Budding entrepreneurs from Mpophomeni Township recently attended a digital entrepreneurship workshop which aimed to empower them with solutions to make their businesses more visible online.
Thembalethu Zakwe compiled this article.
Digital expert Anthea ‘Bun’ Forder who is the owner of AppCity gave an insightful presentation on the factors that currently influence digital marketing. These include an exponential increase in pollution, change in the skills that are in high demand in the workplace, international trade and advancements in technology. According to Anthea, these things are opportunities and it has never been easier in the history of mankind to be a successful entrepreneur.
Video has steadily become the most popular form of media on the internet, making up 86% of content that is consumed online. Products and services have been found to have more than 70% chance of being sold if they are advertised using videos.
While most people have not warmed up to the idea of creating video content, Anthea quickly showed the group in attendance that the task isn’t as daunting as one would imagine.
Through using the free Wi-Fi that is available at Mpophomeni Library (thanks to MCG) the group learned to create concise, high-quality videos using two highly recommended apps, Quik and Splice. Both apps are available for free download on both Android and IOS devices.
Facebook is still the most used social media platform amongst South Africans between the ages of 18-65 years old making it a popular choice for businesses that want to reach their target market. However, Anthea introduced the group to a relatively unknown function on Facebook, www.business.facebook.com
The function offers various effective tools that assist business owners of any size to reach their ideal customer. The importance of understanding how the Facebook algorithm works was re-emphasized.
Other recommended apps for those that want to perfect their writing skills include upwork.com; wordnik.com, grammarly.com. Unsplash offers a great collection of suitable, licensed images that content creators may use. Canva is an easy to use graphic design tool. Anthea demonstrated how to use Canva, by quickly creating a cover image for Mlungisi Ndlovu’s Facebook page advertising his house painting business.
Sabelo Xaba who runs Mpophomeni Horseback Tours was delighted to have attended the informative workshop. “It has given me lots of ideas about how I can improve my marketing. It was really great.”
Ndumiso Dladla who was one of the attendees was inspired to forge ahead with starting a small scale retail business. “I am so grateful for this workshop. I now know the most effective ways to sell my products using social media. I especially look forward to creating videos that will show what I specialize in,” he said.
Animal lover and activist Penz Malinga learned new ways to popularize the walks she organizes in her community. “What an occasion indeed. I am enjoying trying all the wonderful apps shared and am working on an advertisement for my monthly Mpop Hills Walk” she said.
Graphic designer and writer Thembelani Mkhize who is in the process of selling some of his work overseas is excited to apply what he learned to his business. “This has been a great workshop indeed. I was excited to not only learn but to share some ideas and platforms that also work for me” he said. Artist Musi Ndlela was very pleased with the new information which will help him increase sales of his work.
For more quick tips and tricks about digital entrepreneurship be sure to follow Anthea Forder on Instagram @bun.appcity or Facebook or Youtube. To demonstrate how easy it is to make a quick video, she created this:
This workshop was sponsored by sales of Mnandi – a taste of Mpophomeni.
Mpophomeni Conservation Group 