And somehow along the way…

We’ve lost that passion and hunger! The fire!

Photo by Cullan Smith on Unsplash

We’ve built monuments on the wild web that were beacons to the youngsters and those not even old enough to know how to use it. Somehow we’ve not been able to share the passion and the excitement. To help the next generation be hungry for more. We’ve stopped teaching, breaking down barriers and giving knowledge freely.

We’ve built a new generation of community managers, social managers, social media content writers, social media managers, who are not passionate about what they do. Who have become robots, plodding along and not making magic happen.

Is it because we have lost some of that passion? We’ve become so entrenched in the norm, that we’re not finding ways to grow excitement with the next generation? Has our dis-interest led to theirs?

Have we stopped teaching and training, yet want them to be able to walk in and be pros at the job we believe they should know. Do we believe this, because they have grown up knowing social media, while we had to learn to crawl and walk our way through it?

How do we show them that what they do in their personal capacities (disclaimer: to an extent), can be replicated in the work they do for brands and businesses? This is a generation that believes in doing and being… how does this translate into work and grabbing the proverbial bulls by the horns?

Where have we lost our passion?

This has been driving me crazy. What have I not been able to do to help the future generations be passionate and believe in the work that the social teams offer to businesses and brands?

I have more questions than I have answers. But asking the questions means I can look and seek the answers.

Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash

*Title image: Photo by Louis Smit on Unsplash

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What an amazing journey it has been.

So here’s what I learnt:

• I am Strong

Never realised how strong I was till I set out on this challenge, and I don’t mean just in the physicality. I mean both. Physically, I have been pushing my body through things I never knew I could do, and mentally I am now driven to see how far I can take it.

• I Can Do It

No one and nothing can tell me no. Exercise was never for me, I always stopped as soon as it started paining, yet now I push myself. I am still not the best at getting fit, but I have pushed myself past the mental stop line I had. It’s a start. I still need the willpower though to eat the right things, but I am getting there.

• Support works

If it wasn’t for the well i am support structures, and people cheering you on, and my cousin insisting we shouldn’t stop, I guess I would have flunked out a whole lot earlier. Probably in the first 10 days of the challenge. Your own best cheerleader is yourself, but sometimes you just need one other person cheering you on.

• Life is always a challenge 

Have you ever tried to eat healthy and train hard and then had to fast for a month, or fly around for work or randomly schedule a holiday overseas. Yah, life doesn’t get easier but it’s what you make of it. I definitely did not stop myself from eating, but through the challenge I got better at increasing the number of meals and eating in moderation. It worked, but life will always throw you a few curve balls – hit those suckers out of the park.

So here’s to many more good healthy days, knowing I can do it.

I even like going to the gym these days, which is rare. I’ve reached a point, if I haven’t done something active in a few days, I feel sluggish and unhappy. This has definitely been a great lifestyle change.

Thanks to the team at Well i Am for the opportunity in participating in this challenge.

Disclaimer: I was part of their influencer programme.

The post Well i Am: Things I learnt in a 100 days appeared first on Insights.

Sometimes I even resort to the simple replies of “Yes, I sit on Facebook and Twitter the whole day and I write updates for them”. The devaluing of my career continues in their response: “Is that all really? Well, anyone can do that”.

I have to emphatically say – No! Actually not everyone can do it but really, are you even listening to me?

Chances are most of the people I work with or I know in the business have gone through the exact same scenario a million times. Explaining our job can be a little tricky – there’s always a need to strike a balance between over selling what we do with high, convoluted words and dumbing it down to the extent we end up back at sitting on Facebook and Twitter the entire day.

I haven’t really found the right explanation, and I tend to see people’s eyes glaze over when I do try. Basically it can be difficult describing what social media marketing really is.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is not just about posting a status to Facebook or Twitter that just asks people how they are or sells them products but rather about connecting with the right people who will be interested in your content and / or your products and services.

It’s about asking questions of your followers and engaging with them in real time. It is also a way to share helpful content that people can actually use.

Simply, social media marketing is a way of increasing traffic to a website or bringing attention to a business by sharing content and getting others to share that information.

Is Social Media Marketing important?

Duh, OBVIOUSLY! If you look at the number of people using social media these days, there is definitely a need for social media marketing. If you aren’t on the platform where your customers are, how will you engage with them? Even small businesses and NGOs have seen the need to engage with people on these platforms, as can be seen by recent activities, such as the FIFA World Cup.

Social media is now the norm, where previously it was seen as a new and ‘radical’ way of reaching potential customers. Many consumers rely on social platforms for reviews and recommendations of products and services.

