Internet has changed the rule of the game in tremendous way. Its now easier for an university graduate to start business and see it sailing in very short time.Thanks to the simple tools that are available at their disposal. For the big brands with big budgets for marketing, the simple question is what are are we waiting for? lets seize this opportunity and market our brand with most effective way.With internet it doesn't lie it gives you the appropriate numbers.
This book has more incites on how you can ride with internet to market your brand. enjoy!
2. INTRODUCTION
We are living in a unique point in history. Today, peasant
farmers in Kenya have access to more compu ng power
than NASA had when they launched Apollo 11. Today, a
teenagerintheirbedroomhasmoretoolsforbuildingan
enterprise than coca cola had when they built their
businesses interna onally. We are living in the midst of a
Digital Revolu on. A revolu on is a great shi in society,
where an old system is thrown out and a new one
embraced. In all of history, the real fortunes are made in
revolu onary mes.
The difference with this revolu on is that it presents a
chance for wealth to spread to a lot more people. The
tools, technology and opportuni es that have shown up
recently are designed to empower people. Lots of
people. There has never been a be er me to launch
and grow a business than now. Before business required
huge amounts of cash to finance their marke ng plans
and there were few avenues of marke ng and many of
them were expensive and monopolized by a small group
ofprofessionals.Those mesaregone.
3. Prior to the Web, organiza ons had only two significant
choices to a ract a en on: Buy expensive adver sing or
get third-party ink from the media. But the Web has
changed the rules. The Web is not TV. Organiza ons that
understand the New Rules of Marke ng and PR develop
rela onships directly with consumers like you and me. The
Webhas openedatremendousopportunity toreachniche
buyers directly with targeted messages that cost a frac on
ofwhatbig-budgetadver singcosts.
Before the digital revolu on adver sing, in all forms, has
tradi onally relied on ge ng prospects to stop what they
are doing and pay a en on to a message which I call
interrup on marke ng. For example, TV halts your
favourite soap opera to run adver sements.
Moreover,themessagesinadver singareproduct-
focusedone-wayspin.Forcedtocompetewithnew
marke ng on the Web that is centered on
interac on, informa on, educa on, and choice,
adver sers can no longer break through with
dumbed-down broadcasts about their wonderful
products. With the average person now seeing
hundreds of seller-spun commercial messages per
day, people just don't trust adver sing. We turn it
offinourminds,ifweno ceitatall.
4. The frustra on of relying exclusively on the media and expensive
adver sing to deliver your organiza on's messages is long gone.
Yes, mainstream media is s ll important, but today smart
marketers cra compelling messages and tell the world directly
via the Web. The tremendous expense of relying on adver sing to
convince buyers to pay a en on to your product is yesterday's
headache.
Today, many consumers search the Internet for answers to their
problems. As they browse blogs and chat rooms and Web sites for
ideas, they are searching for what organiza ons like yours have to
offer. Unlike in the days of the old rules of interrup on marke ng
with a mainstream message, today's consumers are looking for
just the right product or service to sa sfy their unique desires at
theprecisemomenttheyareonline.
This e-book aims at guiding you on how to seize this
opportunity to talk to you target clients, interact with them
and generate sales. We will show you how to deliver the
right informa on to buyers, right at the point when they are
mostrecep vetotheinforma on.
The ps in this book are applicable to organiza ons and
individuals. Whether you are a nonprofit, government
agency, poli cal candidate, church, school, sports team,
professional service person, or other en ty in place of
companyandorganiza onyouwillfindthisbookuseful.
NINEFACTSTOREMEMBER
• Marke ngismorethanjustadver sing.
• PRisformorethanjustamainstreammedia
audience.
• Youarewhatyoupublish.
• Peoplewantauthen city,notspin.
• Peoplewantpar cipa on,notpropaganda.
• Insteadofcausingone-wayinterrup on,marke ng
isaboutdeliveringcontentatjusttheprecise
momentyouraudienceneedsit.
