The Full Story is ThinkStory’s monthly newsletter that delivers the complete marketing breakdown that South African businesses need to make confident, informed decisions.
This month, we’re exploring four practical strategies to help you build consistency and clarity in the year ahead:
How to never run out of social content again
Why your business isn't the hero (and why that is a good thing)
Creativity vs. AI: Takeaways from 27 Breakfast
Four quick wins for the year ahead
44
is the latest RMB/BER business confidence score (out of 100), a 5-point jump from last quarter. This is a great indication that business owner confidence in South Africa is turning around.
The "Creation vs. Burn" Rate
At ThinkStory, we spend a lot of time creating content for our clients. We film, edit, design, and write all day. But because of that, we often struggle to create content for ourselves consistently. We prioritise client work so heavily that our own marketing sometimes gets left behind.
To fix this, we have implemented a simple new rule in our company: The Creation vs. Burn Rate.
The Creation Rate: This is how much content we completely create and finalise per week.
The Burn Rate: This is how much content we distribute or post per week.
The goal is simple. We must keep our Creation Rate higher than our Burn Rate.
If we create five pieces of content but only post three, we are building a surplus. This way, we never run out of material and we never face a week where we have nothing to say. It is a ridiculously simple fix. If you have been struggling with consistency, we encourage you to try this approach. And if you’re tired of trying to figure out content and social media on your own, reach out to us for help.
You Are Not the Hero. You Are the Guide.
There is a trap many businesses fall into. They position themselves as the hero of the story.
It is natural to want to talk about your achievements, awards and industry recognition, but this can negatively impact the effectiveness of your marketing. Customers want to be the hero of their own journey.
Look at brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, and Apple. They consistently position their customers as the heroes who "Just Do It" or "Think Different".
If you try to be the hero, you might alienate your consumer. Instead, your business should be the Guide. Your job is to help the hero succeed. To do this effectively, you need to demonstrate two things: Empathy and Authority. You need to relate to your customer by showing them that you truly understand their problems. You need to show them that you have considered their needs, and that your solutions help them directly solve their problems.
Building Authority Through Others
Many businesses try to build authority by listing their awards or years in business. That works to a point. However, the most powerful form of authority is a testimonial.
People believe people. They need proof that your product or service is worth their investment. A powerful video of your client speaking positively about how you helped them succeed is one of the most effective tools for your sales pipeline.
We have been working with companies for over seven years to create testimonial-style videos that convert leads into sales. We recently built a solution called SuccessStory, an incredibly simple way for businesses to increase their sales conversions through the power of video testimonials. We’ve kept it as simple as possible for you: you opt in, and we handle the rest. We’ll reach out to your client for interview, schedule & shoot the interview, capturing the best, most compelling story of your relationship. All the benefits with none of the admin.
If you are ready to stop losing out to competitors and want to use the voices of your happy clients to build trust, let's chat about making SuccessStory part of your marketing strategy.
27 Breakfast: Creativity is in Crisis
We recently attended the 27 Breakfast event hosted by Mike Sharman and his company, Retroviral. The primary speaker was Dean Oelschig from Halo Advertising.
Dean spoke about the importance of creativity. He argued that it is one of the only ways to truly stand out in the current marketing space.
With the massive rise of AI, we are seeing a flood of content that looks and sounds the same. The result is a landscape that is extremely average. Dean's point was clear: creativity is the North Star you need to help your business stand out in this new environment.
It was an incredibly rewarding event. We met new industry colleagues and left feeling inspired. Networking is vital for business development, and we highly recommend you look at the next 27 Breakfast. Hopefully, we will see you there.
Quick Wins for 2026
Here are four short, actionable ideas you can implement this month:
Build a testimonial strategy. If you don't ask, you won't get. Make it a habit to request feedback after every successful project delivery.
Refine your AI tools. Spend time training your AI. Feed it your previous writing so that when your team uses it, the output actually sounds like your brand. Shout if you need a hand with this.
Focus on your newsletter. This is the only piece of media you truly own. Every other platform requires you to pay for reach or fight an algorithm. Spend time building your subscriber list.
Check the temperature. The next time you email a client, add a simple question to the footer: "If you had to name the biggest win you've seen since we started, what would it be?" It is a great way to gauge the relationship and might get you a quick testimonial quote.
How we can help
We hope this year brings you growth and success. If you want to discuss how to gather better testimonials or build an AI brand messaging strategy, schedule a 15-minute call with Matt, our Managing Director, and let’s see how we can help you create meaningful connections with your audience, and nurture business relationships that’ll last for years to come.
Until next month,
The ThinkStory Team