What a great start to our networking breakfast season.
First off Karl Smith started us off on change being the only constant – adapt or die. In keeping with the theme of change and keeping up, this week we met Bettina Horvath, self-made social media networker extraordinaire. From Bettina we were enlightened on the various types on social media, how they feature in terms of usage and popularity and how to market using social media.
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| Wendy Nel and Bettina Horvath at Avontuur |
The first rule of social networking as a marketing tool is; do not use social networking as marketing!
Social media is a platform to build relationships.
The first rule of growing your business is by building relationships. Your most powerful advertisement is ‘by word of mouth’ and the more people that believe in you and your product, the more your business is going to grow.
At Avontuur we believe in visibility.
You need to see who the captain is, who is steering the ship. So at any given time you will find me or Melanie on hand. In the nearly 10 years that we have owned the Restaurant, we have only twice been away together; i.e. being off at the same time. One was the first Fillies Guinness held by Avontuur Estate at Kenilworth and the second was the funeral of the late Tony Taberer.
Being visible gives your business a face. People want you to know them and remember them and the minute you do, something changes. From being a guest they start to become friends. Friends bring friends and so your businessgrows.
We have watched people get married, been part of christenings and shared in moments of exquisite joy and unimaginable pain.
To be the patron of a restaurant, gives one access into people lives in a way that not many jobs are party to.
And with it comes great a great honour to be involved.
At the network breakfast Melanie said yesterday, that we do not just love food, we love people.
You have to if your calling is food.
For no matter how delicious your food might be, eating it with loved ones turns an ordinary meal into a feast.
And that what it is about, good food, great wine and special friends in a wonderful setting.
We like to think of it as a home away from home, perhaps after a few visits, you will do to.
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| Elma Pollard, from The Green Times and Zunia Boucher-Myers from Avontuur |
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| Sarah, Niels and Louine at Avontuur |
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| Melanie Paltoglou and Zunia Boucher-Myers from Avontuur |