• Marketersmustshi theirthinkingfrom
mainstreammarke ngtothemassestoastrategy
ofreachingvastnumbersofundeservedaudiences
viatheWeb.
DIGITAL MARKETING
5. THE TOOLS
BLOGS
Weblogs (blogs) have burst onto the content scene
because the technology is such an easy and efficient
way to get personal (or organiza onal) viewpoints
out into the market. With easy-to-use blog so ware,
anyone can create a professional-looking blog in just
minutes. Most marke ng and PR people know about
blogs, and many are monitoring what's being said
about their company, products, and execu ves on
thisnewmedium.Asignificantnumberofpeopleare
also blogging for marke ng purposes, some with
amazingsuccess.
TheThreeUsesofBlogsforMarke ngandPR
As you get started with blogs and blogging, you
shouldthinkabou hreedifferentwaystousethem:
1. Toeasilymonitorwhatmillionsofpeopleare
saying about you, the market you sell into, your
organiza on,anditsproducts.
2. To par cipate in those conversa ons by
commen ngonotherpeople'sblogs.
3. To begin and to shape those conversa ons
bycrea ngandwri ngyourownblog.
There are good reasons for jumping into the blog
world using these three steps. First, by monitoring
what people are saying about the marketplace you
sellinto as wellas your company and products, you get a sense of the important
bloggers, their online voices, and blog e que e. It is quite important to
understand the unwri en rules of blogging, and the best way to do that is to
read blogs. Next, you can begin to leave comments on the blogs that are
important for your industry or marketplace. That starts you on the way to being
known to other bloggers and allows you to present your point of view before
you create our own blog. Finally, when you feel comfortable with blogs and
bloggers,youcantaketheplungebycrea ngyourownblog.
+
6. THE TOOLS
CONTENT RICH WEBSITES
In the digital era it's now a prerequisite for businesses to have a
website. A business without a website is like a person without a
mobile phone. People will likely view the business as unprofessional,
out of touch and will not be inspired to do business with it. But it is
not enough for a business to have a website. It requires to have a
goodandeffec vewebsitebutwhatmakesagoodwebsite?
As anyone who has built a Web site knows, there is much more to
think about than just the content. Design, color, naviga on, and
appropriate technology are all important aspects of a good Web site.
Unfortunately, in many organiza ons these other concerns
dominate. Why is that? I think it's easier to focus on a site's design or
technologythanonitscontent.
O en the only person allowed to work on the Web site is your
organiza on's Webmaster. At many companies, Webmasters—the
kings of technology—focus all their a en on on cool so ware plug-
ins;onHTML,XML,andallsortsofother'MLs;andonni y-gri ystuff
like server technology and Internet Service Providers. But with a
Webmaster in charge, what happens to the content? In other
organiza ons, Webmasters are pushed aside by graphic designers
and adver sing people who focus exclusively on crea ng Web sites
that look pre y. At these organiza ons, well-meaning adver sing
agencies obsessover hip designs or hot technology such as Flash. I've
seen many examples where site owners become so concerned about
technology and design that they totally forget that great content is
themostimportantaspectofanyWebsite.
Thus, the best Web sites focus primarily on content to pull together
their various buyers, markets, media, and products in one
comprehensive place where content is not only king, but president
and Pope as well. A great Web site is an intersec on of every other
online ini a ve, including podcasts, blogs, news releases, and
other online media. In a cohesive and interes ng way, the content-
rich Web site organizes the online personality of your organiza on
to delight, entertain, and—most important—inform each of your
buyers.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of sites are built with the wrong
focus. Yes, appearance and naviga on are important: Appropriate
colors, logos, fonts, and design make a site appealing. The right
technologies such as content-management systems make sites
easier to update. But what really ma ers is the content, how that
contentisorganized,andhowitdrivesac onfrombuyers.
To move content to its righ ul place in driving a successful
marke ng and PR strategy, content must be the single most
important component. That focus can be tough for many people,
both when their agencies push for hip and stylish design and when
theirITdepartmentsobsessaboutthearchitecture.Itisyourroleto
think like a publisher and begin any new site or site redesign by
star ngwiththecontentstrategy.
