Maisha yanakimbia kwa kasi sana. Miji inazidi kuwa ya kisasa na yenye kupendeza. Umri nao unatutupa mkono vilevile.
Siku hizi ukilala, ukiamka kuna jambo jipya limeibuka. Mitindo tofauti tofauti ya mavazi, muziki na mengine inakuja na kuondoka kama maji yatiririkayo chini ya daraja la mto uendao kasi.
Ukija upande wa teknolojia ndio usiseme kabisa. Leo iPhone imetoka mpya kesho Samsung katoa kitu kikali zaidi. Hujakaa sawa Huawei anamtikisa Mmarekani kwa teknolojia ya 5G. Hapa tunaoteseka ni sisi. Hela zenyewe ziko wapi za kuweza kuwa na kila toleo jipya? Wacha tubaki na tecno zetu bwana!
Ninafahamu unatumia mitandao ya kijamii hasa ile maarufu kama Instagram, Facebook na Twitter. Huenda ukawa umekutana na makala hii kwenye moja ya mitandao hiyo.
Lakini kuna mtandao mmoja unakuja kwa kasi sana kwa sasa. Unaitwa TikTok. Endelea kusoma kuona ni nini kipya juu ya mtandao huu.
Takwimu zinasemaje kuhusu mtandao wa TikTok?
Kwa kipindi cha miaka minne tangu kuanzishwa kwake mwaka 2016, TikTok imeweza kuwa na watumiaji zaidi ya milioni 500 duniani kote. Wengi wa watumiaji hawa wakiwa ni vijana.
Ripoti ya Globalwebindex ya mwaka 2019, inaonyesha asilimia 41 ya watumiaji wa TikTok wana umri kati ya miaka 16 na 24 (Globalwebindex, 2019). Kati ya watumiaji hao, watu zaidi ya milioni 150 hutumia application hiyo kwa siku.
TikTok inawapa watumiaji uhuru wa kutengeneza vipande vifupi vya video (visivyozidi sekunde 15) vikinakshiwa na nyimbo na urembo mwingine (filters) wa kuvutia kwa kutumia simu zao za mkononi. Video hizi zimejaa furaha na ucheshi (funny).
Ukitofautisha na mitandao mingine kama Twitter na Instagram, mitambo (algorithm) ya TikTok inakuonesha vitu unavyovitaka tu. Sio mara unakutana na post ambayo hata hujui imetoka wapi kama inavyotokea huko Twitter na Insta. Pia matumizi ya hashtag yanatamba sana kwenye mitandao huu.
Ukiitizama vizuri application ya TikTok utaona ina muonekano sawasawa na application inayoitwa Musical.ly. Hii ni kwa sababu TikTok ambayo ni kampuni ya Kichina, iliinunua application ya Musical.ly ili kuweza kuwafikia watu wengi hasa vijana wa kimarekani.
Swali; Je TikTok inaweza kuwa fursa mpya kwa wafanyabiashara?
Kwasasa TikTok haina mfumo wowote unaowezesha kuweka matangazo ya kulipia (sponsored ads) kama tunayoyaona huko kwenye mitandao mingine.
Lakini kama tunavyofahamu, hakuna kitu cha bure. Nionavyo mimi, jukwaa hili halitakuwa la bure kwa mda mrefu.
Kwa kuwa mtandao huu unapendwa na vijana wengi ambao ndio wenye nguvu ya ushawishi katika masoko, ninaona kuna kila dalili ya makampuni makubwa (brands) kuishawishi ikubali TikTok ikubali matangazo.
Baadhi ya takwimu zinatabiri mtandao wa TikTok utakuja kuteka na kuizidi mitandao kama vile Instagram na Snapchat.
Changamoto kubwa ya mitandao ya kijamii ni tabia yake ya kubadilika kila mara, kwa kuja na mifumo mipya au kupotea kabisa kama mtandao uliokuwa ukimilikiwa na kampuni ya Google, uliofahamika kwa jina la Google+.
