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audiothebrand · 9 years ago

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Post Digital Media Landscape of South Africa and Future Iteration by Fezile Dhlamini

1. INTORDUCTION

The South African digital industry has seen much change over the years as there has been much influence for it to take on a more post digital approach in the strategic communications industry. The South African media landscape has changed drastically, post-democracy, from being a nation state that had limited access to media, to now having it in abundance. According to Botha (2014) “In a South African context, the only thing perhaps delaying the widespread adoption of digital in the communication mix is our level of internet penetration, which has historically lagged when compared to developed markets, but we are catching up quickly.” There are many changes that are taking place, and these changes are impacting the way that consumers receive messages from brands to how they want to get involved in the entire mode of production. Like many other industries, technology has been at the core of this ecosystem as it has managed to not only break barriers for organisations, but has also made it possible for consumers to also have more options when it comes to choosing what it was they would like to consume. “Social media word of mouth will continue to be the brand holy grail in the next couple of years, but the media landscape is going to look different, radically different” (Sharman, 2015: 77).

Branding has changed and with that so has the consumer. The way that consumers would take in what they were told by brands has now moved from that traditional state to a post digital state where there is a lot of integrated communication solutions and direct engagement (which we will explore). As consumers have become smarter and socially conscious of what is happening around them, it has been the task of the brands to ensure that they equip themselves with the necessary tools to ensure that their survival in this post digital landscape is long-term and fruitful. The way that we look at consumers today in the post-digital landscape could be the same way that we look at the supply and demand curve in economics. If there is a high demand for technology and there is a low supply of it, there will be an imbalance in the consumer market. It is required that there is an equilibrium that is met between brands supply and consumers’ demand. Furthermore, with that being said, it is also important for the authors of content to remember that there is infobesity (information overload), so it is rather important that brands and organisations ensure that they meet those demands strategically. This is a complex process. In this academic script what will be critically discussed is the post digital landscape holistically looking at a variety of factors that compose of this ecosystem as well as what is happening and also what should be happening in it to ensure that the future of the industry makes the South African Landscape is competitive globally. What is to be explored here is the post digital landscape of South Africa as well as an explanation of why digital is important for all brands and organisations in this developing nation state.

2. SOUTH AFRICAN POST DIGITAL LANDSCAPE: STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

The post digital landscape of South Africa is has taken shape to change a number of things, and this is seen in the work done by strategic communicators. The definition of Post Digital according to Davies (2009) is that it is a state where digital is no longer new but mainstream and reflects a blurring/bending of digital and physical elements – it is a holistic channel/integrated approach to communications. On the other hand what needs to be understood about digital is that “Digital is not a channel in the same way that a marketer might view television or radio as a channel. Instead digital is a way of life. It is the experiential glue which binds previously separated media together” (Stokes, 2013). Therefore, it is critical for strategic communicators to ensure that they have created channel strategies that are transient.

For an organisation, what it means to be post digital is that the organisation has the capacity to bring in all elements that are required to ensure that it can leave behind the asymmetric principles, and use technology as the bridge that will connect the brand to the consumers (and vice versa). “Digital marketing is an inevitable technological trend that sweeps today’s industries and includes such applications as ecommerce, Internet marketing and networking, even demographic and product research” (Grauman & Koekemoer, 2011: 363). Digital marketing has grown into a field that is very much skills based and specific. Not all brands and organisations practice digital, as there are many that have stuck it out traditionally. However, as the need for more digital approach to marketing and connecting with consumers grows, there is a much bigger need for the South African Landscape to improve on its technological infrastructure. “Things are moving fast in the South African digital agency space, with major global players like Puiblicis and WPP buying out companies that entered the market a couple of years ago” (Evans, 2015).

The media landscape has migrated from being traditional to being digital. Even within that digital, the industry has moved to a post digital one. “An explosion of new technologies, and the rise of the smartphone in particular, also mean that there are completely new ways of reaching digital audience (Thomas, 2014). Thus, it is imperative to understand what types of impact digital communication has on the ecosystem. Brands and organisations have had to change their approach as to how they would reach consumers and also what platforms they would use to connect to their target audiences. Traditionally, marketing was the understanding of what your (the brand to) consumers want all the time, knowing how to talk to them on various platforms by giving them information that you (the brand) want them to receive, and also thinking that above-the-line/below-the-line marketing is still a core competency of the industry for brands (Botha, 2014). “The traditional approach of big brands 'shouting' at consumers through the impossible-to-miss channels such as primetime TV commercials or cover-fold magazine ads are tactics of days gone by” (Botha, 2014).

