Friday 29 August 2014

Is the Sugar Industry all that sweet? - learn how to translate your business journey into a story

Always remember that facts tell but stories sell. 

Your business story is one of the greatest tools you can use to create an emotional connection with your business. As soon as you share the journey of your company, an emotional connection is formed. 

It is crucial to create that emotional connection and experience for your customers as this will help with loyalty. So many companies are pushing their message to your customers as to why they should buy from them and not you, but with that emotional connection to your company, this makes the persuasion more difficult. 

Tip: Create a picture with your story because visuals always have more impact. Read all about my companies sugar story below and the journey we have gone on.


The story of how our family business started:



When we first started in Swaziland, we had lost absolutely everything. We had managed to negotiate a sugar quota of 1000 tonnes with the Sugar Association. The Sugar quota was an unbelievable opportunity, but we were unable to buy a 34 tonne truck of sugar. We managed to get somebody else to buy 34 tonnes and we bought 6 tonnes of our own sugar from them. We then processed it for our bread premixes and would sell them in South Africa. We only had 5 products that we sold and those are still some of our popular products today.

When we fast forward to present day: All four of our family run the business which we currently manufacture 56 products, sell 250 products and have a sugar quota of 4500 tonnes. What started off as one 34 tonne truck once every 2-3 weeks to South Africa has grown to 7-9 trucks every week.

We are a company only growing from strength to strength and with second generation having joined, we are only growing stronger as a business and as a family.


A lot of people ask us "what is the potential of your company?" and our answer is simple: ENDLESS. 

Thursday 14 August 2014

Easy tips for educational marketing


 Educational marketing has received a lot more attention with the increase of competition in each industry. The need to educate the customer on your company and your product and services has become more crucial for your success. 


The key principle behind educational marketing is educate your customer on WHY to use your company or your product/service.

When you develop a product or service, you have specific wants and needs that your product or service is there to fulfill. All you have to do is highlight these needs you fulfill


Very often your customer does not see the full value or potential of your product until you have told them. This is all about reaffirming your company in your customers mind.


For example: In our bakery industry, a large problem in the bakeries is they want to do everything from scratch and not use a premix. If this becomes a trend in the bakeries then this will adversely affect our company so we have to actively reaffirm our customers on the NEED for our premix. I have highlighted 7 of the most crucial reasons for using our premixes and made it into a campaign.

To see more about my business go to: www.marisadasilva.co.za 

                      




3 tips for you to start your educational marketing:


  1. Make it easy: 
    • Make sure the customer remembers it when you are done. 
    • Pictures always works the best BUT make sure your pictures are appropriate. Your images need to reinforce what you are saying. 
    • Nothing to complex and keep it short.
  2. Make it relevant to your customers: 
    • Make sure that what you choose to showcase has your customer in mind. 
    • Your customer always wants to know "what is in it for me"-> make sure that the message is for them or else educational marketing is useless. 
    • Do not speak AT your consumer but rather engage WITH your consumer.
  3. Educate, Educate, Educate:
    • Add value to your customers and they will add value to you.
    • Everybody loves knowledge and education so make sure you do this often. 

The more you educate your customers, 

the more they know WHY you are different.


To see more about my business go to: www.marisadasilva.co.za