With the fast-paced advancement of technology, business marketing landscape has also persisted to evolve and unfold new possibilities. Business enterprises, regardless of size and industry, persevered with establishing their online presence and raising brand awareness to its target consumers. Among the most powerful tools in digital marketing nowadays are social media platforms, specifically Facebook, the most popular social media network around the globe.

As social media continues to redefine digital marketing, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) XI has visualized this as an opportunity for its livelihood beneficiaries to increase their sales, build a brand, and reach wider customers. Under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), the Department not only grants financial assistance to individual and group beneficiaries, but also offers interventions such as regular monitoring and evaluation and appropriate capacity-building activities to ensure productive implementation of the program.

In fact, DOLE XI Field Offices recently conducted a training for its DILP beneficiaries on maximizing social media to provide technical assistance in promoting their products and services online. Through the efforts of DILP Focal Personnel Cristita B. Coro and Eric T. Valiente, the Davao City and Davao de Oro Field Offices were able to invite a total of 101 representatives from 34 groups/cooperatives and two (2) individual beneficiaries to the trainings which took place in Davao City and Nabunturan, Davao de Oro on September 11 and 12, 2022, respectively.

The topic, which was presented by DOLE XI Information Officer Mariane Fatima K. Mastura, mainly revolved around maximizing Facebook as a very popular and effective venue to reach out to potential and existing customers. The discussion covered the value of social media for small business, setting social media goals, understanding social analytics, and identifying helpful Facebook tools for business. At the end of the training, most of the participants managed to create pages for their businesses, while those who have existing business pages were able to refine their content.

On top of that, the training intended to guide the beneficiaries that other than cost-saving promotion, digital marketing is a great way to provide more information and enlightenment to the customers. “Through this training, we understood how online selling should work. With social media, we are excited to educate our consumers about the true concept of Halal,” said Ms. Norhaya Mamasaunda, President of the Bangsamoro Women’s Association from Davao City.

Meanwhile, Mr. Walter D. Camacho and Ms. Mercedes F. Sabanal of Callawan Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (CALFAMCO) from Nabunturan, Davao de Oro shared their group’s best practices in handling social media marketing as they have already started setting up their online presence. Mr. Camacho also encouraged his fellow participants to help promote each other’s products and services online. “As beneficiaries of DILP, let us be one another’s ‘online influencer’ to achieve our one common goal, that is to improve the lives of our families as well as our communities,” he added.

In one of his messages, DOLE XI Regional Director Atty. Randolf C. Pensoy assured the DILP beneficiaries in Davao Region that the Office will continue to offer interventions to guarantee that livelihood undertakings become more sustainable with the advent of newer technology.

DOLE Davao del Sur Field Office, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) XI, has also conducted a similar training for its DILP beneficiaries, in Digos City in July this year.### MFKM