Lastly, there are number of factors to consider when breaking down the media landscape that is “technology is the biggest driver of change in evolution of the media landscape” (Holden & Bashford, 2009: 13). What will be explored is technology being a key driver in post digital business and post digital communication – in other words, its importance in the strategic communications industry.

3. TECHNOLOGY AS A KEY DRIVER

According to Cooper (2009: 5), “Our industry is experiencing a period of amazing change, and the pace of this change is likely to increase dramatically over the next five years. The primary driver of this evolution is technology, and the effect it has on communication opportunities.” What needs to be understood with regards to technology is that it is a key driver within the industry. By this, globalisation and technology have made it possible for businesses and consumers to reach each other seamlessly with the hope of generating conversions. Therefore, technology has made the consumer much smarter than they were 10 years ago, and brands have had to adjust to this change in consumer behaviour. This is known as a paradigm shift, which is a way of doing things. So it is known that agencies and brands would need to be postmodernist /or post digital to survive and flourish in the post digital era.

With regard to the power shift between brands and consumers, influence has moved away from consumers being influenced by the brand, to the brand being shaped by the consumer – a fundamental postmodern principle (Crystal, 2015). Also, the evolution of brands, the meaning of the brand is not static or subject to change. Brands are dynamic entities, needing to keep themselves relevant to consumers. A chameleon brand is a flexible brand, and that is fuelled by the excessive use of technology.

Drivers are the direct causes that result in consumers changing purchasing decisions or organisations moving from practising modernist principles to postmodernist principles. These drivers are also known as the variables that consumers use to base their decision making on when purchasing a product or utilising a service. There are a variety of drivers of change, such as economic drivers, political drivers and sentiment drivers – consumer drivers. As for organisations, the drivers that constitute where they direct themselves are: commoditization, digitization, and globalization (Morris, 2013).

3.1 Technology as a Key Driver: In Business and In Communication

Technology is reshaping culture. You need to be a part of the conversation, be aware of the way that the culture and sub-cultures develop and evolve (through cultural scanning), and make use of the universal language to be relatable. “A brand’s story must connect with a larger conversation that’s happening in the culture” (Crystal, 2015).

According to McGrath (2011), “In a world where a competitive advantage often evaporates in less than a year, companies can’t afford to spend months at a time crafting a single long-term strategy”. Globalisation is a juggernaut, and by it being a juggernaut it is an unstoppable fast paced phenomenon. It is up to organisations to ensure that they stay ahead in the industry through effective innovative strategy development, and applying core post digital competencies in their philosophy such as: collaboration, transparency, and sharing/personalisation.

For the post digital consumer, communication is taking a more scientific approach for the agency/and brand seeing neurobranding is one of the main facets of this science – which is to understand why and how people do things. To be open source as an organisation is also an important post digital communication element. In terms of contribution, consumers want to be a part of the brand, as a brand you need to create this space and platform. “Brands should look to open source standards and philosophies for the future… The future is human and open - it is less about corporate control, and more about brand sharing” (Mofokeng, 2015: 83). Lastly, converged media solutions, according to Lieb and Owyang (2012: 5) “converged media utilizes two or more channels of paid, earned, or owned media. It is characterised by a consistent storyline, look, and feel.” With the convergence of media, where Paid meets Owned, Owned meets Earned, and vice versa, brands should focus more on collaborative media. By that, Paid media will soon be ousted by Collaborative Media because Paid Media will be inorganic and consumers will be able to block it on their social networks. For instance, if a brand were to work with an influencer, which will be collaboration, they would be able to resonate and related with consumers directly as opposed to having to pay to be in their space. It is a high time that brands use influencers and not celebfluencers (celebrities) as vessels to gain entry into the consumer’s environment organically.

4. ONLINE VS. OFFLINE: BRANDING

As a strategist or a digital marketer, one should never make the mistake of focusing on one component more than the other because, as a brand, you will miss out on opportunities. Consumers as well, have moved to a more specific and niche perspective when it comes to consuming online media. “Digital is everywhere and it is very quickly rising to the pinnacle of the marketing communication mix” (Botha, 2014).

Offline branding has faded in importance for channel strategists, but it is still an important medium that brands use to connect with consumers who are not connected – the power of being online is offline. For businesses to flourish online, they would need the assistance of a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or a SEM (Search Engine Marketing). “Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of optimising a website to achieve the highest possible ranking on the search engine results pages (SERPs)” (Stokes, 2013: 230). And on the other hand, “Search advertising, also called pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, is a way to advertise your business or product directly on search engine results pages, where the advertiser pays only for each click on their advert” (Stokes, 2013: 264). Offline is associated with traditional and personal relationships. You cannot alienate one over the other. “Offline is most effective in deepening the connections you’ve made with people online; to build respectful relationships with others in your industry, as well as potentially with influencers such as bloggers and journalists, customers or partners or maybe even future employers” (Young, 2013).

