How Africa Social Network Media Will Predominate Future Marketing Tactics

By Cornelia White


Globally, networking sites are taking over several markets. Marketers are running their campaigns through online media, while consumers are still increasingly signing on to a variety of old and new platforms. The trend is no different in Africa. Where well over 10 million users interact online daily. For Africa Social network platforms haven't yet fully developed, which leaves plenty of room for growth in the coming decade.

Most of the online media users in Africa use smart phone apps to communicate digitally, but the world's most successful web-based applications are gaining popularity. Just over four million people in South Africa use networking sites, while smart phone applications currently generate three million active users.

Marketing departments have to formulate their strategies according to the way their demographics use online media. Advertisers need to pay attention to the hours their market spends online each day, as well as which times generate the most traffic. Advertising techniques vary in efficiency: adverts displayed on profile pages are more successful than news feed posts.

In the coming years, marketing through digital media will no longer be an optional extra but a necessity. The year ahead will demand integrated marketing efforts but once two years have passed, it is expected that it will be almost impossible to maintain market share for businesses who are not using networking campaigns.

Networking websites offer three distinct ways to generate publicity. As always, generating direct revenue is key, but it is not the only facet. Generating leads and referrals is crucial for businesses who want to exploit the full potential of such sites. The highest goal is a viral campaign, created by provoking shares among users.

The Holy Grail of today's marketing is the viral campaign. It is the only way for a business with a low budget to attract millions of audience members without a lot of effort. It is far from easy to achieve virality, so marketers need to develop core skills. It has become crucial to pinpoint the newsworthiness, memetic interests, and cultural focus of demographics when trying to create a guerrilla campaign that appeals to the masses.

Fortunately, online behavior is easily measurable using algorithms and digitized analytics. These tools make it possible to first assess which keywords, posting methods, and tactics to employ. Thereafter, analytics allow campaign managers to adapt their strategies in real time according to the popularity of every aspect of their techniques. Never before has it been quite so easy to analyse the success of a campaign according to individual user preferences, timing, and tactic.

Digital marketing has not nullified the importance of tried-and-true advertising principles. It is still important to establish brand strength, word of mouth advertising, and the exploitation of the most influential people in one's demographic. It remains necessary to begin a campaign through the definition of target markets.

For Africa Social network platforms will continue to grow. While the global kingpins do generate the most interest, a number of lesser known networks are becoming more popular. Locals use media across devices, including professional networking sites, image sharing platforms, and news feeds. This allows today's marketers to create an integrated campaign spanning several media.




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