SMEs lack digital marketing strategy, says entrepreneur

Alberto Bettencourt

People are consuming more digital content on a daily basis, especially on social media sites. However, Macau cannot adapt to this change as the region lacks digital marketing strategy, says Alberto Bettencourt, MCMedia Asia’s executive director.
Bettencourt was one of the speakers in the recently held seminar for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Forum Macau). He claims that SMEs could be more effective if the region could develop a digital marketing strategy.
“Digital marketing is more affordable than spending time doing campaigns through e-mails,” Bettencourt told the Times.
He believes that the region should quickly alter to such marketing, otherwise SMEs won’t be as successful as they could be. “Companies can acquire new clients especially in those social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. You could attract them to interact with you and eventually they’ll be hooked to your business,” he clarified.
He stressed that digital media is becoming pervasive as it continues to become the source of news and social interactions.
“To have a website is not enough […] and when you create customers, you have to nurture them,” he said. “That’s how you make money in companies.”
He also noted that even the five-star resorts in the city do not keep track of their customers’ information, failing to consolidate consumer feedbacks and preferences.
“They do not keep track of anything,” he said. “How can they keep in contact with such wealthy Chinese tourists who spent thousands on their service?”
Bettencourt also revealed that he is planning to engage in a partnership with an institution in Europe so as to create a post-graduate course on digital marketing, as there is currently no such course in the region. Staff reporter