4.1 Online and Offline Offering

Brands need to integrate their online and offline efforts to ensuring that their brand can survive in contemporary culture – creating a totally holistic brand experience which is both online and offline. Digital allows brands to become a part of people’s lives. So for a brand, they need to make sure that all of their consumers (regardless of their archetype) get the same brand experience all round – that is what consumers appreciate. For example, FNB has done this excellently through customer service and reputation management, as well as through campaigns that would require users who prefer to connect with the brand offline (banking services) to do so at any ATM (offline) (http://website.ornico.co.za/2014/03/the-great-banking-switcheroo/).

Other factors to look at with regard to online presence for brands is that brands need to build Virtual Brand Communities (a virtual brand community is a community facilitated by a brand on their social network where consumers can co-create and build a stronger relationships with brands online and trickle offline) that can sustain themselves when they are not there, they need to focus on ensuring that electronic word of mouth, and both can be achieved by having a social media manager who knows what they are doing. “Social media plays a role in promoting initiatives from different departments and teams across a company. When a social media manager effectively balances these promotions with other engaging and relevant content, they’ll be able to win the hearts and minds of their followers and internal stakeholders” (Dhlamini: 2015). The next section will be looking in the current media landscape and the future changes that are to be made.

5. CURRENT MEDIA LANDSCAPE & FUTURE CHANGES

According to Anastasiou (2013), “As more South Africans connect to the Internet there is more conversation and engagement taking place on social media.” There are a variety of other factors to consider when it comes to the current media landscape that is, paid, owned, and earned media. To be successfully present online brands normally need to practice the following on their social media: Be a Content Creator, Be a Marketing Analyst, Be a News Junkie, Manage Customer Service Reputation, Be a Community Manager and Facilitator, Be a Funnel Marketing Manager, and Project Manager. Those are the necessary skills to effectively utilise social media.

The industry has seen a new department in organisations, which is made up of skilled teams of individuals who come from different departments and have been exposed to different parts of the industry (Clark, 2013). These are also known as reaction systems for brands online when the brand is not there to stand for itself, so then it is the job of the team to respond accordingly. To capitalise on user generated content (UGC), the purpose is to connect your consumer first and creating an informal conversation which will spark a conversation that they (consumer) may relate to organically (Clark, 2013). The objective for the team is to respond quickly and creatively. This is an innovative and instantaneous communication solution for brands online. In a nutshell, the purpose of a branded newsroom: is responding to what is viral instantaneously with a meme, ad, accolade that is both strategic and creative (aligning it to business interests).

5.1 Trends

The meaning for ‘trend’ is broad in the sense that it could be related to any subject. Through common knowledge a trend is known as a pattern that happens over a long period of time, forming a sequence and is easily categorised. To spot a future trend on the other hand would involve a statistical observation of a given pattern that forms a sequence that an organisation could monetize for their benefit. According to Higham (2009: 15), trend is defined ‘as a line of general direction or movement… a prevailing tendency or inclination… the general movement overtime of a statistically detectable change… [Or] a current style or preference’.

A typical example of a trend would be the increased growth in businesses/brands that have taken the initiative to grow their brands through social media, in South Africa for example, because of the growth in the amount of consumers that are connected online (http://www.theredzone.co.za/814-mobile-data-usage-will-climb-to-20-billion-but-why-is-2013-still-a-hard-year-for-agencies). The reason as to why social media is abuzz is because brands are able to not only looking at building brand awareness, but are now capable of managing their brand image – otherwise managing brand risk (Kleyn: 2014).

These has been number of trends that have had an impact on the South African Post Digital landscape, trends that postmodern brands have taken advantage of. However, these are the most important three key trends that need to be taken looked: (1) “Behavioural profiling/extreme targeting will become a default practice – Direct marketing has been the discipline concerned with targeting the right message to the right consumer at the right time by overlaying different data sources to a customer or prospect base”; (2) “Content Driven Marketing will grow – …Brands will invest more in creating unique content rather than trying to create unique advertising”; (3) Mobile advertising will come to dominate – Mobile will not only be the fastest-growing part of the digital advertising arena, it will come to absolutely dominate” (Evans, 2015).

5.2 Digital Communication Tools

As brands become more and more digitally oriented, it is important that they have the necessary digital tools in place to guide them into the sphere they want to be in, in the industry. It is important that a post digital brand conducts digital market research to have a transient advantage – having many opportunities and taking as many of them as possible as they do not last long. According to Lieb and Owyang (2012: 41), market research helps you to make more informed decisions in order to be more profitable and relevant.” Now that market research has become online, it is known as the process of using digital tools, data and connections to glean valuable insights about a particular brand’s target audience (Lieb & Owyang, 2012: 41).

