All you need to know to secure your Kids Online - The Healthy Mind

Most of us when we hear Online Safety - we immediately think about a good software. Software alone is not enough to secure us against Internet hazards. Most of the Cyber attacks that we encounter are literally aided by our actions. We are at times affected by drive-by downloads, viruses that will affect us when we simply visit certain websites. These are websites that we normally have very little or nothing to do with but they are made to appear attractive. The other type of malware that is common lures us to make a download. Some downloads maybe disguised as items that we desperately need whilst some might be presented as things we have no use for but curiosity overwhelms us. These are scenarios that have affected companies with top of the range security software. Adults and mature employees made clumsy decisions that cost their organizations a lot of resources. If adults can aid Cyber attacks, what more our kids whose minds are not yet fully developed but are accessing the Internet.

Human behavior is influenced by socialization. We can train our kids with best online practices that will make them responsible Cyberspace surfers. Curiosity will always be part of human nature, but good judgement can be influenced. A healthy mind breeds a strong character. A healthy mind is the source of sound judgment.

                                                                                                                                        

To build strong muscles, exercise alone is not enough, one needs to eat healthily. A good diet is equally cardinal in building a healthy mind. What our kids eat has a direct impact to the development of healthy minds.  If we give them a poor diet, positive thoughts or even the best education, will never be enough to influence the best moral judgement. Positive thoughts and purposefulness is a product of a healthy mind. Intelligence is part of a healthy mind, on its own it is never enough. A healthy mind leads to a strong character and a strong character is the muscle of good morals. Morality is about choosing between right and wrong - it is never about a popular position. An unhealthy mind which breeds a weak character, will struggle identifying the demarcation that separates right from wrong. Once that demarcation is blurred morality becomes a challenge. Hence we have youngsters who pursue hacking and Cyber criminality as a profession.

If you are a clumsy Internet user, you will always assist Cyber criminals and you might not even be aware of it. Pre-Teens and even Teenagers have inquisitive minds. If they are not assisted to develop healthy minds they will struggle when surfing the net. The dangers Online are not only about criminality but have also to do with moral choices. A wrong choice for a young mind will always inflict far reaching emotional harm. With the proper diet and proper socialization, we can develop a future generation of healthy minds.

How safe are your kids from Cyber Crime and all other Online Hazards? Book us for one of our workshops

All you need to know to secure kids online

The Internet has become part of our daily lives. Even little children whose minds are not fully developed access the Internet for one reason or another. It is therefore cardinal that we assure their safety on a communications medium that is not supervised by any single authority.

Public places that have activities/products deemed harmful to young minds are regulated in all communities. An underage is not allowed in a pub, night club, brothel, sex shop, gambling house or any such place. If owners are found to have allowed under aged patrons, they are subjected to punitive measures. The Internet is the world laid bare with no restrictions. When one owns an Internet accessing gadget like a smart phone – it literary means they have the world raw in their hands. Young minds are naturally inquisitive and if we do not control what they access online; we increase their vulnerability living them at the mercy of predators and cyber criminals. They will innocently share sensitive information or equally access emotionally damaging material. Once an insecure child becomes a target of hackers – the risk will spread exponentially through their circle of friends.

The safety of children online is crucial. Any compromise on Internet security can have far reaching implications. Cyber criminals can have access to sensitive information through clumsy actions by kids. Besides Cyber Crime; children are also targeted for Cyber bullying, violent and adult content. This sort of material has potential to cause emotional damage to young minds. With the advent of Education Technology it might be impossible to block kids from accessing the internet – we can only assure their Safety Online. The average parent might not be well versed with means of securing the safety of minors online. Most of us are actual at risk from cyber attack whether at work or through our personal cyber accessing devices. 

Innovation and Technology have been by far the major contributors to economic development. The world fastest growing companies – Facebook/Uber/Starbucks – testify to this fact. Most Schools are aggressive in their pursuit of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths). This program would be impossible to effectively roll out without access of the Internet by both Educators and Learners. Some subjects will require practice which can only happen with Internet access. Through Technology, innovation has caught up with the education process. There are now more efficient academic processes and products like smart classrooms, gamification of learning, use of mobile applications and the Internet as a research methodology. This has shifted attention from whether a school needs Internet Connectivity to whether the school has the best Internet connectivity. The Internet is known to be infested with Cyber Criminals of all sorts. Being online has various risks. How safe are Educators and their Learners when they are online? 

The Internet has become an integral part of the learning process. Every school needs Internet connectivity. With the Internet administration processes including communication are streamlined. Education Informatics makes it possible for Technology through Innovation to improve the learning experience and administration processes. Effectiveness and efficiency in classroom and all learning activities are improved through Technology. Most Innovations that are available online do not cost much. Infrastructure including hardware does not need huge capital outlay as most if not all stakeholders posses cyber accessing gadgets. A strategy to utilise owners’ gadgets is promoted through the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). The Internet is a haven for Cyber Criminals and a host of content that is harmful to Learners. It is therefore cardinal for any School to have an Internet Policy that protects the institution against Cyber Attacks.  Every School Administrator needs to be aware of best practice methods in formulating Internet Policy that protects the Institution whilst promoting the exploitation of Online Technologies for academic excellence. School Administrators ought to be equipped with the necessary knowledge that will help them maintain a safe Online Environment in their Institutions.  

We run a series of training for School Kids below 15 years; Parents or Guardians; Educators; School Administrators. For more details and bookings kindly visit the events page of our website

A Survey on the effects of the Internet and Child Development

We are experiencing a Technology Revolution that is so fast paced leaving us struggling with some of its developments. Internet activities can be harmful to mature users, it is therefore important to secure the safety of all vulnerable groups. Child Development and the Education systems have not been spared of these developments. Since our children are vulnerable and easy targets in the cyberspace, it is cardinal that we keep abreast with best practices in their online safety. There has not been much attention paid to internet governance and child protection. As responsible citizens parents & guardians - it is upon us to create an environment conducive for the upbringing of future generations.

