The event, entitled Online Marketing for Small Businesses, will also see students propose collaborations between the University and companies, to solve real business problems.

Hosted by the University, alongside the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the event stems from a project in which FSB members were invited to share their social media problems with a group of students, who attempted to solve the issues.

Stephen Hyde, Professor in Management Practice at the University, is adamant that the project is highly beneficial, especially for graduate employability.

“Many small businesses have great concerns about online marketing and media, in particular,” he said.

“They have a website but don't know if it is working as well as it should be. They have heard about using Facebook and Twitter for marketing but haven't a clue what to do.

“In this project we asked groups of students to work on solving real-life marketing problems for a local business; in this way everybody benefits.

“Working with companies combines rigorous academic theory with practice and is part of all our courses. By working alongside businesses and other organisations, graduates gain the skills and attributes to succeed in the companies they join.”

As well as hearing how students helped to clarify a business’ social media objectives, attendees will learn marketing do’s and don'ts and how Google Analytics can improve a website’s performance.

Ian Cording, chair of the Bedfordshire branch of the FSB, said: “We've created this event in collaboration with the University of Bedfordshire and there will be plenty of time during the evening for networking. We look forward to working with the University for the benefit of our members and the students who will be the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

The event takes place on Wednesday 25 February at 6.30pm at the University’s Postgraduate & CPD Centre, Luton campus.

Visit www.fsb.org.uk/bedscambsherts for more information about the evening.

Register a place at the event.