One of the key benefits of using digital market research is that one can reach easily have their findings organised for them and then have insights displayed for them, for instance with trying to understand your target audience to create resonance and relevance (Lieb & Owyand, 2012: 42). As brands are able to gain consumer insights, they can improve their products and services from it by using (Lieb & Owyand, 2012: 42). And lastly, benefits for industry and market insights can help brands to reach new potential consumers that they may have never interacted with.

There are multiple online tools available for brands to utilise to maximise their return on investment for the online activity, such that stands out the most is BrandsEye which is popularly used locally and internationally. They come up with metrics/business solutions that can help measure content online and the context. By scanning the entire web, they can come up with analyses in terms of where traction is occurring. “An online monitoring and insights tool such as BrandsEye is valuable for making appropriate business decisions based on real insights” (Lieb & Owyand, 2012: 62). This is excellent for brands as they can be confident with knowing that there are opportunities that lie ahead for their next project.

6. CONCLUSION

According to the research conduction which explored the post digital landscape of South Africa, it is not long until brands and organisations all shift to their communication objectives and channel strategies to weigh in more online than offline. The connected consumer may at some point be disconnected from reality because of technological advances such as Augmented Reality which will save them the time and energy from leaving their home to doing everything from one place. To win in this highly competitive ecosystem brands, organisations and agencies will have to beef up their creative juices to strategically distinguish themselves from the clutter as there is infobesity in respective industries. The consumer is now connected, they have the power to make or break a brand’s online reputation. Therefore, brands need to understand that social networks were not built for them, to survive they need to be humanised, and that they are entering a space where content marketing makes you win over the hearts and minds of the mobile-consumer. Lastly, social media and virtual brand communities need to be evolved and brands need to make sure that they understand how to use these platforms and grow organically without having to pay for “boosting services” but to organically grow as a community online (pull marketing).

7. SOURCE LIST

Botha, M. (2014). The Future of Marketing. Available from: http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/423/113654.html

Crystal, A. (2015). Shift to Post Modernism.

Dhlamini, F. (2015). How to Be an Effective Social Media Manager. Available from: http://audiothebrand.tumblr.com/post/128519897608/influencer-marketing-campaign-tips-by-fezile.

Evans, B. (2015). 7 Key South African digital marketing trends you absolutely need to be aware of. Available from: http://memeburn.com/2015/02/7-key-south-african-digital-marketing-trends-you-absolutely-need-be-aware-of/.

Higham, W. (2009). The Next Big Thing. London: Kogan Page Publishers.

Holden, M. & Bashford, S. (2009). ‘Media Agency 2014’: PHD on the Future of the Media Agency. London: The Telephone Exchange.

Kleyn, N. (2014). The big themes on the 2014 brand radar. Available from: http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/424/109285.html.

Lieb, R., Owyang, J., Groopman, J., & Silva, C. (2012). The Converged Media Imperative: How Brands Must Combine Paid, Owned, and Earned Media.

Morris, L. [n.d.]. The Driving Forces of Change. Available from: http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2013/07/18/the-driving-forces-of-change/.

Ornico. (2014). Ad Of The Week With Oresti Patricios – The Great Banking Switcheroo. Available from: http://website.ornico.co.za/2014/03/the-great-banking-switcheroo/.

Sharman, M. (2015). Make Way For Disruption. In The Future by Design: The Brand Guide to tomorrow today (pp. 77). Edited by de Waal, M. Available from:

Stokes, R. (2013). eMarketing: The essential guide to marketing in a digital world. Available from: www.quirk.biz/emarketingtextbook.

The Red Zone. 2013. Mobile data usage will climb to $20 billion. Available from: http://www.theredzone.co.za/814-mobile-data-usage-will-climb-to-20-billion-but-why-is-2013-still-a-hard-year-for-agencies.

thinkDoubleClick (2013, June 14). Coca-Cola's Liquid & Linked Marketing [video file]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeZ7M5KcJ3E.

Thomas, S. (2014). The Memeburn guide to the SA digital agency landscape. Available from: http://memeburn.com/2014/10/memeburn-presents-the-almostcomplete-guide-to-the-sa-digital-agency-space/.

Young, T. (2013). Online Vs Offline: Which is more important in building your authority and reputation? Available from: http://blog.firebrandtalent.com/2013/11/online-vs-offline-which-is-more-important-in-building-your-authority-and-reputation/ .

Zerfass, A. & Huck, S. 2007. Innovation, Communication, and Leadership: New Developments in Strategic Communication. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 1 (2): 107-22.