Lakini pia ni lazima tukubaliane na ukweli kwamba hatuwezi kukwepa social media. Mitandao hii imewapa nguvu watumiaji kuwa na uhuru wa kuchagua ni namna gani wanataka kupokea taarifa. Hivyo kama mfanyabiashara unaetafuta kukuza jina la biashara yako na kufikia wateja wengi zaidi, huna budi kuwekeza kwenye moja ya mitandao hii.
Palipo na wengi pana fursa nyingi. Wewe kama mfanyabiashara, unajiona uko tayari kuwafata wateja wako walioko TikTok? Au utawasubiri wakirudi Insta na Fb?
As a company owner, you can’t avoid social media. Social media is a business goldmine. You only need to learn how to dig it properly. This article will tell you how.
Your customers spend most of their time on social media and as a serious business, you need to spend as much time with them as you can on the channels they like.
Social media is where people talk about their favorite brands and products. It is also where people go to complain about a certain service or company. You need to be there to listen to all these conversations and learn the sentimental language people use to talk about you.
Many companies find it difficult to have a successful social media presence. Without knowing what you’re doing online, it is easy to ruin your business reputation just in minutes. Here are the best tips to stay on top of the social media game. Without further ado, let’s dive in;
Be familiar with social media platforms and their users
Social media networks are not interchangeable. They’re different platforms with different content types and different types of people.
For example;
Instagram and Pinterest are highly visual mostly used by young people. So you need to be visually creative.
LinkedIn is a career based platform joining professionals
Twitter is a microblogging platform which is perfect for texts than images
Knowing the differences among these channels will help you to better navigate and engage people within each channel.
Be human, not a company
Many companies have no idea what they are doing on social media. They usually make a terrible mistake of making these social platforms all about themselves —posting about programs launching, talking to people instead of talking with people. Or even worse, going silent for weeks and only come to post when they have something nice about themselves to say.
Social media marketing is not about great advertising and branding, it is about building meaningful relationships with your followers. You can make your social media channels feel more human by doing the following;
Talk with people, don’t talk to people.
Make your followers matter, listen to them carefully
Take time to interact and respond to their comments
Create a comment response chart for frequently asked questions
Social media is human and that’s exactly how you should approach it. Don’t be a company speaking in tones that limit your followers from interacting with you.
Do you prefer a professional and authoritative tone? Then you might consider using it on LinkedIn. Is your tone light and friendly? Then social networks like Instagram and Facebook are perfect for you.
Do not spam
Just because you have that great product or service you offer, it doesn’t mean you have the right to cluster your feed with the same product every post you make. That is spamming. Using too many hashtags is also spamming.
Do not clutter you feed with the same images
Let’s say you run a smartphone shop at Kariakoo and you have decided to open an Instagram account to find more customers online. You really don’t have to post smartphones every time you make a post. You won’t last long.
You can be creative with your feed by making it more interesting. On certain days you can post customer testimonial videos, how-to tips, offers, quotes, tips, facts, funny memes and many more. Be creative.
Don’t be too selly
No one goes on social media to buy. People go on social media to socialize. There’s a reason it was called social media in the first place. While you are there, don’t be overly promotional or too selly. Be strategic. Hang out with people while you are pushing your agenda. There is no need to be aggressively promoting your business because people who follow you, are already interested in your product or service.
Do not lie!
It takes years to build a company’s reputation. However, with the rise of online conversations, it only takes minutes for a company to suffer. Always be authentic. People can smell it when it’s fake.
Have a plan
Make things easier for you by having a plan to act on. Without a clear thought out plan, social media is going to be tough for you. Try to use a content calendar that will guide you. With a calendar, you will know when and what to post.
A good content calendar should answer the following questions;
What type of content are you going to share?
At what time you’re going to share the content and how much time you will spend on social networks?
How often are you going to post on a specific channel?
