Two years after leaving corporate life, Josh Burgisser built Burgs Digital into a full-stack marketing agency. He talks to David Nothling-Demmer about the attention economy, why video isn’t optional for small businesses showing up online, and convincing his own father to become a client.
Full-scale loyalty programmes are expensive, complex and slow to roll out, but a gift card programme can deliver many of the same benefits in a fraction of the time, and customers pay you upfront for the privilege.
Anybody in business can tell you that a customary but inexplicable inertia and indecisiveness infects Kiwi SMEs in election years. It’s not good for business or the economy. Assia Salikhova, MD of Wellington business development agency Smarketing Lab, says she is dumbfounded by the election year phenomenon, which anybody who has been in business for four or more years can attest. “There’s no excuse for it,” says Salikhova (pictured above). “While there may be pressures and uncertainties surrounding elections, it is essential to recognise that very little changes. Prices, exchange rates, and technological advancements continue to shape the business landscape, irrespective of election outcomes. “People say, ‘Oh, we need to see what the new Government looks like’. Why? If anything,
Many capable business owners are missing the opportunity to stand out as media experts, and promote themselves as an industry leader, writes Pete Burdon. Since the advent of the Internet and social media, fewer business people are approaching traditional media to offer their expertise, despite the massive promotional and reputational benefits this creates. Many businesses post advice on their social media feeds, but with so many doing this it’s difficult to stand out above the competition as an industry leader. It’s also unlikely that most potential clients will even see this information. The first special thing about news media coverage is the reputational benefits it creates. The third-party endorsement it offers is priceless and it’s the best way to ‘stand
A new customer feedback platform is empowering SMEs to see what their customers are thinking in real-time and make improvements to grow the business. For as long as customer feedback platforms have been in play in New Zealand (roughly a decade), the tools have been highly sophisticated, relatively costly, time-intensive and frankly – reserved for the larger corporates who have the luxury to purchase them. Now, by offering a quick and simple plug-in solution that integrates with any businesses’ existing management software, Customer Radar has evolved to meet the needs of SMEs by offering one of the fastest set up times and most affordable pricing plans in the industry. Following the Covid pandemic, Kiwis, just like the rest of the
A new online shopping platform has been launched; designed to connect New Zealanders to Kiwi-owned businesses. Buy Kiwi has the goal of helping New Zealand thrive and prosper by making it easier than ever to buy local. “If we can get more Kiwis supporting Kiwi-owned businesses, we will be able to keep more money in the country, retain and create more jobs and, by extension, help local communities,” says Jamie Farmer (pictured below), the managing director of Buy Kiwi. “If every Kiwi diverted just $50 per week spent with overseas companies to New Zealand-owned business, it would deliver $250 million per week back into the local economy.” The easy-to-use online shopping platform allows consumers to search and shop for goods and
You may think you have your social media strategy sussed, but it’s important to remember that the playing field is constantly being shuffled. NZBusiness consulted two leading SMM specialists for an update. Let’s begin with an interesting statistic. In January 2023 there were 4.76 billion social media users worldwide1. That is almost 60 percent of the global population. If you’re still making excuses about seriously getting on board with social media marketing – while you hesitate, your business competitors are gaining the advantage. There is a new wave swooping down on all of us, and faster than we all believe, explains Melanie Spencer, Group CEO of Socialites, an Auckland-based full-service social media agency. “If you think about the speed at
Rising interest rates, a looming recession, plus inflation, all combined make for a perfect storm that will put huge pressure on retailers. Unless they get better at retaining customers through loyalty initiatives. Mark Presnell, MD of eCommerce integration company Convergence, said a clever loyalty programme can create the highest marketing return on investment by helping to keep customers engaged. “But it’s important to ensure any offline rewards system is synchronised with an online system, otherwise all those marketing gains could walk right out the front door.” The old marketing maxim that its more profitable to re-engage a current customer than to acquire a new one is true for a good reason. Anecdotal evidence suggests acquiring a new customer can cost five
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One week after the election, Ready to Rise returns for ‘After the Result’ to help Kiwi SME owners plan ahead for their next bold move, and hard-won growth. Get your tickets for this must-attend business breakfast.
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