Chronicle Editor
Wilbrought Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
THE country’s trade development and promotion agency, ZimTrade has said marketing and branding for international competitiveness are critical components for companies to effectively tap into and exploit the global markets.
The agency has started rolling out a series of training workshops to be held every Friday in July to provide a platform to existing exporting companies and their staff, potential exporters, entrepreneurs, farmers and marketing executives for them to have the relevant information on export markets.
In an interview at one of the workshops in Bulawayo on Friday, ZimTrade client advisor, Mr Kudakwashe Tirivavi said they were focusing on how to market and brand products for export, which was crucial when competing in global markets.
“When you are exporting, there are at least an average of 40 documents internationally which are involved, so this is what we want to train these companies to know.
“When they start their export journey, they will be well equipped and understand the processes so that their products are unique and can compete on the international markets.
“This is our flagship programme as ZimTrade and we have been having it for years.
“We now have other training programmes for the youth and female entrepreneurs, so you find that marketing and branding for international platforms is an aspect they need more training on.”
He said as an agency they were not only involved in the promotion of exports but were also mandated to develop companies to be ready for exports.
Mr Tirivavi said the training would cover the step-by-step processes of exporting, including compliance with rules and regulations, market requirements, trade finance and the latest International Commercial Terms (Incoterms).
“We know that Zimbabwean businesses produce high-quality products, but many struggle to export because they lack the marketing and branding expertise to differentiate themselves from international competitors.”
Mr Tirivavi said the training would help businesses to bridge this gap and position themselves to find orders from outside of Zimbabwe.
The training workshops will also equip companies on insights into successful trade fair participation, optimising value creation and retention in exports as well as packing for export, online and social media marketing.
One of the participants at the workshop, an entrepreneur Miss Trauma Chimira said the workshop was important to those in the business world seeking to expand their business outside the country.
“What I have learnt will help me and my institute to penetrate new global markets that we have not tapped into. We are on an expansion drive and the more markets we have access to the better.
“The workshop gave us insights into strategies that will help us to get into new markets. Our products are good here in Zimbabwe but our branding is weak so the main focus of this workshop was branding and marketing which will go a long way to assist us on the challenges that we are currently facing.”
Miss Chimira said they were shown some products in other countries that were doing well and this has motivated them to rethink their branding with a view to making it unique and marketable locally and internationally.
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