Are you doing it yourself, or training someone or you are hiring a freelancer?
Stay updated and motivated
Social media isn’t something you learned three years ago and keep believing you know it. Being a social media enthusiast means being a lifelong learner. These platforms are constantly evolving —adding in new hashtags, new tools, and features. You need to be alert when these new features arrive and use them to your advantage.
Content is king
Without great content, the window to succeeding on social media is very narrow. Connect with your audience with great content such as video clips, infographics, images, and eBooks. Create content that will build trust, help people answer their questions and establish yourself as an authority in your field.
Use videos often
If a picture says a thousand words, a video says a million. Video has become the most important part of the online experience. Internet speed is getting faster and our devices are getting smarter. All these factors contribute to the booming of video marketing. Use video to tell a story, to showcase your store or sharing helpful tips —or anything. With the help of video editing apps, you can create great videos at any budget.
Tell moving stories
This should be on number one. Storytelling, the oldest form of art has proven to be at the core of every successful marketing strategy. This is because there is nothing more powerful that can unite people than a good story. Remember the ‘Dream Crazier’ advertisement by Nike? or the ‘No Human Is Limited’ story? That’s what we are talking about.
Use employees advocacy
The easiest way to grow your visibility on social media is by using your employees as brand champions. Make sure you empower your team so that they understand and live the brand in online and offline life. If your employees love their job, they will surely become brand protectors and promoters online.
Try influencer marketing
We live in a world where people are becoming brands while brands are trying to be people. You can use influencers to skyrocket your brand’s awareness or grow your sales. Influencers are affordable and provide social proof because they have the capacity to affect people’s opinions about a certain topic, service or product.
Pay attention to metrics and KPIs
There is no planning without measuring. The good thing about digital marketing is that we can’t wait for people to inform us about our mistakes. We can use data to make educated decisions about our online strategy. Social networks know a lot about their users and you can use the analytics they provide to gain insights about your followers.
To measure your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), you need to set clear and attainable goals. Start with the question; what do you want to accomplish in social media. See the metrics chart obtained from HubSpot below;
Image by HubSpot
Find inspiration from other brands
Here are my favorite brands on Instagram. Check them out and learn how they are engaging their audience by creating content that is more than just their products.
When you look at your competitors’ social media channels, do you feel proud? Or you feel jealous? If you feel jealous, then there are things you really need to improve on your strategy.
It is no doubt that social media is among the new ways of serving the 21st-century business. The internet has given customers the power to choose the way they want to receive information. Business owners no longer have the luxury to choose advertising methods as they used to with traditional marketing.
Whether you choose to be on social media or not, people are already talking about you there. It is up to you to join these conversations or start your own conversation and empower your followers to do the marketing for you.
Every business wants more traffic, more leads, and more sales. The whole point of launching our businesses online is to be visible to a bigger audience. We all want to reach those people who might otherwise not know we exist. Thanks to technology.
When it comes to launching a business online, however, it takes more than just being there. If the only way people can find you online is by you sharing a link directly to them, then you’re not really online. The key is to be found organically online.
Here are 13 reasons why taking your business online might not be online;
1. You’re not recognized by search engines
If your website is not indexed by search engines like Google and Bing, then you’re on the wrong side of the web. People are always searching for a service related to yours but they can’t find you on search results. While gaining visibility and ranking on search engines takes time, you can improve it by having a dedicated ongoing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy.
2. Other media don’t know you exist
Have you ever been featured by media like top bloggers and influencers? If no, then you have a long way to go. Your credibility online depends on how many other websites are linking to you (backlinks). You can use paid media to have a sponsored article about you written by mainstream media.
3. You don’t know your audience
If your business is for everyone, then it is for nobody. Without knowing your customers, you will be shooting in the dark. You’ll not know how to optimize your content for a targeted audience and you’ll end up getting followers who will not convert into buying customers.
4. Images downloaded somewhere else
Are you using original images or downloaded from another website? If you are using images downloaded from free image stocks, chances are many people are using them. Your business will gain more credibility if you use your own images.
