AI for businesses: tools and strategies for digital marketing
As of 31 December 2024, the province of Verona had 91,333 active businesses, confirming the vitality of the local productive fabric (source: Verona Chamber of Commerce). However, in 2024, the share of national businesses that invested in digital technology was 66.8%, down 4 points from 70.8% in 2021: a slowdown in digitisation that compromises competitiveness in a context characterised by the growing use of digital technologies in customer relations, work organisation and innovation processes (source: Confartigianato).
The challenge is even greater for the adoption of artificial intelligence: in Italy, only 8.2% of companies with 10 employees adopted at least one AI technology in 2024, compared to an EU average of 13.5% and higher figures in Germany (19.7%), Spain (11.3%) and France (9.9%) (source: Istat, ICT Report 2024).
In this scenario, digitalisation is no longer just an option for small and medium-sized enterprises, but a strategic lever for increasing productivity, ensuring business continuity and building more resilient business models. For Veronese companies operating in key sectors such as commerce, agri-food, manufacturing and crafts, acquiring digital culture and advanced operational tools is now a necessary condition for remaining competitive and growing in a constantly evolving market.
The training event
It is in this context that Job Digital Lab, the programme promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS and ING Italia, arrives in Verona on 18 June at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Corso Porta Nuova, 96, with a new stage to support the growth of digital skills in the world of medium, small and micro enterprises. The initiative is organised in collaboration with the Verona Chamber of Commerce and the Punto Impresa Digitale.
The training meeting, entitled “AI for business: tools and strategies for digital marketing”, is designed to guide entrepreneurs, artisans and professionals in the use of Artificial Intelligence to support business activities. The session will offer a practical path to discover how advanced language models, from DeepSeek to Gemini, can be used in information gathering, content creation, online communication and digital marketing campaigns.
Topics covered will include:
- how to analyse data to strengthen your online presence
- how to protect business continuity and company know-how
- concrete examples of the use of generative AI in e-commerce and lead generation.
The training will be complemented by a presentation by Niederdorf Italia, a consulting firm specialising in the recruitment and selection of qualified personnel and organisational development for industrial companies.
ING's “People Insight Lab” research to understand the motivation and needs of freelancers
In order to identify changes in the world of work and its needs, it is also necessary to look at the growing number of professionals with VAT numbers: according to data from the VAT Number Observatory of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, in the first quarter of 2025, 187,300 VAT numbers were opened, an increase, albeit slight (0.7%), compared to the same period in 2024.
To learn more about the expectations and needs of freelancers, at the beginning of the meeting, Massimo Pascolo, Head of Business Banking Daily Banking & Savings, ING Italy, will present the new ING “People Insight Lab” survey, conducted in collaboration with YouGov, which provides a snapshot of the challenges, motivations and moods of VAT-registered professionals in Italy.
It is a mature professional world - 48% have been in business for more than ten years - but one that is undergoing major change, where the drive towards autonomy coexists with structural obstacles and daily tensions.
Among the data that emerged:
- Only 1 in 3 self-employed people would recommend others to register for VAT today, due to bureaucracy and complexity.
- 53% started their business out of necessity, but the number of those who did so to re-enter the job market or seek greater professional freedom is growing.
- Economic uncertainty (57%) and tax pressure are among the main sources of anxiety (48%).
- Yet 49% continue to maintain a positive attitude towards their future.
This picture highlights how essential training, simplification and practical digital tools are today to support self-employed workers who want to grow.
The JDL project
After training over 31,000 people in more than 170 training sessions between 2020 and 2024, the fifth edition of Job Digital Lab is renewing its mission by offering a training programme that not only enables people to get back into the world of work, but also feel secure in a constantly evolving market. This year's goal: to train an additional 8,000 people and reach 240,000.
To learn more about the project and stay up to date on available courses, bookmark the page https://www.mondodigitale.org/progetti/job-digital-lab
You can also follow the Job Digital Lab blog, which is a real logbook where you can find stories from course participants, trainers, role models, and entrepreneurs who have come across the project in various ways and become an active part of it, sharing experiences, challenges, and transformations that speak of growth, opportunities, and the future.
