The ubiquity of smartphones in Kenya has inevitably led to social media marketing becoming a vital function for any business that cares about being regularly seen by their prospects and customers.
The start of the pandemic in 2020 signalled a significant shift in how businesses operate.
Businesses that relied on customers accessing them through their physical location and using old school marketing strategies could not keep up. They needed to get on the social media marketing train.
Results from the Status of the Media 2020 found that over 50% of the people surveyed claimed their media usage had gone up during that period. Social media is the third most used platform.
This was mostly to follow up on COVID-19 updates, for entertainment and for networking, since a good number of people were working from home.
Overall, now is the best time for brands to grab and hold their customers’ attention. Customers appreciate it when their favourite brands engage with them consistently.
However, before you rush to spend your social media marketing budget on a new team, here are a few tips you should know to make this transition smoother.
1. Set up your own Domain
Before setting up your socials, it is important to have a website for your brand where you will focus your main business.
Your website is your office on the internet.
Owning a domain boosts confidence and loyalty in your customers since they will always know where to find you in case there are problems with the social platforms. Use social media as a gateway to drive traffic to your main website.
The most popular social site in Kenya is Facebook, however, depending on your target demographic, there are other platforms to explore.
Analyze returns from each platform to determine how much time and resources to invest in each.
2. Showcase a Human Side
Connect with your clients by highlighting testimonials and reviews from other actual customers who have had experience with your products.
It is more likely that someone interested in your brand will feel a connection with a fellow member of the public than the company selling the product.
Encourage your customers to review your products on their social media and tag you in the posts.
Engage your customers in a conversation. Generate topics that customers can interact and hold discussions with. This way you get your audience to market for you.
3. Hop on Trends
Do not shy away from having a little fun with your customers. Nothing unites a Kenyan audience more than a popular online trend.
The more creative the content, the more traction your posts will create. To create a social media presence that is brave enough to be informal and fun.
Create memes and funny videos that your audience will find entertaining and interactive.
4. Make More Video Content
Speaking of trends, the current rage is all about video.
With cheaper mobile data rates and TikTok’s emphasis on video, video marketing is at an all-time high.
Users generally prefer consuming information visually rather than reading it. This is why, for example, the movie adaptation of a book reaches more people than the book itself.
Videos assist firms to build exclusivity and distinct brand identity by increasing product and brand awareness. According to recent statistics, the average person will spend 100 minutes nearly every day watching video content.
Video marketing tips
When making videos, it is important to make the videos short, creative and informative.
Grab your audience’s attention in the very first 5-10 seconds or else they’ll keep scrolling to the next one. Provide content that is both captivating and interactive in order to maintain your viewer’s attention.
5. Collaborate with Influencers
An influencer is an individual with a substantial social media following, which enables them to influence the decisions their followers make especially when it comes to brands.
Luckily, the process of identifying suitable influencers has today been simplified thanks to Wowzi – “Africa’s most powerful influencer platform”.
It is imperative to hire someone who your target audience can find relatable. To find the proper fit, look at the personas of your most loyal consumers and their social media habits.
Be conscious of their fees. Some influencers turn out to be expensive and then fail to deliver on the expectations.
Pro tip: It is wiser to hire micro-influencers since they are affordable and have more loyal (hence engaged) followers. Done right, collabs with micro-influencers are more likely to yield the results you want than larger accounts that merely give you massive reach.
6. Get Employees on Board
Your employees provide a gold mine for digital presence. It is not presumptuous to say that a huge percentage of them are on at least one of the social media platforms.
There exist companies that enforce laws prohibiting their employees from using social media unless they are posting about the brand.
That’s a fine way to shoot yourself in the foot, according to our expertise. As a rule, if you are good to your employees, they will help you grow. More so, they are invaluable in helping you create impactful content since they are familiar with your clientele.
We actually mean this – we always ensure to include company staff in brainstorming and ideation sessions for our social media marketing clients.
Instead of choking them with restrictions, you can offer sensitization training on how they can align their digital presence with the brand’s best interests.
7. Crunch the Numbers
Employ data analysis methods to measure, strategize and optimize your most successful campaigns.
Which social media marketing metrics should you be tracking?
- Number of comments and likes on a post
- Profile visits
- Shares
- Best time to post
- Overall engagement rate
- And more
Numbers do not lie. This will give you a clear picture of what is working and what isn’t.
8. Automation
As much as it is essential to maintain a human touch, some processes require automation.
When you subscribe to a brand’s page, for example, they may send you an automated message. The text is usually a thank you and a link to their main website/ online shop.
Avoid spamming your followers. That can get annoying and lead to your customers unsubscribing.
You should also make sure to make your unsubscribe option straightforward to generate trust.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Sleep on Tiktok
As more people continue to prefer visual media, TikTok has easily become one of the most successful marketing platforms.
Short interactive videos have become widely popular. The fact that all platforms have come to accept this sort of content is proof. From Instagram stories to Youtube shorts.
Short videos can come in handy when:
- Introducing a new product
- Customers “unboxing” your products
- Instructional manuals
- Participating in trends
Social Media Marketing is all about creating a community with your customers. As humans, we all love to feel like we are a part of something.
Build a strong community on your most successful platform. This is what will keep them coming back.