It’s generally agreed that in contemporary information superhighway, content is the new gold. Marketing is the process of creating and distributing valuable content that attracts, retains, and converts potential customers into loyal ones. In today’s digital world, content plays a crucial role in determining the success of a marketing campaign. The importance of content in marketing cannot be overstated as it serves as the backbone of every marketing effort, helping to build brand awareness, drive engagement, and ultimately increase sales.

First, content helps to build brand awareness. By creating and publishing relevant and engaging content, a company can reach its target audience and make them aware of its products and services. This could include blog posts, infographics, videos, and social media posts, all of which can be optimized for search engines to ensure they reach the right people. By consistently producing valuable content, a company can establish itself as a thought leader in its industry and build trust and credibility with its target audience.

Second, content drives engagement. A well-crafted piece of content that resonates with its target audience is more likely to be shared, commented on, and liked, which can help to increase brand exposure and attract new customers. For example, a company that produces educational videos about its products and services can increase engagement by encouraging its audience to ask questions, share feedback, and provide suggestions. This interaction can lead to deeper connections with customers and help to foster loyalty.

Finally, content helps to convert potential customers into loyal ones. By creating content that addresses the pain points and challenges faced by its target audience, a company can demonstrate its understanding of its customers and its commitment to solving their problems. This type of content can take the form of e-books, webinars, or case studies, and can be used to educate potential customers about the benefits of a company’s products or services and why they should choose them over the competition.

With the advent of Martech, short for marketing technology, content becomes accessible at s click of a button. Martech refers to the various tools and software that organizations use to automate and streamline their marketing efforts. The role of martech is to provide marketers with the tools they need to plan, execute, measure, and optimize their marketing campaigns more effectively.

One of the main roles of martech is to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as data analysis, lead generation, and email marketing. This allows marketers to focus on more strategic tasks, such as developing and implementing marketing strategies and creating high-quality content.

Martech also provides marketers with a more comprehensive view of their customer data, enabling them to better understand their target audience and make informed decisions about their marketing efforts. This can include tracking customer behavior and preferences, analyzing customer feedback and reviews, and monitoring social media and other online interactions.

Another role of martech is to enhance the customer experience. By leveraging technology, marketers can personalize their interactions with customers, deliver targeted and relevant messages, and improve the overall customer journey. For example, by using customer relationship management (CRM) software, marketers can track customer interactions across multiple channels and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly.

Finally, martech helps organizations measure and analyze the success of their marketing efforts. This includes tracking key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and ROI, as well as identifying areas for improvement. By using analytics tools and software, marketers can gain a deeper understanding of what is working and what isn’t, allowing them to make data-driven decisions about their marketing strategies.

It therefore goes without saying that every content-wise government or public sector entity has to deploy martech to stand above the rest. We at Brandhill Africa™ are ready to support you in all your initiatives to brand position your location as a viable destination for tourism and investment while we help to open foreign market access for your strategic exports.

It is without any whiff of doubt that Brandhill Africa™ has emerged as a leading content development agency. Since 2020, we have developed our publishing list; developed content through our conference series, Biashara Services and Products Africa (BiSPA) Conference and Exhibition; developed content for my broadcasting programming on 101.9 Chai FM and Radio Bop SA (hosting a daily 15 slot dubbed “Around the Continent with Saul Molobi”); and also through this weekly pan African business news portal which you are reading right now.

Let me take this opportunity to thank those who have been tuning into 101.9 Chai FM (or streaming live by clicking here) since November when I inaugurated “Sunset Serenade” – my jazz music programme. I’m glad to say through your overwhelming support, we have since responded positively to your request to extend it from one hour to two – so we embarked on this since February 5. By the way,  as we de/construct the history and agency of jazz globally, we realise it has always been at the core of culture as a vehicle for social conscientisation. It has defied the theoretical parameters imposed by conservative anthropologists who advocated for the studies limited in divergence and convergence of cultures and it became the perfect amplification of a transvergent approach to studying our cultures – by celebrating its dialectics. This is what in South Africa as early as the mid-1950s our forebears referred to as a “people’s culture” – a non-racial, non-sexiest and non-discriminatory culture that expressed the dreams and aspirations of the people. And that’s why they declared then that South Africa belonged to all who lived in it. Yes, this is the clarion call they made in the Freedom Charter which has served as the basis of our post-1994 democratic South Africa’s constitution. Thus, let me without any whiff of doubt declare that although jazz is not everything to everyone, it is absolutely – and will always be – a people’s music.

“The world (could be) too much with us,” so mused the English bard, William Wordsworth. Yes, we have to look up to our muses to gather a glimmer of hope; they inspire us to love humanity (despite the complexities arising from its imperfections); they inspire us to aspire for excellence in the work we do; and they inspire us with an insatiable desire to leave the world in a better condition than we found it. Who is your muse?

Contemporary jazz musicians – and many cultural troubadours – be they poets, painters, fine artists, playwrights and musicians – from Africa and beyond had their muse too from the 1960s. And that was our one and only Nelson Mandela – whose stature rose to become our founding father as a democratic country and a global icon.

So this Sunday I’ll be celebrating the thirty third (33) anniversary weekend of the release of Nelson Mandela from a 27 year imprisonment on 11 February 1990. The Mandela metaphor in the arts sets a very high standard for moral superiority, for people co-existence, for harmony, and an insatiable desire to serve humanity.

I’ll be playing songs written about Madiba. After giving him heavenly greetings through “Bayethe”, a song by Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini and Nomcebo Zikode who have just won a Grammy Award for the “Best Global Music Performance”, I’ll dwell into tribute songs by such musicians as Abdullah Ibrahim, Hugh Masekela; Tony Cox; Zahara & Mzwakhe Mbuli; Jonathan Butler; Johnny Clegg; Salif Keita; Johnny Dyani; Dorothy Masuka; Koko Ateba; Khadja Nin; and Vusi Mahlasela. I’ll also feature Sathima Bea Benjamin, Miles Davis; Charlie “The Bird” Parker; Bill Knight; David Sanborn & Bob James; and Bebo Valdez.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the launch of the DSTV Channel 330 – namely, Quincy Jones’ music channel, Quest TV – at the Sandton Square. Congratulations to Timothy Mangwedi, who brought the channel into our homes in South Africa.

Enjoy your weekend.

Saul Molobi (FCIM)

Publisher, Group Chairman & CEO

Brandhill Africa™

Tel: +27 11 759 4297 

Mobile: +27 83 635 7773
eMail: saul.molobi@brandhillafrica.com

Websitewww.brandhillafrica.com

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