Also, remember to give your images names that relate to your service. This is because search engines don’t see images the way we see them. They see the code behind them. By giving your images a descriptive name, you help search engines determine what your website is all about.
5. Website content is poor
Without content, you are lost online. Focus on good quality content and you will be rewarded. Create content that is not only about your services and products but also content that builds trust and establishes you as an authority in that industry. If you copied content from somewhere else and pasted it on your website, then you’re only putting yourself behind.
6. No conversion goals
Today’s websites are not like static brochures stuffed with About, Mission, and Vision statements. Today’s websites are meant to convert people with clear calls to action. You can achieve conversion goals such as getting new subscribers to your newsletter and having people perform actions like filling out a form or buying directly from your website. Without these efforts, you are just as good as being offline.
7. No one is talking about you online
Being online means joining conversations about your industry and empowering your audience to do the marketing for you. This is called earned media and it comprises things like comments, shares, mentions, and blog articles from other people talking about your services. It is important because it builds trust and credibility. It can’t be only you talking about you. Encourage your customers to leave online reviews and comments about your service
8. Abandoned social media accounts
An abandoned company social channel sends a negative message to your audience. It implies you are either no longer in business or you don’t pay your employees well. Because if you did, they would keep your online presence active.
9. Your website or app takes an eternity to load
How long did it take for you to open this article? Hope it didn’t take too long, otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading it right now. People’s attention is short. They have so many interesting things on their gadgets. They are impatient to wait for another second for your site to load unless it’s a job application. Make sure your website doesn’t contain unnecessary things that make it heavy.
10. You’re not leveraging local SEO
If your business is getting more local customers who speak Swahili and you are using only English, then you’re missing out on potential customers. Those people are searching for a service like yours but they cannot find you because their search terms are in Swahili. You can attract local customers by creating a separate page on your website written in Kiswahili. Or you can add your business to local listing directories like Google My Business.
11. Not mobile-friendly
If your website looks another way on desktop and completely another thing on mobile, then you are not controlling the online experience. Your mobile app or website needs to be designed with its users in mind. Your target audience uses different devices with different browsers. Make sure the experience is the same and perfect on everyone’s favorite screen.
12. You’re not using Paid ads
Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t like organic results. If you didn’t know, now you know. As people’s feeds got crowded, Facebook reduced to show company updates. In fact, it rarely exists these days. The only way left for company pages to survive on Facebook is to use paid ads. But the good thing is, Facebook ads work perfectly well.
13. Auto translating tools
It is easy to simplify everything by using Artificial Intelligence. But be careful to not erode authenticity and the human touch that people need. Search engines do not like content generated by the automation tool for the sake of ranking. They even consider it spam. Make sure your web copy is written for humans first.
Your business might have sold in the past years using traditional marketing strategies, but one thing is for sure, change is inevitable. The internet has changed the game. You can’t do business depending on word-of-mouth referrals in a world where people barely listen to each other but pay attention to their gadgets.
I wish you success in your business. Spread the information to all entrepreneurs out there.
All you need to keep up with today’s digital world is a smartphone and a laptop. And good English of course. If you are like me (I hate being left out in this fast-changing world), you’d probably have learned a few digital skills by now. The world is becoming digital. And so should you.
Here’s a random list of things you can do to make sense of the digital world. Perhaps even develop a career and earn a living out of it. Thanks to distance learning, you can even enroll in an institution remotely.
You can do web designing
Thanks to automation tools like WordPress, now everyone can become a web designer with zero coding skills. I created this very website using no coding at all. However, if you are looking to establish yourself as a web designer, you’ll need to learn at least basic coding skills like HTML and CSS. You can create your own blog and start earning from it by placing ads, selling e-books, or writing sponsored articles on it.
