Are you a founder sitting behind a mahogany table, the old CEO way, and with zero online presence? Then you have to consider what that does to you and your company.
Social media is where successful brands are built. Brands that gain, not just followers, but interests and revenue. To achieve this kind of success, a brand needs a human element. Who best to do it if not the founder?
If you are not making your online presence felt to the world, you are sending your brand to the realms of the unknown.
Now is not the time to play low-key and leave it all to the marketing department. It is time to become a Chief Storyteller. If you don’t know how to do it, ask your marketing team for assistance.
CEOs can use social media to position themselves as industry leaders and brand storytellers. And by doing so, the interaction they generate will bring traffic to their business. This is by far the best digital strategy; founder + company marketing.
Your job as CEO of a startup is to be the Chief Storyteller and the brand ambassador sharing your company’s story every chance you get.
Companies realized a while ago that going digital is important. So they flocked there. Most companies are spending a lot of money on promotions. From influencers to ads –you name it. But for some reason, they struggle to establish a genuine connection with the target audience. Why? Well, that’s because there is a missing part to their online marketing efforts.
Why a Founder/CEO Marketing is Important?
CEOs who have abandoned social media may be ‘quiet quitting’ on their own business. You will lose a big chunk of people to your competitors who, in addition to company posts, have a digitally outspoken personality that gets eyes to their brand.
Professor Ndubuisi Ekekwe, faculty lead at the Tekedia Mini MBA program, is an excellent example of founder marketing. He is one of LinkedIn’s top voices from Africa, engaging an audience of over 165,000 people. He is aware that a company alone (Tekedia Institute) alone will not suffice. So being active, and writing extensively on his personal profile draws students to the Tekedia Mini MBA program.
Ndubuisi’s posts are more than simply his company updates. He contributes value and knowledge in his posts. This strategy fosters his image of a thought leader and a person that has wisdom.
Undoubtedly, a post on the CEO’s profile will gain more attention than one on the business page. Speaking from a human perspective is more impactful.
Founder’s Personal Brand: A Brand’s Best Ally
Founder’s (or CEO) marketing will complement your company’s brand marketing in a way outsider influencers can’t. It can help earn genuine engagement of the Brand and the audience.
Businesses cannot succeed without trust. The online visibility of the founder opens the way for credibility and trust in the Brand. See the image below:
If Microsoft promoted this from their company page, they wouldn’t get this much engagement. Why? People don’t often interact with a company page. Microsoft has over 10 million followers but likes on its posts rarely pass 200.
People need a face, not a logo. A logo cannot achieve the level of trust that a CEO of that Brand can establish. Founder Marketing contributes to the Brand’s increased visibility.
As a social CEO, you must engage with your audience meaningfully. That can take the shape of Tweets, Linkedin Posts, TikTok videos, or whatever platform you like. Just be careful not to post all about your business. Share your opinions on pressing matters such as geopolitics and how they affect business. Sometimes remember the youth and share experience-based career tips. You will be likable.
Ryan Reynolds making fun of Nuvei CEO for not being on social media
Real personalities breathe life into brands. Especially now that demand for business transparency is greater than ever. A CEO can win over consumer trust and create emotional bonding with other people.
A social CEO consequently becomes the public face of the Brand or business. Furthermore, it is comforting to learn from their engagements that CEOs are not distant figures who only attend meetings.
A Tweet or a Post by a Social CEO is not just another noise in the realm of Social Media. It is an echo of their remarkable Leadership.
P.S.: If you are looking to see how a mix of founder and company marketing will help grow your business, click HERE to contact us.
The importance of social media marketing for small businesses has increased substantially in recent years, as more and more companies look to get their message out to as wide an audience as possible.
Let’s be honest, Instagram is one of the top social media channels without a doubt. But as a small business owner can you use this platform to get the best results?
