Digital marketing, eCommerce, social media, influencers, content creation, networking – the online world has become such a great place to do business nowadays, as highlighted by speakers who participated in an event organised by Tech.mt and the Malta Digital Innovation Authority as part of the SME Week programme of events 2021.
Martina Zammit from Gadgets was one of the panelists who spoke about the advantages of influencer and digital marketing, along with Ben Camille, Caroline Paris and Christabelle Camilleri.
“The fact that influencers connect with their audience in a very authentic, raw and genuine way makes it a very successful form of advertising or promotion.
“Influencers or content creators create a personal brand for themselves and would have built a great deal of trust among their followers and have the power to review and recommend products and services that their followers will know is credible,” she said.
Very high return on investment
Christabelle Camilleri spoke about the fact that influencer marketing has a very high return on investment due to its immediacy.
“Investing in influencer marketing is like investing in stocks. I was reading that for every $1 spent, you get approximately $6 back,” said Christabelle Camilleri.
Asked whether influencers and content creators absolutely have to be on their phones constantly and whether they have a life outside their social media world, fashion stylist Caroline Paris said she doesn’t go into every detail of her personal life on social media, while Ben Camille explained that planning is key for him to be able to work as an influencer while being able to enjoy his family.
Dana Farrugia from Tech.mt, who participated in another panel discussion on setting up a successful virtual business, spoke about technology being an enabler and said that taking your business online is no longer an option, but a must.
Online shops provide valuable marketing insights
Local jewellery brand Carisma was set up as an online shop about 15 months ago and one of its founders, Carlos Borg, explained: “We knew that the website would give us certain insights and data that would help us in the future in terms of product creation, marketing, locations where we should open our stores etc. Launching online was a big advantage for us”.
A third panel made up of Matthew Sacco from Digital Green Receipts, Steve Muscat from Better Yourself Educational Platform and Steve Galea Pace Vinotyp focused on the way to go as far as setting up a new business is concerned.
They discussed the challenges, including hefty start-up costs, building trust, especially when you’re operating using an online platform alone, finding the right balance as far as marketing is concerned when you start out, and staying focused on your vision.
