Programme run by PSB Academy and subsidised by Enterprise Singapore, small and medium (SME) F&B businesses can now arm their staff with a suite of skills in promoting on essential platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram and Email marketing for less than SGD300.

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach^[1] - 29 May 2020 - As part of the F&B Digital Marketing Assistance Scheme^[2] by PSB, with programme fee subsidised by Enterprise Singapore, up to 2 employees of each SME F&B outfit can now enjoy subsidised fees to earn a Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing (F&B)^[3], which will be delivered fully online by PSB Academy^[4]. 

(From left) Ms Sera Phua, co-founder of Acoustic Café and Ms Leong Veng Khey, manager of Basil Masala's Kitchen, among many other cafes and restaurants, could benefit from PSB Academy's Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing (F&B), a short course subsidised by Enterprise Singapore that aims to empower F&B SME owners and staff with essential skills in online marketing.

This programme comes as companies in the F&B sector, one of the most affected by safe distancing requirements from the circuit breaker measures, start to double down on their digital transformation efforts. It will complement the new Digital Resilience Bonus^[5], part of the Fortitude Budget announced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in Parliament on Tuesday (May 26).

The course will be conducted across three days on three consecutive weekends. Lessons are designed specifically to help F&B businesses and overcome challenges posed by the current Covid-19 situation, which might hinder their ability to promote awareness or brand loyalty of their operations.

Ms Leong Veng Khey, manager of the popular vegetarian restaurant Basil's Masala Kitchen^[6], located off Race Course Road, said that since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she was excited to hear about this course, as she feels the need to capture a slice of the growing meal deliveries market.

"I have to grapple between the difficult choice of choosing to pay high commission fees charged by popular delivery platforms or work with limited resources to promote her deliveries online," says Veng Khey. "This short course on digital marketing^[7] by PSB Academy will impart real skills for me to start campaigns on Google, Facebook or even Instagram within days, and empower me to be more independent with my choice of advertising channels or platforms."

To prove their mettle and understanding of their newly found skills, companies that completed the course will be awarded SGD500* if they can execute and complete one digital marketing campaign.

Ms Sera Phua, the co-founder of Acoustic Cafe^[8], said that although her cafe has a Facebook page, she personally feels that she and many other small F&B business owners often have a common challenge in having their brand stories get heard online.

"I am very encouraged by this additional support in course fees and I'm excited about the SGD500* campaign completion bonus from Enterprise Singapore that will definitely help small business owners like ourselves to learn valuable hands-on skills and grow our share of voice," she added.

"PSB Academy has the privilege of partnering with Enterprise Singapore to offer this subsidised digital marketing short course^[9], to help alleviate some of the unprecedented stresses that come with the pressure to transform themselves digitally and remain sustainable," says Dr Sam Choon Yin, Dean, PSB Academy. "We want to guide them through the overwhelming marketing noise and help them appreciate how some of these advertising platforms might help with a few of their challenges, like fortifying their channels of communication to customers, or building resilient sources of income from digital platforms. We look forward to supporting more businesses from the community by imparting practical skills that a humble coffee shop owner or restauranteur can use, so that we might weather this storm together."

*Terms and conditions apply

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} F&B Digital Marketing Assistance Scheme (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)
3. ^{^} Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing (F&B) (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)
4. ^{^} PSB Academy (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)
5. ^{^} Digital Resilience Bonus (www.straitstimes.com)
6. ^{^} Basil's Masala Kitchen (www.facebook.com)
7. ^{^} short course on digital marketing (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)
8. ^{^} Acoustic Cafe (www.facebook.com)
9. ^{^} subsidised digital marketing short course (sbm.psb-academy.edu.sg)