As Alef Innovations we invite you to participate in our survey as we seek to influence a safer internet environment for our children. The survey aims to conscietise parents, alert educators and inform children about online safety. The survey will also help various stakeholders that deal with children. Ultimately we want to influence Internet governance with more emphasis on the protection of children and safety for all internet users. If security is compromised through a minor - the whole family ends up compromised.

We also offer personalized consultancy for specific needs should that be your requirement. Don't forget that distance is no longer a barrier - the same technology we are discussing, makes it possible for us to interact with you where ever you are located.

To complete the survey, kindly follow the links below:-

A survey for the Child who owns a smart phone/laptop or has any form of access to the internet

A survey for the Parent / Guardian

A survey for the Educators

Child Development and the Internet

Alef Innovations is a young and dynamic company with interests in Technology Innovation. Through one of our products – Social Media Marketing – we discovered that most children as young as 8 years are very active users of social networks. It aroused our curiosity how activity in the cyber community was affecting young minds in terms of their development and academic pursuits. We also came to realise that Education Technology was equally taking off like a whirlwind taking both educators and parents by surprise. Whilst it is easy for academic institutions to put policies and procedures in place on how Social Media can be accessed during schooling hours, when the child is at home at times parents do not see the need to monitor what children get up to when they are online. 

It is becoming almost impossible to ban our children from accessing the internet as it has become an invaluable source of information. Care needs to be taken though that not every piece of information in the cyberspace is authentic. It is equally important to note that there are many hazards that young minds can come across in the cyberspace. Some parents are literally addicts of social networks and may not be the best role models for their children.  However educators do have success stories of better results attained through incorporating the internet in the learning experience. 

It is for this reason that we thought it prudent to bring together stakeholders in child development, Information Technology and Social Commentators who are active in Social Media and are well acquainted with the happenings around these networks.

The objective of such conferences is to get these experts to share best practices in dealing with Social Media where children are involved.  For parents we want to make sure that they are aware of the dangers within these forums, we also equip them with available means of child online protection. For educators we assist them with policies and procedures suitable for their unique environments. We share with them the latest education technology available. We want these discussions to shape public policy on incorporating technology in the learning experience of our children. We also share with social workers how to identify and handle child development discords caused by technology. We share best methods of prevention and possible remedies where the situation has gone overboard. We want to involve organisations that provide this technology either as a service or particular products. From them we need to understand what systems they have put in place to protect minors. This discourse cannot be complete without the involvement of community and civic leaders. There is current legislation that governs technology in its various forms, it is important to understand what it is and how it protects minors. 

We are hosting one such conference on the 3^rd of March 2016 in Cape Town at Lagoon Beach Hotel Conference and Spar. We still have seats available and you can book yours by following this link www.cognitoforms.com/ALEFInnovations1/ConferenceRegistration 

The challenges of Education Technology

Technology is known to improve our way of life. It helps us multi task, we are able to save costs as processes can be streamlined. Through technology some physical barriers like distance can be overcome. I remember watching a short video a couple of weeks ago about refugees from one African country that were mesmerized when they found themselves in America. The cultural differences were just overwhelming. Technology makes it possible for us to have relationships with anyone from any corner of the world, and interact with them in a manner that exposes us to their lifestyles in real time.  I also watched an interesting video of airplanes battling strong winds during take off and landing, something that I have never encountered throughout my flying experience. Social Media makes it possible for us to share our experiences with the rest of the world, helping all of us to expand our worldview. This type of exposure is being exploited extensively in the education arena. Not only to expose students to other parts of the world but also to help with their learning experience. A friend on Facebook recently shared how proud they were of their child who recently completed a research on the continent of Africa. The child is only 10 years and still primary school. Some institutions are literally going paperless. Online applications (computer programs) are used to teach various concepts. Business innovation has enthused others to set up computer study centers where children get extra lessons conducted via computers.

Education Technology is most effective when it is online. Educational software is available some for free and some at minimum costs. Most schools have gone out of their way to provide hardware in the form of desktop computers, tablets and electronic boards. Schools as responsible institutions, have restrictions on which sites students are allowed to visit in the cyberspace. They are laid down policies and procedures on the access of internet even Social Media networks. However just like textbooks, parents find themselves pressed to avail cyberspace accessing gadgets for children when they are at home. Some parents have bought their kids laptops, tablets and or smartphones. Some of our homes have broadband internet with wireless connectivity (wifi). Our kids are able to navigate the internet from home for school work and entertainment. This is where the challenge begins for an average parent.  The policies and procedures from school are not applicable or enforced at home. So who is supposed to monitor what our kids are exposed to when they are at home? Who supervises their activities on Social Media when they are at home? In fact, even at school, maybe the polices are not as effective because we have seen disturbing images and videos of school children in school premises, some in classrooms. The internet and Social Media in particular, makes sharing of these videos very easy and they go viral inflicting serious emotional damages on our children.

