Experts urge better business use of online media

August 19th, 2015
[Story by David Armstrong, photo by Dave Moloney]

An enthusiastic group of 75 people were given the lowdown on better business use of online media at a BNZ-sponsored workshop last night.

The workshop was the third of four being presented across the top of the South Island by two of Motueka's best-known entrepreneurs, Johny O'Donnell and Vincent Dickie. The BNZ roadshow was also supported by Nelson Chamber of Commerce.

Johny and Vincent both operate successful local businesses which aim to help other businesses worldwide adapt to and make the most of online media such as websites, Facebook etc.

Those attending last night represented a broader range than just the conventional local retailers and businesses, and included many young people and individuals running home-based, owner-operated enterprises.

The two-hander presentation began with Johny setting up and explaining the challenge that all conventional businesses face today, of adapting their strategies for a far different market than a generation ago.

"The competition for local businesses is no longer local, its global," he said. Furthermore, "the biggest risk [to local businesses] is doing nothing [different]".

He said there is no doubt that there will be more change in the business scene in the next five years than we saw in the last 25 years. "Today even the most conservative of business leaders can now see this," he added, citing recent comments by Sir Peter Talley.

He also emphasised that business leaders increasingly need to focus on the Generation Y demographic, which will increasingly dominate the scene in coming years.

But he added that business owners don't need to be technical whizzes in order to manage these disruptions. "Almost all the difficulty business owners face is in our mindset, not in the technology."

Giving examples of big firms that have closed down due to "digital disruption" (Borders, Blockbusters and Encyclopaedia Britannica) and new businesses that are dominating emerging markets (Uber, Airbnb), he said that disruptions usually come from left field, not from within the industries concerned.

In the second half of the presentation, Vincent Dickie focused on narrowing down the big picture to some practical tips for maximising a business through the use of online media.

In particular he presented some basic ideas on how to get better business leads using online resources.

He emphasised repeatedly that the key for online search visibility, vital to all businesses now, is "content" - material on business websites which provides fresh and relevant information, and hopefully solutions for customers, rather than just selling stuff.

There are many challenges in actually providing this, but Vincent said businesses need to work out a plan for maintaining a consistent program of information provision on their websites and postings to social media.

Fresh and relevant content enhances their ability to be noticed and trusted by Google.

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