The Quartz Effect

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Apr 6 / 9:32am

Social Media & The #Zim Achievers Awards - Live tweeting & blogging (#Zimbabwe)

The event season for Zimbos kicks off this Saturday with the awesome looking Zim Achievers Awards at the prestigious Mermaid Theatre in central London an event we are helping market. This is really an event you ought to attend as it highlights and showcases everything great about being Zimbabwean as we reward our high achieving Zimbabweans. I for one will have my best tuxedo on and am looking forward to network with likeminded people from my own community.


Something important I would like to discuss as we enter this great event season which goes all the way to September it seems. This is the idea of LIVE BlOGGING.

 


Live social media coverage of your events, shows, conferences, workshops and other off line activities by using Twitter and event blog has become an integral part of event management. An organization simply cannot afford to not have the event covered online. Below are some relevant points related to live blogging and live tweeting your event. I am hoping we will see a lot of businesses involved with the awards or just attending take up this idea of live blogging/tweeting/facebooking.


 

Why is LIVE BLOGGING important?


·         Constant updates about your event via blog, Twitter and Facebook means more web content, more search engine attention.

·         If the event is a prolonged event like 2-3 days there are great opportunities of forming online fan communities around the event. These fans can give a viral effect to your events, on the web the more people mention the name of your event the better it is. If 10 fans are talking about the event they will automatically engage their followers into the conversation. On Twitter fans can exchange their reactions and feedback and that would prompt other people who were not following the event coverage to start to follow. So in other words for the Zim Awards start tweeting now.

·         Two strangers might be able to connect with each other if both are following your event updates and this would an emotional connect with your brand.

 

Tools to use: There are many tools that can be used. Most common are, Twitter, Co-Tweet, Cover It Live, pre-decided event blog, YouTube, Flickr, Slide Share, Facebook and your blog.

 

·         On Twitter you should always pre decide a hash tag relevant for the event and ensure that all updates carry that tag. Ask followers to use the tag in all their conversations. If enough people use the tag it might become a trending topic which means it would be able to grab attention of millions of Twitter users.

·         Live blogging should be done on an event blog. Event blog usually should have pre event coverage, live blogging and post event coverage. Live blogging must have interesting photos and videos.

·         Post photos and videos on Flickr and YouTube respectively and link them to the event blog. This way you will be able to bring traffic from these other sources. Sometimes a picture can work as a great crowd puller.

·         If the event is a conference and there are presentations or .pdf documents that can be shared, upload them on Slide Share.

 

There are many more big and small tricks and tips of live blogging and social media coverage in our kitties. If you are about to organize an event, don’t forget to contact us, or better yet get your ticket for the awards on Saturday and dig us up for a chat. You can get your tickets at www.zimachievers.com.





See you all on Saturday night!!

(download)

Comments (1)

Mar 29 / 4:56am

The future of Internet Marketing (Zimbabwe) By Richwell Phinias

The future of Internet Marketing in Africa

By Richwell Phinias

CEO and Founder Dariro.com (www.dariro.com)

 

Communication in Africa.

 

Vuvuzelas attracted a lot of attention during the first ever soccer World Cup hosted in Africa by one of Africa’s best developed nations, South Africa. Vuvuzelas are reputed to have their roots in the kudu horn, which would summon African villagers to meetings, and the name may have isiZulu origins from the term "making noise."


 

Drums; although drum beating has been relegated to traditional rituals; drums used to play a major role in transmitting information in Africa. Variations in playing styles symbolized different messages. The same can be noted again on rock paintings and stones which have different patterns and shapes depicting different messages.

 

The ultimate of effective interpretation of any means of communication should be when it appeals to all the human senses. Then it will first be stored in memory for such periods that it remains accessible in human memory for further processing as and when needed.


 

The rate at which information is accessed, processed and shared also determines the rate of development of a society. Today we try to trace our history as Africa and interpret what imprints left by early inhabitants meant to us. It is the gift they left us, the history where we are trying to figure out what where they communicating among themselves and to the future generation.