Whilst the internet has brought in Education Technology, which enhances the learning experience and prepares our kids for the feature, it comes with some challenges. We cannot overlook the possibility of some of our educators not being technologically sound to handle appropriately this phenomenon. Neither can we underplay the possibility that some parents are equally challenged to supervise kids appropriately around this technology. Psychologists have made observations that too much time spent online leads to developmental challenges on our children. Whilst the internet has proved to be a good learning tool, it is also known to kill off imagination and self confidence two important aspects of any learning experience. Therefore, it is dangerous for kids to spend a lot of time glued to the internet. But how much time is too much time online for a child? What do you do if your child already has an internet accessing gadget but their school is not yet using any Education Technology? How can you assure the safety of children when they are online at home? For kids that already show signs of addiction, how can they be assisted? Join us as we discuss these and other cardinal issues on Child Development, Learning Experience and Online Safety in a one day conference on Social Media and Minors. For more details follow this link  alefinnovations.com/wordpressfiles/events/ 

It takes a village to raise a child - the cyberspace ain't no village

There is an old African saying that goes, "It takes a village to raise a child". The meaning behind the saying can only be understood by taking a look at an African village. An African village was made up of close family members. The village set up was such that the family head would offer pieces of land around his homestead to his offspring . The village head/chief or councilor would also be one of the close family members. Hence a child born in any of the homesteads within the village is either a brother, a cousin or a nephew. All adults in the village were related. Family matters could not wait for maternal parents seeing everyone was a close relative. When it came to matters of child upbringing, anyone within the village would always have their best interests for any minor.

Urbanization came and distorted this setup. In pursuit of economic opportunities we are now scattered so far away from our paternal families. I stay in a multi-racial complex. I have seen kids the age of my son, around 10 years publicly smoking in my neighborhood. We are of different nationalities although the majority are from our host country. Whatever values that I hold as a parent, can never be the same with those of my neighbor who hails from a different country. Most of our schools are multi-cultural, multi racial, multi-religious, and so are the teachers that spend most of day hours with our kids. I remember my father telling me that the headmaster at the school where he did his primary education was his father's (my grandfather) best friend; they actually called him uncle. Whilst we relate with our neighbors and community leaders, we are literally strangers to each other and hold different values.

Over and above urbanization we are now in the digital era where the internet rules supreme. We are now connected to strangers 24/7. You can get a solution to any situation through search engines. Someone can give you advice on how to commit suicide - even though they haven't done it themselves. You can belong to online networks and communities where there are faceless friends. Physical relationships are slowly being replaced by online relationships. For any caring parent, if your child has 5000 followers on a particular network and is chatting to hundreds of friends from chat platforms - never mistake the global village for the physical village. The cyberspace is infested with many hazards that you need to be aware of and alert your child about. In the rural village where we grew up, if my parents disciplined me and I went next door to bad mouth them, either I would get a hiding or I would be strongly reprimanded. Online we have seen children calling their parents all sorts of expletives, and you will find some members of the Cyber village encouraging such behavior. Unfortunately the same people who encourage children to do bad things, turn around and use that against them. They might start bullying them or black mail them in one way or another forcing the poor child into compromising decisions. Once emotions are damaged at a tender age, fixing them is very difficult.

Parents can not block their children from accessing the internet as some school requirements demand that. Other schools are going paperless and lessons are conducted using online applications. It is also not possible for parents to be technology masters in order to protect their kids. Some parents may not have the time to go through the child's phone/tablet/laptop and follow up on all conversations to make sure that their child is safe. Denying children access to a phone/tablet/laptop might not be possible. How best can we protect our kids. Carr Snow says, "Technology....is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other." We live in the technology era, it is our responsibility as parents to make sure our kids don't get stabbed at the back. For more information on how to protect your child, or what role you can play for a safer internet environment for children, we invite you to our conference. For more details kindly log into our website
alefinnovations.com

Smart Phone and Tablet the gift of choice for most parents

Most parents have bought their children gifts in the form of a smart phone or a tablet. Those that have not, are waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so. These clever gadgets are convenient. They make communication easy and affordable. With a budget of data only, you can still make voice calls. With these gadgets parents can trace the exact location of their kids at any particular time. Just this past week I saw a Facebook update of a parent who was fuming that her school runner had forgotten to pick up their child at school. If the child was in possession of a smart phone, the parent could have discovered this mishap earlier and easily by confirming the location of the child through online applications.

Don't we love these gadgets, they have saved many of us from embarrassment  as parents as they provide answers to our kids' home work. We can simply refer them to Google and this lady does answer any question you can imagine. With education technology, some of our schools are going paperless. Although in some instances tablets are provided, there are some instances where the child needs to have their personal gadget. If the tablet remains at school, when the child gets home, they at times become a nuisance disturbing us as we conduct important business on our gadgets. Hence the motivation to buy our kids these internet accessing gadgets. These gadgets have also eased up competition with our kids for the television set. When you want to watch your favorite program and the little one wants to watch their cartoons - its a battle you can never win. With a smartphone or tablet, kids can bury themselves in numerous games and educational material. 

However, good as these gadgets may seem, they can be very dangerous if we are not careful with what our kids are exposed to. The programs broadcast through televisions have have age restrictions, and we would not allow those under age to watch them. But even programs with 18SNVLP would not explicitly bare body parts and human copulation. The Internet accessed through smart phones and tablets leave nothing to the imagination. In fact, the Internet will show some things that are shocking to adults. This is not the only danger one encounters online, but the Cyberspace is infiltrated with strangers that have ulterior motives. Some may not be strangers but well known individuals who are given the courage of being anonymous to become iniquitous. Internet has innocent circles like Social Media networks, they may look harmless but are known to cause damage to human development.  Many families are dysfunctional because children are addicted to Social Media, they no longer converse nor are they interested in reading and school work.