Social media marketing drives traffic to your site but it also gets you in front of a lot of people – people that you may potentially have not reached through other mediums such as TV and print. Social media is a powerful tool for people wanting to market their business.

BUT like with everything: EVALUATE, REVIEW and STRATEGISE. Nothing is as easy as just being on a platform.

Image credit: Jason Howie

The post Social Media Marketing – What is that?! appeared first on Insights.

So here’s what I am left with:

AND

Image credit: Saaleha

Btw you can still register for the challenge even though it started on 1 July.

Follow my journey here, and on Twitter and some of my Instagram images with #wia100healthydays.

Find well i am online:
www.welliam.mobi
Facebook: facebook.com/Welliamchallenge
Twitter: @welliamCHLG

The post Well i Am: Nothing is ever easy appeared first on Insights.

I am taking this opportunity to cleanse both my mind and body. They also say that it takes 40 days to break a habit – I’m using the 30 in Ramadan to kick start breaking the habit of eating junk.

I always have and always will love food. There’s no doubt about it. Now is the time to take that love of eating and move it in a healthier direction. I may not be able to do the strenuous exercise regime I wanted to set for myself, but this month will fly by quickly and I will get back into it. [Now if only the gym was open till late in Ramadan.]

If you missed my previous blog about what the challenge is about, let me re-introduce you to it. It is a lifestyle challenge, where you pledge to 100 healthy days to transdorm your body, habits and life.

It’s a daunting task but I am keen to set out to make the most of my life. I am not getting any younger, though I probably act like a 5 year old most of the time.

The hardest part of this challenge, will be adjusting to being back in Durban and at home, which means the amazing food that is readily available. But this is about maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle, so who says I can’t still eat Nani’s [grandmother] food, in small dosages.

The pre-screening and before pictures has left me very conscious of how I look and what I need to do to achieve results. I’m taking Ramadan as breaking in phase and then it’s full steam ahead if I want to see any results.

The biggest hurdle for me: PLANNING

I am the worst planner, but if I can get that down for food and snacks and gym times, I can do this! I need to put in the work if I want to see the results – right?

The great thing about doing the 100 Healthy Days challenge, like I mentioned previously, is the support structure. The meal and exercise plans and the inspiration. Also the community is a major factor.

You can still register for the challenge even though it started on 1 July.

Follow my journey here, and on Twitter and some of my Instagram images with #wia100healthydays.

Find well i am online:
www.welliam.mobi
Facebook: facebook.com/Welliamchallenge
Twitter: @welliamCHLG

Disclaimer: I am reviewing as part of their influencer programme.

The post Well i Am: 100 Healthy Days – It begins appeared first on Insights.

Reach more people, with less time.

Reach the right people, in the right places.

Reach everyone somehow.

The reach argument never goes away. History probably had this argument when Gutenberg invented the printing press and when radio and TV became mediums in which to sell to consumers. With the move to digital, reach is even more hotly contested than ever before.

Marketers, communications experts, companies and brands are looking to be able to reach more people as they get connected to the web. Social Media is no different. Community managers will tell you how often their brands want to just be able to reach everyone, so that everyone buys and becomes a consumer of that brand.

Owned Platform

Yet, with social we’re governed by always trying to find that reach on someone else’s real estate, never our own. While we have a brand’s page/profile on these platforms, they can be deemed as owned, as the content belongs to the brand, but they are never truly owned. The brand is governed by a set of rules and regulations put in place by that platform, not one that is defined by the brand or user. We’re just tenants on the property.

So why then are we not strong believers in having ‘Owned’ platforms. Ones created by brands / people and governed by rules and regulations set out by us, not someone sitting in a country we’ve never been to.

I am a big believer in being the owner of my content and their by having a content hub and gaining a community from it. I do though think that social platforms and other websites play a role in enabling the content produced.

Sharing content across various platforms increases reach. Using multiple platforms will get your message across to people. Cross-pollination of content ensures that you then drive these people back to a platform owned by you.

Algorithms on various platforms will always change, Google even messes with us sometimes, but being able to use multiple platforms to drive the message helps you to find the right reach.

Let me know what you think about owning a platform instead of renting a property in the comments below.

Image credit

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The reason I’m doing this amongst other things, is that I have a bad habit of not sticking with one thing long enough. Also, I need the support structure that challenges like this provide. If someone is encouraging to do it, I am more motivated to actually complete it. Ask me to do it on my own and … well… I love food and being lazy. It’s also all about the planning, and this is where I really fail.