 

One thing about African means of communication is that they have not catered for mass transferring of knowledge and skills. Most of our exploits are shrouded in myths, secrecy and mystery. The system tends to make it out that skills transferring is hereditary or is unique to particular families rather than an open system where documentation is available in terms of certain trades and then anyone can learn and practice without any spiritual connotations.


 

Of note are abilities to create lightning, unless if it is witch-craft but if it is African science why isn’t it documented? Cure for many ailments are treatable by various mixtures of herbs known by traditional healers and that knowledge is not documented in any journal, periodical or textbook for future generations.


 

There are lots of many ancient technologies attributed to Africa but they remain myths as there is no documentation as to their existence.  The pyramids in Egypt, the Great Zimbabwe monuments, postulates of origin of the mathematics concept in Swaziland (wikipedia.org/History_of_mathematics) and many other advancements which can only be talked about if there was documentation.


 

Evidence of many African scientists, inventors around the world clearly shows that we are capable and with the coming in of online sharing and networking communities, surely the Mother Continent is going to move ahead.

 


Information sharing before the era of internet

 

“The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail.”


 

The World Wide Web was officially launched in 1993, but that is only part of the internet. The internet was officially launched in 1989, but its origins can be traced back to 1969.



Before the internet and the World Wide Web came into existence what means of communication where people using? A look at the development of communication tools demonstrated how superior methods and infrastructure helped transform nations. It helped preserve knowledge, sharing of the knowledge and ideas albeit at compressed time.


 

It is not an understatement to conclude that the coming in of such means of communication like print, telegraph, telephones, radio, television etc made a major contribution in helping development in the developed world. They where breakthrough technologies that ushered in new ways of communication and unfortunately during that time as Africa we where still not as developed as even to be able to access the new means of communication.


 

Though after colonization and independents we have also started to use the same technologies for communication but precise use favored the pioneers. Even up to until now there are some countries in Africa where there is no full penetration of radio, television and telephone services among citizens.


 

Libraries, trade shows, conventions, road shows, flyers, brochures, the post service, road services, trains, airlines, ships, yellow pages, encyclopedias you name it. I am not able exhaust the full list of how ideas where communicated before the age of the Internet. Resources which where available to connect to sources of information though are where they not comparable to the internet they still led to the advancement of human kind.


 

These means of communication enabled researchers to be closer to their counterparts, closer to subjects they where researching, being able to transfer their knowledge and collaboratively work on issues that assisted human kind immensely.


 

It is through such media that more and more innovators, inventors, businessmen, politicians, religious leaders found inspiration to do greater things and also platform to deliver their messages across the developed world.


 

 

Internet Technology and ICTs Everywhere

 

Now if the countries outside of Africa made so much tremendous developments with communication technologies before the internet came into play, what then shall we say about their development right now?


 

Maybe this time I will just play a case by case scenario of business and individuals who have assumed hero status and became billionaires out of the new technology.


 

In the United States of America,

 The internet ushered in a new wave of innovation in America deeply rooted in the computer industry where places like Silicon Valley have provided a launch pad and brooding environment for information and communication technology innovation.


 

We cannot underestimate a field that have produced world’s richest people, I mean people of influence as we all know that MONEY talks. A Google search will reveal that from computers we have such American business people like Bill Gates (Microsoft, windows), Larry Ellison (Oracle, databases), Michael Dell (Dell), Steve Jobs (Apple, ipods, ipads, itunes) and lots more.


 

We cannot underestimate how the technologies have accelerated the development of America and the world, given that some of these people have become the biggest philanthropists over the world, assisting countries in Africa to deal with such calamities as malaria, cholera you name it.


 

Getting into the internet age, it is up to you to ignore the impact and influence of Google, Facebook, Youtube etc. Look these technologies are just transforming on a larger scale the way business is done. Researching for this article I tried in vain to find information about “Traditional Marketing, Advertising” and I tell you all I was getting in relation to the subject focused so much things relating to marketing in the information age.


 

People have done much and in a short time with internet technologies compared to the traditional methods of communication for marketing.


