HOW CAN SMALL
BUSINESSES USE SOCIAL
MEDIA TO STAND OUT IN
A CROWDED
MARKETPLACE?
www.worldwidecreative.co.za | www.theheavychefproject.com

THIS IS NOT JUST A
SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENTATION...

THIS IS A PRESENTATION ABOUT
BUILDING A COMMUNITY.

WHO IS WORLD WIDE CREATIVE?

WE SUBSCRIBE TO
THE ‘HEAVY CHEF’ PHILOSOPHY

WHAT IS MARKETING?

WHAT IS MARKETING?
WIKIPEDIA SAYS:
Marketing is an ongoing process of planning and executing the marketing mix (Product,
Price, Place, Promotion often referred to as the 4 Ps) for products, services or ideas
to create exchange between individuals and organizations. Marketing tends to be seen
as a creative industry, which includes advertising, distribution and selling. It is also
concerned with anticipating the customers’ future needs and wants, which are often
discovered through market research. Essentially, marketing is the process of creating
or directing an organization to be successful in selling a product or service that people
not only desire, but are willing to buy.

WHAT IS MARKETING?
WE PREFER...
“marketing is initiating
and maintaining
profitable relationships.”

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?
“an umbrella term that
encompasses blogs, intranets,
wikis, social networking sites, news
forums and photo-sharing sites.”

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?
...or a set of digital marketing tools
that facilitate interaction,
engagement and community
development - online.

IF MARKETING IS ABOUT
RELATIONSHIPS...
THEN SOCIAL MEDIA IS PRETTY
IMPORTANT.

TIME MAGAZINE
THINKS SO TOO.

SOCIAL MEDIA TAKES OVER FROM PORN AS
AND SO DO #1 MOST VISITED CATEGORY ONLINE
Share of site visitors. %
1,3 BILLION 14
INTERNET PORN
12
BROWSERS... 10
SOCIAL MEDIA
8
SEARCH
6
FMAMJJASONDJF
2007
2006
Source:Hitwise

WHAT IS THE STATE
OF MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS
TODAY?

POINT #1:
WE’RE BOMBARDED!

“We’re subjected to over 3000
marketing messages a day.
On average, we only retain 8 of them.”

POINT #2:
WE’RE IN THE
‘ATTENTION
ECONOMY’

“Target markets are becoming
harder to retain.”

POINT #3:
THERE IS A LOT
OF ‘SMOKE AND
MIRRORS’ IN THE
MARKETING
INDUSTRY RIGHT
NOW.

“Everybody seems to be jumping
on the digital bandwagon.”

POINT #4:
WE MUST THINK
DIFFERENTLY
ABOUT
THE MESSAGE
AND THE
TARGET
MARKET.

“Everyone is fishing in
the red water.
We must learn to fish in
the blue water.”

SO,HOW CAN YOUR BUSINESS
HARNESS DIGITAL MARKETING TO
STAND OUT IN A CROWDED
MARKETPLACE?

STEP #1:
Define the
Message.

STEP #2: Select the correct digital channels
to spread that message.

STEP #3: Identify Brand Ambassadors.

STEP #4: Start conversations online.

STEP #5:
Keep it going.

HOW HAS SOCIAL
MEDIA HELPED
ORGANISATIONS IN
THE PAST?

some case studies...

www.capsicumcooking.co.za

Capsicum, Africa’s biggest cooking
institution recently relaunched its
website
Employs youth-focused social media
components on its site
Result: Immediate and significant
increase in referrals

www.iburst.co.za

CASE STUDY
In 2006, African ISP, iBurst, launched
a customer service blog.

CASE STUDY
In 2006, African ISP, iBurst, launched
a customer service blog.
After 2 posts & a few thousand
negative comments...

CASE STUDY
In 2006, African ISP, iBurst, launched
a customer service blog.
After 2 posts & a few thousand
negative comments...
...the blog was canned

www.barackobama.com

130,000 Obama videos online
Biggest mobile subscription drive in
history
10m blog posts
(70% more than McCain)
3 times McCain’s web traffic
5 times McCain’s community

OBAMA PROVIDES US WITH
A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW
SOCIAL MEDIA SHOULD BE USED:

OBAMA PROVIDES US WITH
A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW
SOCIAL MEDIA SHOULD BE USED:
ASIMPLE, RELEVANT & TARGETED
MESSAGE COMBINED WITH
RELENTLESS INTERACTION.

so, what
lessons
can we learn
from these
examples?

LESSON #1:
BE AUTHENTIC

LESSON #2:
BE HONEST

LESSON #3
BE FOCUSED

LESSON #4:
BE CREATIVE

LESSON #5:
BE CURIOUS

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS
PROVIDED BY SOCIAL MEDIA TO
SMALL BUSINESS?

Attract community members
Collective intelligence
Free discussion of issues
Brand building
Database building
Reputation management
Establish a position of authority

“In conclusion: social media is
not a silver bullet.

“In conclusion: social media is
not a silver bullet.
...but it is a heck of an
accelerator.”

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME!
Contact:
Fred Roed
fred@worldwidecreative.co.za
worldwidecreative.co.za
heavychef.com