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Have you ever seen a lesson taught through video reels? Class essays on Instagram? Or is it getting updated with school events and news through portals, online groups, and short-form content? A few years ago, schools of all levels and educators embraced virtual lessons to address the conflicting demands of non-physical classes during the pandemic. Our educational system and, in particular, the way we learn and teach are crucial spotlights in the era of digitalization. More and more educational institutions are investing their systems and operations in the digital-first approach. This is true for all academic levels – from primary school to vocational schools and universities to continuing education. What if our School has a Social Media account already? Great! Then we are off to a great start. First, make sure your school’s branding is done right online: logo color and semantics match that in the real-world application, consistent slogans or phrases, an array of creative materials that are conformable to any content post, and more. But it’s not just as simple as creating a Facebook or Twitter account and posting announcements, holiday greetings, or school employee’s birthday (don’t do the latter, LOL); going on social media means establishing both your offline branding and digital presence. You are making your institution part of a virtual community where your school’s current students, teachers and staff, school supervisors, and more are already present. This social media community is navigated through various factors like psychographic interests and persona, demographic data, trends, and engagements, and converting content to actions, which must be considered whenever you have a campaign for your school’s social media. Trends? Engagements? Content-to-Action? How do we do these things? Here’s how- Social Media Strategies to elevate School Operations and Learning Avoid Group Chats, Create a Group Page. Let’s begin with the classroom since most activities happen in this setting. Group chat is a good feature to stimulate conversations among student groups, but it is not excellent for online management and convo-thread organization. GCs create hassle in backreading announcements, and responses or newer chats drown essential details. The teacher or class beadle might have to keep sending links or images or bumping a message since GC, like Messenger, doesn’t have pinning options. Plus, the notification bell is annoying as it keeps ringing whenever chats from each student pop out. With Group pages, announcements and essential postings are organized with units through the discussion feed as they are posted individually without getting drowned. Comments or questions are well-grouped, easily read, and monitored in each posting through the comment section. Furthermore, Group pages may include attachment features for sharing lessons, learning materials, and external links like attendance sheets, school website, etc. Note: Your Group page should be connected to your school’s official social media account. Include Social Media links on your school website and vice-versa. Include a link to your school’s social media accounts on your school website to share virtual traffic from the site to social media and form a central social media directory of the school’s office’s pages, school organization groups, and class group pages. (Note: Class group pages should be accessible only to enrolled students, their teacher/s, and authorized school personnel.) It would be easier for parents and students to find your school’s social media profiles by adding links to the website’s main navigation that houses them all in one place. Furthermore, prospective students and employees would be able to see insights of what your school’s program and campus life are. Don’t forget to include call-to-actions in the caption in the caption on social media postings like: “Check our website to learn more!” or “Discover our campus life via our website!” Use Social Media platforms in class outputs and learning activities. Students are familiar in using and navigating social media accounts, from socio-cultural and public relational ones like Facebook and Twitter to aesthetic and creative content platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Beyond entertainment, teachers and educational facilitators can use these soc meds as platforms of learning and showcasing what students have learned through online outputs. Twitter can be great for a class discussion board or message board. Tweet reminders for assignment due dates, share learning snippets, and helpful links to practice quizzes or resources. Create a single Twitter handle and Twitter Circle per class and reuse them yearly. Instagram can be used by students for photo essays where they present a series of photos or graphics in a