 

ICT companies outside of the United States of America

We do not hear much about major developments in other developed nations around the world before the age of the internet. There is something I am noticing, it seems that with the coming of the internet, communication and sharing improved though at lower costs making it possible for development to take where otherwise entry requirements or entry capital would have been an issue. The capital requirements to start an internet business is less compared to starting a brick and mortar one while at the same time with the global reach of the internet the turnover time and profits could be exponential. Compare probably the start up costs considered when one is starting a car manufacturing business and another is starting a business like Google.


 

Samsung, LG, Sony, Nintendo, Siemens, Nokia, Thwarte (bought from a South African company) are some of the technology brands that have made a global impact though they are from other countries besides the United States of America. Just like in the motor industry where advancement in communication technologies also helped countries like Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom move ahead, I believe the internet is going to have the same effect on the Cradle of Mankind, mother of all continents Africa. Yes in a business sense, in a political sense, in a religious sense, the Internet is going impact Africa.


 

 

Internet technology uptake in Africa (especially Zimbabwe),

 

We have seen and observed how the internet technologies have exponentially enhanced growth and livelihoods in the developed world and I foresee the same happening for Africa. Look, for the first time a technology has been made available that have placed Africa and the whole world at the same platform in terms of communication.


 

We are no longer going to wait for the next voyage of the Queensland ship across the oceans to deliver news of what is happening outside Africa. Nope, as it is happening there, we have the same access in Africa. The entry requirements to be on the same platform are being sorted out and most African countries have quite a number of their citizens able to access such technologies.


 

In this report I am excited much with the exponential effects in growth brought by internet technology related innovations in Africa.  Browsing through a couple of reports by the International Telecommunications Union and the United Nations across the internet reveals to the user how the penetration of internet related technologies is growing in Africa.


 

Access to mobile services has grown exponential compared to the penetration of fixed phones. Given the coming of 3G services on mobile phones, that means a lot in terms of internet access. Broadband is coming to Africa though the costs are higher for access compared to the global world but still its something that we did not have before as an alternative. Mobile internet is bringing in more opportunities for African content to be shared online.


 

Regular ICT reports through Russell Southwood’s Balancing Act e-newsletter reveals an optimistic view based on developments within the technology sector across Africa. I have looked with interest as I gather information on the launch of various internet technologies from IT Incubators in Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Blackberry services in Mozambique, the famed undersea optic fibre cable connecting Africa to the rest of the world, Satellite connections, Mobile Money and the list is still growing.


 

The major focus of African governments is on developing internet technology infrastructure as all the other communication systems are now being routed through the internet, talk of data on mobile networks, talk of Voice over IP (VoiP), IPTV, IP telephony etc. Mobile networks in Africa are also providing platforms for more and more usability of their services to their subscribers, mobile money; M-Kesho and M-Pesa from Safaricom in Kenya, Sikwama from Telecel Zimbabwe, eTranzact. Affordable mobile phone brands with internet data capabilities are also streaming in from China, with G-Tide being a brand of choice in Zimbabwe.


 

When I started using computers and the internet in 2002, new terms and equipment that I came across where floppy diskettes, email, internet cafes, 4 gig hard drives, Pentium 3 computers, dial up connections, modems etc. Internet was largely accessed through company networks (though limited, it was cheaper to print emails than to read them online), internet cafes and university networks.


 

Econet Zimbabwe opened its 3G network to anyone with an Econet prepaid line and within a week there was a surge in the number people signing up on Facebook.com. What this means is that of its estimated more than three million subscribers, they could easily connect to the net as long as their handsets are compatible. Popular terms now includes bundles, megabytes, dongles (ZTE, EVDO, Hauwei used by broadband providers like Afri-com, Powertel, Econet, Telecel, Afritech), broadband, hotspots (ZOL, YoAfrica), googling, youtube, facebooking, skyping, wikipedia and soon dariro.com (“uri padariro here?” meaning do you have a comprehensive internet presence?)


