KINGSTON, Jamaica — Caribbean businesses are sitting on goldmines they don’t know how to extract. That’s the no-nonsense message from Dr Carol Wilson-Morgan, media strategist, author, and one of the region’s foremost advocates for digitized commerce. Her new publication, Avalanche of Leads, issues a stark warning: social media is not a pastime—it’s a pipeline.
“Too many entrepreneurs treat their Instagram like a diary and their Facebook like a family album,” Wilson-Morgan asserts. “They’re logging in, but they’re not cashing out.”
The Strategy Gap
According to Wilson-Morgan, while major global brands run sophisticated campaigns with platform-specific KPIs and ROI dashboards, Caribbean enterprises often operate on vibes. Posts go up sporadically, metrics are rarely tracked, and content is more celebratory than strategic.
“Visibility without structure is noise,” she explains. “Every post should have a job, and every platform should serve a function. Anything less is digital negligence.”
Codifying the Content Machine
The book challenges SMEs to move beyond random posting and establish operational frameworks that treat social media like any other department—complete with policies, ownership, and accountability.
She proposes a three-tier structure:
- Mission-first messaging: Every channel must align with revenue-generating goals.
- Personnel clarity: Assign roles for ideation, editing, and escalation.
- Routine and review: Build consistency, measure outcomes, and iterate.
“Without a system,” she says, “your social media becomes a mood board. You might get likes, but you won’t get leads.”
Workforce 2.0
Beyond businesses, Wilson-Morgan is calling on Caribbean governments and schools to weaponize the region’s digital fluency by incorporating social strategy into curricula. Her proposal is simple: if the youth are already fluent in the language of the internet, train them to speak it commercially.
“They’re not just scrolling,” she says. “They’re primed. Now we need to teach them to build value and get paid for it.”
An Insider’s Blueprint
The advice isn’t theoretical. Wilson-Morgan’s background includes launching landmark platforms like 1Spot Media, shaping CaribVision’s regional reach, and steering CVM Television through key media transitions. She blends broadcast acumen with PhD-level research, offering what she describes as “an operating manual for modern commerce.”
From Thesis to Toolkit
Originally crafted as academic research, the manuscript expanded into a regional roadmap after field interviews with businesses in over half a dozen Caribbean territories. She rejected the traditional academic route, opting instead for a commercially accessible book that any entrepreneur can digest.
The Ultimatum
Dr Wilson-Morgan isn’t romantic about the future. “This isn’t about ‘getting with the times,’” she warns. “It’s about survival. Social media is now your public square, your billboard, your customer service desk, and your sales team. Either build the infrastructure, or watch from the sidelines as someone else eats your market.”
The Caribbean’s next commercial leap, it seems, won’t come from raw talent or imported capital—but from a fundamental shift in mindset.
