By Doug Frisbie, Global Marketing Director, Small Business

We’re thrilled to be in Helena, Montana, the eleventh stop on our Facebook Community Boost tour! We’re looking forward to engaging with this dynamic, innovative community with two full days of events and activities. Facebook wants to help local businesses and non-profits grow and thrive.

Montana’s economy is fundamentally strong and growing. It ranks 4th in start-up activity per capita and workers are experiencing some of the fastest income growth in the country. This state is home to more than 117,000 small businesses, which represent over 99 percent of all Montana business. Big Sky Country is the place to be if you’re looking to take your small business to the next level – and Facebook wants to help you get there.

In city after city, we see that the future of work is changing.

People in Helena see social media skills as vital to their success. 72% said that creating a social media presence was important for growing a business here, but less than one in six (15%) say that their skills in this area are excellent. When we spoke to the Helena community about what are important factors when hiring employees, 64% said an individual’s digital skills were important and just as many said social media skills alone were important. When asked about where a candidate went to school, just 31% said that was an important factor.

In Helena, we are excited to be hosting events that will help participants learn how to use Facebook, Instagram and more. For two days, this will be a hub to help business grow and people to gain more digital skills acumen. Local small businesses who have benefited using these tools will be present to give pointers and share their success stories.

We will also be hosting a “mini” Facebook Community Boost at the Holter Museum of Art tomorrow from 10am-2pm. This is all a part of Facebook’s pledge to train 1 million small business owners and people across the country by 2020.

Come join us while we’re here in Helena! Register for free or stay up to date with the latest city announcements, news and program schedules at facebook.com/communityboost.