CONTACT Magazine (Vol.18 No.2 – September 2018)

“There is no rebellion or
subversion, just quiet and
respectful conformance to
the rules”
Digital marketing maturity
Surveying Trinbago’s social media landscape will take you from big brands like Massy,
ANSA McAL, Unit Trust, Courts, Carib, and AA Laquis, to SMEs like WrapWorks Deli, TCJ
Events, and Amara Organics.
The industry is growing up, but digital marketing maturity varies across brands.
Some companies are adept, while others struggle due to limited vision or resources.
New features and algorithms are rolled out almost every month, and businesses are
challenged to keep up, or lose traction.
One company which began using pro-social media early, in 2009, is the Trinidad
and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company (TTMF).
“We started with Facebook, which was the fastest-growing platform, and saw
immediate success,” says Robert Green, TTMF’s CEO. “Our base grew and customers
were engaged – commenting, posting, giving feedback. The next step was to explore
other platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube – all of which are now
part of our marketing strategy.
“Social media has significantly increased brand awareness, it is cost-efficient,
and it provides us with data on its usage so we can better communicate with
customers.”
TTMF is not alone.
Big brands like Carib (beer) and Massy Motors, and SMEs like WrapWorks Deli,
have been leveraging digital marketing for greater gains.
“Social media has played a critical role in improving the health of our brand,”
says Antron Forte, Marketing Manager at Carib. “It has allowed our campaigns to
become full 360-degree campaigns, with social media as the glue that connects
everything. It’s a vehicle to share messages with consumer segments, and it
facilitates engagement and feedback.”
Make data your friend
Aligning creative content, audience reach, data, and business and marketing strategies,
is key. One small business which is blending digital and social media effectively is
WrapWorks Deli.
“From day one, I realized that to reach my target audiences, with the most
bang for my buck, I had to leverage social media in tandem with other forms of
marketing,” explains Gerard Edwards, owner of WrapWorks Deli. “The ability to reach
new customers, and engage with existing ones, all using self-explanatory tools, is
what makes digital and social media marketing so powerful.”
Edwards used data insights, gleaned from WrapWorks’ social media channels,
to get a reality check about his business and which marketing areas to scale up
or down. Based on this, and to improve customer experience, WrapWorks created
a mobile app for orders and curb-side pickups, and promotes the app and daily
specials with digital ads at a scale he could never have afforded via traditional
media.
Natalie Karamath, CEO, Massy Motors
Gerard Edwards, CEO, WrapWorks
Robert Green, CEO, TTMF Company
courtesy natalie karamath
courtesy gerard edwards
courtesy robert green
www.chamber.org.tt/contact-magazine 27
Trinidad and Tobago Chamber
of Industry and Commerce