HONOLULU — INNOVATE Hawaii (IH) has announced its next training program for 2022 with a focus on e-commerce and digital marketing, targeted towards manufacturers, makers and other value-added producers interested in scaling their businesses. This marks the third time the training is being offered following two successful cohorts since the program’s inception in 2020.

Throughout the pandemic, the INNOVATE Hawaii program within the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) has been assisting these companies to meet these challenges.

As the state’s National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network Center, INNOVATE Hawaii’s core mission is to enhance the competitiveness of Hawaii manufacturers through an array of programs and services, including coaching and training, consulting, collaboration-focused industry programs and grant opportunities.

The upcoming program is a three-month virtual workshop series brought back by popular demand. Participants will gain learning and application opportunities through lecture content, assignments and one-on-one consulting with HTDC’s network of vetted experts, including AkamaiSEO, Hew & Bordenave, Hidden Gears, Hoku Marketing, Jaxon Communications, Lilikoi Ladies, Mana Means Communications, Momentum, Tapiki, and more.

There will be two separate tracks within the program to cater to companies with different needs.

The e-commerce track is recommended to companies with little to no experience in e-commerce, while the digital marketing track is better suited to manufacturers with an optimized e-commerce website who are ready to scale with more resources dedicated to digital marketing.

The e-commerce track will cover content on critical areas that a manufacturer needs to build an e-commerce site, including strategy, user experience and user interface (UX/UI), branding, and search engine optimization (SEO).

The digital marketing track will kick off with guidance around customer segmentation and deep dive into strategies around content marketing, e-mail marketing, social media and analytics.

Up to 15 manufacturers will be admitted into each cohort per track and will learn together through ten classes taught over Zoom.

This upcoming cohort will join two previous cohorts that saw 20 manufacturers successfully completing the program.

While the program typically requires an investment of $6,000, IH is offering participation in the e-commerce and digital marketing program at a subsidized rate of $600 ($60/class).

Participants are encouraged to provide at least one digitally savvy dedicated person from the company who will participate fully in the program.

Companies ready to apply may do so at www.htdc.org/ecommerce. For all inquiries, contact Nicole Pfeffer at nicole@htdc.org.