Depok-Being a craftsman of woven bamboo is a hereditary profession that is still sustainable today in the people of Sidetapa Village, Banjar District, Buleleng Regency, Bali. These woven bamboo handicrafts are known for being neat, sturdy, and the main source of income for local residents with products that range from pencil cases, lamp holders, chairs, to other home interiors.
As one of the international export commodities, there are several other cities in Indonesia which are famous for their woven bamboo products, such as Sukabumi, Tasikmalaya, Tangerang, Padang, Sembaturagung Village (Kudus), and Gintangan Village (Banyuwangi). For this reason, an understanding of branding and digital marketing is needed in order to differentiate woven bamboo products from one region to another. In addition, understanding this concept will also play an important role in expanding sales coverage.
(Photo: Results of woven bamboo from Sidetapa Village residents)
Seeing the importance of this, the Vocational Education Program at the Universitas Indonesia (UI) carried out a community service activity entitled “Digital Marketing Workshop for Woven MSMEs to Improve Community Welfare during the Pandemic Period in Sidatapa-Buleleng Village”, on August 23, 2022. In this activity, the entire service team discussed with local residents regarding the development of branding to market woven bamboo products more broadly.
One of the service teams who is also a lecturer in the Multimedia Broadcasting study program, Peny Meliaty Hutabarat, M.S.M., provided education through his presentation entitled “Digital Marketing for MSMEs.” In her presentation, she conveyed the importance of understanding the target market, knowing the types of digital marketing, and the need to dive into social media trends so that the resulting marketing content remains up to date and in line with the target audience.
(Photo: Peny participates in weaving bamboo to make household products)
Head of Sidetapa Village, Ketut Budiasa, S.Pd.SD, welcomed the community service activities. “We really need trainings like this to maximize our woven bamboo commodities so that they are more well-known and their sales increase. Hopefully the residents can absorb and apply the knowledge conveyed,” said Ketut.
In increasing sales figures, business actors are required to be able to adapt quickly to any changes and developments in existing communications. Utilization of information and communication technology on various digital communication platforms, such as websites, e-commerce, to social media, is very important for introducing and marketing products.
“This technological advancement should also ideally be accompanied by skills in using the platform, such as producing content, creating narratives, and editing. The greater the marketing scope, the better known the brand will be, the wider the sales reach, and will indirectly improve the welfare of local residents,” said Melisa Bunga Altamira, M.Si, as Head of the UI Vocational Community Service Team.
In its implementation, this community service is supported by a community service grant program from the UI Directorate of Community Service and Empowerment. The UI Vocational Community Service Team consists of several other members, namely Dr. Rahmi Setiawati, M.Si.; Arius Krypton Onarelly, M.Si.; also two students, namely Ayda Prasasti Paraningratu and Gilang Satria Kemara.
(Photo: Woven bamboo products that can be used for various household needs)
The Director of the UI Vocational Education Program, Padang Wicaksono, S.E, Ph.D, also expressed his appreciation for the community service activities that had been carried out. “We all know that Indonesia, especially Bali, has a variety of arts and culture that needs to be introduced to foreign countries. It is very proud that the beauty of woven bamboo from Sidetapa Village can be recognized internationally. Hopefully the insights provided by the service team can be concrete evidence of UI Vocational contribution to the development of local commodities,” said Padang.
