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As someone who works with thousands upon thousands of business owners every year, I think it’s fair to say we are all frustrated. The transition into a digital world has not been smooth sailing for all, especially when it comes to digital marketing and social media. I think that Kevin Spiteri gets this better than most – and his wonderful new book I Just Want It To Work! provides the hope of sanity for all of us. A great read, smart, well thought out, and I now feel far more hopeful about surviving in a digital world.

Andrew Griffiths, Australia’s #1 Small Business and Entrepreneurial Author

In the complicated world of modern marketing, underpinned by digital and social media, Kevin takes tech and helps break it down in layman’s terms. We had the pleasure of engaging Kevin and his tech company to develop an industry-leading website platform, which allows us to provide our customers around Australia with a clean, professional, and modern website that takes no more than five minutes to update. Our dealings with Kevin have been enlightening and helpful, to say the least, in deciding on the best and most appropriate strategy to explore at any given time.

Damien Hill, General Manager Sales & Marketing, Burson Automotive, www.burson.com.au

I take great satisfaction in writing this testimony for Kevin Spiteri. We were introduced to Kevin through my accountant, whilst in the process of setting up a merchandise brand and all-purpose training and fitness website.

Not only did Kevin help set the strategic and creative direction for our brand, our online presence and digital marketing, he helped ensure our website was first-class, and was extremely hands on in maintaining the end result once completed.

Mark Geyer, OAM, Director, Wild Panther Fitness, Triple M Grill Team host and ex–Penrith Panthers Rugby League player

Kevin has been at the forefront of DBC2’s digital marketing offer for the past four years, and has been the linchpin to it becoming the most important division in our agency. It was Kevin’s commitment to developing a sound structure that delivered real results to our clients and took DBC2 from being just a player to becoming an industry leader.

What sets Kevin apart from the rest is his insatiable appetite for improvement. There is never a day that he sits still reflecting on how good things are – he is always looking for the next best way. This has always given me the confidence that we are delivering the best for our clients.

In our industry, it’s vital to put complex marketing into layman’s terms and map out clear and easy-to-understand strategy. Kevin has mastered this. He understands the need for clients to feel there is going to be ROI on their digital investment, and right from the start he develops a sense of trust by talking in their language.

Dale Brittain, Managing Director, DBC2, Australia’s Automotive Marketing Specialists, www.dbc2.com.au

We are in the early stages of our relationship with Kevin and his team, but so far we are very impressed with his methodical approach to strategy and the depth and breadth of his knowledge. Kevin has a fantastic ability to take complex concepts relating to digital marketing and social media and break them down and explain them in layman’s terms. We are excited about implementing the digital marketing strategy that he has recommended for our business.

Damien Wilde, Director, Henry Kendall Group, www.henrykendall.com.au

Kevin takes strategic thinking to a new level. We often bring Kevin a series of marketing problems, ideas and questions, and within a single meeting he is able to distil and understand all of them. With his vast and diverse experience, he ties together a mishmash of inputs in a unified strategy. His feedback often dramatically improves initial ideas and is regularly supplemented with detailed implementation methods. His passion and enthusiasm is contagious, which keeps us coming back for more.

Stephen Bartlett, CEO, The Audio Hunt, www.theaudiohunt.com

Having engaged Kevin and his team for almost three years now, we have had the pleasure of growing our business as Kevin has grown his. Kevin has been fundamental in the growth and development of our digital and social presence. Online and digital now accounts for 50% of our business, and we value Kevin’s insight, education and genuine interest in helping ensure our go-to-market strategy is sound.

Dallas Simmonds, General Manager, Titan Enterprises (Incorporating Titan Garages and Sheds, Titan Lite and ARD Garage Doors), www.titangarages.com.au

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.

Disclaimer
The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

Kevin Spiteri and I met back in 2010: Kevin happened to be head of marketing for one of the large Fortune 500 companies I was trying to procure services from. We spoke on and off for about 18 months, and throughout these dealings he was always courteous, understanding and genuine, which made me think that I might have better success with my businesses if I could get a face-to-face with him.

From the time I first met Kevin, I was astounded by the way he conducted himself. His business acumen was both polished and invigorating; I immediately knew that he not only had a solid insight into the industries in which he worked, but he also had a keen interest in and understanding of a wide range of commerce. Even though Kevin was responsible for the marketing of a company with $180 million revenue and 75 franchisees, our first short, half-hour meeting stretched out for over two hours.

The genuine and honest nature in which Kevin presented was nothing less than refreshing. Watching him allow his team to feel part of the decision-making process was also admirable, and not something that I had come across often within my own industry. He focused on the overall strategy and was open to listening to alternatives to his preferred approach for the product I was selling.