7. THE TOOLS
PODCASTS
Podcas ng is a "method of publishing audio broadcasts via the
Internet." In layman's terms, it's a way for individuals and companies to
create audio programs and allow people to download, listen, and
subscribe to them very easily. If you're familiar with blogging you can
thinkofpodcas ngas"audioblogging."
A podcast provides a format for sharing your exper se in your industry.
Audiofilesallowyoutoinjectyourenthusiasmandspeakingskillstoadd
an air of authority to the informa on that is o en lacking in the wri en
word. Regular podcasts with accurate informa on or ideas help
establish you and your company as an authority in the business.
Customers want a company that knows the industry, so the podcasts
helpbuildupthattrust.
Hearing the voice of the presenter gives the audience a stronger
connec on than simply reading the informa on on a web page. If you
broadcast regular podcasts, the listeners become familiar with your
voice and presenta on style. This familiarity keeps them coming back
and keeps your company in their minds. A podcast is a more personal
way to reach out to new poten al customers. They get a be er idea of
your values and way of running the business. Your audience also has
moreflexibilityonhowtheylistentothepodcast.
The familiarity and consistency of regular podcasts helps develop your
company's brand to make it a household name. You are able to integrate
informa on about your products and services as they relate to the
informa on in the podcast. For example, if you are a financial planner
producing a podcast about re rement planning, work in informa on
about the services you offer in that area. In this way, the podcasts serve
asatypeofadver sementforyourbusiness.
8.
9. The last decade has seen emergence of social media. Sites
such as Facebook, youtube, twi er and Instagram among
others have taken the world by storm and created a
community of millions and billions of people interac ng in
real me. Social media offers a huge poten al for business
totapinto.
Socialmediaoffersbusinessesmanybenefitsincluding:
• Social media is an easy way to learn about your
audience. Analysis of your social media audience can give
insights that help you cater campaigns and product offers
to your target audience, which will provide you a be er
returnoninvestment.
• Social media helps target audiences more
effec vely. You can target audience by 'Loca on',
'Language', 'Age', 'Gender', 'Rela onship status',
'Interested in', and 'Educa on' on Facebook, and
'Country(s)'onTwi er.
• Social media helps find new customers and
expand your audience. Social networks like Twi er allow
small businesses to locate their current customers or seek
out poten al customers. Using tools like Hootsuite, small
business can search for people twee ng about services
theyofferandengagethem.
• Social media allows you to receive instant
feedback from your customers' perspec ve. Social media
gives you instant access to posi ve or nega ve feedback,
THE TOOLS
SOCIAL MEDIA
which provides you with valuable insights on the customer
perspec ve. For example, if you launch a new product and
share it on social media, you'll instantly learn what your
customersthinkofit.
• Improve market intelligence and get ahead of your
compe tors with social media.With social media monitoring
you can gain key informa on on your compe tors, therefore
improving your market intelligence. This kind of intel will
allow you to make strategic business decisions in order to stay
aheadofyourcompe on.
• Social media can help increase website traffic and
search ranking. So you built a website for your company, now
what? One of the best benefits of social media for business is
using it to increase your website traffic. Not only does social
media help you direct people to your website, but the more
social media shares you receive, the higher your search
rankingwillbe.
• Create meaningful rela onships with customers
through social media. Social media is great for crea ng
meaningful rela onships with your customers. For example,
social media allows tourism brands to create dialogue with
travelers, therefore crea ng rela onships with customers
before, during, and a er they have booked a trip with the
company. This kind of social media dialogue between brands
and customers is something tradi onal adver sing will never
achieve.
• Social media lets you increase brand awareness and
reach with li le to no budget. Social media has allowed
companies to increase brand awareness and reach of their
brand at li le to no cost. The costs associated with these
strategies are a lot higher with tradi onal adver sing
methods.
10.
