Surabaya, JurnalPost.com — Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) owners in Kampung Pancasila, Gunung Sari Village, Dukuh Pakis District, Surabaya, have received digital marketing training to improve their competitiveness and expand the reach of their local products.
Until now, various MSME products such as traditional snacks, pre-packaged meals, and local food preparations have been marketed primarily through conventional methods. Most business owners still rely on traditional markets, regular customers, and orders via WhatsApp.
This situation has limited their marketing reach, even though their products have the potential to reach a wider consumer base through digital platforms.
Recognizing this potential, a team of lecturers from the Master of Agribusiness Study Program at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Wijaya Kusuma Surabaya (UWKS), organized a community service activity titled Training on Content Creation and Marketplace Account Setup for MSME Owners in Kampung Pancasila, Gunung Sari.
The activity, which took place in September 2026 at the Gunung Sari Village Office, was attended by 15 MSME owners from the RW 6 to RW 9 areas.
The training aimed to equip business owners with practical skills in utilizing digital technology, specifically social media and marketplaces, as tools for both promotion and sales.
Learning to Create Promotional Content Using Smartphones
During the training, participants received materials on digital marketing strategies that can be applied according to their individual business needs and capabilities.
The topics covered included the basics of digital marketing, product photography techniques using smartphone cameras, short promotional video creation, and the drafting of copywriting or product descriptions that appeal to potential consumers.
Additionally, participants were introduced to the steps for creating and managing online store accounts on marketplace platforms such as Shopee and Tokopedia.
Interestingly, the activity did not focus solely on theory. Participants also engaged in hands-on practice using their own business products.
Each MSME owner brought products to photograph, created marketing descriptions for them, and then uploaded them to the online stores created during the session.
Through this approach, participants not only gained new knowledge but also produced digital promotional materials that could be immediately utilized in their business operations.
Students from the UWKS Master of Agribusiness program served as co-facilitators for the activity. They assisted participants in groups, guided the practical sessions, moderated discussions, and processed the training evaluation data.
The atmosphere was interactive. Participants who were already familiar with smartphones and digital applications helped others who were still struggling.
Differences in age, educational background, and business type did not prevent the participants from sharing experiences and learning digital marketing skills together.
Marketplaces as a New Opportunity to Expand Consumer Reach
One of the challenges in developing digital marketing for MSMEs is changing the conventional sales habits that have been in place for years.
Some business owners feel that relying on traditional market buyers, regular customers, and WhatsApp orders is sufficient. Furthermore, daily production and sales activities are time-consuming, making digital marketing management a lower priority.
In response to this, the implementation team explained that using a marketplace is not intended to replace existing sales systems.
Instead, marketplaces can be used as an additional marketing channel so that MSME products have the opportunity to be recognized by consumers outside the immediate vicinity of the business.
The use of social media is also expected to help MSME owners build product identity, introduce their business advantages, and increase interaction with potential buyers.
However, the success of digital marketing does not depend solely on having a marketplace account. Business owners must also build the habit of creating content consistently, updating product information, and responding to customer needs.
Therefore, follow-up mentoring is a crucial part of ensuring that the skills acquired by participants can be applied sustainably.
Collaboration Between Campus and Kampung Pancasila
This community service activity was supported by a partnership between the UWKS academic team and the administrators of Kampung Pancasila in Gunung Sari Village.
One of the team members, Dr. Anindya Prastiwi Setiawati, also serves as the coordinator for the Kampung Pancasila development program in Gunung Sari Village.
This involvement helped strengthen coordination between the university and the community, ranging from activity preparation, participant registration, and invitations, to plans for monitoring business progress after the training.
The Kampung Pancasila administrators also acted as liaisons during the mentoring process, ensuring that communication with MSME owners remains ongoing.
This collaboration is part of the university's effort to apply academic knowledge to address real community needs, particularly regarding the strengthening of micro-business capacity and local economic development.
Mentoring Continues to Product Packaging and Labeling
The digital marketing training is part of the implementation of the 2025–2029 Roadmap for Community Service of the UWKS Master of Agribusiness Study Program, specifically in the field of downstreaming and marketing of agricultural products.
After providing training on digital promotion and marketplace management, the team plans to continue mentoring with materials on packaging development (packaging) and product labeling.
This step is considered important because packaging appearance is a factor that influences a consumer's first impression of a product, especially when marketed through digital platforms that rely on photos and visuals.
Attractive packaging, clear product information, and appropriate promotional strategies are expected to increase the added value and competitiveness of the MSME products in Kampung Pancasila, Gunung Sari.
Through this series of mentoring sessions, MSME owners are expected to become more capable of utilizing digital technology independently, developing marketing strategies suited to their product characteristics, and opening up opportunities for sustainable business growth.
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