visually appealing manner and write engaging essays or articles as captions. Instagram allows students to practice digital storytelling. Facebook features like reels and short-form videos with credible content would be suitable for teaching significant but brief lessons. This also allows teachers to be simple and concise in their lessons. Furthermore, students can use reels to show class demonstrations or learning experiences. Same way TikTok uses short-form video content. Pinterest is the perfect site and app for student group activities, school event planning, and for teachers to prepare resources, lesson plans, and worksheets for their classes in one place. Make Pinterest boards to curate a digital bibliography for research projects, papers, or group assignments. Pin websites, books, or videos to a board on a single topic and refer back to it when it’s time to create an output. Blogs and write-up publishing sites are great online rooms for students and teachers alike to publish their academic works and learnings for members of the student body and faculty to read, collaborate, and solicit feedback. Blog pages can be linked to the school’s website as well. Structure the School’s Social Media Crisis Strategy During the monsoon season, schools are also at the forefront in informing students about class suspensions or early dismissals. Students and parents would keep on refreshing news pages and the school’s soc med account waiting for announcements. In times of emergency, communicating steps to the entirety of the campus is crucial, whether it’s a fire, earthquake or other immediate campus emergency, incorporating social media into every student’s crisis communication plan is a

Select Emergians, who usually handle external communications, attended the Advanced Customer Service Management on Chat & Email Boot Camp with Jonathan Yabut held July 1st, 2022. Present during the virtual training were Fey Gerero, Ge Baladhay, Ghera Guanzon, Harold Bacani – Brand & Communications Specialists; Kyle Bernardo – Community Management Specialist; Jane Asana, Marco Nepomuceno – Paid Ads Specialists; Nesie Obiado – Sales & Marketing; Christian Manuel – Web Development; Patrick Lee Orquiola – Creative Design Lead; and Jimmar Merino – Senior Account Manager & Brand Strategy Lead. Providing excellent customer service involves maintaining a strong relationship with the company’s stakeholders, whether inside or outside the organization; that’s why these Emergians took their time to learn and expand their knowledge on managing communications with our clients and other external company stakeholders ABOUT THE SPEAKER Jonathan Yabut is the resource speaker of the online workshop; you might remember him as the winner of The Apprentice Asia 2013. He is now the founder of JY Consultancy & Ventures, providing free and premium online workshops and onsite speakerships to various industries in the Philippines and abroad. He presented the webinar in a live session via Zoom and took the time to engage with the audience. ABOUT THE WEBINAR The webinar is considered an online boot camp to level up the participants’ ability to manage customer inquiries in written communication, especially on email, chats, and other online communication tools. The first part gave the audience a comprehensive understanding of the etiquette of written engagement and the difference and advantages of emails and chats as modes of communication with your clients. Jonathan talked about the pros and cons of using email or chats, but he highlighted the importance of using a company email and a group chat for constant communication. The second part focused on customer engagement in chat and email. Furthermore, the final part focused on super apps and software for customer engagement. Aligned with Emerge’s digital-first approach, the team agreed that this was the best part of the online workshop because they realized they were already making these recommendations. It just boosted their knowledge to a new level gearing up for a virtual-centric process. From lead generation to onboarding to providing essential services and having a daily conversation with the client, everything must be done online. So the team took notes on the apps and software to be used and some tips on minimizing time-consuming activities to a more ergonomic and fast-paced exchange. CONCLUSION During the “Question and Answer” workshop, Jonathan emphasized that going digital is the new norm and that there is no going back. We can only move forward knowing that the digital era is here, and the business structures and systems should adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the digital world. Moreover, Emerge is on the right track with its evolutions and updates on social media management, media buying, website development, and community management. Digital-first is the new rule!

