To help small and medium-sized enterprises in Tacloban understand the benefits of digital marketing, the Globe myBusiness Academy Tacloban leg featured experts who shared the advantages of digital marketing and how it be an effective promotional tool to Samar MSMEs.

During Go Lokal Tacloban, over 150 participants from different parts of Samar — Ormoc, Palompon, and Baybay City — learned about the benefits of going digital, all with the goal of growing their business.

Hon. Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin, Vice Mayor of Tacloban, explained the reason behind the event. “Ayaw kita pagpabaya. Five years after Yolanda, we are about growth and development. If we keep the pace we are at, we will not grow.”

“There’s a new way of doing business. You should learn it if you want things to happen for your negosyo. What we’ll learn today is ‘paano mag-negosyo ng walang tindahan through e-commerce and digital marketing,’” Hon. Desiderio P. Delas from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) told the participants.

Motivational speaker Chinkee Tan agreed, saying during his talk on Innovations for Business Growth and Success, “Growing your business means having to adapt to change. In the 21st century, it’s simple: innovate or evaporate. If you change, you’ll be able to grab great opportunities. If you don’t, you become extinct.”

Maximizing digital platforms and social media doesn’t just involve grabbing your phone and flooding your feed with photos and announcements. Businesses need to set objectives and goals to be able to create successful campaigns. To get started, you can use it to tell people about your brand, get repeat customers, and expand your clientele.

“To gain new customers, obsess about them. Where do they go online? What are their motivations? You can find out about your audience through Facebook audience insights. You make sure you re-market to customers who have already tried your food. Make them feel special, send them special discounts through social media, email, or even SMS,” shared Faith Salazar, digital marketing manager of Globe myBusiness.

Of course, these aren’t the only ways businesses can use social media to leverage its business. Aside from using Facebook insights, you can post polls and surveys so you can get to know your customers better. Keep them engaged with photos and videos.

And while you can get feedback in real time, keep in mind that results won’t have an impact overnight. As Ginger Arboleda, Founder of Manila Workshops, shared during her Business 101 talk, “Earning money will take time. Creating a legacy will take time.”

The same applies to businesses going digital. It takes patience, constant experimentation, and investing in ads before you reap the rewards.

Over time, through your efforts, you’ll gain real fans, maximize the power of word of mouth, and build your brand. Alvin Ching, vice president and head of seller engagement at Lazada, also encouraged the participants to explore the possibilities of e-commerce. Selling online can help increase revenue and cut costs in some areas of the business.

“Technology will differentiate your store from others. Take advantage of the technology available, but take on the learnings that you [get from experts],” he advised.

Another way of going digital is by building your own website. “Done well, your website can boost your business results,” said Eugene Arboleda of Taxumo and Manila Workshops. Having your own website lends credibility to your business, makes it easy for customers (old and new alike) to find you, and give your business an online headquarters of sorts, among others.

These days, a comment or a photo posted online can make or break a business. Whether it’s inefficient service or stale food, expect customers to post about it on social media — where everyone is free to read and share the news. Thus, going digital is not only an effective way of measuring customer satisfaction; it’s also a tool for businesses to spread the word about a product or a service.

Paco Magsaysay, owner of founder of Carmen’s Best, revealed how instrumental social media was to his ice cream business’ success: “We were very fortunate that when we started in 2011, social media was very prominent, and we used social media a lot to help us out.”

So while going digital can be a challenge — since change is never easy, as most would say — the future looks promising for Tacloban, aptly named the City of Hope. The Globe myBusiness Academy Tacloban leg saw Taclobanon entrepreneurs evolving to become globally ready, realizing the potential of tech tools and embracing digital solutions.

Discover how digital marketing can help boost your business and sign up to Globe myBusiness Academy.