It is cardinal to know what your child gets up to when they are online. They are measures that can be put in place to protect children. Schools have a role to play in Child Online Safety. For those of us in Social Work we need to understand how to care for the vulnerable who face challenges in the Cyberspace. Our community leaders must take charge in encouraging us to be responsible parents. It is now more than ever that we need policies that make the Internet a Safe Environment for all minors. In view of these concerns, on the 3rd of March, we will be hosting a conference on Social Media and Minors. You are invited to come and learn more about protecting your child from the hazards of the Cyberspace. We can not avoid having our kids access the internet - how can we secure their safety? For registration and more details visit http://alefinnovations.com/

Responsible Parenting and Cyber Gadgets

The 6th of December was my son's 11th birthday. For his present he wanted either a smartphone or a smart watch. We settled for a smartphone. The first thing we did after acquiring it was to make sure it is installed with software that blocks access to sites that have content above his age. Then we had to set rules on how he should use his gadget. We have WiFi at home and through his phone he has access to the internet. Almost all his classmates have smart phones and they have a class chat group on WhatsApp. This group can get very active and at times when I am working late they are messages that beep into his phone. The night activity of this group influenced another rule, that the phone does not go into his bedroom when he goes to sleep. Over the holidays we discovered that he was being bullied by one of his friends, a situation we had to address. Does this sound normal to a teenage parent?

As technology develops, it comes with challenges of varying degrees. I understand some kids as young as 5 years own smartphones or tablets. The challenge we face then is when we react to the hazards that come with these gadgets. At schools and at our work places, there are rules and regulations that govern the use of these gadgets. Unfortunately some of our homes are a free for all. We end up with kids who are addicted to online activities. Besides cyber bullies and sexual deviants, another danger our kids are exposed to online is Social Media communities. It becomes harmful when we fail to give them proper guidance on how to navigate this technology jungle. Maybe the bigger challenge is that we don't know how to handle it ourselves as guardians. Digital Marketing analyst Brian Solis says, "Social Media is about sociology and psychology more than technology." So, as a parent, its not about how much you are technically knowledgeable, its more about how your child is being influenced online. There is an African saying which goes, it takes a village to raise a child. That village used to be our physical neighbors. With connectivity and mobility, you have a million possible characters that have the potential to influence the character development of your child.

The academic space is equally moving with times. There is e-Learning and all schools are taking advantage of technology. Some schools have websites and are active on Social Media. This improves communication with stake holders. When there is an important message - it can be shared in real time at the click of a button instead of making numerous phone calls. Teachers can utilize various online programs for information dissemination and or conducting experiments. Carrie Snow, a stand up comedian and TV Series writer states, "Technology....is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other." Quite a mouthful. So as we cherish the advanced development that comes with technology like Social Media applications, let us beware of the hazards that come with it. Knowledge is power and we get knowledge from information; information is now readily available on the internet. However we ought to take heed of these wise words from Mitchel Kapor the founder of the spreadsheet Lotus 1-2-3, "Getting information off the internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant." The pressure can inflict serious injuries - although they can be physical, most are emotional and emotional injuries take time to heal. As a responsible parent, you would want to guide your child's Cyber Space experience.

We will be hosting a conference on Social Media and Minors in Cape Town, on the 3rd of March 2016. If you are a stakeholder in the provision of a safe environment of children, join us in this important discussion. For more details visit alefinnovations.com

Digital Marketing in January.....

January marks the beginning of the year. A lot of social activities begin with the new year. Children begin school whilst other move to a higher grade. As individuals we make resolutions for the new year and at the first month we try our level best to honor those resolutions. Businesses also have plans and programs that begin with the new year. Budgets are released and spending is generous for some whilst others are very cautious as they seek to spread their resources throughout the year. Most of us would have over indulged during the festive season and January finds us literally broke. Broke as we are, we are part of your valued customers and it is through us that you will meet your objectives for this new year. The question is, since most of us are generally broke and our buying power is literally at zero, do you ease up in reaching out to us until our situation improves? Some of us might actually need a couple of months before we recover from festive expenditures.

When we are down, we normally need a shoulder to cry on. We need someone to assure us that tomorrow is going to be better. We seek solace from friends and acquaintances. Cyber space has removed the barrier of distance to be in touch with those whose company we enjoy. A problem shared is a problem solved. We naturally turn to Social Media where we get motivational messages. Some of our friends share jokes that have a relaxing effect; showing us how we over indulged during the festive season. Social Media is the place that gives us temporary relief from our real life January misery. An astute marketer should be able to help any business tell their story such that they appeal to a target audience despite the audience's mood. This is the time to drive traffic to our website. Our audience is already online though not necessarily looking for us. Care must be taken not to be too pushy and forcing our products in front of our audience. That can be offending. The information we share should showcase how our products will solve the problems our clients are facing.

Social Media is mainly about being social and having fun. Our content strategy should have the same theme. When our content is deemed to be both fun and problem solving, we will entice our audience to share our material. When our material is widely shared we tend to benefit from the exponential effect - a friend shares with their friend who shares with their friend - and might even end up with a viral campaign. So content marketing should not only be serious and factual but witty, humorous and entertaining. It is not always possible to get an internal person who can have all these attributes, hence the need to outsource part or all of our digital marketing activities. 

Should you be in need of assistance with your Digital Marketing, Website, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, you can visit our website www.alefinnovations.com or contact us directly. Your comments are also most appreciated, do not hesitate to also share this article - sharing is caring.

7 Reasons Social Media should be part of your marketing strategy for the Festive Season

It's that time of the year again, the festive season. Everyone is looking forward to the annual break. But before going away on holiday there is some shopping to be done. Not only are we going to shop for personal presents, but in our professional circles we are going to share year end presents. Technology has made it possible to buy services that can be consumed anytime. Whatever sector you are in, you stand a chance for your product or service to be purchased as a year end gift. Therefore, we all need to package ourselves in a manner that takes full advantage of this shopping frenzy. Most of our clients including potential ones have some presence in Social Media networks. It is cardinal for us to reach out to them where we will find them and find them in the right mood. Here are 7 reasons why you should use Social Media to maximize on the Festive Season shopping spree.

