Gloria Buckman Yankson
Occupation: Senior Partner
Business: PlanIt Ghana – Event Planning / Production & Brand Communications
How did you hear about my research? On Twitter
Twitter name: @gloriabuckman
Charity supported: Autism Centre, Ghana
Business Type and name: PlanIt Ghana Ltd – Event Planning / Production & Brand Communications Firm
What social media platforms do you use? Twitter & Facebook
How often do you check your social media platforms? Several times throughout the day.
How important is digital media in your business and personal life? It’s a lifeline really.
What do you use digital media for?
- News
- Business trends
- Entertainment
- E-learning
- Shopping
- E-books
- Business promotion
How has digital media enhanced your business?
PlanIt Ghana’s entire Marketing Strategy is built around engagement via Social Media. I can confidently attribute the business’ early success to how we branded ourselves and engaged with our SM fan base. PlanIt Ghana’s use of Facebook has been especially helpful in connecting us to preferred clientele and industry stakeholders.
Do you use digital media to support your chosen charity?
During PlanIt Ghana’s CSR charity drive for the Autsim Centre, we used Facebook extensively to reach out to interested groups and the general public.
How long have you run your business and what is your role?
PlanIt Ghana has been in operation in Ghana for three years. I’m a Senior Partner and responsible for Event Architecture & Brand Communications.
Do you use social media to interact with your family or friends? Yes.
What do you use social media for mainly work or play? A bit of both really.
How do you use social media for business, social interaction, fun, or current affairs? I use Social Media to engage with potential clients and strengthen relationships with other key industry professionals. I find that it’s easier to just be yourself and have intelligent conversations about everyday things; at the same time subtly reminding people about who or what you stand for. My advice has always been to try to avoid spamming followers with sales and marketing information overload. People remember you that way.
Do you share your social media updates across all platforms?Obviously Twitter & Facebook should be approached differently. They each have their unique “platform talk”. Facebook is very visual, whereas Twitter is more about engaging people in as few punch words and links to useful resources as possible.
Do you have two social media profiles? One for business and one for personal use?
If yes, why?
Yes! I find it absolutely necessary to separate Business Page Updates from Personal Page Updates. For the kind of brand image PlanIt Ghana hopes to create, it’ll be inappropriate to update our business page with too much personal information – ie. pictures of pets and what we had for lunch etc. It all boils down to your adapted brand voice really. My automatic recommendation for professionals will be to differentiate their Personal Brand from their Business Brand. This is because, as an example, although I’m the face of PlanIt Ghana, the business is not all about me and should be able to run without me. However, in saying that, it is admittedly different for everyone and is very dependent on the online image you’re trying to create for your business.
What topics of interest do you follow via digital media?
Mainly Entrepreneurship, Branding & Women Empowerment.
Do you use Skype or Face Time?
Yes. I use Skype for business. A lot of PlanIt Ghana’s clients are outside Ghana so Skype Video Conferencing is a very handy tool.
Do you use Social media on your mobile phone?
Yes. I use my mobile phone for EVERYTHING. That’s because I’m always on the go and it is important to be able to keep in touch with clients and colleagues whiles on the go.
How important is digital media to your business or personal life? Extremely important.
Do you buy or read magazines, journals or newspapers online? Yes.
Do you book your holidays online or go to a travel agent? Online.
How much of your business and professional life is conducted online? 60%
Do you read and use social media when on vacation? Sadly, I’m addicted…for all the right reasons.
Sonia Meggie 