Ed’s “happy” page

This month sees the dawn of a brave new world.

We’re not out of the woods yet, but we have proven that life does go on and we have also seen innovation at its best and now is the time to see how we are to continue.

I have been observing the new ways businesses have been forced to engage with their customers and it IS the little SME’S who are doing it smarter, creating effective and innovative solutions rather than adhering – often with token gestures at best – to the policies of faceless multinationals.

It has been fascinating to watch different local business enterprises contend with the Coronavirus crisis, and the solutions have been quite brilliant.

Happily, although we are still getting used to what is as opposed to what we had, lockdowns are all but done here and internationally, automakers have fired up factories, dealerships have opened their doors and little pieces of paper of arbitrary values are fluttering – mostly electronically – where they need to, as we all learn to adapt to new forms of consumerism.

The buying and selling of vehicles has changed dramatically, with bricks and mortar dealerships now supplemented by virtual showrooms – not quite the demise predicted in the early days of the internet, but rather as a possible preferred option for the buyer of today – and a greater reliance on research than ever before.

Cue the shameless plug for the informative automotive publication with 26 years of informing and entertaining its readership with reliable data and expert opinion!

And on that note, did you read the interesting article which saw magazine readership increase during the worst of the crisis?

It did, and that’s all I have to say about that, except to suggest maybe the consumer doesn’t spend all their time clicking on digital ads, which can be easily avoided, but only after they’ve proven to be an annoyance, and would rather read informed commentary before making a buying decision.

And informed commentary is what you’ll find here – along with trackable sales. And let’s face it, wouldn’t you rather have trackable sales than some ‘likes’ or ‘shares’ – neither of which support your business/staff/overheads or bottom line in a tangible way?

While we are in economy recovery mode, more than ever, it’s a better bet to invest in informing your customers in the best way possible, rather than merely counting the clicks of a mouse.

A brave new world needs a brave new approach to marketing, but in fact, you can go back a little ways to a time before Facegram, Instabook or Chatslap.

Try reaching customers through traditional channels which employ people and clearly, magazines are still read, thus making them a great place to start.

Consumers WANT to know. They want to know, if they are waiting to be seated in a restaurant allowing 20 people at a time, if the food’s going to be good, if the service will be quick, in short, if its worth their time and money to dine.

An online advertisement can’t tell them that, but a restaurant review can. And it’s the same deal when it comes to buying or leasing vehicles.

For now, though, there is business to attend to. There is an economy to rebuild, there are workers to help and families to support, so its not the time to sit back and wait to see what happens next.

It’s time to get out there and keep moving forward, keep innovating, keep being the Kiwis that we are – little leaders in a large world as we have proven ourselves to be as we continue on the road to recovery for our better, brave new world.