Optimism – the force that pushes us onwards
I don’t know about you, but the last five months have been a real roller coaster for the AdMarula team. From suddenly having to work remotely, schooling kids at home, to doing virtual client meetings and eventually dealing with the reality and adjustments of returning back to the office, life has certainly thrown us a few curve balls. While this time has forced many of us to stretch ourselves further than we ever thought possible, it has also shown us what we can achieve when we have no other choice. And it’s this realisation, that I think will have a profound impact on how many of us approach life, business and our futures going forward. Yes, it has been (and still is) scary fearing for our own health and that of our loved ones. Fear of the unknown, what the future will bring. I find myself wondering, will there ever be a vaccine? Will we ever travel long-haul for holidays again? Will I need to fly to Durban and Johannesburg for client meetings again? Are business networking events a thing of the past? Now that we’ve seen how things can be done differently, and more efficiently at that, it’s hard to return to the old normal. Perhaps this crisis really is the universe’s way of telling us to wake up, to change our bad habits, to simplify our lives, to be kinder to the environment and to our planet, to make time for ourselves and those we love, to stop being greedy, and to see the beauty in every day. Because our health is everything. Once that is gone, nothing else matters. Having said that, I have definitely in the last week or so noticed that life is slowly starting to return to a new normal. Once empty cafes now have quite a few customers, hair dressers are open and busy, and when I tried to book a place for myself and my family to go away somewhere local over the long weekend EVERYTHING was fully booked. That’s encouraging. Not only does it mean our local tourism and hospitality businesses are finally making a turnover again, but it also shows how resilient humans are. We have an inherent desire to explore, live and be around other people. We just need to keep in mind that this thing isn’t over yet and the rules, although they seem unreasonable and frustrating at times, are there for a reason. For our safety. Back to business: naturally and like most other businesses, AdMarula has also felt the pinch of the economic crisis that we now find ourselves in, with Travel being by far our hardest hit vertical. But five months in and we are already seeing a doubling in transactions from last month, and with local leisure travel given the green light we remain optimistic that our local tourism sector will start to make a recovery after months of lockdown. The entire AdMarula team, management included, have taken a 25% pay cut since the start of the lockdown in order to preserve cash and jobs and I am glad to say that so far we have not needed to retrench people or take any other drastic measures besides keeping our spending down. We have also done an intensive business development drive during the lockdown period which has resulted in several new clients coming on board. You can read more about these in our ‘Featured offers’ section further down. Finally I would like to pass on my condolences to anyone in our business community (publishers, clients, partners, suppliers and friends) who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Whether you have lost loved ones, lost your business, are suffering financially or been ill yourself, we wish you strength and recovery in the coming months. This storm too shall pass, and we will find light in the darkness once again. As per the words of the Dalai Lama: “Choose optimism, it feels better”. All the best for the rest of August, stay warm and stay safe. Daniel Gross – CEO
Interview with Kate Kuilman, freelance paid media specialist
This month we chat to Kate Kuilman, Vega Brand school graduate and freelance paid media specialist. Expert in Google Ads (Search & Display), YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter advertising, Kate uses her specialist knowledge to help a range of clients, including Ole!Connect, Hoorah Digital and Names & Faces to reach new users and increase their e-commerce performance. Describe yourself in 3 words Kind, analytical and ambitious When I was little I wanted to be a… I could never decide on one thing I wanted to do that was able to combine the creativity I craved (despite my complete lack of technical artistic skill) and the analytics I naturally leaned towards. But when the adults would ask, “a vet” seemed to be the most easily accepted response. What exactly does a freelance paid media specialist do? As a paid media specialist I help brands get their creatives and messaging in front of their target market. Depending on the KPIs set by the client we work together to optimise the targeting, messaging and overall consumer journey to help boost awareness/leads/sales/revenue. What do you love most about your job? I love the certainty and accuracy in which we can attribute the spend used on advertising to overall performance. Being able to understand the impact the ads have had and report back exact numbers to clients that help understand how users are engaging with their content is always rewarding. How do you stay on top of all the changes and developments in the PPC landscape? I am lucky to have clients that span industries, business sizes and KPIs. Working in different spaces and objectives means naturally staying on top of what is happening to ensure the accounts are performing at their best. Having strong relationships with my clients also means a lot of time is put discussing strategies and learnings from each other that help increase everyone’s knowledge. What are the longer term challenges facing e-commerce in South Africa? The long-term challenges facing e-commerce in South Africa are tricky to predict. South Africans are the 3rd most discount obsessed shoppers in the world, and the constraints of our economy mean that shoppers are becoming more selective of where their money is spent. Going online means they are able to compare prices and discounts far more easily. While we are still lagging behind other developed nations in regard to our e-commerce penetration, we are catching up fast. Last year’s Black Friday saw South Africa record one of the biggest percentage growth in Black Friday specials and sales internationally. As a country, South Africa faces multiple challenges when it comes to the growth of e-commerce. Historically the biggest obstacles have generally been high prices, poor quality and access of internet services, and the reliability and cost of product delivery. In addition, South African users are also concerned with online fraud and the security of their transactions. Continuing to address and improve upon these issues will be the main challenge. We are seeing online retailers offer more payment options to help cater for users with varying access to financial resources; and delivery times and accuracy are improving as technology develops. There has also been an increase in online discounts and sales, especially from the bigger retailers that have the resources to offer discounts on some of their products. Ultimately, retailers wishing to take advantage of the e-commerce boom will need to figure out how to overcome these hurdles at scale. What makes a good PPC marketer? There is no one thing. Everyone has their own way of structuring accounts and targeting users. Each channel has their own best practices, but depending on what the client is looking for will depending on the set strategy that a PPC marketer will use. Ultimately, being able to understand the users you are trying to talk to and how they behave online will be the most important aspect. Deciding how to use which channel, device or messaging and which stage in the consumer journey will help boost the overall digital strategy and results. I absolutely despise… Being late. I will be annoyingly early to every meeting. My favourite TV show is… Friends My favourite tech gadget is… Besides my iPhone? My Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch 🙂 When I’m not working, I’m… Planning my next trip or meeting up with friends for a glass of wine
