[NewsMaker] Kristin Louw - GM of Digital Briefcase

With a background in research, strategy, local print and digital media, Louw looks forward to strategically tackling the local SME market with this new venture, which includes the design and hosting of responsive websites; as well as awareness driving platforms including display and video advertising.

Digital Briefcase also offers search engine advertising through Google Adwords, ensuring that businesses are found online; and social media campaign management on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Programmatic buying on Habari Exchange is also on offer.

Q: What is your business focus right now?
A: Taking the Digital Briefcase brand to market and driving brand awareness among SMEs. As a division of Caxton and Spark Media (the amalgamation of NAB and Habari Media), we are associated with some well-known names in the industry. While this comes with a lot of credibility, we are working to establish the Digital Briefcase brand in its own right.

Q: Why launch Digital Briefcase?
A: Through our association with the Caxton group, our team has many years of experience in dealing with local SMEs around the country. Offering digital marketing services is a natural continuation of the services we already offer to our clients.

Q: What is your core strategy?
A: Making digital marketing services easily accessible to SMEs from both a financial and approachability perspective.

Q: Why focus on the SME market?
A: Generally, SME owners understand their business and their market category extremely well, but do not always have the time, resource and often the expertise to market themselves adequately, which is to the detriment of their businesses. While big brands have either in-house talent or access to an agency, the SME market is largely undeserved. We want to ensure that the SME has access to marketing platforms and expertise that will help them take their business to the next level.

Q: Most important attribute needed to do your job?
A: With the launch of any new product or business unit, being resilient and agile is key. It’s also important to understand the local SME owner’s mind-set, as well as have a passion for learning and growing with clients as they enter the digital marketing arena, some for the first time.

Q: The biggest trend to note in your industry?
A: Proving ROI (return on investment). Economic constraints are impacting client budgets all round. However this struggle is possibly even more real for the SME, as their businesses do not have an allocated ‘marketing budget’. Rather they need to assess every cent spent as a potential opportunity cost – where else could they be spending their limited capital and with what effect. This makes proving the value for money of our offering even more crucial with this target market.

Q: How will you make an impact?
A: By being a part of South Africa’s future by helping build up small businesses in our country for the betterment of our economy, employment for the next generation and ultimately the lives of those running those businesses.

Q: What inspires you?
A: Creatively – nature. Professionally – big thinking and determination. And in all things, my incredible husband and family.

Q: What are you currently reading for work?
A: ‘The Lean Startup’ by Eric Ries

Q: At the top of my ‘bucket list’ is...
A: Cycle my second 94.7 or learn another language.