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#postdigitalmedialandscape #southafricamedia #strategiccommunications #research #marketing

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audiothebrand · 9 years ago

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Influencer Marketing Campaign Tips by Fezile Dhlamini

The following are a stream of tweets I have made available on my blog through text.

Let me give you some Influencer Marketing Tips!

Influencer marketing has proven to be one of the effective and substantial marketing channels for both large and small brands.

Online more traditional forms of marketing though, it can be a little mess.

What's the best way to find the right influencers for your influencer marketing campaign?

To find the right influencer is to achieve a great balance between the number of followers and the "quality" of followers.

Know how to break that down to a form that can be moulded to fit your campaign specifically.

Understand the different between INFLUENCER & CELEBFLUENCER. Quality over quantity dilemma again.

The sole purpose of using influencers for a campaign is so that your campaign be deemed authentic in the minds of the audience.

In today's world of insta-fame and purchased fans, it's crucial to look beyond the cold number of FOLLOWERS.

What's most important is the engagement - a tweep with 10k followers but 3 comments isn't usually influencing the audience.

Consumers are aware and so are end-users. They have the power to choose what they consume and refer others to.

So find an influencer with an organic connection to the product or/ campaign. E.g: Telling Cassper to Market Dickies when he's an Adidas patriot (Premium Brand).

Face to face interaction works best when activating a campaign with digital influencers. They are bound to be recognized.

When you approach an influencers about a campaign, you're asking them to ask their audience to trust you.

With that being said, Networks are Expensive. Brands must know and return the favour to by nurturing those relationships.

What types of influencer marketing campaigns are the most successful?

Honestly. This is all dependent on the channel strategy. But images + links + hash tag = WORK!

If you are looking for a following and engagement boost, give aways provide that. If the prizes are worth it.

Instagram takeovers are ideal for introducing your company to a new set of consumers.

The most successful campaigns are those in which influencers have two key attributes: 1. A strong, loyal following and; 2. An organic affinity to the brand.

Your Channel Strategy needs to be beefed up through collaboration with your influencers. You cannot manage the whole way!

A true ROI can be measured through an organic relationship, more so than a one-time paid partnership.

The best campaigns are when both the brand and the influencer are excited to a relationship that will prolong post the campaign.

Brands need to be strategic with who they pick to penetrate via their channel strategy.

Not all influencers are influential organically on all social networks. So split them up well.

In today's social media crazed world, Instagram is absolutely one of the strongest mediums for luxury brands.

What is the best way to track the success of influencer marketing campaigns?

The most effective way to measure ROMI (Return On Marketing Investment) starts with ensuring you have well-designed goals before you begin.

There are various multi-media tools available for brands to use for tracking the success of campaigns I.e. QR Codes, Codes.

One most used method would be to build referral communities. A form of Uberization.

Down brands look for social media following, traffic driven to brands website, and resulting in e-commerce sales.

Here's an example of using feedback for an influencer marketing campaign with @BlackBerry_ZA.

Personally I'm never getting into another influencer marketing campaign that won't carry on after the campaign is done. They can look elsewhere.

#influencer marketing campaign #digital #opinion

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audiothebrand · 9 years ago

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How To Be An Effective Social Media Manager by Fezile Dhlamini

"Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he's hired to do" - Malcom Forbes

Many Businesses and or companies have recognised the value and benefit in social media marketing. A Social Media Manger can be defined as a highly motivated individual with experience and a passion for designing and implementing the company's content strategy.

To Be the BEST Social Media Manager

People relegate the social media role to people without much experience, proving bottom-line results. This is generic growth metrics. Then once hired, those social media specialists do not have experience proving those bottom-line efforts. To ‘drive engagement’ is what every SMM will say. There is more to it than just mere engagement.

WHAT YOU NEED TO BE IS THE FOLLOWING

1. Content Creator

Content needs to be curated and adapted to each social media page. That is you primary role. Each social network has its own purpose with how they interact with it. There is no on-size-fits-all. So creativity is important, as well as to thoroughly know who you are posting to & why.

Skills Necessary

· Copywriting

· Design

· Creativity

· Photography

· Videography

· Positioning

How this drives results

Knowing how you will send out and place each post makes it easier for consumers to reach out to your content and act on it. Yielding more clicks and leads. For instance, tweets need just a link and an image to drive traction.

2. Marketing Analyst

A SMM needs to be able to dig into the data, analyse the data, and draw actionable insights. Understand macro data (overall reach, leads generated, leads nurtured, customer cases support) all the way down to micro data (like individual experiments around content positioning). Know the pulse of the community; be able to set goals that are just out of reach – finding a way to hit them.

Learn to make informed decisions using the analysed data. Experiment and risk take with the data. If need be, make use of post-frequency testing from the experiments with the data.

