AC Marketing Caribbean的动态

Transcript

Today's topic is what B2B brands in the Caribbean can learn from the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yeah, you heard that right. We're not talking about athletic training or anything like that, though. We're looking at the IOC's decision to, well, basically loosen up their rules about what athletes can do on social media. It's a big change, and we're diving deep into an article called Social Media at the 2024 Olympics, what you can apply to your B2B brand in the Caribbean. So at first you might be thinking, wait, what are the Olympics have to do with? Caribbean businesses. But there's actually a really fascinating connection when you start to think about it, right? Like for so long the Olympics have been the Super controlled kind of media environment, you know, all about perfection and Polish. But now they're kind of embracing the power of letting athletes be themselves online and connect directly with fans. And that's a major shift because it really reflects this bigger trend that's happening with B2B customers everywhere, even in the Caribbean. They want authenticity. Think about those Olympic athletes, you know, the ones sharing their struggles. Training or even just messing around with their teammates. It's that realness, that human side that really makes people pay attention. It's not just about winning gold anymore. It's about the whole journey, the ups and downs and that human element that you mentioned that reminded me of what the article said about Simone Biles using her platform to talk about mental health, Right? It took a lot of courage to do that, and it started some really important conversations in the comments section. And that's a huge take away for B2B brands. Yeah, thinking about how to create that. And a two way dialogue, it's not enough to just broadcast your message anymore. You got to be engaging with people, responding to what they're saying, actually participating in the conversation. Would you rather trust a company that only posts super staged photos and sales pitches or one that lets you see behind the scenes a little one that shows you the people behind the brand? OK, so that idea of behind the scenes, it made me think about what the article said about athletes becoming content creators. Those glimpses into their lives are gold. Absolutely. Could say a logistics company in Trinidad, could they use that same kind of approach, do you think? Ohh, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. It's all about showing the process, the people, the passion behind what you do. So for that logistics company, maybe it's a video of their team carefully packing up a shipment, or maybe it's a quick interview with an employee who's been with them for years, sharing their expertise, humanizing the business. And another thing that struck me about the Olympics is how everything happens in real time. Yeah. Brands have to be ready to react. Instantly to whatever happens, that's a fantastic lesson for any business, especially in the Caribbean. Imagine there's a sudden change in the market or a new regulation pops up that affects your whole industry. Do you have the tools and the social media strategy in place to communicate with your customers quickly and clearly? Can you adjust your messaging on the family if you need to? OK, I see where you're going with this. But the article also talks about some challenges, right? It's not all easy peasy, right? Like, how do you balance being authentic with still looking professional? It's a balancing act for sure. And that's exactly where having a clear social media strategy is so important. So it's not about just throwing things out there and hoping something sticks. No, not at all. Yeah, we need to be intentional. Think of it like a road map for everything you do on social media. We need to figure out how we want our brand to sound, set guidelines for what we share and how we talk to people. We might even need to do some training for our employees so everyone's on the same page, so that everyone's representing the company in a consistent way, even while being themselves. Exactly. It's about finding that sweet spot. And a good strategy also needs to include listening tools, ways to keep an eye on conversations that are happening about your brand. See what people are saying and spot any potential problems before they get out of control. OK, so how do we take those cool ideas from the Olympics and make them work for Caribbean B2B brands? It's almost like putting together A-Team for the Games, isn't it? You need a game plan, you need the right players, and you need a way to track how you're doing. I like that analogy. And just like a good coach, you need to lay down some clear guidelines for your team. Think of it like like your social media playbook. OK, So what kind of play should be in this playbook? Well, First things first. Got to define your brand voice. How do you wanna come across on social media? Are you going for like, professional and authoritative, right? Or friendly and profitable, maybe even a little quirky and fun? You're right because you want to be consistent, right? No matter who's posting from your company, it should sound like the same voice. Exactly. And those guidelines should also cover the practical stuff, like what kinds of things you're gonna share, how to respond to comments, even legal stuff. Remember, everything you post online is representing your brand, so you got to make sure everyone's on the same page. Speaking of being on the same page, the article really emphasized the importance of social media training for employees. Why is that so crucial? Well, think about it. You wouldn't send an athlete to the Olympics without training, right? Definitely not. Social media is no different. Your