The Philippines has seen an unprecedented surge in Digital Transformation (DX) over the last few years, which was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, a behavioral shift of Filipino consumers, an adaptation of brick and mortar businesses from office-based to hybrid and virtual operations, and the demand for digital marketing and digital tools such as CRM, Sales Enablement, Marketing Automation, AI and machine-learning, Data & Analytics, Business Intelligence (BI), and e-commerce. The necessity to be online has become more significant than ever to the point where it has become the foundation of establishing, running, and scaling a business. Today, we explore the online state of the Philippines and the trends that influence the digital marketing industry in the country. We also examine how digital marketing agencies in the Philippines can help Philippine companies and some tips on creating a digital marketing strategy that drives success. The Digital Landscape in the Philippines By January 2022, the Philippines recorded 76.01 million out of 111.8 million Filipinos active internet users. (Source) This was a 2.1 million increase in population between 2021 and 2022, according to Kepios. The internet penetration rate in the Philippines is 68% percent of the total population at the beginning of 2022. Social media-wise, the total population of social media users in the Philippines by 2022 was 92.05 million, equivalent to 82.4% of the country’s population. A survey conducted by Pulse Asia in September 2021 found that more than half of Filipino internet users go online more than once a day. This is either to check the news or their social media accounts. The rest go online at least once a day to less than once a week. The survey also revealed that Facebook still tops the social media platform game in the Philippines at 99%, followed by YouTube at 57%, TikTok at 17%, Instagram at 14%, and Twitter at 8%. Online shopping has also seen growth in the Philippines. The e-commerce industry in the country is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17% between 2021 and 2025. (Source) In addition, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that the number of online sellers in the Philippines increased from 1,700 in March 2020 to 93,318 in January 2021. 29.7% of total Filipino internet users use online payment channels to pay for their online purchases. Alternative payment solutions such as GCash, PayMaya, Paypal, and Apple Pay made up 30.6% of e-commerce payments in 2021. What is impacting the digital marketing industry in the Philippines? Due to safety concerns, both public and private institutions have adopted a Work-From-Home (WFH) setup for employees. This shift to remote working has prompted Filipinos to become more active online. A similar system had also been implemented for schools, which opened the doors for a younger generation of consumers to spend more time online. E-commerce in the Philippines Due to safety, cost, and logistics concerns, many businesses in the Philippines have decided to switch to digital. This eventually led to the massive rise of e-commerce in the Philippines. The rise of e-commerce also increased the demand for brands to become more present and approachable online. Since people now search for everything online, they also expect to see you online. Because of this, digital marketing in the Philippines has become increasingly relevant for businesses today. As a result of the growing demand for online marketing, more digital marketing agencies in the Philippines have transformed their services into a one-stop solution for businesses. As a result, online marketing became more convenient and cost-effective than hiring separate agencies or freelancers for each task. Government support for the Digital Transformation (DX) of businesses The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has plans to cultivate digital opportunities in the Philippines. And if things proceed according to plan, the Philippines can raise “Php 5 trillion or 101 million US dollars in economic value by 2030.” (DICT) The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also sees its 2022 roadmap focusing on e-commerce as the nexus of a country’s economy. The roadmap, with the theme “Basta E-commerce, Madali,” aims to achieve the following: Ease market access by facilitating electronic transactions Digitization of enterprises and digitalization of government Reduce logistic costs and improve logistics performance What digital marketing strategies can Philippine businesses get into? Every digital marketing channel available online can be applied to any business in the Philippines. It all comes down to your level of marketing need, target audience, and niche. But to give you an idea, here are the standard digital marketing services in the Philippines: Social media – building a page for your business on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, sharing content on your page, and engaging with your target audience online. Content – creating content that shares your expertise, engages your target audience, and eventually leads them to purchase from you. Website design and development – creating a website with proper design, site architecture, and an easy-to-use interface. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – makes your website discoverable so you can gain traffic and turn them into sales. Digital consulting – guides businesses on how to tackle their digital marketing transformation. Data analytics – analyze your data and provide insights and recommendations to help you make informed marketing decisions. How Digital Marketing Agencies in the Philippines Help Philippine Companies You’ve heard all the rave about digital marketing, but what exact benefits can you expect when you jump on the online marketing wagon? 1. Increases their online visibility With the right digital marketing strategy, you can get your business found by your target customers, no matter how saturated your market or niche is. The key is to provide value to your audience and implement strategies that will bring that value straight to their doorstep. To increase your online visibility, digital marketing experts in the Philippines practice these strategies: a. Create content Creating valuable content is the most effective way to: Answer your target market’s questions and problems Prove your expertise Build a