Yes, you can. It’s no secret that Instagram has become a channel used by some of the largest companies in Tanzania. And these large companies have used their brands to push themselves to the next level and dominate the space on Instagram.
Currently, Instagram seems to be the latest and greatest way to market your business. However, it’s still a challenge if you don’t know what you’re doing. This is especially true if your business is relatively small.
Small business owners have a lot on their plates, doing everything they can to stay in business. One important task that often gets neglected is marketing their business online
The main reasons why small businesses should consider using Instagram for marketing are; building your brand, helping people understand your business, and connecting with new customers.
Is there a way for the little guy to get in the action? Yes, this post is written specifically for small businesses to help you determine how you can use Instagram to grow your business, and avoid some of the common traps that other small businesses have fallen into when trying to use Instagram to their advantage.
1. Start with your bio
Did you know, it takes less than 7 seconds for someone to see your bio?
Your bio is the first thing that potential customers see on your profile when they search for you.
We all want our brands to be approachable, relatable, and memorable. This is why bios are so important – not only do they help create an emotional connection with your target audience, but they also make finding you online easier. When people read your bio, they have a better idea of who you are, what you do, and what makes you different from everyone else.
The best way to fill your bio is by being authentic. Make sure you use real information, such as brand name, rather than making an impersonal bio.
Even if you think your bio is perfect, just re-write it a couple of times until it’s better suited for the role you want to play.
2. Find your ideal customers.
One of the best ways to find your ideal customers is to look at user accounts on Instagram and look at what they post about the businesses they’re following.
You can even analyze which accounts they follow based on the types of posts they send out, the images they post (e.g., product shots, promo photos), and the keywords they use in their captions. This is a powerful analytical tool and it can help you find the right Instagram followers for your business very quickly.
3. Create content
You know your target audience, but do you know what kind of content will make them engage with your brand on Instagram?
Content is king. If you want to drive leads and engagement, you need to create content that addresses their issues and concerns.
Whether it’s about their favorite sports team or their latest fashion trends, make sure your posts are designed to engage with your audience as effectively as possible. Bloggers who create content regularly are more likely to see higher engagement on their accounts.
4. Post-high-quality photos
The trickiest part of creating product photos isn’t thinking about what you want the pictures of your products to look like.
It’s thinking about how you will get the product photograph right. When you take a group photo of all your products, everyone looks like they belong in the same photo.
But if you all take different pictures of the product separately, with slightly different lighting and angles overlaid on top of each other – no one looks like they were taken at the same time.
Don’t worry, you don’t need professional skills or even a good camera to succeed. Your phone creates magic with this simple application; Adobe Lightroom, Canva, Pixlr, Inshot, and PicsArt.
These are applications that are very simple to use and edit your content through your smartphone.
5. Use hashtags
You want your Instagram posts to be memorable and easy to share, so use Instagram hashtags that will help you stand out from your competitors.
Be strategic about how you use them. For example, don’t use the same tag three times in a row. Or choose one that’s highly popular among your users.
The key is knowing when to use them and when to avoid them. First make sure people are using them, stay relevant to the brand and create branded hashtags. Also, monitor competitors and key industry figures and use event-specific hashtags.
The proper using hashtags in your social media drive more people to your page. Also, it interacts with your content and expands your brand presence.
Conclusion
With the right Instagram marketing strategy, you can make your business look more professional and generate more leads. This means more sales and more money in the bank!
There is a lot that can be done by simply creating an Instagram account for your small business but it’s not enough to just pop out a picture with your company logo on it and call it a day. There are so many Instagram accounts out there and so many ways you can promote your business with just a few clicks of Instagram.
More and more people are using Instagram to discover brands, learn about new products and services and connect with others who share the same interests as they do. For this reason alone, it’s worthwhile checking into how Instagram can help your business grow.
This article was written by Nasra Mohammed, a Digital Marketing Specialist at Bridging Technologies Ltd.
