‘Going digital is for the long-term’

Digital marketing needs to be adopted as a long-term strategy, said an official from SkyBiz, the enterprise solutions arm of Sky.

But while this trend remains in its infancy in the Philippines, SkyBiz head for enterprise business, Dicky Liwanag, said many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as traditional businesses have started showing great interest in adopting digital marketing in their businesses.

According to Liwanag, while there are businesses that are more inclined to use traditional means to market their business, there is also another spectrum that shows a narrowing gap between the traditional and digital-enabled businesses.

“Internet connectivity within the country is improving... with that, we want to contribute to creating more waves of success for our SME community,” said Liwanag.

He added going digital should be for the long-term and not be seen as a one-time-only campaign, since that’s where the future of business will be.

The SkyBiz team was recently in Cebu for the SkyBiz Growth Series roadshow, which is the company’s way to support the SME community by equipping them with information on digital technology and the commu- nity they can establish with it.

The SkyBiz official said they want the success stories of digital-savvy entrepreneurs to become the inspiration for others to jumpstart or continue their journey in today’s digital sphere.

Liwanag noted there’s a big room for growth in the Philippines to advance its agenda on digital transformation.

Providing the right information and having sessions on what digital is all about are avenues to draw SMEs and other businesses to become part of the digital economy.

This is on top of improved infrastructure and competitive business solutions offered by companies to empower the SME community.

Fleire Castro, digital marketing consultant, enumerated the benefits of digital marketing— lower cost, real-time results, quicker publicity, higher engagement and easier analytics.

The use of technology, she said, also allows entrepreneurs to become flexible, increase efficiency and productivity, and constantly engage with their customers.

After Cebu, SkyBiz is planning to bring the Digital Growth Series to other key locations in Visayas and Mindanao like Bacolod, Iloilo, and Davao. /