The Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACOCI) organised and hosted its first Marketing Skills Café, a series of three (3), one – hour marketing workshops held over three (3) weeks in February. The topics covered were:
• Workshop 1 – Why is Marketing Important to my Brand and How do I Get Started?
• Workshop 2 – Why Visuals Matter.
• Workshop 3 – Maximising your Social Media Marketing for 2020.
The goal of the workshops was to equip participants with essential marketing skills to help them to grow their respective businesses.
The first workshop, on the relevance of marketing and branding, was ably facilitated by Mrs. Stacey Liburd from The Agency. Her presentation highlighted the importance of marketing in boosting sales and revenue, building and maintaining a brand reputation, increasing your brand visibility and helping your business to remain competitive within the market. Participants also learnt the value of consistency, assessing your business’ target audience and effective content creation.
Mrs. Liburd shared that, ‘Today, marketing is more essential than ever for businesses. Social media has made marketing more affordable and accessible, allowing businesses to expand their reach and compete on a global scale. For your marketing efforts to be effective, consistency is key. If your brand message is consistent and authentic, and you stay true to your brand, your audience will trust and respect you. People do business with brands they trust. Reaching your goals will not happen overnight. There is a lot of trial and error. However, take your time and make the effort. It is definitely worth it!’
The guest speaker for the second workshop, ‘Why Visuals Matter’, was Mr. Orrett Wynter from the Cabaret Agency. Mr. Wynter aptly delivered an informative and practical session expounding on areas such as the significance of consistent visual language, clarity of messaging and creating engaging photography/videography.
As a key takeaway, he shared was that, ‘Humans are visual by nature. As such, marketing that incorporates visuals performs better. It is imperative that businesses recognise the value of effective visuals in their marketing strategy and campaigns. There are many great things about Anguilla, however one area we tend to neglect is ‘how things look.’ There is a need for greater deliberate action, thought and planning, to how we can best visually represent our businesses and our beautiful island, to ensure that our respective brands and products/services are fruitful.’
The final workshop, on social media marketing, was well presented by Sherise Brooks, Blogger and Freelance Consultant. During the engaging presentation, participants gained an understanding of how social media marketing can help their businesses to grow, the importance of choosing the right social platform for your business, and practical tips for developing and maintaining customer relationships, building brand loyalty and telling your brand story on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Ms. Brooks emphasized that social media should be an essential component of every business’ marketing strategy. She further stressed that, ‘Social media marketing is one of the most versatile and cost-effective strategies that businesses can use to reach their target audiences and boost sales and revenue over time. With over 40% of the global population using social media daily, businesses, especially in Anguilla, need to understand the importance of meeting your customers where they are – and join social media. However, it is not enough to just be on these social platforms. For your social media marketing to be successful, you must be active, responsive, engaging, patient and most important – consistent!’
Overall, the workshops were very well received and achieved outstanding evaluations by the participants.
Next up, join ACOCI for its first Lunch and Learn event on Thursday, March 19th, at Stone Restaurant, Zemi Beach House. For more information, contact ACOCI at +1 (264) 235-2840/2839 or visit us on Facebook @Anguilla ChamberCommerce.
Looking forward, the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce will continue to offer support and valuable opportunities like these types of trainings to its members. The Chamber of Commerce extends an invitation to all businesses and entrepreneurs to become members of ACOCI. Contact ACOCI at +1 (264) 235-2840/2839 or email info@anguillachamber.com for more information.
