Report By Franziska Iseli-Hall, Director at Basic Bananas Small Business Marketing
FULL HOUSE! Yes, PBL hosted another completely booked out networking breakfast on Wednesday, 29th June with 140 PBL members attending at Bayview Golf Club.
The PBL breakfasts are not your regular networking event, there is a strong sense of collaboration, connecting and learning, this time with guest speaker Paul Wallbank.
A writer, broadcaster and entrepreneur, Paul helps businesses find opportunities. He founded PC rescue in 1998 and has always been interested in the evolution of business.
‘In 1992 personal computers changed the way we operate as a small business, suddenly we can do what the big corporates are doing’, Paul states.
A few years later came the internet and the development of the html language in Switzerland. ‘The start of the internet boom - connecting with people anywhere in the world. Suddenly we could read the New York times the morning it was published… things changed dramatically.’
Today, social media is becoming a more and more powerful business tool. Even politicians seem to embrace social media and use it to their advantage (or disadvantage). Social Media is really taking over how we do things, it’s much more than only a marketing tool.
We can’t fight the trend, we live in a global economy. The internet is becoming more and more accessible all over the world and with it, new opportunities and threats are born.
‘Google places, Facebook, True Local – you have to be on there, especially if you are in hospitality and retail’, Paul advises.
In the 20th century we used to advertise through the printing press, radio, TV etc. It was much harder for small businesses to get the word out there on a budget. The big corporates had money to blow on big campaigns, not the little guys though.
In the 21st century social media has enabled small businesses to engage with their prospects, get the word out there, receive and deal with feedback instantly and market themselves on a small budget.
Small business owners need to embrace this opportunity ‘it’s like surfing, if you go knee deep only, you get smashed on the sand bank, it’s more dangerous than going to the back, past the waves, so you can see what’s coming in and which waves you choose to take’, Paul states.
And there are a lot of waves coming at us so we better paddle right out there and catch them!
To find out more about Paul Wallbank, please check out his website www.paulwallbank.com
A special thanks also goes to all the fabulous sponsors and the PBL directors for making this event so memorable, leaving the community wanting more.
“I thought it was a very interesting breakfast and allowed me to connect with the community and to learn more about current trends and issues that affect the local businesses. I look forward to the next one.” Tony Le Bars, Divisional Manager, The Manly Daily
Franziska Iseli-Hall, small business marketing strategist and founder of Basic Bananas www.BasicBananas.com
To view some amazing photos taken at the June Breakfast please to go www.jondibbs.smugmug.com – Thank you Jon!
To watch an awesome video of the June Breakfast filmed by Bill Adams from My Life Stories please go to the Pittwater Business Facebook Page
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