 

Internet cafes still top as points of access for many internet users, besides cyber cafes in the central business districts, many are found even in most residential suburbs. Gossiplink, Chuweb, Central Cyber, Fast Browse, Khuyanet, Flame Rock, DC Africa, Platinum Broadband, RightClick, World Trade Centre, Leeya Brothers, Ximex Mall and many others are the names that comes mind if browsing from Harare. Across the country from Bulawayo, Masvingo, Gweru, Mutare and other cities internet cafes are now a norm.


 

On the other hand the number of companies providing internet access services has also increased talk of names like Ecoweb, Telco, Afri-com, Broadlands, ZOL, YoAfrica, IwayAfrica, Powertel, Webtech and many others.

 

 

 

What cannot be underestimated about the above developments on internet access is the impact of its use among previously digitally divided people from Zimbabwe.


 

 

The future of the Internet (Zimbabwe)

 

I am going to look at the impact of the internet mostly on the field of marketing in Zimbabwe. When all is said and done the issue that remains is content on the internet itself. We have people logging in to exchange messages be it business or social and people logging while researching academic subjects, we also have people login looking for employment opportunities and sourcing businesses, cars abroad.


 

But sooner or later we are going to see a huge leap of activity online where people are login to access LOCAL INFORMATION, LOCAL BUSINESS through the internet.


 

There are a number of businesses, individuals and organizations who are online through corporate websites. There are still issues in relation to the effectiveness of current website presence by many organizations with some suggesting that more can be done in terms of interactivity and resourcefulness.


 

When you logon Google and start searching for specific information on Zimbabwe that is when you realize local content is yet to be placed online. Contact details you find on most of the websites are no longer working, products advertised are no longer available, addresses and even people listed on the websites are no longer involved with the particular organizations.


 

Most up to date websites, blogs and forums on the internet are the ones catering for the Diaspora. Say someone wants to find something in Gweru, would simple search on Google assist in getting the through a comprehensive page with contact details and reviews of what you are looking for? Unfortunately not at this time, you might have to physically go there. The premiership games, you have to wait to hear all the results probably on the following day’s news bulletin. For churches sometime you struggle to access footage of conferences and services even when you are buying when all that can be streamed live online.


 

Though yes, it really hard to look past our challenges to see the tremendous changes taking place, but we are really getting somewhere with the internet. The benefits of sharing, connecting and networking within Zimbabwe and then with the Diaspora are beyond measure. Imagine if you can find all the information that you want to get somewhere from your mobile data connection, home and work network then we are talking greater strides in technology.


 

Adding e-commerce, e-business, e-governance, e-everything to the equation bring us more hope that as a continent we will get there.


 

The challenges are there in terms of access to infrastructure, cost of bandwidth and skills but we cannot ignore the power of a need created from apparent benefits.


 

I challenge therefore all of us to share, network and connect online. The internet is now available to more people comparing to previous years and as many find value in the technology we will see even growing numbers of heavy users. So the challenge is on everyone to help build databanks of our own information, our own knowledge online. We need to tell our story in our own context from our own perspective.


 

Yes we are posting pictures on facebook.com but there is more that we can do with this technology, it provides a platform for us to market our businesses, talents, natural resources, tourism facilities, and skills and there are many possibilities and the potential is inexhaustible.


 

PS: I see the internet as more like a “dariro” where anyone with a story to tell is given a platform which exposes his or her ideas to others. What happens after the exposure we do not know, but what I know is everyone needs a platform to express their talents and skills. Ideas here could products, services, religious messages, skills and talents in various disciplines. Unless a talented soccer is exposed to soccer scouts then he will not be known anywhere. “If a tree falls in a forest and no one sees it then no tree has fallen”

 

 

www.dariro.com Profile

Dariro.com is a website which offers people a platform to express their talents, skills, businesses, products, services while at the same time networking and sharing information.

 

 

Richwell Phinias Profile

Richwell Phinias is the founder and leader of Dariro.com. The idea behind www.dariro.com is creating a platform online where people can connect, network and share information for personal and corporate growth.

