explaining search engines…)<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.silkstream.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/google-digital-garage-certificate.png\")
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What to expect at one of these events<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n\n09:30 – Arrival (teas & coffees and Google cupcakes!)<\/h3>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.silkstream.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/digital-garage-coffee-1.jpg\")
Upon arrival, you sign yourself in and are handed a lanyard with the Google Digital Garage branded schedule for the day. Complimentary teas and coffees were available. (Sadly, no breakfast cupcakes – but they did emerge sometime around lunchtime.)<\/p>\n\n10:00 – Reach New Customers Online<\/h3>\n
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