Skills Necessary

· Data Analysis

· Run Scientific Experiments

· Curiosity

· Strong Presentation skills

3. New Junkie

As an SMM, you’re at the centre of a network with an infobesity of content. A successful SMM will be able to find new opportunities of their competition by keeping a pulse on the industry. Knowing what people are saying about certain information is great when you know how to extend the conversation onto your page.

As an SMM ensure that you capitalise on news immediately as it happens strategically, like what Oreo did during the Super Bowl as well as what Volvo did. Remember that you’re also the extension of the PR team. Lastly, as a SMM, you are also a global endeavour, so you need to be able to think outside of your region.

Skills Necessary

· Professional Communication Skills

· Content Curation

· Quick Decision Making

· Ability to think globally

· Effective Monitoring

· Hungry for information

· Good Judgement

· Calm at all times

4. Customer Service Reputation

As a SMM you are the voice of the organisation to millions of people/user. Expect the good and bad from social media and know how to handle it all effectively. Know how to communicate with fans/foes/customers/non-customers/general audience, because they are the traffic director of all social media engagement.

To do this job effectively, you must be intimately familiar with your company’s overall business so that you can do quick, surface-level troubleshooting.

Skills Necessary

· Desire to solve others’ problems

· Strong communication skills

· Calm

· Adaptability

· Ability to troubleshoot

· Knowledge of where to pass complex questions

· Knowledge of company overall

How This Drives Results

You respond to customer problems in the same way they want to communicate with you. Responses are public so you have the advantage to portray the organisation in the best light.

5. Community Manager and Facilitator

Part of building a following on social media is helping that following connect with each other and become a community. The communities engage with each other and not with the brand. But they also are facilitated by influencers who direct the conversation. Community Management takes work, including asking questions to seed discussions and kicking out people who spam/detract in the communication.

One day social networks will be optimised enough for communities to be more open source and transparent.

Skills Necessary

· Ability to stimulate discussion

· Firm but empathetic

· Resourceful

· Ability to connect people

How this Drives Results

If your followers like your community, they will refer it to others. Either on purpose or inadvertedly on their timelines – this is still organic. Followers need to gain knowledge from each other to prove to being of value to others and to brands. For instance, UGC, which is informed.

6. Funnel Marketing Manager

As an SMM you need to be able to expand the reach of you content, attract visitors to your site (ad words), generate leads, and nurture them to become customers. So be able to pick up and share content in a way that will accomplish each of these goals.

A social media manager also needs to engage one-on-one with potential consumers who are considering their company’s product or service, or simply need their help. Prospects use multimedia to consumer information and social channels allow you to engage in a more timely manner.

Skills Necessary

· Knowledge of your content for each funnel stage

· Basic sales skills

· Funnel understanding

· Strong Communication Skills

How it drives Results

Sharing conversation-oriented content on social media can attract more visitors to your site and convert them into leads for your sales team.

7. Project Manager

A SMM needs to be so highly organised that their response rate is high enough to satisfy users. They need to be able to quickly assess whether a request would resonate with the company’s followers, or whether it’s too niche or too narrow (for e.g. a location specific post may be too narrow to send to a company’s entire following). You need to be able to congruently work with different departments of the organisation to ensure that effective communication is practised.

Skills Necessary

· Strong organisation skills

· Ability to negotiate

· Strong communication skills

· Data-based decision making skills

How this drives Results

Social media plays a role in promoting initiatives from different departments and teams across a company. When a social media manager effectively balances these promotions with other engaging and relevant content, they’ll be able to win the hearts and minds of their followers and internal stakeholders.

#Social Media #Social Media Manager #Digital

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audiothebrand · 10 years ago

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TURNING MARKETING TO STRATEGY IN BUSINESS By Fezile Dhlamini

As a business, overtime, as your business grows what is most important is staying top of mind. What this means is that, you brand needs to move from being a competitive brand to one that uniquely stands out and is of value to consumers. But does that mean that convenience = customer loyalty? Should convenience be target audience specific or can it be all around? But I can suggest that customer loyalty has to do with your availability of your brand for the consumers and also the strategy used for them to see your brand. For example, Ferrari and Toyota would not have the same marketing strategy because their brands appeal and directly target consumers of different LSM statuses.

As a business, it may be easy to move your product, but, like everyone else, it is the strategy taken to move it that matters most and distinguishes your brand from others. Since we are in an era where ‘the consumer is king’, what brands need to do is look at how they can evolve the service to consumers to keep them loyal to the brand. Customers and the market now stand at the core of the business. If competitive advantage still allows other brands to catch up overtime, then flexibility is important for organisations, experience and knowledge of where the business is and where it should go is key. Being better isn’t the norm anymore, it is how do you distinguish you service deliver, how is the purchase criteria optimised (for example, previously disadvantaged individuals who are the black diamonds are striving to live the aspirational lifestyle they have always dreamt of), this boils down to the position that the brand takes in the market (for instance, Hendricks Gin catering to a NYC Hippy Market). As much as consumers are now the driving force of the market, brands should stay ahead through forecasting and understanding the driving forces behind consumer purchasing decisions and also understanding the pace and evolution of the markets.