Comments (6)

Mar 24 / 5:36am

Win A Pair Of Tickets To The Zimbabwe Achievers Awards

Quartz Marketing has teamed up with the Zim Achievers Awards, to give two lucky followers/fans a pair of tickets to attend the awards on the 9th of April.

Some of Zimbabwe’s finest exports to the UK will be in attendance as Zimbabweans in the UK go to the Mermaid Conference centre to celebrate some of Zimbabwe’s high achievers based in the UK. Some brilliant musicians based in the UK like Tinashe, Kamikazi Test Pilots and more will be heading to the prestigious venue bringing pure musical heat and passion to the stage.

 

 

We have linked up with the Zim Achievers Awards to give away two pairs of tickets for this must-attend event.  Each winner will meet and great with Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes as well as have access to the backstage to meet more celebrities.

 

 

 

The Awards were established in an effort to bring together Zimbabweans to celebrate, recognise and raise the profile of the achievements of those individuals nominated for their excellence in a large variety of sectors and categories including Sports, Business, Music, Tourism and Charity.



Voting has been underway since 7th February 2011 and will continue until 1st April 2011. Zimbabweans and friends of Zimbabwe are encouraged to support their fellow countrymen by reviewing the nominees and voting for those they feel most deserving of the final award. To vote simply visit www.zimachevers.com and go to the voting page.


 

How to enter:

 

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, just answer the question below:

 

Where and when  are the Zim Achievers Awards taking place? 


Send your answers to events@quartzmarketing.co.uk

 

Terms and conditions:

 

The competition closes on Tuesday April 5, 2011.

The winner’s name will be chosen at random from all the correct answers and the decision is final.

No cash alternative is available.

The prize cannot be exchanged for a cash alternative or tickets for another performance.

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Mar 21 / 7:20am

Great Offer - Google Places

Google

We have a great offer to all our readers over the next few weeks:

We are giving a £20 discount on your next invoice if you review our business on Google Places. Just present your code to us once you have reviewed our work. Look forward to doing business with you.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?hl=en&georestrict=input_srcid:f7fa5d6d92bbdfa7

www.miketashaya@quartzmarketing.co.uk" shape="RECT" target="_blank" coords="12,13,222,25" />





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Mar 18 / 4:09am

Why You Need a Website Re - design

Redesign

We have recently been doing a lot of website revamps and redesigns for some of our clients. This post is mainly to do with some ideas I came up with to help those who might be considering having a website makeover.

What real benefits can you see from a website re-design? Is it going to affect your bottom line? The simple answer is yes, but only if it is done right.

 

A website redesign isn’t just making your website look better, its much deeper than that, its creating action points, its increasing trust in your brand, it leveraging marking techniques to drive sales.

 

Benefits of a website re-design:

 

    Increase Brand Trust

    People will base a lot of their thoughts on a company trustworthiness on the quality of the website they are viewing, if it looks cheap, they will assume the company is cheap, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you want to sell premier products at a premium price, your website must reflect this.


    Increase sales leads and conversions

    Before you being a website design you need to understand the goal for your website, what your trying to achieve, if its getting more sales leads through an online form, then the design must reflect this and direct users to this point of the website and every opportunity possible, correctly using call to actions, design flow and action points can increase conversions exponentially.


    Increase website page views allowing for more potential customers to view the website.

    Website re-designs will encourage people to tell their friends about the website, re-design can incorporate increased search engine optimisation which in turn leads to higher search rankings and more website hits as a describe below in more detail.


    Increase Search Engine Friendliness

    Search engines are changing daily, actually to be honest, Google changes its algorithm which ranks websites approximately every 16 hours, and there is about 200 different check points Google is looking for to rank your website all deciding factors if it ranks your website either 1 or 100.


    To communicate in a better way with your customers using web 2.0 standards.

    Does your website support RSS feeds? Have you got Facebook integration? What about twitter, are to contributing online? These small additions can create huge viral support for your business.


    To make your website load fast.

    Everyone has broadband connections now, why does it really matter? Firstly, Google pays close attention to how fast your website loads and ranks websites accordingly, and people’s expectations of load times for websites has also increased, people are not willing to wait 10 seconds for that flash animation to load anymore.


