Multimedia Reporter
Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo
Social media has become a huge part of the daily routine of Filipinos. They spend the most time on social media daily, logging in 4 hours and 5 minutes when the global average is 2 hours and 23 minutes. And while these platforms were originally created for social purposes, they’ve also evolved into indispensable tools for different kinds of organizations.
Take businesses on Facebook, for example. 50 million users in the country are connected to local enterprises on the platform alone. It’s also building bridges to other shores: 40 million Filipinos are connected to businesses in other countries while 110 million people outside the Philippines are connected to those in our country.
To help further this growth, the social media giant developed Facebook Community Boost.
Equipment and education
Facebook Community Boost is a global initiative that aims to educate enterprises and organizations on their platform’s tools and learning resources, teaching how to best utilize them for optimal reach and growth. They also share content that touches on important topics such as digital marketing and digital literacy and safety.
The latest leg was held last October 23 to 25 in Grand Hyatt Manila, with separate days dedicated to government, non-government organizations, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Two sessions were previously held in Cebu and Negros Oriental last September, while the next and final leg will be held in Davao on November 22.
“We teach them to grow their audience organically first: the different functions and tools, setting up the profile picture, completing the information about their business,” said Philip Felipe, executive director and COO of online education platform Bayan Academy, an organizational partner of the Facebook Community Boost program.
“Then they get a bit aggressive. Once they become familiar with the tools, they start asking about launching ads. It’s very economical for them; a very customized package for them.”
Beyond sales and likes
Some of Facebook’s partners shared how they were able to utilize Facebook’s tools in order to better connect with their audiences. Jalen Elarmo from the social media literacy project #SML (So Much Love), which won Digital Youth Summit 2018, discussed how My Day (Facebook’s equivalent to Instagram’s Stories) allows them to effectively communicate their internal developments.
“With the given length [of each post] on My Day, it’s just enough for the attention span of our audience, which is 15 to 18 years old,” he said.
Life coach and entrepreneur Celia Alamo Jacob, who also owns coworking space Brownroots Brews, uses Facebook Live during activities for audiences who couldn’t make it to the physical venue.
“Once you finish recording, you can share it to your community again, and the learning never ends,” she said. “The moment we share something about what we learned from a specific workshop, we then share it to another community who needs it the most.”
For budding entrepreneurs in Alamo’s community, they’re able to receive motivation and draw support from each other.
“They’re very creative and skilled, but then again, to start a business, they would want someone to guide them,” she said. “Every time somebody is afraid to do something, we just have a buddy to help them in the community.”
It also empowers communities, such as the youth, to express themselves with confidence. When #SML was tasked with holding a webinar for teachers and cybersecurity officers, it was initially daunting for its young members. But they quickly rose to the challenge.
“We proved that you are never too young. And we showed that young people can also be a role model to people,” said Elarmo.
Some of Facebook’s partners shared how they were able to utilize Facebook’s tools in order to better connect with their audiences. Jalen Elarmo from the social media literacy project #SML (So Much Love), which won Digital Youth Summit 2018, discussed how My Day (Facebook’s equivalent to Instagram’s Stories) allows them to effectively communicate their internal developments.
“With the given length [of each post] on My Day, it’s just enough for the attention span of our audience, which is 15 to 18 years old,” he said.
Life coach and entrepreneur Celia Alamo Jacob, who also owns coworking space Brownroots Brews, uses Facebook Live during activities for audiences who couldn’t make it to the physical venue.
“Once you finish recording, you can share it to your community again, and the learning never ends,” she said. “The moment we share something about what we learned from a specific workshop, we then share it to another community who needs it the most.”
For budding entrepreneurs in Alamo’s community, they’re able to receive motivation and draw support from each other.
“They’re very creative and skilled, but then again, to start a business, they would want someone to guide them,” she said. “Every time somebody is afraid to do something, we just have a buddy to help them in the community.”
It also empowers communities, such as the youth, to express themselves with confidence. When #SML was tasked with holding a webinar for teachers and cybersecurity officers, it was initially daunting for its young members. But they quickly rose to the challenge.
“We proved that you are never too young. And we showed that young people can also be a role model to people,” said Elarmo.