1. Festive season exudes the shopping spirit
During this time of the year, there is a shopping spirit that hovers around everyone. Some shop for things that they will only use once during the coming holidays. Some shop for presents to be given as rewards to loyal customers, whilst some shop for presents that can be used to lure potential customers. The same scenario is true for family and friends or any other social relationship. Literally everybody is shopping this time of the year. Most retailers come up with various discounted products to maximize on this once a year phenomenon. Despite your product or service, you may find yourself with a sale influenced by the festive season. Social Media if used appropriately, can be a medium to reaching out to shoppers looking for your product to buy out there

2. Brand Awareness
If there was a time for potential clients to remember your brand, it is now. If there was a time to receive referrals it is the festive season. There is no better way to have your product be in the wagging tongues of everyone than felt presence in Social Media networks.  We are at this time discussing the best presents to buy, and we will be looking for the best brand. Some of us are not sure what to buy, and our decisions will be influenced by our peers. The advertisement that you did some time back during the year, which made a significant impact -  might be best to repeated now - just to remind us how awesome your products are. Repeating the advert in the conventional media might cost you an arm and a leg, but in Social Media it is possible to run campaigns at competitive costs. Social Media is structured such that, you can repeat your campaigns several times, with a once off action.

3. Viral Campaigns
This is probably the best time to come up with a campaign that can go viral. The spirit of generosity could help the spread of your campaign. I have often received messages in my inbox about the impact a blog I wrote would have made on someone. But the same individual in-boxing would not have shared my article.  At this time of the year, everyone wants to share, if your campaigns are able to scratch your followers where it's itching, they will definitely share them creating the exponential effect which fuels a viral campaign. In any case sharing is caring and this is the time we show how caring we are. There is no scientific formula for a campaign to go viral, it all depends on the reaction of your audience. The audience is already been put on a sharing mood by the Festive Season, give them something to share, and that might as well be the campaign that will propel you to reach your maximum potential.

4. Identify the popular # hashtags and ride your campaigns on them
There are several hashtags that will be coined for this season. Identify the most popular one within your industry or area of influence and take full advantage of it. The hashtag might be of something not directly related to you, but if it is popular you can ride on its popularity. There is no need to spend time trying to promote a personalized hashtag and fail to make it popular. You will be like re-inventing the wheel; we have different car models but they all use the same wheel. In business we have to exploit possible opportunities to our maximum advantage and that is what you do when you ride on a popular hashtag. By the way, whatever you do on that hashtag, still promotes the originator, its a win-win with any popular campaign.

5. Follow up on any leads - everyone is buying
Remember that lead you once had, where interest was shown, but no commitment made? This is the time to revisit that lead. That is why it is cardinal to have a sound digital marketing strategy. You need to have a database of all your leads, whether from you website visits or Social Media networks. A short reminder of who you are and what your services or products are could be all you need this time of the year for a sales conversion. This is the time where some will buy something and wonder why they bought. But of cause we don't sell useless products or services...do we now... so they will definitely find good use for our products maybe not now.

6. Have a content marketing strategy in place
This is the time we need everyone out there having an in-depth knowledge and understanding about our products. Remember that what we are offering will not only be bought for consumption by the targeted customer. Someone might be intending to use our product or service as an end of year gift. It is crucial that at this time all necessary information is out there about us. What better way can there be to share with potential clients what we do or how our products can help them than through Social Media. We are now in the information age and clients want to buy after they understand. A slot in the television, radio or newspaper to explain our products in detail will break the bank. But we could share all the information we want to share through various Social Media networks without a heavy budget. We might need the services of an expect in this regard though if we are to do it right.

7. Use this time to give as well
Whilst we are in business and should aim to maximize on profits, we also have to take time to thank those who are loyal to us and help us succeed.  It might be impossible to reach all of them physically and hand them goody bags. Through Social Media we have access to almost all our stakeholders and technology has made it possible to share things online. With a bit of tact we could use the process of sharing our gifts as a campaign that will strengthen our brand. A year end activity of this nature can leave us strategically positioned to begin the new year on a high note.

For any further information on this aspect do not hesitate to contact us at www.alefinnovations.com

Social Media in the home - Responsible Parenting

Social Media are websites and applications for social networking. Business and academia have taken advantage of these applications to roll out their own programs. Social Media Marketing is the buzz word in marketing spheres. Some governments have also joined the Social Media band wagon with e-learning projects. Students can use Social Media to do group studies with the assistance of various online communities. Connectivity and mobility makes it possible for students to tackle a number of challenging aspects of their academic journey. However, smart phones, through which social media is accessed, can spell disaster if children are left to access them without any form of supervision. Children do share stories with their peers and educators will admit that story telling is a critical component in child development. But a story shared with the wrong audience can leave children vulnerable.

Social media networks can be a dangerous jungle that can inflict damage with long lasting consequences to both children and adults if not properly managed. In most if not all organisations, there are regulations on accessing social media during working hours. After hours, if one does not discipline themselves, social media can be a serious time waster. At school, children can be allowed to access academic applications which can aid their learning experience. What is accessed at school is guided and directed. Now, who is responsible for our children's activities on social media after school hours.

Responsible parenting requires that every parent be involved in their kids activities on social media. Being involved does not necessarily mean invading their privacy but giving guidance and direction. Facebook keep reminding us of content that they do not allow on their platform. But many times we see that very content appearing on our walls. I remember Twitter also ran a campaign against bullying. These are the dangers that are available to our kids as they stroll through social networks online.

Our kids will one time or the other be exposed to undesirable issues on social media such as nudity, pornography, prostitution, vulgar language, bullying and gambling  which are all addictive in nature. Our duty as parents is to let them know about these and how to avoiding them. As a parent, you are the child's first friend and they are bound to heed your advice. Whilst teachers and relatives have a role to play, the bigger part belongs to the parent. In most cases, you the parent would have facilitated access to social media for your own child, and therefore you ought to practice responsible parenting when it comes to your child's online behavior.