    To make your website more appealing and use an easy navigation system.

    Has your website been designed with information architecture standards? Directing your users to the most important elements of your website is critical if you want to increase your conversion rate.

 

What could a website re-design do for your business? Why not contact Quartz Marketing  today by simply sending us an email on info@quartzmarketing.co.uk and talk to our team about generating more business leads online.

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Mar 8 / 4:09am

Invitation to the Zim Achievers Awards Ceremony

Zaa_invitataion

Distinguished Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

We would like to take the pleasure of inviting you to join us in  ‘Celebrating Everything Zimbabwean’ at the official Zimbabwe Achievers Awards (Z.A.A) Ceremony on Saturday 9th April 2011 from 7.00pm...

 

Venue: Mermaid Theatre  
      
        Puddle Dock 
         
     Blackfriars
         
     London

              EC4V 3DB

            

Early bird tickets now available until Tuesday 15th March 2011 - http://www.zimachievers.com/tickets.php

  
Gold Tickets:
 £50 until 15th March £60 thereafter – This will entail of an animate canapés and drinks reception, networking, front row seating and after party entry (limited places available) 

 

Silver Tickets: £25 until 15th March £30 thereafter – This will entail networking, standard seating and after party entry.   

 

The Z.A.A is a distinctly special awards ceremony seeking to recognise Zimbabweans throughout the UK who have pushed the limits against all odds to raise the Zimbabwean flag high and do both themselves and their countrymen proud.

 

**Please note that this is a strictly entry by ticket only event so if you could kindly purchase your tickets prior to the event online http://www.zimachievers.com/tickets.php  or alternatively call 07943145488.

.

Don't miss this brilliant chance to mingle and socialise with the ultimate Zimbabwean talent!

 

 
www.zimachievers.com
info@zimachivers.com
07941172454
 


Sponsors:
 
Moneygram: Send Money to Zimbabwe for less
 
Verenga.com: Zimbabwe's online Bookshop
 
The Zimbabwean: Voice for the Voiceless
 
Zimnet Radio: Zimbabwe's Number 1 online Radio station

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Mar 7 / 10:30pm

Perspectives on Small Business Branding By Tomi Ogunlesi

Brand

We have a guest writer for our blog today, by the name of Tomi Ogunlesi; a great blogger himself and a serious brand expert from Nigeria. The topic is Perspectives on Small Business Branding. Tomi Ogunlesi is a brand strategist at Bates Cosse Lagos. Enjoy!!


Perspectives on Small Business Branding

By Tomi Ogunlesi

In doing justice to this topic of interest, it is pertinent that we give a concise and uncomplicated definition of branding, a concept which comes from the realization that all purchasing decisions for products and services alike involve a combination of rational (otherwise called functional) and emotional considerations. Rational considerations refer to physical elements of the particular product or service while the emotional criteria sum up the impressions, opinions, experiences and random associations which the customer has logged in his/her mind about a particular product/service. Essentially, in a competitive situation, When a customer is about to make a choice of buying something he/she weighs up several factors against each other to determine what constitutes the most ideal or fulfilling experience. Now, on one hand, these factors are partially related to the performance of the product or service or the utility derived from it( in other words how well it works in comparison to what the customer is expecting). However, it equally incorporates the brand's ability to satisfy other (emotional) dimensions of the customer's needs, be it cultural, psychological, social, etc., and it is these intangible aspects which we essentially seek to influence through branding.

A common assumption by many African entrepreneurs is  that branding always costs a lot of money, since it is thought that it can only be done through advertising and media Most SME owners therefore typically tend to think ‘advertising’ when the subject of branding is brought up, and consequently, and a major mindset block lies in that they’re bound to believe their businesses are disadvantaged (in contrast to well-established global brands, for instance) primarily because of the big-ticket nature of the ‘big-bang’ promotional methods. It is easy to come to the conclusion that the only businesses that are able to build strong brands are the big, multinationals, who have the requisite financial wherewithal to run mass-media campaigns across different channels.. 