The concept of digital-first refers to planning and implementing strategies and activities starting with the digital or online version, which is then adapted to offline (contrary to the traditional approach of starting with an offline strategy and then adapting it to online). Digital-first leverages digital platforms into new channels, such as social media, over traditional channels like print and television. What’s Digital First? Instead of the usual course where traditional or offline marketing is prioritized and later adapted for the digital space, the digital-first approach prioritizes the development and implementation of a digital marketing strategy, which can be adapted later for offline channels. Digital-first approach acknowledges the diversity of audiences in the online space and the need to fine-tune campaigns and decisions according to their behaviors and the platforms they frequent to. The best examples of digital-first are: Companies building apps that combine educational, entertaining, and promotional content Creating e-commerce websites for an easier and faster shopping transaction Launching brand awareness campaigns on multiple social media platforms Implementing the digital-first approach is simply like being on social media. You take on different personas for each platform – a professional on LinkedIn, an influencer on Instagram, and a grey area between professional and funny on Facebook. But at the end of the day, they’re all one person: you. The same is true for digital-first. You deliver the message in different ways based on your audiences’ perception and your choice of media, but the context is the same. While digital-first involves a lot of technology, it is about providing positive experiences to consumers, from pre-sale to post-sale. Technology only plays a part in establishing relationships with your target customers. The components of digital-first The digital-first approach highlights the opportunity to engage more with customers and build a better customer experience (CX) with them. This isn’t usually the case with traditional marketing, which displays ads shotgun-style without much opportunity for feedback from the target audience. Automation plays a huge role in the digital-first approach. The idea of streamlining routine tasks, such as responding to inquiries or sending retargeting emails, is part of building a positive customer experience. As a result, the reduced turnaround time for customers leads to increased revenue, reduced churn, and reduced customer support costs. Data management is also one of the core foundations of the digital-first approach. The best marketing campaigns for any audience require the analysis of their data, such as their browsing history, transaction records, and recent online interactions. By drawing patterns from these data, a business can create an actionable marketing campaign that works for an audience of mid-30s female professionals and early 20s career women, for example. With these factors taken into account, it is clear that digital-first is not a one-time project with a fixed timeline. More than anything else, it’s about putting your business’ versatility to work and adapting to the changing dynamics of the digital economy. Why Does Digital First Matter? Today, people rely on technology for almost everything – finding answers, socializing, purchasing something, booking services, and more. Perhaps discovering something they didn’t know they needed. That’s why Digital Transformation (DX) has become an enterprise-wide priority for businesses around the globe. Gone are the days when digital marketing was an afterthought and traditional marketing was at the top of the hierarchy. With the effect of Covid-19 shifting consumer behavior and the economy into digital, it has become clear that Digital Transformation (DX) is a necessity more than a luxury. With a digital-first approach, brands can better connect with their customers and provide better service that addresses their needs and issues. It also built a bridge for like-minded people to find and converse with each other, ultimately building the population of online communities today. Consumers want to engage, they want to have a dialogue, they want to talk to each other, and they want to talk to the brand and the company. That has always been a strength of the brand, but that strength has been so much increased on the back of digital technology. Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, former CEO of The LEGO Group 63% or 6 out of 10 shoppers also start their buying journey online. (ThinkwithGoogle, 2018). It doesn’t matter whether they end up purchasing online or in a brick-and-mortar shop – they always do the initial search online. This is why your brand needs to be out there, so people can see you when they’re ready to begin their shopping journey. From a business’s perspective, brands who have already made the #digitalfirsttransformation enjoy more than marketing achievements. By going digital, they’ve managed to improve operational efficiencies (40%), meet customer expectations (35%), and improve product quality (26%). (PTC) Those who have adopted the digital-first transformation have found market pressure as their top leading motivation to take the leap, aside from growth opportunities and increased stakes with the competition (Prophet). What Does This Mean? Brand visibility on many channels as possible is more critical than ever. This is because if consumers don’t know about your brand, it’s only a matter of time until they find your competition. Not adopting the digital-first approach will result in plenty of missed opportunities. People’s increased dependence on online media and solutions for their buying journey also emphasizes that the best time to go digital-first is now. How LEGO and IKEA Mastered and Applied Digital First LEGO’s Digital Transformation (DX) In an attempt to save the company from nearing bankruptcy due to supply chain and material cost issues, LEGO decided to embrace digitalization. This led to the LEGO Enterprise Program, which had brought the following benefits to the company only one year after implementation: Faster innovation Enhanced customer relationships Efficient supply chain processes But what stood out from their Digital Transformation (DX) was their idea to allow fans to create their own designs through their online 3D design tool, the LEGO Digital Designer. The company marketed the tool as a channel for learning and development, which became a hit, especially with millennial parents. The designer tool