As a responsible parent, how have you helped your child with this critical social phenomenon? Should you need any assistance with a social media strategy for the home, school or business - do not hesitate to contact us @innovationsalef  Alef Innivations Social Media consult  

How Social Media disrupts SEO

Search Engine Optimization is cardinal for anyone who has a website. According to webopedia.com, "Search engine optimization is a methodology of strategies, techniques and tactics used to increase the amount of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine (SERP) -- including Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines." Driving of traffic is literally dependent on search engines. Our involvement in the digital space is so that we can reach out to potential clients. Whilst search engines do explain how they go about ranking websites, everything happens behind the scenes and we have little influence over those processes. The least we can do is comply with their regulations and suggestions. Our sites ought to be presentable in terms of structure and ambiance, it should be easy to navigate through them.  

A lot has been said about whether being active in Social Media affects our Search Engine Optimization. It does not. However, being active in Social Media helps us take charge of driving traffic to our websites. Instead of relying on search engines to rank us, a process that takes place behind the scenes, we are able to drive traffic directly. Through Social Media we are able to transfer the popularity of our websites from being a behind-the-scenes activity to an activity right before us. All the friends and followers that we connect with, we can direct them to our website. There are several innovative ways of directing traffic to our website. A cardinal strategy will make our website the landing page for any campaign we do in our Social Media Networks. It is easy for one to just click a button that leads them straight to our website. Some of our campaigns can just be snippets in Social Media where we give a link to our website where the full campaign takes place.

Social Media can also be the best medium to campaign for clients to register for membership in our website. Various campaigns can be used to attract clients to register for membership. Members will be afforded different types of attractive benefits. As a condition to attaining membership, clients will provide us with contact details making it possible to communicate with them directly. Social proof is cardinal to our marketing strategy and we need a community of advocates, who rave about us taking a lead in advertising us through word of mouth. Through Social Media we then are able to disrupt SEO and take charge of making our website popular. However, this does not in anyway replace SEO as we will only reach out to those that we interact with through Social Media. There is still a number of potential customers out there who are not on any Social Media network and will rely on search engines to reach out to us. We still need to optimize our websites for search engines, both strategies should run concurrently and be a part of our digital marketing.  

Has Social Media helped popularize your website? Kindly share your experiences in the comments below. Should you need help with a robust Digital Marketing Strategy which incorporates Website Design, SEO and Social Media do not hesitate to contact us. 

Choosing the best Social Media Forum for your business

That Social Media Marketing is important as part of your Digital Marketing Strategy is an issue we can no longer debate. That others have done it the wrong way is also beyond discussion. One of the biggest challenges for any business person is choosing the right forum for their online marketing. Perhaps what we can never over emphasize is how cardinal we need a clear Social Media Marketing Strategy. One of the core aspects of our strategy is choosing the appropriate forums for our business. There are several forums that will help us achieve different objectives, and there are some forums in whose presence we can achieve little. Clarifying our goals and objectives should precede choice of forums.  Let me hasten to say it is possible though to be in as many forums, as long as we will attain a good return on our investment. What attracts our availability in any forum is the possibility to engage with stakeholders. Forums attract different people, and our customers could be composed of different types of people as well. However an informing strategy will guide where we should we should be present and the amount of resources to invest in a particular forum.

Blogging Forums
A blog consists of a writer's experiences, observations and opinions and normally has images and links to websites. For a digital marketer, a blog is no exception because it is the best medium for content marketing. Customers no longer buy without enough information. Connectivity and mobility have added social proof as part of customer decision mix, if their friends are talking about your product - it must be good. There are many blogging platforms that one can choose from. 

Facebook
This is the big brother of social media with close to 1.5 billion active members. You can join as an individual and can create a business page. As an individual you are allowed up to 5000 friends but you have an option to have followers and these are not limited. For your business page your number of followers are not limited. Engagement with your followers is in the form of likes, comments and sharing of content. The activity of your followers will give leads into potential sales. You can form or join groups of various interests though some groups have restrictions on membership and engagement could be vetted. Whilst the platform warns against illicit activities it is not always possible to enforce this regulation. Caution has to be taken for vulnerable and sensitive members.

YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing website with over a billion active members. Whilst we can still share videos on Facebook, YouTube comes with more features especially on editing of the videos. Across all platforms, videos are viewed more than all text updates. It is a fact also that videos attract more engagement, as alluded before - engagement is what will give us leads. The brain is said to interpret images faster than it can interpret text. There is a huge collection of material on YouTube that one can edit and include into their own presentations. The shorter the video the better. However paid advertising on this channel can be pretty expensive. A well thought out strategy which addresses all our needs can help us attain engagement that can equal or out compete paid advertisements. One post gone viral would do all the trick.

We Chat
We Chat is actually a messaging and calling application. Although it does not have all the features of a Social Media forum; I have decided to include it here because the services that it offers. We Chat competes with WhatsApp - the biggest messaging application with an active membership of 800 million. The difference between these two is that We Chat allows advertising and as such has attracted a number of other innovations around its services. According to statista.com We Chat has an active membership of 549 million. Some Social Media evangelists believe that active members could be slightly over a billion. I have found a service like We Chat handy in complementing online sales innovations. I have read of fast food outlets in China that have incorporate We Chat as part of their home delivery services. You can place an order using We Chat and when your order is on its way you receive an update.

Twitter
I call this the jungle of Social Media. If you are not clear how the game is played, you may get lost and never find your directions. In this platform you will find current news just about everything. Some organizations live tweet their activities. Without a strategy detailing how you are going to play your game you may spend all your valuable resources trying to figure our what is going on. However they are various tools that you can use to manage all your activities on your twitter accounts. You can create lists of various topics that you are interested in and add those who make valuable contributions. Competitors may add you to their lists, this is a plus for you as they would be exposing you to their customer base.

