On July 24, 2021, the Universitas Internasional Batam Career Center held Alumni Business Networking activities for the second series. The activity was in the form of a webinar entitled Alumni Business Networking Webinar #Eventseries2 “Marketing Strategies in the Midst of a Pandemic”.
Alumni Business Networking is a program that aims to increase alumni bonds and support alumni-owned businesses since many alumni are starting their businesses, and/or owning businesses in addition to having their main job professionally. The businesses initiated by the alumni are of various scales, some are MSMEs and even large ones. For businesses that are still small in scale, such as MSMEs, tend to not have an effective and efficient marketing strategy. Therefore, through this activity, the UIB career center facilitates alumni to develop businesses to promote and expand their businesses.
This webinar invited 3 speakers, who are Alumni of Master of Management UIB, namely Prayogi Ramadhan, S.E., M.M., Fitriana Aidnilla Sinambela, S.Tr., MM and Endiwardi, SE., MM, and moderated by Erna Wati, SE., MM. This webinar was also attended by the Chair of the UIB Alumni Family Association, Mr. Hendra Asman, S.H., M.H, and also the Head of the Master of Management Study Program, Robin, Ph.D.
Mr. Prayogi Ramadhan, SE., MM was the first speaker to share how the business strategy was carried out in marketing his business, namely Nyapii Batam. He said promotions through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok were very influential in Nyapii’s sales. In addition, the existence of certain types of promos or packages has proven to attract customers to try this Nyapii product. Mr. Prayogi also explained that the existence of Customer Relationship Management is an important point so that Nyapii can still be known to this day.
Similar to Mr. Prayogi, Mrs. Fitriani relies on social media to market her tour and travel services. The utilization of social media such as Instagram and Tiktok is maximized through a neat content arrangement to attract potential customers, especially millennials. Cooperation with Batam Influencers is one example that has a specific effect on the promotion of its business, namely Oma Tour & Travel.
Mr. Endiwardi is the founder of The Natural Massage & Reflexology. The decline in business turnover was quite large during the pandemic, so he told a little about his marketing strategy. One of the strategies is to implement marketing policies such as Home Service, social media promotion as well as cooperation with other tenants in the mall. Home Service is meant by doing therapy in the customer’s family environment with the condition that it meets strict procedures. The therapists who are sent are also required to have an antigen test before working.
The webinar which was attended by more than 100 participants closed with messages and impressions from the Chair of the UIB IKA for the participants and alumni. He encouraged the participants and alumni not to get tired of working in the entrepreneurial world and not to be afraid to innovate. “After hearing the sharing from these 3 alumni speakers, I was honestly disturbed to continue to be passionate about innovation. For other friends, don’t be afraid to take opportunities in all situations, because even the smallest opportunities can have a big impact later,” said Mr. Hendra Asman in the closing of the webinar.