Social media marketing
Ever heard of a job called social media manager or social media handler? You’ll excel in this field if you are passionate about social media and have good communication skills. Companies get on social media platforms to engage and build relationships with their customers as well as getting new ones.
Managers are also aware of how overwhelming it is to run a business and keep an eye on online conversations. They need someone to do this. You can be the one. You can also use social media to promote your own service or products.
Graphic design
If you are like me, (I hate the learning curve of photoshop) Canva is there for you. It is a simplified graphic designing platform for everyone to use. Thanks to Melanie Perkins for bringing graphic design to everyone. I do lots of designing for my digital agency using Canva.
Video marketing
What is the largest search engine next to Google? Is it Yahoo? Or Bing? The answer is YouTube. People spend a lot of time watching videos online. Many companies need to be exactly where their people are. If you’re good at making videos then you are the most wanted person in the job market.
Content Writing and Copywriting
Everyone can write but not everyone can write for a company’s reputation. Especially online reputation. Companies are looking for someone who can create content that’s not only about their products and services but content that builds trust in their audience. Are you good at storytelling? You could be the next content writerto be hired.
How about Influencer Marketing?
People are now becoming brands and brands are trying to be people. Managers are looking for credible third parties to push their brand’s awareness to people. If you have a bigger following on social media and have the ability to engage them, you can approach big businesses and brands and offer to help them reach a bigger audience (your audience). Think of Idris Sultani and Uber in Tanzania. Your online visibility is a goldmine! Start digging.
Job searching and networking
If you can’t use the internet for learning new skills, you can use it to land your next dream job.
The truth is, some of us will not rely on family connections. We will have to build ourselves from scratch. If you are like me, who grew up in the village where the only connection my parents could give is to introduce me to a fellow farmer, then you have no choice than to invest in your online presence. There are professional platforms like LinkedIn where you can showcase your skills and connect with hiring managers.
Career development
Every rising sun presents an urgent need for new and relevant skills. Schools give us organized education but the internet gives us everything. With the increased access to free information, you can learn just about anything online. I have honed my skills in digital marketing and writing by reading articles and taking courses online. The world needs those who are comfortable with learning new skills every day —lifelong learners.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
As managers are launching their businesses online, the struggle becomes how to be visible on top of search engine results. Every business online wants more traffic, more leads, and more sales. However, this is not something that can be achieved easily. It requires a dedicated digital strategy. If you happen to be good at these skills, everyone is looking for you.
You can learn Web Analytics
Today’s world is about data. Data is the most valuable commodity just like it used to be with factories during the industrial revolution. Many companies have a website, they have social media accounts and they run ads. But they don’t monitor their online efforts.
They don’t know what is working and what isn’t. They have no ideas about what people do when they visit their sites. If you’re good at analyzing data, you can help businesses make data-driven decisions or implement these skills on your own online platforms.
Email marketing
Just like social media, email is a great way for businesses to engage with their customers. Today’s email marketing is built on people who have opted to receive information about your services through email. It starts with the subscription button. Then what happens after that can grow or kill your business. This is why people who know what they are doing are highly needed. Think you can do it? Go for it.
Paid Per Click Ads – PPC
Sometimes as a business, you just need to get in front of your customers online real quick. Well, you need to pay for that. Paying isn’t the hard part though, but creating a great display advertisement can be very challenging. Now, whether you want to implement PPC on your own online campaigns or use it as a service to offer to others, you can start by learning it online.
The opportunities in the digital world are endless. I just shared a few of them. These opportunities are not limited to coders only. There is a place for everyone in technology. You just need to find out where your interests are.
Mwanafalsafa maarufu wa Kijerumani, Karl Marx aliwahi kuonya kwamba teknolojia itakuja kuondoa kazi wanazofanya watu. Kwamba watu watakuwa hawana kazi za kufanya.
Hivi karibuni kutokana na maendeleo ya sayansi na teknolojia, imedhihirika kuwa maono ya msomi huyu hayakuwa sahihi.