Instagram
Instagram is an image sharing platform. According to statista.com, its current active members are 300 million as of August 2015 but the company recently announced have gone beyond the 400 million mark. Because of the ability of the mind to process images faster than text, Instagram has a high rate of engagement just like YouTube. I have had some of my clients ask how they can participate on Instagram when they offer services and hardly produce any images. There is literally nothing that can not be visually expressed. A mathematical equation,  expressed with a background of an intriguing picture will draw more attention than a simple text of the same. Our everyday stories can be captured as amazing images, which can help us engage with potential customers.

Other Forums
There are other forums that are not as popular but that command quite a following and would be worth exploring. Google + is said to have up to 300 million active users. Most of our customers are bound to be utilizing a service or another offered by Google and it's easy to reach out to them through Google circles. SnapChat is another video and image sharing platform which basically offer similar services as Instagram. The major difference is that all updates are given a lifetime of not more than 10 seconds. So if you want to share something that you would not want to remain available online this is your best option. SnapChat currently has over 200 million active users. Another platform of note is LinkdIn with active users that are slightly less than 100 million. This platform can be confused for an online job market but marketers for both business to business and business to consumer clients have taken advantage of advertising services offered by this platform. The other advantage with LinkdIn is that it groups professionals and most of your followers seek serious engagement. Leads in this environment are most likely to have a better strike rate.

What has been your experience in choosing the best forum for your business? If you are still not sure which forum to have a presence in, contact us and we will gladly assist.

Aim for Organic Search Engine Optimization and Organic Reach for Social Media Marketing

Digital marketing has proven not only to be the game changer in strengthening brands and reaching potential markets; but as technology keeps developing - new innovations are positioning digital marketing as the best game in town. Two pillars that support a Digital Marketing strategy are - an individual presence in the World Wide Web through a website and Social Media. A website allows you to showcase your products, internal processes, run campaigns and social proofing through testimonials.  You could also offer online sales. Social Media allows you to do the same but the major difference is that all your activities are happening on a rented space. How you link and communicate with your customers is dictated by the owners of the Social Media networks and some of their conditions might be restrictive and frustrate your efforts. Both strategies need a robust plan to drive traffic, identify leads and sales conversion. For our website we need a strategy for Search Engine Optimization, which helps search engines recognize our website and position it ahead of competitors. For our Social Media we our posts have to reach our target audience. 

A lot has been said about search engine optimization, a phenomenon that has actually become a profession for some. When we search for anything on the web, we use search engines and the big players are Google, Yahoo and Bing. Search engines use Web Crawlers to read web pages and create entries for search engine index. Our websites need to have proper web addresses or URL, pages have to be titled properly, the structure of our site must allow easy navigation. Where we have used images, they must give them titles using keywords. Our sight should have excellent content and we have to use keywords repeatedly. A few links pointing to our website are cardinal as part of our optimization strategy. As our content is discovered and becomes popular, others will link to our website, this is called backlinking. However linking has been wrongly ascribed to as the most important part of Search Engine Optimization, leading to link spamming (Artificial SEO). Search engines will penalize for links that are deemed spam-my. Ad words can also be misrepresented as a short cut to optimizing. Having a well structured website with excellent content, and tactical use of keywords is the best way to optimize your for search engines. This is optimizing your site organically. Another great way of promoting your website is announcing changes and new developments through blogging and posts in Social Media networks, and direct them to your website through landing pages. 

The advantage with Social Media networks is that all engagement has an exponential or multiplier effect. If we engage with our target audience, those that they are are connected with will be able to see our engagement, making us reach potential customers that we were not initially connected to. Our target audience could be current clients, potential clients, past clients or even those who my never use our products/services but have an interest or are somehow affected by what we are offering. Through Social Media we are able to run various types of campaigns and lead our prospects to our website where we offer a complete online service.With so many Social Media networks, a mere presence in one of them will not assure success. It is critical to choose an appropriate network that will make us meet our objectives and satisfy our customers' needs. We need to have followers who will view our posts and engage with us. Many have been misled into believing that if they buy followers it will lead to the success of their Social Media Marketing efforts. Nothing can be further from the truth. Followers that we gain organically naturally become our community of advocates. Our posts should propel them to engage and our interactions will expose us to those that follow them. Success of our marketing efforts is depended on the quality of those following us, and it gets contentiously multiplied if they also have organic followers.

There has been a misconception that Social Media activities directly affect Search Engine Optimization. This is not quite true. Engagement in Social Media is regarded as nonfollow links. This actually protects us as some comments might direct search engines to places that do not reflect our beliefs and some could even harm our reputation. Our conclusion therefore is that just like Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing will only succeed through organic reach. Both strategies need excellent content that addresses the needs of our customers. Do we know what information to we should share in order to attract followers? Is our website organically optimized for search engines? This is what we do, get in touch and we will gladly assist you.

Business Innovation through Social Media

The ultimate goal of any business is to make profits. However the highly competitive environment driven by ever changing technologies leaves most organisations struggling with effectiveness and efficiency. In order to compete in this fast paced environment, businesses have to innovate. Business innovation is defined as...."an organisation's process for introducing new ideas, workflows, methodologies or products." This might be time consuming and expensive exercise especially for small to medium enterprises. With connectivity and especially through Social Media, costs for innovation can be contained. The following methods can be co-opted into any Social Media strategy to facilitate an affordable business innovation.

Crowdsourcing

Image source:- iitaablogs

Premised on the idea of outsourcing, this concept allows for individual contributions from volunteers or part time workers and the total effort comes from an unidentified public. Since organisations engage with audiences through Social Media, they can solicit for contributions from the public on how to improve certain aspects of their businesses. When systems are improved with the assistance of potential customers, success is assured. Innovation remains key and to attract attention and run an appealing campaign, competitions can be co-opted into this strategy.

