The Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACOCI) organised and hosted another timely and relevant workshop for its members. The workshop focused on ‘Social Media Marketing’ and was conducted, over two half days on October 16th and 17th, at the ACOCI Conference Room. The workshop was ably facilitated by Mrs. Stacey Liburd. Mrs. Liburd has extensive knowledge and experience in marketing and public relations, and offers social media management and consultancy services to businesses and brands. Participants represented a range of local businesses and were actively engaged in discussions and activities throughout the two-day period.
Day 1 of the Social Media workshop focused on developing participants’ understanding of social media marketing as well as how to brand their businesses via social media. They discussed how to set realistic business goals, budgeting, assessing their businesses’ target audience (based on goods and services provided), understanding their audience and their habits, best days and times to post, and understanding and using analytics to their advantage. Day 2 allowed participants to take the knowledge they had gained in the first session and practically apply it to the creation of a social media campaign.
The workshop was very well received and achieved outstanding evaluations by the participants. One participant shared that, “Mrs. Liburd is an excellent facilitator. The session was very informative and thought-provoking. The knowledge acquired will be very useful for growing my business online.” Another attendee expressed that she was very grateful that she attended the session – and because of the workshop she is winning right now. All workshop attendees appreciated the holistic and detailed approach developed by the facilitator. Many were astounded at the level of detail and analysis required to adequately create and execute a successful social media campaign.
The facilitator, Mrs. Stacey Liburd, highlighted the importance of social media as an excellent medium for free advertising and the best way to reach and engage with your audience. She also shared two key tips for other businesses interested in using social media as a marketing tool for business growth. Firstly, she stressed that “Consistency is key. If you post consistently and stay true to your brand, your audience will trust and respect you. That trust and respect will eventually lead to sales and revenue.” Her second golden piece of advice to small businesses was: “Be patient. Reaching your goals does not happen overnight. There is a lot of trial and error. However, if you stick with it and you give it the proper attention it deserves, you will see results.”
Mrs. Liburd further added: “As a small business, if you are not utilising social media you are doing your business a serious disservice. It is important to remember that we all have shortcomings. If you find that social media marketing is not your strength, or you don’t have the time or patience, you can always hire someone to do it for you.”
At the end of the workshop, Mrs. Lily Moses from the Chamber of Commerce thanked Mrs. Liburd for facilitating a dynamic workshop. She expressed her hope that more businesses in Anguilla would utilise social media as an effective marketing platform. Mrs. Moses also thanked the participants for attending and encouraged them to actively use the knowledge gained in their respective businesses.
The Anguilla Chamber of Commerce continues to offer valuable services such as these types of training for its members. The Chamber would like to thank all who participated in this workshop and invites all members to take advantage of all opportunities to invest in staff.
Written by Sherise Brooks