This is the third addition of the well i am challenge. 100 days to transform my body and my habits. The great thing about this challenge – its all based online (well, almost all of it). If I spend most of my time online, I may as well make it work to my benefit.

From the guys at the challenge:

well i am’s revolutionary approach to online wellness means formal before-and-after assessments (in comparison to the usual do-it-yourself style), and it does not conflict with any existing fitness challenges – online or other. well i am supports whatever fitness journey you are on with a unique and motivational online support system to get you closer to your goals.

We believe in incentives, and your registration options include a Bosch Appliance, Biogen products to the value of R250, 50% off all Reebok apparel online, and your custom-made, bespoke Health Box packed with extras and valued at over R300. Certified dieticians and fitness experts have also supplied you with comprehensive eating plans and training programmes, absolutely free. Like our previous challenges, you’ll have a detailed Dis-Chem Health screening at the start and end of your journey.

If you’re looking at doing the challenge, here are things to keep in mind to help with the motivation:

• R120 000 worth of prizes up for grabs – you could win R20 000
• They have an exclusive member’s only platform to help with that motivation and planning.

So here’s the low down:

Challenge starts 1 July – so get registered and join me! 

• WIA Early Bird Basic R399 – Early bird special offering the WIA wellness kit
• WIA Early Bird Premium R1099 – Early bird special offering the WIA starter kit and a free Bosch appliance
• WIA Basic R499 – Basic entry with WIA wellness kit
• WIA Duo R1499 – Two entries with two WIA wellness kits and one Bosch appliance
• WIA Premium R1199 – Entry with WIA wellness kit and Bosch appliance
• WIA Corporate R4190 – Entry with WIA wellness kit and Bosch appliance for 10 participants

Find well i am online:
www.welliam.mobi
Facebook: facebook.com/Welliamchallenge
Twitter: @welliamCHLG
Hashtag: #welliam

The post well i am Challenge – get fit, get healthy appeared first on Insights.

Remember the last time Facebook timeline had a major change and every one lost their shit? But they got over it, adapted and fell in love with it.

Same thing applies to Google+. Just because it’s unknown to many people, they live in fear of it. Best advice I could give – use the platform and then judge whether it is something to be fearful off or not.

Even better – download and read this eBook I wrote about Google+ for brands.

Download: http://www.cerebra.co.za/resources/guide-social-business-platforms-google

Print it, make notes on it, use it and embark on a journey that closely mirrors your usage of other Google products including Search and YouTube.

If you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comments below, on Google+ or Twitter.

Feedback welcomed as well.

Enjoy!

The post Social Business: Google+ for brands (and you!) appeared first on Insights.

Many people my age are not sure about whether they will be voting or not. We’re old enough to remember not being able to vote in South Africa’s first ever elections and young enough to feel that we’re just not being heard.

So here are my reasons:

• Freedom to choose:

I want to always have the freedom of choice; I want my children to always have the freedom of choice. Voting allows me to choose, even when I am not sure of whom I should be choosing.

• Freedom to protest:

When the government I put into power or didn’t put into power makes bad decisions, I want to be able to protest loudly and call for a change. If I happen to vote for an opposition party, I want them to have enough seats to be a relevant and vocal opposition. I want them to hear my protest and be able to say enough is enough.

• Apartheid:

Apartheid in any form or guise!

I am not talking just about our history, our white domination, but I am talking about apartheid that could also be a possibility of the future. I am talking about domination by one group of people over another. I will always fight this domination and would hope that my children and children’s children will fight this.

I am young enough to remember the end of the previous regime, but old enough to see it happening in other countries across the world. I am also old enough to know the impact Apartheid had on this beautiful country and to wish that it never happens again.

These are the main reasons why I wish to vote and continue voting for as long as I am a citizen of South Africa.

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

~ Nelson Mandela, at the 90th birthday celebrations of Walter Sisulu, 2002 [Source]

Image Source: Tom Stoddart, Getty Images

The post South Africa 2014 Elections: Why I will be voting appeared first on Insights.

I moved back for personal reasons, and I am grateful to the team over at Cerebra for allowing me to still be part of the family while being 600km away. It has been a learning process and definitely one which that has and will bring a different aspect and angle, to the business. I have grown and learnt that I am my own destiny and how I want it to pan out is up to me.

So here’s my 2 cents – I am back in Durban, let’s meet up, let’s network, let’s see how we can help each other, but most of all, let’s make Durban a force to be reckoned with!

PS: I also get to do more of this…

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