FIRST ONLINE MARKETING WORKSHOP IN MALMESBURY
I hosted my first online marketing workshop at Ilingelethu Thusong Centre in Malmesbury, Swartland, West Coast on 21 March 2015.
It was exciting to see that businesses in the area are using the internet to market themselves. Our discussion during the workshop varied from creating well-optimised websites to using popular social media platforms(Facebook &Twitter) effectively, and creating personalised content for for clients/customers.The goal of the workshop was to give small business in the Swartland area an introduction into online marketing. Two modules of online were covered during the workshop- How To Get Started With Online Marketing and Making The Most Of Your Social Media.
When we were discussing online marketing with the participants, it was exciting to note that they had a firm grasp of what it entails. Businesses like Food Bank Malmesbury have websites and were fully aware of their value. However, the problem seemed to revolve around content and using the site to truly express their goals and attract funding. The participants were proactive in coming up with content ideas. At the end of the module, some participants began calling their websites as “online offices”During the social media part of the workshop, participants seemed more aware of social media. We drew comparison between connections fostered by Facebook and Twitter in the participants personal and using the tools for business. The participating businesses have social media accounts but their anxieties revolved around content sharing, engagement and conversion.
Our discussion allowed us to create a few ideas on how businesses could speak better to their market. Driving conversion through engaging and shareable content was the best idea of the best. This was because the participants felt they were not sharing enough content to drive sales. Therefore, sharing more “fun” and informative content could drive sales for them. Social media time-saving tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer were also discussed in detail.
The eye-opening workshop allowed us to gain an understanding of the online marketing needs of small businesses in the Swartland area.
I would like to thank Food Bank Malmesbury, the Youth Office at Ilingelethu Thusong Centre and everyone who made the event a success.