Crowdfunding

Image Source:- investirstartup.com

According to crowdsourcing.org, "Crowdfunding is an approach to raising capital for new projects and businesses by soliciting contributions from a large number of stakeholders...." There are a number of crowdfunding sites and www.crowdfunding.com lists the following as the top three, ranked according to traffic data. 

1. gofundme

2. kickstarter

3 Indiegogo

Billions of dollars have been raised through these websites. Social trust is cardinal for a successful online fund raising campaign. An active presence with healthy engagement in Social Media networks is all you need to establish social trust. Most common models of crowdfunding are 1) Donations/Philanthropy/Sponsorship 2) Lending 3) Investment in exchange of equity

Co-creation

Image Sources:- SalesCubes

In pursuit of innovative ways of product development, some organisations are inviting thier clients to participate in the design of products. Customers are requested for their input to create value reach experiences. These interactions would normally take place on the organisations' websites, but to reach a wider audience, you will need to make use of Social Media networks. This exercise is not only fun and rich in varying options, but can also be collaborated with product launch, brand awareness and new market explorations. Integrating these activities becomes a cost cutting measure

Big Data

Image Source:- Svetlana

Bernard Marr defines big data as, "....data being collected and our ability to make use of it." He asserts that as we conduct our normal activities, we leave traces of data which can be analysed. Analysis of this data informs behavior. Big data can be exploited for commercial opportunities. Performance improvement can also be identified and devised through data analysis. Connectivity through the internet and most importantly Social Media is a very rich mine field for all sorts of data. 

Internet of Things (IoT)

Imange Source:- Credencys

Another online phenomenon that can help innovate any business is the Internet of Things, which is defined by Webopedia thus, "The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs between these objects and other internet-enabled devices and systems. Internet enabled devices can be used to control and operate various processes and all that will be required is one to be connected to the internet. For an example; an office's telephone system can be controlled through the internet reducing the costs of telephone equipment and a telephone operator. Most home appliances, security systems and even wearable devices are now internet enabled. Social Media networks are in hot pursuit of developing systems that utilize the IoT phenomenon.

Besides seeking to increase sales, how else are you utilizing your business presence in Social Media? We would be happy to hear from you with a comment below. Should you need to know how you can harness these lucrative developments in your business strategy, do not hesitate to get in touch.

The art of engagement in Social Media Marketing

Connectivity and mobility have made it possible for different segments of society to stay connected. This has perfected the innovation for online communities that are grouped according to their various interests. Online communities provide vast opportunities for marketers. The goals and aims of Social Network Platforms and Marketers will not always be in sync. Logic then detects that parameters to measure whatever each group seeks to achieve will differ. Another dimension of note, is the mushrooming of consultants (some may like to see them as opportunists) that have come into this space offering training, advice, support and tools to manage this technologically propelled jungle. These providers of support services, have their competency limitations. Some are merely computer geeks that communicate in technological jargon, others are professional marketers who lack technological depth. It is therefore not surprising that there is no generally consensus among these different groups in defining jargon used in such a multi-disciplinary environment. Engagement is one of those terms that have aroused a lot of debate; is it the core objective of a Social Media Strategy?  Some view it as a cardinal matrix whilst others think its overrated.

According to Facebook, engagement is when your status update receives likes, shares, clicks or comments. Linkdin trainers for community bankers TrakPointe, define engagement in Linkdin as the reaction for any update which can be in the form of comments, likes, clicks or shares. Seochat defines twitter engagement as being more than just reaching out to those you wish hear what you have to say, they assert that it should be a conversation. This dialogue will propel those you are communicating with to follow you, favorite your tweets, re-tweet and mention you. Simply Measured defines engagement in Instagram as, "The sum of likes and comments on one, individual Instagram post or all Instagram posts during an established time period." Across all networks, it seems engagement has a similar definition and measurement. However, some networks will tend to have more engagement than others. By design other networks tend to group people of similar interests, which inspire appreciation of average posts. Visuals have proven to attract more engagement than wordy posts.

For the purposes of brand awareness, whether its for a business or personality, engagement according to Social Networks is straight forward. Share posts that are informative, witty, exciting with lots of visuals especially faces; and boom....you will have lots of likes, clicks, shares and comments. You would have achieved a high engagement rate. However if our aim is to grow sales through Social Media Marketing, this type of engagement might just signal the beginning of a process. If we follow the AIDA Sales Funnel; engagement in the form of page views and likes would signal the top two rungs of the funnel which is the arousal of Awareness and Interests. Clicks and Comments assist us realize a desire from our prospects. Post shares are like a double barrel that gives us Social Proof and most important Word of Mouth Advertising. Through post shares our campaigns might even go viral. With smart listening and responding at each stage of the funnel, we should guide prospects to positive actions with the ultimate goal of sales conversion. The information that we share as status updates or paid campaigns, must be tactfully coined to exert appropriate influence which will guide our prospects through these different rungs. Whilst more page views, likes, shares, clicks and comments would be applauded, a business page seeking to increase sales, requires more tactical engagement.

There are a number of Tools and Applications that support and help us manage our Social Media Marketing efforts. These make it easy for marketers to engage in a complete conversation - a two way dialogue with their prospecting markets. This becomes the basis of our content design. Relevant content is aimed at triggering desired results. An up sale of Marketing through Social Media compared to other forms of media; where a marketer only heralds their campaigns without receiving feed back from the targeted audience, is the potential for dialogue. This might sound too cumbersome but with the aid of an expert, it is not an impossible task to achieve. Should you need any assistance with your Social Media Marketing Strategy, do not hesitate to contact us.