A classy duo launch their digital marketing book in style (& in heels)

Catherine Black & Belinda Mountain’s new book - ‘Small Business, Big Plans’ - is just the digital marketing resource to hold your hand as you seek to define your brand's identity, vision, values & voice.

The venue? Exclusive Books at Rosebank Mall. The occasion? The Black Mountain duo - Catherine Black and Belinda Mountain - promoting the release of ‘Small Business | Big Plans’. (Can we just pause for a moment and reflect how fortuitous it is to have surnames that translate into such a cool brand name!). This book, with its bright yellow fun-popping cover - subtitled, ‘How to use digital marketing to help your South African business thrive’ - celebrates a feminine partnership, a creative collaboration and a local flavour.

For those who don’t know Catherine and Belinda, they’re lovely. But more importantly, they’re the ‘mompreneur’ co-founders of Black Mountain Content Agency established in 2012. Their co-authoring of ‘Small Business | Big Plans’ is the culmination of 10 years on-the-ground serving clients in the digital marketing space.

“We’ve learnt some stuff over 10 years and thought, maybe we could package it and share it.” -Belinda Mountain

There is always something special and momentous about attending a book launch. The real life insights, backstory, and personal interaction with authors is dynamic and multi-layered; breathing life into a book. This book launch was no different. (In fact, if you didn't buy the book on arrival, you would definitely have joined the queue to buy it at the end.)

Interviewed by Jacques Du Bruyn of Flume (who assured us his questions were not written by ChatGPT), Catherine and Belinda presented a commanding ‘stage presence’ accompanied with a gentle confidence and relaxed demeanour. Their excitement at completing this project was obvious and winsome.

They don’t pretend to have all the answers; they simply love what they do, have credible industry experience and want to share that with others. Being writers, it made sense to put 'pen to paper' and create a tangible resource that speaks to a digital reality.

As a content writer, the premise of this book piqued my interest, especially regarding my desire to grow and scale my industry knowledge. And with 4 chapters designated to copywriting, it enabled me to learn from those who have ‘gone before.’

“You can have all the digital tools, but what you are saying and what message you are bringing across to your clients is down to how you communicate that online.” -Catherine Black

Catherine and Belinda are not trying to reinvent the ‘digital marketing wheel’ with this book; they’re merely articulating the necessary tools and key principles in an engaging way with contextualised reference to South Africa.

Skimming through the introduction and first couple of chapters, this is an easy-to-read reference companion that is unlikely to collect dust on a shelf, but instead, will become your best gifting option - for small business owners, entrepreneurs, digital marketers and anyone in between.

If you're a (content) writer, you’ll love the clear layout of the chapters with contrasting green subheadings and colour-blocked sections. The simple, conversational tone keeps the goal in mind which is communicated without unnecessary wordiness. You’ll also appreciate their transparency and how their different personalities, individual strengths and writing voices seamlessly sync on the page.

If you’re a (target-audience) reader, you, too, will love the layout of the chapters with contrasting green subheadings and colour-blocked sections.😉 As you read, Catherine and Belinda seem to anticipate your next question, answering it in the next paragraph. You’ll also love their actual client examples, brand case studies and anecdotes. Their practical and personal learnings - framed through the lens of their own hard-earned experiences - make this book relevant, relatable and accessible to the South African digital marketing landscape.

The structure of the book follows the logical progression of a small business embarking on its startup marketing phases and defining its identity, vision, value and brand voice. Catherine and Belinda are just the duo to help you on this journey. You can choose to read their book from start to finish, or simply dip in and out of chapters as needed; either way, this book 'does what it says on the label'.

You may have missed out on the ‘Small Business | Big Plans’ book launch (and getting yours signed), but you don’t have to miss out on buying the book and benefitting from Catherine and Belinda sharing their world with the rest of us in the digital marketing sphere.

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