Digital Marketing

Wednesday, 20 December 2023, marked a significant milestone with the inaugural launch of the Southern Africa Development Community Marketing Association (SADCMA). This event unfolded at the distinguished premises of the Angolan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the vibrant city of Luanda.

The SADC Business Council supported the event, and its Chairman, Mr. Vicente Soares, gave the opening speech. Distinguished founding members from various regions enriched the occasion with insightful speeches and compelling presentations. These included Rui Matata Manuel from Angola, Darlington Letala from Zimbabwe, Abasha Tjipetekera from Namibia, Toucy Tjijombo and Gorata Ogotseng from Botswana, Danilo Nhantumbo from Mozambique, and Malcolm Green from South Africa.

The event drew a distinguished audience, reflecting the high-level engagement that characterizes the SADCMA. Notably, diplomatic representatives from the Nambian, Zambian and Zimbabwean Embassies underscored the gravity of this momentous occasion for marketing professionals across the Southern Africa Region.

The fundamental aim of SADCMA is to establish a vibrant marketing community that, through the cultivation of unity among professionals, produces the exchange of ideas, knowledge sharing, and implementation of best practices. This collective endeavor is geared towards fostering a sense of togetherness and camaraderie while also providing a platform for disseminating valuable insights and expertise. Through its initiatives, the Association seeks to elevate marketing standards in Southern Africa, positioning the region as a hub of marketing excellence.

The association is dedicated to promoting innovation within the marketing field. By staying at the forefront of emerging trends, technologies, and consumer behavior, it endeavors to equip its members with the tools and insights necessary to navigate the ever-evolving marketing landscape successfully. Through its commitment to excellence, innovation, and collaboration, SADCMA seeks to shape and redefine the marketing landscape in the region, empowering marketers to thrive and make a positive impact on businesses and communities alike.

Learn more: https://sadcmarketingassociation.org/

Have you ever had an experience where a business went above and beyond to meet your needs? A few years ago, I found myself in the streets of Harare, on the hunt for some electrical appliances. I stumbled upon a shop owned by a Pakistani man, and while I could find most of the items on my list, one was out of stock. I was about to leave the store disappointed, but the owner had a different idea.

Rather than turning me away, this savvy businessman offered to fetch the item from his “brother’s” shop nearby. His proposal intrigued me, and I agreed to let him make the call. A young man arrived with the appliance I was looking for in just a matter of minutes. I paid for my items and left the store with a smile on my face.

This experience taught me a valuable lesson about the power of business networking. By cultivating relationships with other businesses in their community, this shop owner was able to provide a level of service that went above and beyond what I expected. He could have easily sent me away, but he took the time to connect with his brother and ensure I left his store satisfied.

As a digital marketer, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is for businesses to build relationships with other professionals in their industry. By collaborating with others, businesses can tap into new markets, share ideas and resources, and ultimately provide better customer service. In today’s competitive landscape, offering a good product or service is insufficient. You need to be able to differentiate yourself from the competition, and one of the best ways to do that is by cultivating a strong network of professionals who can help you grow your business.

So the next time you find yourself in a situation where you can’t meet a customer’s needs, don’t just send them away. Take a page from this Pakistani shop owner’s book and see if someone in your network can help. You never know where that connection might lead, which could be the key to unlocking new opportunities for your business.

ZBIN website has more than 700 business articles with top posts having been viewed over 65,000 times, and hundreds of people visiting on a daily basis. The website has been online since 2016 attracting millions of views.

Our social media platforms and website attracts lots of people including, influential policymakers, the diaspora community, Corporate executives, small business owners, politicians, etc. Most of our website traffic is generated both by locals and our brothers and sisters in the diaspora.

What is website traffic?

The number of visitors that come to a particular website is called website traffic. Website traffic is an essential metric for online business effectiveness because it gives valuable insights into the interests of visitors.

Regular website traffic analysis helps make better decisions and grows the brand by giving the visitors the information or services that they need.

Now let’s take a look at some interesting ZBIN website statistics.

Top five most visited pages

1. How to successfully run a tuckshop
2. 2018 business opportunities available in Zimbabwe
3. Free pre-school business plan
4. Free road runner business plan
5. Diaspora matters – Rusape residential stands

Top 5 Organic Keywords

1. Layer production in Zimbabwe
2. Nursery school business plan
3. Zimbos working in Dubai
4. Is poultry farming profitable in Zimbabwe
5. Buying a residential stand in Zimbabwe

This is just a snippet of the stats that l extracted from the comprehensive Site Audit, generated on 13 June 2022. These stats will help us to improve our website so that we can generate high-quality traffic, higher domain authority, and better search rankings. We will also be working on the site to provide the best user experience, usability, and functionality while applying well-considered aesthetics.

So I have just been reflecting on my business and how I acquired customers over the years, and one thing that stood out is that most of my customers come through word-of-mouth referrals. Case in point early this year, I designed a simple flyer for a ZBIN member and later got more than 10 referrals from that individual, all within a space of 3 months! Kudos to everyone who makes it a priority to refer clients to other ZBINites. We salute you.