Fast-forward a few months, and after some intense negotiations and extreme attention to detail, we had managed to get a deal completed and we were in business. During this time my business was on a very quick growth trajectory, which was adding internal pressures. It can be difficult to trust people to share your pains with and seek advice professionally. Kevin, however, was someone I immediately felt at ease with, and over time he became a friend and confidant.

From that period on, we’ve shared many lunches and dinners where we can both openly discuss our ideas or issues that are going on within our professional or personal lives. We particularly enjoy opening a bottle or two of Kevin’s carefully selected wines and discussing how we will solve all our problems.

It’s very hard to describe a relationship with someone accurately in writing, but to this day, Kevin is the type of person who will always be engaged and invested in what you’re saying and always offers an unbiased view.

When it comes to marketing, particularly in digital and social media, it’s a complicated world – sometimes a little too complicated. My experience with most marketers is that they tend to focus on their interests and strengths, as opposed to broadening their horizons and looking at the next wave of technology. Kevin is the authority in this space. His education and experience, combined with his sound business acumen and an intimate knowledge of modern marketing, position him perfectly to author this book.

With his extreme attention to detail, Kevin thinks about every angle and always has return on investment at the top of his mind (which for me is one of the most important attributes). Whenever it comes to strategy, in my professional and personal opinion Kevin is the man to speak to.

Jordan Grives is one of Australia’s youngest and most talented entrepreneurs. Having founded telco start-up Fonebox and built it into a $10 million-plus company, he successfully sold it to Nasdaq-listed j2 Global in late 2016.

Jordan is an esteemed professional in the space, having been the recipient of awards including Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2015 Brisbane), EY Entrepreneur of the Year (national finalist), the Deloitte Technology Fast 50, BRW Fast Starters and Smart50. He has been featured in Smart Company, BRW, Anthill and more.

Jordan now is the founder of Capital J Investments, a private fund designed to invest in an array of companies. He is also Executive Chairman of Fone Dynamics, and co-founder of Alicorn Ventures, a newly established Brisbane-based incubator designed to fuel high-growth tech companies, open to a wide array of industry verticals.

www.capitaljinvestments.com

Do your eyes glaze over when somebody mentions “marketing” or “social media”? Do you know it’s important for the success of your business, but you’d rather poke yourself in the eye with a stick than spend time and money “messing around with that stuff”? Are you a frustrated business owner, manager or marketer who’s a little lost in the digital web?

Perhaps you have dabbled in it a little, or at least made an attempt to get involved, but feel frustrated as your time, energy and money invested haven’t produced the results you’ve expected? Or perhaps you may be a little further ahead and have gone down the path of engaging a third party or employing an internal resource, and you feel self-conscious that you don’t know the right questions to ask, or how to hold them accountable for their actions?

Alternatively, you may be frustrated because you feel you’ve had a piecemeal approach to marketing, things seem somewhat disjointed, and you look to other brands, businesses and even your competitors with envy because they seem to have it together.

You may be confused by the myriad resources out there on the topic, or about where to start or knowing what may be best for you and your business. You may be overwhelmed with advice from friends, family, colleagues, the next-door neighbour or other business owners who each have particular ideas about how you should be marketing your business in the digital and social space.

In this book we’re going to look at the major facets of all things digital and social media, using a strategic marketing approach to understand the best way to attack this part of your business. The strategic marketing approach is what is key here. All too often I see businesses that jump straight to the tactics (we cover why this is dangerous) and they attempt to go direct to specialist or individual providers for the various components of their digital and social marketing, only to realise how unmanageable this approach is due to the difficulty of someone in the business trying to pull it all together and manage multiple vendors.

I am going to help you make sense of the different aspects, explain how they all relate, and pull those pieces of the digital and social puzzle together for you, while showing you how to ensure you not only set the right objectives but ensure they just work for you and your business.

I aim to cut out the bull. I want you to feel that you are sitting down with me, having a coffee (or a glass of wine) and I’m talking you through each component in a really simple, easy-to-understand and jargon-free way. I intend to ensure that you can avoid the many pieces of advice from well-meaning people who tell you that “you need to implement [insert almost any tactic] in your business”, and enable you to make your own choices for you and your unique business.

You will walk away from this book with absolute confidence and with enough knowledge to become dangerous, to ask the right questions, and hold either your internal team or a third-party agency accountable for their strategies and tactics.

I believe it’s your obligation as a business owner to understand all things marketing, digital and social. That doesn’t mean that you need to know the intricacies or even how to do it yourself, but you have an obligation to know enough to ensure you’re making the best decisions for your business. Just like finance, business owners and directors are responsible for the numbers and are liable for business performance – marketing, digital and social are no different.

I am genuinely excited by what I hope you are going to take from this book, even if it’s only a few key learnings that help govern your strategy moving forward, or perhaps a more holistic approach where you ensure whomever is responsible for this function within your business is accountable for what they are tasked with executing.

