by Shukuru Amos
The job of marketers is to keep up with evolving marketing trends. We need to ensure that we remain updated about algorithmic changes, revise our advertising to adhere to new policies, and many more changes. We do all this over and over again so we can adjust our strategies to improve the outcomes for our clients and our own companies.
Unfortunately, not all trends work. Here are some of the marketing trends to watch in 2022, that we believe will actually
Focus on Mobile-first marketing
By 2025, an estimated 73% of people will access the internet on mobile-only. Always consider how something will appear on mobile devices. Try to use long, horizontal videos and images because they look best on mobile screens. Take advantage of app-exclusive features, such as audio posts and Fleets on Twitter; live video and Reels on Instagram, and Stories on YouTube and Instagram. Always focus on mobile-only features to create a more seamless experience for mobile users
Focus on Social Commerce
Social media has become the heart of the post-pandemic shopping experience. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest have given brands the opportunity to create a seamless experience for users to buy products directly within a social channel without being taken outside. Brands need to capitalize on the growing social commerce trend.
Brand and Creators collaboration
Brands and creators’ collaboration is an important marketing strategy marketers are expecting to use in 2022. Brands need faces and voices that can tell their message, values, and mission. Online content creators are best positioned to drive ROI for B2C brands. Creators have existing loyal communities that brands should creatively tap into instead of building a community from scratch.
Making Social Ads that blend in
Marketers need to intuitively understand a particular platform as a user, not just as a marketer. This will help in creating ads that do not interrupt people’s experience but seamlessly fit in. Today’s consumers are smarter and more empowered. Brands will have to think hard about whether they want to be embraced or tolerated on a particular platform.
Social media means business
Social media has finally matured to find its place in business. Marketers are not just raising awareness on social media but expect to derive tangible ROI from it. According to Hootsuite Social Trends 2022, 83% of marketers are confident about quantifying the ROI of social media. This was not the case over a decade ago when marketers struggled to measure ROI from social. But both the pandemic and social platforms’ advanced features have forced marketers to rely on social as it became a primary source to keep up with customers.
Building trust with first-party data
With the elimination of third-party cookies in 2021, marketers are turning to first-party data in 2022. Companies will focus on collecting data directly from their users for retargeting purposes. Online data about customer interaction on a website or an app will be collected through subscriptions, product views, and inside queries. In a world of growing privacy concerns, first-party data will enable businesses to operate in a privacy-compliance and cost-effective way.
The metaverse to enhance customer experience
Many businesses are expected to enter the metaverse in 2022 and years to follow. That is because the metaverse has mouthwatering promises to businesses, it is expected to bridge the gap between traditional and digital marketing. From improved customer experience to selling virtual products, and from virtual concerts and branded shops within games, the metaverse is everything marketers have ever dreamed of. Brands will be able to create virtual stores or exhibitions and people, through their virtual presence (avatars), will visit the stores and have an experience of the product just like they would physically.
It is important for marketers to understand the fluidity of marketing. New best practices and policies come and go, algorithms are getting smarter and harder to predict. Marketers must always be ready to discard their once working strategies in the face of new changes.
by Guest Post
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.
by Shukuru Amos
Hakuna mtu ambaye anaweza kufanikisha jambo bila msaada wa mtu au watu wengine. Tunaishi kwa kutegemeana. Unachokitafuta wewe kipo kwa mtu mwingine.
Katika dunia yetu ya kidigitali, ni rahisi kuwa sehemu ya msaada mkubwa kwa wajasiriamali wanaotafuta kukuza biashara zao mtandaoni. Unaweza kufanya hivyo bila hata ya kutumia pesa.
Jinsi ya kusaidia kukuza biashara ya mjasiriamali mtandaoni
Follow page yake ya biashara. Inaweza kuwa ni instagram, twitter au facebook – popote unapoona unaweza kumfolllow fanya hivyo. Hii haigarimu pesa yoyote.
Toa Comment , Like au Share post za bidhaa zake ili zipate kuonekana kwa wengi. Kumbuka wewe binafsi una followers ambao nao wana followers, hivyo ukishare au kucomment kweny post ya mjasiriamali huyu, unaipa nafasi post yake kufika mbali zaidi. Hii nayo haikugarimu hela.
Toa maoni, reviews auratings kuhusu huduma yake kwenye page yake Google My Business, kwenye App yake playstore, au kwenye listing directories zingine.
Weka picha ya eneo au bidhaa yake na shiriki kuhakiki (verify) taarifa zake kwenye ramani za google.
Pia wajuze marafiki zako juu ya bidhaa zake.
