11TH European Development Fund Implementation Report 2017- 2023

Visibility and Communications

Communications and visibility are a key component to the success of the implementation of the 11th EDF RPSDP. The Agency developed a robust communications strategy to support the programme which included a range of communication tools and the implementation of strategic communications tactics including both traditional and digital communications. The Agency’s website acts as the central communications hub from which content is disseminated using a multi-channel approach. In the first year of implementation of the programme (2017) the website recorded 37,168 visitors and by 2022 total visitors recorded was 148,668, an increase of 295%. During the period the website was upgraded twice, ensuring it was up to date with international standards of design and user experience. Importantly, great emphasis has been placed on content creation to engage and reach new audiences. This coupled with a digital marketing strategy including email marketing has enabled the overall online audience to grow to over 68,000 followers online by the end of the programme. In the mid-term evaluation conducted by the European Union (Feb, 2020) the Agency’s PR and visibility activities were noted as ‘excellent and state of the art’ and ‘repeatedly mentioned as ‘champion of visibility and PR’ in reference to the ‘quality and homogeneity of all published material, as well as the coverage/distribution within the region and its institutions’. The communications team have focussed on building the brand equity through the deployment of consistent identity and messaging across multiple media to promote the events and activities implemented under the 11th EDF RPSDP. a) Website development: Carib-export.com In 2017 annual website views were 99,568. In 2023 annual views were 504k. With the highest monthly views of 92,187 recorded in June 2021. This growth in views indicates that stakeholders are consuming more of the content related to the 11th EDF RPSDP on the website. The website continued to reach a global audience with the programme's beneficiaries in Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana and Suriname in the top 10 users by country.

Chart 2: Carib-export.com Website Views by Year

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Implementation of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP)

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