Practices of the organisation are important. Successful organisations have a strong internal (upstream) and external (downstream) competitive advantage. Internally would refer to its employees, strategies, business developments and its engine that keeps it going (Apple and Google patents). Externally, it would refer to its relationships with its stakeholders, branding, customers and channel partners (Apple and Google communication platforms with the market). Internal and external competitive advantage is important for a number of reasons which I will explain through an example, using Coca-Cola (Dawar: 2013, 2).

What would happen to Coca Cola’s ability to raise financing and launch operation anew if all of its physical assets around the world were mysteriously go up in flames one night? The answer, most reasonable business people conclude, is that the setback would cost the company time, effort, and money – but Coca Cola would have little difficulty raising the funds to get back on its feet. The brand would easily attract investors looking for future returns.

Another scenario is, if 7 billion consumers around the world were to wake up one morning with partial amnesia, such that they could not remember the brand name Coca Cola or any of its associations. Long standing habits would be broken, and customers would no longer reach for Coke when thirsty. In this scenario, most business people agree that even though Coca Cola’s physical assets remained intact (infrastructure and cash), the company would find it difficult to scare up the funds to restart operations. It turns out that the loss of downstream competitive advantage – that is, consumers’ connection with the brand – would be a more severe blow than the loss of all upstream assets.

What this means in the end is that for a brand or an organisation to remain successful and have that real competitive advantage, it would have to be reliant on the loyalty of its consumers who are not willing to change or even to try other brands’ products or services when they have no choice.

LISTENING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS, OR NAH!

Organisations are labelled as being ‘market oriented’ because they have mastered the art of listening to consumers, understanding their needs, and developing products and services that meets those needs. That is rather the modern way of thinking in business. That is practising the 4 Ps of marketing and not evolving as an organisation. Organisations need to look at other, optimal avenues.

A customer’s purchasing decision must be shaped by brands. Create demand, do not succumb to consumer demands, even though that is what creates the opportunity. Consumers are inquisitive, they yearn for something new and fresh, something different that they associate to. They must be given something to want, and at the same time brands need to avoid industry conformity. “Buyers increasingly use company defined criteria not just to choose a brand but to make sense of and connect with the market place.

”those criteria are also becoming the basis on which companies segment markets, target and position their brands, and develop strategic market positions as sources of competitive advantage. The strategic objective for the downstream business, therefore, is to influence how consumers perceive the relative importance of various purchase criteria and to introduce new, favourable criteria” (Dawar: 2013, 3). This is all achieved with innovation.

For products of services offered, brands should not be obvious with marketing and placing their brand as “the other brand”, but should rather focus on the benefits of consumers using their brand instead of their competitors. Find a niche, connect that niche with your consumers and sell have that as a unique selling point to have your brand superior over others. Through marketing, should you want to grow as a brand, you need to get the job done. For instance, the event experience must be real and worth more than what the customers paid for. That inevitably results in brand loyalty (evangelists develop).

THE EROSION OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

As stated by Dawar (2013, 4), “The traditional upstream view is that as rival companies catch up, competitive advantage erodes. But for companies competing downstream, advantage grows overtime or with the number of customers served – in other words, it is accumulative”. As an organisation it is important to decide as to whether it wants to focus on upstream or downstream, there may be no realistic choice, but the strategic departments need to be divided to ensure that it specialises in achieving upstream and downstream goals.

The core business of an organisation may not be upstream and downstream, if it is data driven, meaning it has lots of users or consumers in a network to cater for it would require to focus that core business on satisfying the needs of its consumers downstream. Facebook is an example, where it’s all about network effects: its users want to connect want to be where everyone else is hanging out. The people that join Facebook and want to use the service as often as possible, the more likely that other users such as their friends will stay. This constitutes a classic downstream competitive advantage. The market space is their home. In the end, the results are accumulative for the brands. How the downstream competitive advantage works is that:

In the market space there may be hundreds of competitors who offer the same services at a lower cost, but not of the same quality as the one with the competitive advantage. Despite the cost factor, customers will still choose the one that is unique and provides a service that cannot be replicated regardless of the organisation’s price offering. The competitive edge results in accumulation because customers have identified what it is that they want and the value they derive from it.

CHOOSING COMPETITORS, OR NAH?