11. Many businesses have embraced video marke ng as a new strategy to
address the changing condi ons online. Marke ng videos is a tool every
businessshouldconsiderbecausethebenefitsaremanyincluding:
• One of the biggest advantages of video marke ng is that is helps you
in reaching out to millions of people within a short me, and without
spending too many of your marke ng cash. Your video can also go viral and
gain millions of views within days. Imagine the benefits for your business.
There is no other form of marke ng that can offer such impressive results at
suchalowprice.
• Withaudiovisuals,youcaneasilypassyourmarke ngmessagemore
effec velybecausethispar cularmediumappealstoseveralsenses.Theuse
of sound and images elicits feeling and be er understanding of the idea.
Moreover, watching the message needs li le a en on and can retain people
whowouldhaveotherwiseoptedforotherthings.
• One of the best advantages of video marke ng is that it increases the
dura on that a person spends on a web page. Your target audience will
remember what they saw and heard unlike other marke ng methods. This is
the best way to present your products, service and explain how they work.
Todayyoucanusesocialmediaandemailstodistributeyourvideos.
• Innova ve technology has allowed cheap produc on of videos
because hardware such as edi ng suites, cameras, and other important
items are now available at cheap rates. At Afrikan Film Centre we offer very
compe veratesforvideoproduc on.
• Use of audio visuals also helps you in winning the trust of audience
because they understand that it takes me and efforts to product marke ng
messages. This also creates an impression that company
is really serious and cares about their image and wants to
capture a en on. As you know, success starts with the
first impression that your target audience has about you
andthisisthebestwaytocreateafavorableimage.
• Past research shows than more than 79 percent
of people who use the Internet frequently watch various
videos. This makes this a powerful medium, and if it is
well packaged and used effec vely can work wonders for
anycompany.
• While using search engine, Internet users check
what all is listed on the second page of the results.
Mostly, videos are given much higher priority than
pictures, text and audio files thus giving you a much
be er chance to pass on your marke ng message. By
adding videos to your website, you can help it rank high
andmakeyourcompanymoreno ceable.
• One of the best advantages of video marke ng is
that videos you create will last for years and will get you
more exposure with me. Usually ads die out within a
short me, but opposite is true with viral videos, so you
willcon nuetoreapbenefitsforyears.
THE TOOLS
VIDEO
12. IT'S TIME TO ACT
I hope this free e-book has ignited a desire to take
advantage the new tools that are available in the digital
era and use them to propel your company,
organiza on, church, sports team, school, nonprofit or
personalbrandtogreaterheights.
The informa on you have read in this e-book places
you at a crossroad. You can choose to adoptthe tools of
digital revolu on (and grow) or you can choose to
ignore and con nued with tradi onal marke ng and
PR ac vi es (and watch your compe on grow and
driveyououtofthemarket).
Adop ng new technologies might seem hard and
uncomfortable at the beginning but once you have
made baby steps, you get to master it and before long
you are reaping the benefits. We would like to help you
as you begin your journey. We are offering a free digital
readiness audit which will ascertain where your
organiza on is in adop ng the tools of the digital
revolu on and iden fy the missing gap. The audit is
absolutelyfree.
13. free
DIGITALMARKETINGAUDIT
Onsite Analysis
Find out what is preven ng your site from ranking well in the search
engines learn what requires your immediate a en on
Compe ve Analysis
Understand why your compe ons are outperforming you online get
a group of what you should be doing to catch up
Keyword Research
Discover where you should start for next step site improvements
unleash the poten al for a higher ranking in the search engine results
CONTACT US TO GET THE FREE
DIGITAL MARKETING AUDIT;
letstalk@africanfilmcentre.com or
muburi@africanfilmcentre.com
14. LETS’BUILD YOUR
BUSINESS
STRATEGIC CONTENT
CONSULTING
CONTENT CREATION
AND SUPPORT
VIDEO PRODUCTION
WEB DEVELOPMENT
A F R I C A
R E D E F I N I N G
Kahawa Wendani, Nairobi
PO BOX 13428 - 00400 Nairobi
0729 533 800, 0708 907 855
letstalk@africanfilmcentre.com
www.africanfilmcentre.com
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