To correct the foregoing misconception however, it is a well-established truth that brand building is not done solely through advertising and media. As a matter of fact, it is an assumption that in many cases, lead small brands to think that they have to focus squarely on product and price.

Contrary to the prevalent and misplaced perception nurtured by most people, the reality is that thanks to the revolution which the internet and particularly interactive networks and micro-blogging sites have spearheaded, brand communication and business promotion for small businesses is easily achievable, at optimal costs.  In time past, the technical skills and distribution capacity (budget inclusive) required to create and deliver an impactful marketing campaign were quite significant and indeed far beyond the means of any one individual. However, with the proliferation of personal technology, social media and the rise of interactive networks, the entry barriers have become almost completely obliterated, and this is to the apparent advantage of small businesses – customers, both existing and potential can be engaged in meaningful and on-going dialogue using such channels as twitter, Facebook etc.

However, as a small business owner/manager, so long as you look forward to ultimately expanding the scope of your enterprise and becoming big one day, having a strong recognized brand which incorporates a well-defined personality, then I believe you should act like that from day one.

Another point I must emphasize at this juncture is that by nature, SME branding transcends visual elements such as colours, logos or catchy names. Essentially, a whole lot revolves around the owner’s personality.  You should remember that projecting your personality is a powerful competitive advantage, branding message and business tool that you should be using every day It’s got so much to do with what you as the driver of the  business do, what you say and how your personalistic traits come through to reflect in every aspect of the business, bearing in mind the realization that managing and sustaining small businesses revolves extensively around relationship building, and the way your customers feel….this is where the seemingly inconsequential things count! As a brand owner, you should also ensure that the culture that you have within your organization is in line with your proposed brand identity

 It is equally imperative that as an SME owner, you invest time and intellectual effort into clearly identifying and outlining those unique elements of your business which potentially confer competitive advantage on your business and which cannot be very easily duplicated by your competition– branding is primarily about differentiation. Within a competitive market space, your ultimate goal as an SME will be to earn the preference of your identified customer above competition.

Now, the poser is raised at this juncture; how is this preference achievable? It has become established that differentiation is the key in this regard; either by introducing added-value offerings or benefits that your competition is failing to offer, on the one hand, or by delivering utility to your consumers in a remarkably dissimilar manner, thereby giving the consumer practical reasons to not only want your offering more, but desire your offering and nothing else!

To conclude this interesting discourse, I would like to emphasize the fact that branding is clearly not a new concept by any means, as it has always been crucial, even from time immemorial, for any enterprise desiring to sell an offering to consumers and gain credibility by so doing. What I think small business owners need to understand however is how to optimally leverage on this important concept in order to strengthen their credibility and communicate their unique essence or benefits to targets. Again, as I emphasized earlier, a strong brand is built not only through advertising and media, but the aggregated, holistic experience which leaves a lasting impression on the customer, an experience influenced by all interactions which a stakeholder has with a brand: how the salespeople act, what the packaging of the product communicates et cetera.

The fact remains that running a small business profitably is a challenging endeavour, particularly when viewed against the backdrop of challenges imposed by the operating economic and socio-political environments which are far from ideal, particularly in many African economies . Great opportunities however abound for SMEs that are able to identify and properly articulate their unique competitive advantages and amplify these both by way of meaningful relationship-building with their publics and stakeholders.

 

Tomi Ogunlesi’s  LinkedIn Profile, Connect with Him. He can also be found on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tomiogunlesi.

 

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Mar 6 / 12:45am

Be who you want to be!

If you could do anything, be anyone and live anywhere with whoever you wished, what would you choose?

Why aren’t you doing it?

People make many excuses to themselves why they aren’t living their dreams:
“I need to pay off my mortgage.”
“I’ll wait till my kids are out of school.”
“I’m not good enough.”

etc

I think that if most people wrote down what they actually would love to do most from day to day they would realize they are much closer than they realize.

Don’t let fear and laziness hold you back from living life.

Random thought of the day :)

Happy Sunday

Sorry, no related posts.