employees need the skills and the know how to represent your brand well online. So it's not just about knowing how to use the platforms, it's also about like how to communicate the company's values and how to engage with customers in a way that feels. Authentic, but also professional. Exactly. Training can help your team learn all those little things like online etiquette, how to answer tough questions, even how to handle negative comments without making things worse. It's an investment in your brands online reputation. OK, that makes a lot of sense. But there's one part that still feels kind of mysterious to me. Those listening tools the article talked about. Can you help me understand what those are? Imagine you're at the Olympics, right? And you've got this team of scouts. Watching the competition, analyzing all the other athletes and giving you valuable information. OK, I'm following. That's basically what social listening tools do. So it's like having eyes and ears everywhere monitoring what people are saying about your company and your industry online. Exactly. You can see what people are saying about your brand, what they're saying about your competitors. You can even keep track of industry trends and conversations. It's a gold mine of information. So with these tools, you could like spot a potential PR disaster before it happens. Or find opportunities to join conversations that are already happening. You could even get a better sense of what your customers really want and need. All of that. It helps you stay informed and be proactive. I'm starting to feel like a social media spy with all this Intel. But it's not just about gathering information, right? It's about using that information to actually improve what you're doing. Absolutely. That's where measurement and analytics come in. Just like Olympic athletes track their times and distances, you need to track how your social media is performing that way. You can see what's working and what needs work O we're talking about things like engagement rates, how many people are seeing our posts, whether people are clicking through to our website. Yeah, all of that. These metrics can help you figure out if you're reaching the right people, if your content is interesting to them, if they're doing the things you want them to do. Data is your friend. But how do we tie all this back to what we were talking about with the Olympics? How do we make sure our strategy isn't just a boring old playbook, but something that has that same energy and excitement? That's the. $1,000,000 question. And it all goes back to those key principles we were discussing authenticity, engagement, user generated content and being responsive in real time. Those principles need to be woven into everything you do on social media. So when we're creating those social media guidelines, we need to encourage employees to be themselves, to share their perspectives and to really connect with customers in a genuine way, just like those Olympians. Exactly. It's all about finding that balance between being professional and letting your personality shine. Real and during training you can really emphasize how important it is to respond to comments and messages quickly it shows people you're listening and that you care what specific platforms and tactics should Caribbean be to be brands be using different platforms have different strengths just like different sports have different arenas so LinkedIn that's kind of like your main stadium it's the go to for professional networking you'll find decision makers there industry experts potential partners so that's where we want to share our thought leadership content show off our. Super tease and connect with other businesses. Exactly. Now you might think of Facebook is more for, you know, casual Hangouts and stuff, but don't underestimate its power for B2B, especially in the Caribbean. You can target your audience really precisely with ads and it's a great platform for showing off your company culture, you know, really humanizing your brand. Now, depending on your industry and what you're trying to achieve, other platforms like Instagram and Twitter can also be really valuable. What kind of plays would we run on those? Well, think of Instagram is your visual highlight reel. It's perfect for showcasing your products or services in action, giving people those behind the scenes peaks. And remember all that user generated content we were talking about? Instagram is a great place for that makes sense. What about Twitter? Twitter's like your quick fire commentator best for real time updates, industry news and jumping into those quick conversations. Now what about the actual content? What kind of stories do we need to tell to really grab our audience? Remember those Olympic. Athletes we were talking about, they didn't just talk about winning, they shared their struggles, their triumphs, their personalities. CBD brands can do the same thing. Instead of just listing features and benefits tells stories that people can connect with. Stories that show how our products or services are actually helping real people solve real problems. Kind of like those inspiring athlete profiles, right? Where you see their whole journey and you really connect with them as a person. Exactly. And don't forget about that user generated content. It's like having your fans cheering you on from the stands. So how do we get those cheers going? How do we encourage our customers to share their experiences, make it fun, make it rewarding, run contests, offer incentives, and most importantly, highlight those customer stories on your own platforms. People love to be recognized and appreciated. It's all about building that sense of community, that feeling of being part of something bigger, just like the Olympics.