Ni kweli kwamba teknolojia imechukua kazi nyingi zilizokuwa zikifanywa na binadamu hasa zile zenye uhitaji mdogo wa kufikiri kama vile kubeba mizigo viwandani. Siku hizi kuna maroboti yanayofanya kazi kwa ufanisi na kwa muda bila kuchoka kuliko binadamu.
Lakini pia kuna ukweli mwingine. Teknolojia imetengeza na kuboresha kazi nyingi zaidi kulinganisha na zile ilizoziondoa. Mojawapo ni hii kazi inaitwa Social Media Marketing. Mtu anayefanya kazi hii anaitwa Social Media Manager, au Social Media Coordinator.
Ulishawahi kujiuliza ni nani huwa anapost kwenye account ya Instagram ya BBC, Millardayo au account za taasisi kama UNICEF? Basi hiyo ndiyo kazi yenyewe tunayoizungumzia hapa.
Social Media ni kipengele mojawapo muhimu katika suala zima la digital marketing.
Kutokana na kukua kwa matumizi ya mitandao ya kijamii miongoni mwa watu, imeweza kushawishi watu na biashara zao kuingia kwenye Social Media kwa lengo la kushirikiana na kukuza uhusiano na wateja wao pamoja na kupata wateja wapya.
Majukumu ya Social Media Manager
Majukumu ya social media manager ni pamoja na kusimamia na kuendesha akaunti za mitandao ya kijamii ya kampuni au watu maarufu celebrities. Haya ni baadhi ya majukumu muhimu;
Kuandaa maudhui (picha, video, maneno) kwa ajili ya kusambaza kwenye mitandao ya kijamii
Kujibu comments na maswali ya followers
Kushiriki (engage) na wafuatiliaji (followers) kwa niaba ya kampuni
Kuandaa promosheni na matangazo ya kulipia (campaigns) ili kufika watu wengi mtandaoni.
Kukuza jina la brand au kampuni
Kujenga na kuimarisha mahusiano mazuri baina ya kampuni na wateja wake
Kuvutia wateja kufuatilia tovuti za kampuni (lead generation)
Ifahamike kwamba kwenye kazi za Social Media, majukumu ya Social Media Manager, Social Media Specialist na Social Media Strategist yanatofautiana. Lakini kwenye makampuni madogo madogo hasa hap Tanzania unaweza ukajikuta unavaa kofia zote hizi peke yako.
Vigezo na mambo muhimu ya kuzingatia ukiwa Social Media Manager
Hauhitaji kuwa na degree kufanya kazi hii, japo baadhi ya waajiri wanaweza kupendelea mtu mwenye elimu ya juu. Jambo zuri ni kwamba unaweza kujifunza mtandaoni kuhusu maarifa haya na kuwa vizuri katika kazi yako.
Lakini mambo muhimu katika kazi hii ni kuwa na uelewa wa kutosha kuhusu mitandao mbalimbali ya kijamii. Mitandao hii inatofautiana kuanzia aina ya maudhui na watumiaji wake. Kwa Mfano Instagram ni mtandao unaopendwa na vijana, lakini mtandao kama LinkedIn ni jukwaa la wasomi. Kufahamu tofauti hizi kunakuwezesha kujua mbinu za kuwakilisha maudhui kulingana na jukwaa husika.
Mitandao ya kijamii ni watu. Kama unavotakiwa ujifunze kuishinna watu katika maisha halisi basi ndivyo ilivyo pia ukiwa online. Isiwe kila siku unapost biashara yako tu. Watu hawapendi (don’t be too selly). Kuwa mbunifu.
Jifunze kila siku mambo mapya yanayopendwa huko mitandaoni. Usilenge kupata followers tu, bali followers ambao wako interested na unachokifanya. Ukizingatia haya utaleta matokeo yenye kuridhisha kwa mwajiri wako.
![The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing for Your Business [15 Tips]](https://www.tanzlite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/social-media-marketinng.jpg)