Have you ever found yourself stuck on what to post on social media? It happens all the time. Finding good ideas to post can be tricky sometimes.
At first, Launching your company’s social media profiles seems like an easy task. Then comes the hard part when you are supposed to be consistently posting engaging content. That is when you realize social media marketing is not easy work at all.
I have worked (and still working) in social media marketing for a couple of small-to-medium companies and organizations in Tanzania for over three years now. I have experienced these challenges myself.
Some days your creative mind will be on vacation. You will procrastinate or will not post at all. And your boss will fire you (let that not happen).
If you want to go beyond the self promotional approach, these post ideas will boost engagement on your social platforms and give value to your followers.
1. Question-based Post: This is a powerful way to start a conversation with your followers. Ask an engaging question that relates to what your business does. You can also conduct market research from this type of posts.
2. Post statistics or industry news: What are the current findings or news in your industry? Be sure to share them with your audience. It will make you part of the industry and not someone who is just there to sell. Statistics are also the best way to support your claim or message.
3. Share your opinion about a trending topic: There’s always something in your industry trending online. You find what it is, share it, and give your two cents on the topic. Again, it is about being part of the online conversations that your audience cares about.
4. Share Tips and How-To post: Educational posts are effective to introduce you as a thought leader in your niche. People always want to know how things are done. Tell them and build trust in return.
5. Thank you Post; Every time you hit a certain number of followers, be sure to thank your followers for helping you grow.
6. Behind the scenes posts: If you were (or still) a Game of Thrones fan, I am sure you have watched a couple of behind the scene videos of the show. And they probably helped you build a human connection with the actors. Sometimes you can post a photo or go live and showcase your office, or store. It helps to show your audience a human side of you and fosters a deeper trust than that of a traditional post.
7. Run Contests and Giveaways: Contests and giveaways can be an instant way to grow your engagement on social media. They can give you new followers and result in increased sales.
8. Post a Meme: Well, sometimes it is not a bad idea to light up things a little. Just because you are a bank, or a pharmacy doesn’t mean you have to be serious and full of jargon every day. But be careful with memes!
9. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC): Chances are people are already talking about whatever your business is in to. The best way to join these conversations is to share/repost/retweet someone’s post about the topic. It will affirm you and make you part of the conversation.
10. Post Infographics: Don’t let your blog articles rot in your website, try to repurpose them in a visually appealing way. Infographics are ideal ways to summarize a lengthy amount of information in short form.
11. Re-introduce yourself: Once in a while, reminding your followers of who you are and what you do is not a bad idea. Warning: don’t use this repeatedly, you will become a boring brand.
12. Share PDF and White Papers: sometimes a social media post can not say it all. If you have got a lot to say such as case studies, give it to your followers in the form of downloadable formats. Besides, everyone loves takeaways.
Conclusion
Social media can be a waste of time if done without a plan. As a serious business, you don’t want to add up to the social media noise and become a bore to your loyal fans. You need a strategy.
If you need a digital strategy that can bring results to your business, contact us HERE.
Social media has become an important part of our everyday life. Worldwide, there are 3.80 billion social media users.
In Tanzanian, a large number of youths are avid users of these social platforms such Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. We use these tools to stay connected and informed. But most of us tend to be so well informed about issues surrounding our celebrities.
We are active on social media, and that’s not always a bad thing. But are we making the most of it?
You have probably heard about people who have won scholarships, competitions, deals, got job and all these exciting opportunities after seeing them from social media, and you were left asking, ‘which Instagram are these winners using?’ Well, they get information about opportunities the same way you get information about Diamond Platnumz divorcing Tanasha.
If you don’t want to miss out on important opportunities, or want to do more with social media, here is how you can benefit from these platforms, the same ones that winners are using:
Join groups or conversations that resonate with you
Don’t be up to date with everything. That’s draining. Be well informed about issues that really matter to you. Be it social change, world issues, sports or anything else. You need to have an information diet, you can’t take anything in. Focus and engage on content that resonate with you only. Celebrity dramas is entertaining but time wasting.
