#DIGITALREVOLUTION

WRITTEN BYJoe Muburi

DESIGNED BYA F R I C A

R E D E F I N I N G

How to leverage on new media for marketing, public relations and sales.

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 teenager in their bedroom has more tools for building an 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 of professionals. Those �mes are gone.

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 Web has opened a tremendous opportunity to reach niche buyers directly with targeted messages that cost a frac�on of what big-budget adver�sing costs.

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, the messages in adver�sing are product-focused one-way spin. Forced to compete with new 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 off in our minds, if we no�ce it at all.

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 the precise moment they are online.

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 most recep�ve to the informa�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 company and organiza�on you will find this book useful.

NINE FACTS TO REMEMBER

• Marke�ng is more than just adver�sing.• PR is for more than just a mainstream media audience.• You are what you publish.• People want authen�city, not spin.• People want par�cipa�on, not propaganda.• Instead of causing one-way interrup�on, marke�ng is about delivering content at just the precise moment your audience needs it.• Marketers must shi� their thinking from mainstream marke�ng to the masses to a strategy of reaching vast numbers of undeserved audiences via the Web.

DIGITAL MARKETING

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 this new medium. A significant number of people are also blogging for marke�ng purposes, some with amazing success.

The Three Uses of Blogs for Marke�ng and PRAs you get started with blogs and blogging, you should think abou�hree different ways to use them:1. To easily monitor what millions of people are saying about you, the market you sell into, your organiza�on, and its products.2. To par�cipate in those conversa�ons by commen�ng on other people's blogs.3. To begin and to shape those conversa�ons by crea�ng and wri�ng your own blog.

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

sell into as well as 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, you can take the plunge by crea�ng your own blog.

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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 good and effec�ve website but what makes a good website?

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 technology than on its content.

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; on HTML, XML, and all sorts of other 'MLs; and on ni�y-gri�y stuff 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 obsess over 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 the most important aspect of any Web site.

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 content is organized, and how it drives ac�on from buyers.

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 their IT departments obsess about the architecture. It is your role to think like a publisher and begin any new site or site redesign by star�ng with the content strategy.

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 think of podcas�ng as "audio blogging."

A podcast provides a format for sharing your exper�se in your industry. Audio files allow you to inject your enthusiasm and speaking skills to add 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 help build up that trust.

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 more flexibility on how they listen to the podcast.

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 as a type of adver�sement for your business.

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 to tap into.

Social media offers businesses many benefits including:

• 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 return on investment.• 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)' on Twi�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 they offer and engage them.• 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 MEDIAwhich 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 customers think of it.• 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 ahead of your compe��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 ranking will be.• 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.

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 business should consider because the benefits are many including:

• 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 such a low price.• With audio visuals, you can easily pass your marke�ng message more effec�vely because this par�cular medium appeals to several senses. The use 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 who would have otherwise opted for other things.• 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. Today you can use social media and emails to distribute your videos.• 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��ve rates for video produc�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 and this is the best way to create a favorable image.• 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 any company.• 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 and make your company more no�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 will con�nue to reap benefits for years.

THE TOOLS

VIDEO

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 personal brand to greater heights.

The informa�on you have read in this e-book places you at a crossroad. You can choose to adopt the 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 drive you out of the market).

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 absolutely free.

free

DIGITAL MARKETING AUDIT

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 AnalysisUnderstand why your compe��ons are outperforming you online get a group of what you should be doing to catch up

Keyword ResearchDiscover 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 ormuburi@africanfilmcentre.com

LETS’ BUILD YOURBUSINESS

STRATEGIC CONTENT CONSULTING

CONTENT CREATION AND SUPPORT

VIDEO PRODUCTION

WEB DEVELOPMENT

A F R I C AR 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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