More business owners are using artificial intelligence, TikTok and Facebook with video to attract customers

How-to videos and snappy AI-generated slogans that went viral on TikTok helped a Tauranga shoemaker take their centuries-old business to new heights.

Shane Barr Shoe Repairs is one of the growing small businesses leveraging new technology and social media platforms to reach more new customers.

Mr Burr said: Bay of Plenty Times He has created nearly 1000 TikTok and Facebook videos and posts, and while his practice with tools hasn’t changed, his approach to new digital technologies hasn’t changed.

The shoe store, which does business in Tauranga’s CBD, said its early video foray was heavily focused on sales pitches, but after a few “highly ranked comments” it changed course, and it paid off big. said to have raised.

“So since then, I’ve tried to make the videos more informative and valuable.”

His videos, which include how to glue soles, how to clean “worn out insoles” and simple tips to keep your Birkenstocks out of the landfill, are popular with viewers. collected.

His Tik Tok channel had over 1.3 million likes and was approaching 39,000 followers.

“We’re very busy,” he said.

Artificial intelligence is also a concept that Barr used to craft his nifty slogans, and he used chat forums on his website.

Barr was one of the success stories of the Department of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Digital Boost program. His Digital Boost free program, which teaches businesses digital skills, has nearly 62,000 active users, including his in the Bay of Plenty area, surpassing his target of 30,000, according to figures. includes 4,822 registered users of.

Through these digital platforms and clever marketing tactics, Barr was repairing shoes for people who couriered them across New Zealand and as far as Invercargill.

Most of that traffic came from the website he spent 500 hours on.

“People from far and wide are now our customers.”

Malcolm Louie, the ministry’s director of innovation, said the program is a government-funded platform that operates in partnership with the private sector to address COVID-19 and the challenges businesses face to keep their doors open. It was established in response.

Initially allocated $2,500 in free training or $15 million for 30,000 small businesses, an additional $61.5 million in funding is now available to continue developing and scaling the Digital Boost Educate platform became.

“One of our key goals is to develop a comprehensive five-year SME digital enablement strategy/work programme. Our ambition is further extended as we continue to build and coordinate all our efforts towards a fully digital New Zealand by 2030.”

The Digital Boost Alliance is a collaborative effort between private sector organizations and governments and is made up of 37 large companies, including giants such as Google, The Warehouse Group and ASB.

Louie said New Zealanders, as citizens, support buying local businesses and encouraging small businesses.

“The challenge is not New Zealanders’ reluctance to support local SMEs, but rather SMEs gaining a digital presence and making themselves known to consumers. bottom.”

In the Bay of Plenty, training was provided by organizations such as the Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce, Western Affairs, Pakihi Ora, Kutch Katikati and Tauranga Business Chamber.

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce CEO Matt Cowley said omnichannel presence allows businesses to reach a wider range of potential customers wherever they are.

“Whether your business sells directly to consumers or to other businesses, people are using devices all the time. It is a cost-effective way to build stronger relationships with the market.”

FaceApp’s LeeAnne Bassett, who drove the Digital Boost program at Tauranga, said digital technology is an undeniable part of a company’s marketing success.

She said the program was great because it was all-inclusive, divided into different learning modules, and included video interviews with various experts.

Bruce Thomasen, Director of Redwalk Treewalk Rotorua and Altitude, said the aim of the digital boost was to maximize the opportunity to sell directly to visitors through online channels, and that the website and He said the customer interaction was seamless and helped drive conversions.

“Most visitors are on mobile devices, so it was important to deliver our online presence 100% effectively through mobile devices. One-click ticket booking and live feeds from Instagram and Facebook The content is kept in real time, and we are lucky that the forest is so photogenic that the organic sharing of information has been a great source of information for us.”

Artificial intelligence was also a game changer.

“Using AI to answer visitor questions online in real time is also a game changer, freeing up staff time previously spent answering guest questions at the time of booking. , our chatbot can now anticipate and answer approximately 99 percent of the questions a guest may have without our team’s involvement.”

Before COVID-19, online sales accounted for about 10% of direct sales, while in the post-COVID-19 environment, online sales accounted for 20% of sales. According to Thomasen, more and more people prefer to buy directly online and feel more secure.

Carmen Hall is news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post, covering business and general news. She is the winner of her Voyager Media Awards and has been a journalist for 25 years.