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Feb 26 / 2:03pm

Why Branding Yourself Is Important

Branding


Why Branding Yourself is Important

 

Today’s career and business climate is brutal.  The days of working for one company your whole career are very rare.  The days of the company protecting their employees are over.  This is why it is so important to brand yourself. You have a talent and you should make sure everyone knows this. 

As a marketer, you know how to market and brand the products you sell for a living.  It is shocking that so many of these same marketers don’t brand themselves.  What are you doing to get your name out there? 

How many of you have “Googled” themselves?  I bet all of you have.  How many times did you pop up?  Today, when anyone wants to find out about someone, they usually Google them first.  The more you show up on a Google search the better.  Of course you hope only good things are popping up.

There are lots of ways to brand you.  If you are on social network sites like Facebook and Twitter you can start today.  In fact, you are already branding yourself.  What you put on these sites can be passed around to thousands of people.  I get Google alerts everyday from stuff I post on Twitter. Are you on LinkedIn?  If you are, do you belong to groups?  Do you contribute comments and feedback on these group sites?

Do you attend conferences for your industry?  If you do, what are you doing at these conferences to get your name out there?  If all you do is sit and listen, you are not branding yourself.  Get other people to listen to you.

How about writing a blog?  Start a topic you are familiar with.  Write your thoughts and opinions.  You will be surprised how quickly people will start reading it. If you know what you are talking about (and you better), you will soon build yourself a reputation as an expert in your field. 

Even though we don’t currently live in a “me, me, me” society it is still very important to market and promote yourself.  If you don’t do it, who will?

 

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Feb 22 / 10:10pm

You get what you pay for....

Cheap

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“I’m not prepared to pay for that!”


 

I have heard these words many times. In fact I have even said them myself But when it comes to your website, you might want to think about everything before you say them and this is no joke.

 

A company I know that has been going through the process of making changes to their current website. They asked me them out, and in my mind I was thinking that I might get some additional work out of it. I looked over their website and noted many areas in which improvements could be made. The site lacked basic search engine optimisation, user-friendliness, and a decent way to contact the company.

 

After acting as a consultant on various areas of their website, I was asked to prepare up a quote for them. After coming up with a quote to include a complete redesign of their site, I learnt that they had decided to take all of my advice and just hand it over to their current web developer, who didn’t seem to know what he was doing to begin with. So, because I learnt this before I gave them their quote, I decided not to give them a quote and let them go on their way, while warning them that their current developer might not be the best decision.

 

You Get What You Pay For.


After a few weeks, I was informed that this company was now very upset with the work their developer did and the price that he charged them. I quickly assessed all he did for the site and realised that he was either really slow, taking advantage of the company, or just didn’t know what he was doing. Additionally, he never quoted out a cost for the company, nor gave them a rate with an estimated cost.  He just handed a huge invoice at the ‘end’. Also, the work seemed half done and lacked basic functionality (especially when you can’t understand the results of a form.) In the end, he admitted to not knowing how to do some of the things they wanted.

 

Obviously, the company wasn’t too happy, and it didn’t help when they learnt that the quote I would have given them would have been only a little more. The thing is, they said their current budget couldn’t handle that price either. They wanted the bare minimum, and wanted it from the lowest bidder. But then, when all was said and done, they realised that the minimum wasn’t what they wanted or needed, and that their “lowest” bidder wasn’t low either.

 

A website is important. It builds your brand, and lets others instantly get a feel for your company. If your site looks like it was developed by the lowest bidder, then your company already has a blemish on its reputation. People recognise quality and functionality. If your site is missing either, your site is prepared to fail you and so are you.

 

You Get What You Pay For.


The key with a website is to not be afraid to do what is best for the company, even if that means spending a little extra. You get what you pay for. If you go to someone because they are in your “price range” or “have been using them forever,” make sure you do your research first. If they are a great company, great. Don’t lose them. But if something just doesn’t seem right, I’d recommend finding someone who will help your website the correct way.

If your site needs a little help, contact Quartz. We may cost more than the guy down the road, but we will make sure you get what your site needs to be successful.

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