Find your tribe and connect with them
Follow people who do things you love doing. If you’re a digital marketer, find and connect with people in the digital marketing industry. You can also have virtual mentors on social media who inspire you and give you lessons through their posts. because all these people who live our dream lives, post about it. Why not learn and be mentored?
Endelea kufanya mzaha na mitandao ya kijamii. Fanya tu mzaha. Endelea, na umri unakwenda hivyo. Hii mitandao kuna watu imewasaidia kupata kazi, imewachangia ada, imewasaidia matibabu, misiba, biashara, wapenzi, n.k. Sasa wewe endelea na mzaha kila dakika labda ni fungu lako.
I used to hate this word, because I believe people are not brands. But again, your social media persona should just be you. Don’t fake things because people will notice. Understand who you aspire to become and try your level best to stay out of trouble on social media.
Follow accounts that post opportunities
There are a lot of accounts and blogs that share opportunities and organizations that do things that you like. In 2018, I went to Malawi to work with When the Saints, an organization that works with girls who have been sexually abused. I got into contact with them after just I read about them from my favourite blog. I reached out to the founder and I got the opportunity to work with the organization for for three months.
Use your account to share your passion
I love blogging, and my Instagram is full of pictures and long captions (inspiring people and sharing tips), my Twitter is full of me connecting with other bloggers in the word. You love photography, share what you capture on your account, sell what you make, share your love for things etc. You might gain a following and might as well become an influencer. People pay bills using their social media accounts these days, why not you?
And those are the ways I think we can benefit from these digital platforms.
-Eunice💜
Eunice is a writer at abiblegirl.com, where she shares life tips for millennials. Connect with her on Instagram.
Mtandao wa WhatsApp umetutoa mbali sana. Kutoka kwenye status za kuandika mpaka status za picha na video. Kutoka kwenye magrupu yenye ukomo wa watu 60 mpaka sasa magrupu ya watu nyomi hadi 257.
Ni wazi kwamba mtandao wa WhatsApp umezidi kuwa bora ili kuendelea kuwafurahisha watumiaji wake. Bora ukose application zingine kwenye simu lakini si WhatsApp.
WhatsApp imekuwa zaidi ya sehemu ya kuchat na kutumiana jumbe zenye kufurahisha (meme), bali ni fursa ya kibiashara kwa wajanja.
Watu wanataka kuuza, watu wanataka kujiweka karibu na wateja wao. Wengine ndio kwanza wanafungua biashara zao wakitafuta namna ya kujitangaza. WhatsApp imekuwa kimbilio la wajasiriamali wengi wa kitanzania.
Watu wameanzisha magrupu ya WhatsApp kwa lengo la kuendesha semina na mafunzo mbalimbali. Kuendesha vikundi vya kukopeshana, maarufu kama ‘vikoba’. Vilevile magrup haya yanatumika kuhamasisha watu kujumuika kwenye matamasha na warsha mbalimbali.
Siku hizi hata vikao vya Sendoff na harusi vinaendeshwa kwenye magrupu ya WhatsApp. Kama bado umejiunga kwenye magrupu ya kipuuzi, basi umebaki wewe tu na wapuuzi wachache. Wenzako tunasaka fursa!
Yani siku hizi kupata namba ya mtu ni rahisi sana kwa sababu anajua baadaye utaona matangazo ya biashara yake kwenye status. Wala si kwa ubaya, ni katika harakati za kutafuta masoko na kujipatia riziki. Wewe ambaye huna cha kutangaza usione kero.
Hatufahamu ni mazuri yapi mengine wamiliki wa mtandao wa WhatsApp wametuandalia, lakini kizuri kimojawapo ni kuhusu application ya WhatsApp Business.
WhatsApp Business ni nini na ina tofauti gani na WhatsApp ya Kawaida?
