Empowering Pacific small businesses through digital marketing

In the heart of the Pacific, small businesses in the beauty care sector face unique challenges in exporting their products and competing on a global scale. To address these hurdles, targeted digital marketing support enhanced eight small businesses’ online presence and elevated their brand and stories.

This crucial assistance helps them overcome barriers, boost sales, and access new markets, ultimately driving their success in an increasingly competitive international landscape.

The digital marketing activity under the United Kingdom Trade Partnerships (UKTP) programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has provided comprehensive guidance in areas such as brand positioning, social media strategy, and digital marketing. These efforts enabled the eight businesses to compete effectively in their respective markets and achieve measurable results.

The digital marketing activity, started with a comprehensive audit of the current positioning of each business in the digital world. The audit allowed targeted actions to take place such as improvements of websites, social media presence, content creation, audience education and how the public would perceive the brand.

Purnima Singh, founder of Loloma Fiji, shared her gratitude for the digital marketing support. ‘The expertise provided has been nothing short of transformative. The guidance we’ve received has helped raise both our brand and professional profile. I look forward to continuing our collaboration and seeing the results come to fruition.’ Through this activity, Loloma Fiji has experienced significant growth in digital reach and brand visibility.

Fiji Spice Queen also benefited greatly from the digital marketing support. Founder Sheenal Synthika shared, ‘The assistance has been invaluable, leading to significant improvements in our online sales and expanding our presence in both the Fijian and Australian markets. We’ve secured five new clients — two in Fiji and three in Australia —thanks to the programme.’

Similarly, Debra Sadranu, Managing Director of Essence Group Fiji, praised the initiative, saying, ‘This has elevated our brand positioning and credibility to an entirely new level.’

Highlighting the significance of digital marketing initiatives, Natasha Rawley, the expert leading the campaign emphasized the critical need for small businesses, particularly those in developing regions such as the Pacific, to adopt digital marketing strategies for brand development. Digital marketing is no longer optional but a necessity for these businesses to establish a strong online presence.

By leveraging digital tools, small businesses can compete on a global scale, extending their reach beyond local markets. In addition to providing digital marketing support, the expert also trained this group in how to independently continue and sustain their digital marketing efforts.

The UKTP programme’s digital marketing initiatives have made a remarkable impact, empowering Pacific small businesses to scale their operations, increase brand recognition, and support their reach to international markets. By equipping businesses with the necessary tools and expertise, the UKTP programme continues to demonstrate its commitment to helping export-ready small businesses unlocking their full potential in the digital landscape.

About United Kingdom Trade Partnerships Programme (UKTP)

 UKTP is implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), and funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. ITC is the joint trade and development agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. It supports small and medium-sized enterprises to trade internationally and attract investment. UKTP aims to increase trade from developing countries to the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) by maximizing the benefits of UK and EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

UKTP implements trade promotion and capacity building activities around the world at different stages of the value chain. The programme works in partnership with government agencies, private sector organisations, public sector institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises and other local stakeholders.