Facebook announced a series of investment initiatives in Turkey to empower the economy through SMB, community, and business partnerships
November 29, 2018, ISTANBUL – Today, Facebook launched its “Beyond Borders” project in Turkey and announced the results of the economic and social impact report prepared by Deloitte Turkey. The company also ran a series of workshops to train Turkish business on how to best leverage the platform to reach customers from all around the world.
With the “Beyond Borders” project, which consists of four elements, Facebook is aiming to help businesses of all sizes in Turkey grow locally and internationally and invest in better serving its community in Turkey. The Deloitte report reveals that businesses in Turkey contributed to Turkish economy by 15.3 billion Turkish lira value added through Facebook, and created 209 thousand additional employment in the country as a result. Facebook is also planning to expand it’s investment into Turkey through partnerships with the Turkish Union of Chambers and Exchange Commodities (TOBB) and Habitat to create a hub for entrepreneurship.
The “Beyond Borders” project’s launch event, which gathered small and medium size businesses and important stakeholders together, started off with keynote speeches by Facebook Global Marketing Solutions Vice-President Carolyn Everson and Facebook Country Director for Turkey Derya Matras, as well as Chairman of the Youth Entrepreneurs Board of TOBB Ali Sabancı and TOBB Vice-President Ayhan Zeytinoglu.
“We are ready to invest further in Turkey’s economy”
Derya Matraş, Turkey Country Director at Facebook, highlighted the benefits Facebook provides to small and medium size businesses in Turkey. She said: “All around the world, small and medium size businesses are the most important fuel of social and economic growth. These businesses have an affect on our lives and they bring us together with the services and products they provide.”
In Turkey, more than 80% of people are connected to at least one business in the country. More than 1.7 million small and medium size businesses have a Facebook Page, which makes 55% of total SMB number in Turkey. This shows us that Facebook family of apps and services are the biggest supporter of SMBs in the country. Facebook is a platform that has the potential to bring businesses in Turkey together with 2.3 billion people from all around the world and 44 million people from Turkey.
Today is the first day of an exciting journey. We are ready to invest in Turkey’s economy. In the upcoming period, we will continue to invest in people, technologies and programs to help businesses in Turkey grow and people in Turkey develop digital skills.”
Following the keynote speeches, the findings of the economic and social impact report Facebook issued to Deloitte Turkey were discussed in a project panel.
Deloitte Turkey Consulting Services’ Director Alper Günaydın told that “Facebook platforms, with their accessibility, global access, and customer targeting capabilities, transform the marketing and sales capabilities of businesses, facilitate cross-border trade and increase the productivity of enterprises through digitalization. The platforms consequently increase consumer spending and economic activity throughout supply chains in the Turkish economy and cause demand for employment. Facebook platforms impact our social life as well. The platforms support our society to protect its traditions and social ties despite urbanization. They strengthen communication, facilitate access to information and increase cooperation among individuals and communities.”
At the event, which continued with a training for SMBs, other steps of the project were also shared. According to this, an awareness campaign will be launched to encourage businesses and SMBs on how they can thrive their businesses and go beyond borders via Facebook and its family of apps.
Facebook also announced that it’s planning an entrepreneurship hub in partnership with TOBB and Habitat to expand its investments in Turkey.
In the upcoming period, Facebook will also develop tailored education content for businesses, blueprint training programs, talent and mentoring opportunities to increase its impact in Turkish digital and economic ecosystem.
Here are the key findings of Deloitte’s economic and social impact report for Facebook, which is the project’s first leg:
Economic Impact:
-1.7 million SMBs have a Facebook business page in Turkey. This makes 55% of total SMB number in Turkey.
-93% of the businesses that use social media say Facebook family of apps help them grow their business and 87% say they have increased sales because of the platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger).
-The added value* businesses in Turkey created through Facebook is 15.3 billion Turkish liras.
-209 thousand additional employment created through the economic value created by Turkish businesses through Facebook platforms. 91% of business that use social media say that they were able to hire more employees due to growth in demand after joining Facebook platforms.
-Over 135 million people on Facebook, worldwide, are connected to Turkish businesses.
-89% of businesses on the Facebook family of products say the platform allows them to sell their products or services in other cities, states or countries.
Social Impact:
-78% of people joined relevant groups in Facebook and 65% of them believe Facebook Groups are important as a communication platform to other individuals who live in different cities in Turkey.
-32% of users say they participated in social responsibility event and 11% of people says they have donated to a cause after seeing a content in FB platform.
(*) Gross value added (GVA) is the measure of the value of goods and services produced in an economy which accounts for produced output minus intermediate consumption. Gross value added provides a dollar value for the amount of goods and services that have been produced, less the cost of all inputs and raw materials that are directly attributable to that production.
To learn more about the “Beyond Borders” project, please visit: www.sinirlariasanturkiye.com