Kwanza kabisa, WhatsApp Business ni application halali inayomilikiwa na kampuni ya WhatsApp Inc. Hii sio kama zile WhatsApp GB na zinginezo (not a third-part App) ambazo huwa zinakataliwa. Hii ni maalumu kwa wafanya biashara na wajasiliamali wanaotaka kupromote biashara zao pamoja na kuimarisha mahusiano na wateja wao. Lakini hata wewe usiye na biashara unaweza kuitumia kwa mawasiliano ya kawaida.
Makampuni kama Bloomberg na Mwananchi wanatumia WhatsApp Business API (huduma advanced hii ni huduma ya kulipia) kutuma updates kwa subscribers wao moja moja kwenye inbox zao.
Sasa tuiangalie WhatsApp Business kiundani zaidi. Vitu ambavyo utavipata ndani yake ni kama ifuatavyo;.
Business profile
Ujumbe automatic wa salamu
Customer Management
Takwimu/statistics
Majibu ya haraka (quick replies)
Business Profile
Ukiangalia profile ya mtu anayetumia WhatsApp Business utaona ina muonekano tofauti na ile ya kawaida. Hapa utaona vitu kama jina la biashara, maelezo ya biashara (business description), location pamoja na siku na masaa anayofungua biashara yake. Hivi ni vitu ambavyo huwezi kuviona kwa mtu anayetumia WhatsApp ya kawaida.
Customer Management
Hapa unaweza kuchambua na kupangilia namba za WhatsApp ulizonazo katika makundi mbalimbali ya wateja. Kwa mfano unaweza kumwekea alama (label) kama vile mteja mpya, aliyelipa, asiyelipa, aliyetoa oda mpya na aliyemaliza oda yake.
Ujumbe Automatki wa Salamu
Hapa unaweza kutengeneza ujumbe wa salamu utakao kuwa ukitumwa kwa kila anayekutumia meseji. Ili kuondoa kero na usumbufu, ujumbe huu hutumwa endapo tu hamjawasiliana kwa kipindi cha siku 14. Ujumbe huu wa salamu unaweza kuwa unaelezea kwa ufupi juu ya shughuli unayofanya. Ni namna ambavyo wewe utapenda iwe.
Takwimu
Katika application ya WhatsApp Business, unaweza kupata takwimu kuhusu meseji ulizotuma. Utaweza kuona idadi ya meseji ulizotuma, zilizofika na zilizosomwa.
Quick replies and away message
Sikushauri utumie sana hii feature kwani humfanya mtu ajisikie kama ana wasiliana na roboti badala ya mtu. Kama namba yako ya mawasiliano ya kawaida ndiyo hiyo hiyo unatumia kwa biashara zako bora usitumie hii setting kwani si kila mtu ni mteja wako.
Jinsi ya kuwezesha WhatsApp Business
Ni rahisi sana kuseti business profile kwenye application ya WhatsApp Business. Unachotakiwa kufanya ni kwenda Playstore ama Appstore na kudownload WhatsApp Business. Baada ya hapo fungua application na uende kwenye Settings.
Kama unatumia android bofya kwenya vidoti vitatu upande wa juu kulia >Settings > Business settings > Hapo utaona setting zote unazotaka kufanya.
Mwisho…
Dunia ya sasa ni dunia ya kujiuza (simaanishi kujiuza unakofikiria wewe). It is all about branding yourself. Kama hutokuwa na ujasiri wa kusimama na kuonyesha ujuzi na maarifa yako, unataka nani akufanyie hivyo?
WhatsApp ni moja kati ya jukwaa zuri kuji-brand. Mara moja moja si mbaya kupost utani (meme) lakini isiwe kila siku wewe ni wa kupost upuuzi tu. Usifikiri ni utani tu, people are more likely to associate you with the things you post online. Jenga taswira chanya ili uweze kuvuta fursa zije upande wako.
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?