To get the most out of this book, read and re-read chapters. Skip ahead to the topics that interest you if you are trying to make some decisions, and use the notes pages in each chapter to write a few key points that are relevant to your business and how the chapter could help you.

You’re reading my book, so it’s only fair I tell you a little bit about who I am and how I came to write I Just Want It To Work! Born in 1982, and growing up in a blue-collar family in various suburbs of Campbelltown, in Western Sydney, I never imagined I would become an entrepreneur or successful business owner. Heck, I didn’t even really know what an “entrepreneur” was, let alone dared to call myself one.

Well, I started young. I witnessed my father working incredibly hard every single day, six (and at times, seven) days a week (overtime was the “holy grail”). He was a craftsman. A shopfitter and joiner by trade, his skills were impeccable; what I saw him build, create, conceptualise and deliver taught me more than I realised at the time. Work ethic, creativity, taking pride in your work, problem solving and resilience were all valuable lessons that contributed to my journey.

My mother on the other hand was an academic, who valued education, yet chose to be a wonderful stay at home mother who would ensure she was there for us every single day, yet this made for a very modest upbringing.

We didn’t really know what this meant until we were older. When I was around eight years old it started to become evident. We didn’t have the latest toys or brand-name clothes, we didn’t go on holidays, nor did we go to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I recall watching my mother on Friday nights, taking my dad’s small yellow envelope which had his pay in it, and dividing it up into the usual groups: food, utilities, school, clothes, and so on. Needless to say there wasn’t much left at the end of each week. Don’t get me wrong; we always had a roof over our head, food on the table, clothes on our back and an education, but we didn’t have much more than the necessities of life.

I quickly realised two things. The first was that if I wanted holidays, brand-name clothes and the latest gadgets I was going to have to work for them; and secondly, I realised that I did want to have nice things, because to me they were representative of hard work.

Just shy of 14 years old, I got my first job working at a supermarket – from the cash register to trolley boy, I did it all. I learned valuable lessons about customer service, how to relate to people and help people, working in teams, and the value of working for my money, so much so that I went out and got a second job.

I had a thing for electronics, having played with electronic kits that were purchased secondhand from the markets. I figured out circuitry and had a fair idea how it all worked. Using my older sister’s car as a guinea pig, I managed to figure out how to install a head-unit and a set of speakers. Thankfully it worked just fine, so I started telling people I knew that I could install car stereos. Word got around, and from my parents’ garage and front driveway my first “business” began (much to the annoyance of my neighbours when the “doof, doof” started – sorry Mr Wilson).

It quickly reached the point where people started asking for quotes. I told them to get a quote from a well-known professional car stereo retail chain (which is no longer around), and promised them that I would beat the installation quote by 50%! (The joy of no overheads.) Soon I was being asked if I could select and purchase the gear on behalf of my customers, and after developing a relationship with another car stereo retail chain, I was able to buy the equipment for them at a discounted rate. Before long, the installations became more complex, and people started asking for customised work, so I then started “sub-contracting” my dad to make the sub-woofer boxes for my customers.

I didn’t know it at the time but I was learning valuable marketing lessons: the power of word of mouth, the importance of being competitive, the importance of partnerships and collaboration, the importance of engaging the appropriate skills, and finding people with complementary products, skills or services.

By the age of 20 I stopped installing car stereos. I had successfully funded everything in my life from the age of 14: my car, my toys, a dirt bike, brand-name clothes, going out money, awesome Christmas presents for my siblings (you’re welcome) … well, you get the picture.

When I used to tell people I was a Toolmaker, they thought I made hammers and screwdrivers. I won’t go into too much detail, suffice to say it’s effectively a mechanical engineering trade, where you manufacture “tools” that create things; for example, moulds that manufacture plastic components, or press tools that “stamp” metal to form it into shapes. It is a trade of perfection, working to the finest of tolerances, the ultimate in precision.

Having barely worked for long on the factory floor, the Director of the company I worked for at the time must have seen something in me (or perhaps he just thought I was a terrible Toolmaker!), and he asked if I would be interested in encouraging other young people who were at school to become a Toolmaker/Engineer too by exhibiting at a career expo. Sure enough, I put together a display, gathered some brochures and some cool samples of things we made, and off I went to the exhibit.

Creator:	Spiteri, Kevin, author.
Title:	I just want it to work!: A guide to understanding digital marketing and social media for frustrated business owners, managers and marketers / Kevin Spiteri.
ISBN:	9780648018049 (paperback) 9780648018056 (epub) 9780648018063 (Kindle)
Subjects:	Internet marketing – Australia – Handbooks, manuals, etc. Social media – Marketing – Handbooks, manuals, etc. Online social networks in business – Handbooks, manuals, etc. Electronic commerce – Handbooks, manuals, etc.