“Conventional wisdom holds that firms are largely stuck with the competitors they have or that emerge independent of their efforts. But when advantage moves downstream, three critical decisions can determine, or at least influence, whom you play against; how you position your offering in the mind of the customer, how you place yourself vis-à-vis your competitive set within the distributive channel, and your pricing’ (Dawar: 2013, 4).

For example, with an events company. If your events are targeted to a Premium Youth Market, you have a choice with regards to how you position it: experience based through brand activations, selling high priced alcohol, high priced entrance, an invite only event, using mass media to talk to all consumers and only expecting a few hundred to respond (BMW, Mercedes marketing model), or as a pretentious event inviting those who are likers and just want to be there. In each instance, the customer perceives the benefits of the event differently, and is likely to compare the event (as a product) to a different set of competing events (products).

As a brand, you should never think that you have no competition. No matter how you position your brand, be it as an incumbent or joining what’s already there, competition results. Either you can position yourself alongside your competition or away from it. For instance, in a shopping isle, competitive cost advantage exists. For instance with laptops are a Dion Wired store, one should remember that not all laptop buyers are buying solely for the criterion of cost (some are buying for aspirational purposes, for example), but for those who are, Apple would be an attractive choice. Cost advantage = aesthetic appeal in most cases.

“If you would prefer not to be compared with any other brands, then you’re better off marketing, distributing, and packaging your products in ways that avoid familiar cues to customers… The lack of differentiation encourages competition, when many of these brands would be better off avoiding it” (Dawar: 2013, 5). Strategically placing your brand in the market is important because it allows consumers to identify it and make it distinguishable. What is important is having consumers having the ability to recall your brand without needing to compare it (saying “it’s like MTV, VH1, Facebook and Snap Chat in one”), or mumbling what it could be – that is why brand experience is important. Brand experience can be thoroughly practised using the 4 E’s of Marketing (Everyplace, Evangelism, Experience, and Exchange).

Even with everything else surrounding the consumer, and that which has ability to sway their purchase decision, pricing still plays a role. Consumers are constantly looking for an established brand and value proposition. Even with the ‘established brand’ factor, the right pricing might accomplish the objective.

“Although choosing to avoid competitors may minimise the head-on competition, there is no guarantee that you won’t still have to contend with competitors you didn’t want or ask for. But if you’ve done your homework and established dominance on your criterion of purchase, me-too competitors will be putting themselves in an unfavourable position if they choose to follow you” (Dawar, 2013, 5).

INNOVATION: BETTER PRODUCTS OF TECHNOLOGY?

Your product/brand must be known for something specific. Do not be like be like BlackBerry where you were solely known for “Free internet” and “BBM” that you fail to evolve your offering in time. “Companies compete ferociously against one another not to prove superiority but to establish uniqueness” (Dawar: 2013, 5). Even though there was no other competing IM like BBM, BlackBerry could have worked more at fixing its hardware and software to optimise the user experience of the IM service and all round device features. But because some brands emphasise different criteria of purchase, they appeal to very different customers. A BlackBerry user and a Samsung user purchase the devices for various reasons, where Samsung is more of a gadget device appealing to a market that loves evolution in smartphone technology, a BlackBerry user is more aligned to the business functionalities of the device.

The upstream elements also matter. It complements the downstream activities to brand building. Reinforcement of a brand’s service offering and reason for the consumers association to it is important. Consumers need to be reminded why they are loyal to specific brands, they need to be well informed as to what the brand is doing that is optimising the user experience of it, and the value proposition constantly needs to be re-evaluated so that it keeps its competitive edge (advantage).

HOW ELSE CAN BRANDS INNOVATE?

The persistent belief that innovation is primarily about building better products and technologies leads managers to an overreliance on upstream activities and tools, which is not the best of solutions in this current paradigm. Which is what Samsung has found itself doing as it is competing with Apple to being the World number 1 smartphone manufacturer by introducing new features to its Galaxy range. Maybe a brand does not need to change anything about it. The key solution can simply be that the downstream activities need more flexibility. Samsung started out flourishing with innovative upstream and downstream activities, but has now positioned itself more upstream. “Competitive battles are won by offering innovations that reduce customers’ costs and risks over the entire purchase, consumption, and disposal cycle” (Dawar: 2013, 5).

Innovation could also mean doing something better, or giving consumers more opportunity to purchasing your brand at a less of an expense where there is a long-term win for the brand. “Reducing costs and risks for customers is central to any downstream tilt – indeed, it is the primary means of creating downstream value” (Dawar: 2013, 6).

REFERENCE

Dawar, N. (2013). When Marketing Is Strategy. Available from: https://hbr.org/2013/12/when-marketing-is-strategy/ar/1

#strategy #strategic communications #marketing

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