You have probably heard about Will Smith and the slap that echoed around the world. Most people are already prophesying that his career is over. Just as one wrong move can bring down a person’s career, the same applies to businesses, one bad review can also ruin your brand image. When a customer is referred to you, simply deliver. Period.

A referral is someone else doing your marketing for you at no cost and because they want to. Referrals are the single fastest and easiest way for any business owner to build deep relationships, earn more money, and grow the business. Potential customers who are referred are easier to close, make their buying decision faster, are more profitable because there’s no cost in acquiring them and spend more, and they’re more loyal, they tend to stay with you longer.

One marketing researcher found out that referrals have a higher conversion, close faster, and have a higher lifetime value, and 85% of small businesses say word-of-mouth referrals are the number one way that new customers find out about their businesses.

How to ask for referrals
The art of getting lots of referrals lies in the way you ask for them. If you say, “Do you know anyone else who might enjoy my service? ” naturally people will say they’ll think of someone and let you know. End of story. The chances are they will forget the question once they’ve left your business premises. So be specific and be direct. Ask, ‘Who do you think will benefit from my service?’ When they tell you, ask them specifically where you can find those people.

Use public speaking to reach a bigger audience
One of the best ways to create a lasting impression on potential clients is to deliver your service directly to them. The best way to demonstrate your expertise is to deliver content in a non-aggressive fashion such as at, business seminars, ZBIN Meetings, Premium Chats groups, or any other business gathering. By listening to your presentation, the prospect is highly likely to form an impression about whether they want to work with you or not.

Things to Avoid

• Avoid descending from the terraces to drop adverts and then perform a vanishing act.
• Don’t interrupt an ongoing discussion by dumping adverts on platforms.
• Participate in the lively discussions on Social Media forums, show up at meetings and share your knowledge.

Let’s normalize referring customers to one another, especially ZBINites.

The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. A cheetah can reach 112km/hr in just three seconds! Its body is built for speed, with long legs, an elongated spine, claws to grip the ground, and a tail for balance.

Sprinting at such super speeds obviously takes up a lot of energy. A cheetah chase is usually limited to 20-30 seconds with few pursuits exceeding 60 seconds. Due to their limited endurance, the pursuit of their prey must be well-timed out. Unlike most other wild cats, cheetahs do not ambush their prey within springing distance. Prey must be spotted within seconds or stealthy stalked for hours. The success rate of catching its prey is usually about 40%.

Strategic planning

Cheetahs are the smallest of the big cats and as such, have the potential to lose their hard-won kills to larger competition like lions and leopards. Therefore, they hunt during the day and usually early in the morning or late in the afternoon rather than at night.

As a business, what’s your niche? Who and where are the potential consumers whom you can target with your products and services which your larger and more established competitors can’t or won’t reach? Nowadays it seems that everyone else is proving the same services and products. How many times have you heard people saying that they are not making any sales because the market is oversaturated? Yes, the market is flooded with mabhero, cheaper solar products, auto spares, etc. What is your USP? What sets you apart from competitors?

Who is your target audience?

Are you leveraging your strength to attract new clients? Do you know why consumers are not buying from you? What are your limitations and what boundaries can you set for your business?

I usually ask my clients, “Who is your target audience?”, but often get wrong answers every time. Imagine if the cheetah would prey on every single animal in the animal kingdom, the giraffes, elephants, and hippos, it would not end well Stop saying that your target audience is “everyone.”

Finally, the rapid pace of a cheetah is only made possible by the coordinated movement of a body optimized for speed. Imagine your business’s marketing strategy working in perfect harmony towards a single common goal.

Mambo’s Chickens never miss a stride when it comes to digital marketing. They’re always on top of things. But some of you are a little too slow in catching things and following the latest trends.

Your turn: What other marketing lessons do you draw from the cheetah?

Is this some kind of a joke or the marketing guys at ABC Auctions are just trying to communicate that they can auction anything no matter how old it looks.

Is there really a market for this old “junk”? Or perhaps ABC Auctions marketing team is up to something?

Pictured above is a post on ABC Auctions’ official Facebook page.

What initially attracted my attention to the post was not the photo of the derelict stove, but the comments section. So I quickly browsed the comments section and chuckled all the way as l read through. When it comes to posting comments on Social media, Zimbabweans are talented. Finally, after reading the comments, I scrolled back up and tapped under the Facebook page name to confirm whether it was indeed their official page. Yep, it was indeed the ABC Auctions official FB, page. So why on earth would they post that old “useless” thing? Is this good for business? Then it suddenly hit me. It’s all about numbers! Generating traffic. Rigging the algorithm.

If you have a website that gets lots of traffic, you know that the more traffic it generates, the higher it will rank in the search engines. Likewise, the more engagement on your post the higher the views.

So that post generated lots of comments (negative, positive, hilarious, etc) and obviously attracted thousands of views as well. And I think the ABC Auctions marketing team has achieved its objective. Well done guys!

Over to you

• What “innovative” marketing strategies are you implementing in your communication to attract new customers?
• Do you think the ABC Auctions stunt marketing strategy can be adopted for your business?

Please note that if you want to go for stunt/shock marketing, be prepared to deal with any backlash from the audience.