Cha mwisho, acha kuponda biashara ya mtu mtandaoni. Kama kuna kitu unaona anakosea ni busara kumtumia ujumbe inbox na kumweleza.
Ukifanya yote haya, utakuwa umetumia kiasi cha shilingi SIFURI!
Lakini utakua umemwezesha mtu kufikisha bidhaa yake kwa walengwa hivyo kujipatia kipato cha kuendesha maisha yake. Si lazima uwe na pesa kusaidia, japo ni vizuri zaidi kutoa ukiwa na uwezo huo.
Kama somo limeeleweka, naomba follow page za Tanzlite Digital kwenye mtandao wa LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter na Instagram. Pia nenda kafanye hivo kwenye biashara ya mjasiriamali unayemjua.
Kugusa maisha ya watu wengine si lazima uwe Bill Gates. Kusaidia kukuza online visibility ya biashara ya mtu ni aina nyingine ya philanthropy!. Tuendelee kuinuana. Usisahau kushare post hii 🙂
Natumaini makala hii imekusaidia. Naitwa Shukuru, ni mwandishi na mtaalamu wa Digital Marketing. Nipate kupitia mtandao wa WhatsApp hapa.
by Shukuru Amos
A website is one of the best ways to take your business online. But most people don’t get desired results out of their websites because of obvious mistakes or failure to adapt to new changes.
The sobering reality is that static websites are dead! Today’s websites are not like static brochures filled with company information. The typical pages of Home, About, Service, and Contact — doesn’t help anymore.
These types of websites don’t even rank on google. People can’t land on your site from a search query just to read your Values and Mission statement. There must be something more valuable than that.
In fact, you don’t need a website just for pride. It has to bring results.
So what do modern websites really need?
Any website needs to perform either of the following three functions:
- To sell a product
- To promote a product or service
- To build a mailing list
To accomplish either of the above, a website needs to generate traffic. This, unfortunately, cannot be achieved with a static website filled with Mission, Vision, and Values statements.
The following are the things modern websites need to bring results. Whether it is a personal blog, a corporate website, or a portfolio, these things are proven to bring desired results.
1. Copywriting is just as important as the design
You may have the killer visual design with the right colors, font, animations and so, but if the content sounds like a Ph.D. thesis, you are only going to scare potential customers away.
From attention-grabbing headlines to convincing benefit-based descriptions, and clear calls to action —you need to cut the corporate crap and write stuff that speaks to people and persuades them to take action.
The language on your website should be easily understood and make the visitor feel welcome, not to make you look smart. It is more about understanding your customer and writes something that speaks to them.
You are reading this article because I wrote it in a language that doesn’t make you wish you had been more serious at school.
Do not be tempted to copy content from another website. That will be a first-degree mistake in the laws of SEO physics.
2. Modern websites need an active blog
Without traffic to your website, you are just as good as being offline. Unless you are paying for traffic, which will cost you a lot of money, you need to start writing articles on the blog section of your website.
With some content marketing skills such as keyword research, content writing, and SEO, you can be able to promote your website on search engines and stand a chance of appearing to customers who are actively looking for your service.
Are you a nonprofit that claims to have impacted thousands of people? Well, it is time to write those stories on your blog. After all, your good cause deserves to be shout out from rooftops, right?
Do you have happy customers using your product? Time to share their experience on your corporate website. These are the things a modern website needs.
3. Modern websites need to convert
After you have done great copywriting and content marketing, you need to make sure people coming to visit your digital home are either converting into buying customers or fans of your brand.
Having people to visit your site is an opportunity to sell or gain supporters for your good cause. You can’t afford to have them and leave without performing a desired action. Which is why it is important to set conversion goals.
Things like signup forms, testimonials, live charts, landing pages, and sales funnels are proven to bring high conversion.
After you have the above things in place: (1) Copywriting (2) Content Marketing (3) Conversion Goals, you can now rest assured that your investment in a website is actually going to pay off. You can now confidently try out PPC advertising and see a return on your ad spend.
Key Takeaways for Web Designers
Web designing is such a creative and fun process. Nothing brings joy than having your own website out there on the web.
But the online space is changing. We need to keep up.
Most of our clients don’t know much about these things. It is therefore our job as web designers and developers to step up the game and bring the best to our clients.
Here is a list of things that work on modern websites every web designer needs to be familiar with right now.
- Learn Copywriting or ask your clients to write the content themselves.
- Learn to create membership websites.
- Learn to create e-commerce websites.
- Create a combination of a static website with a blog. It is usually there by default, it just needs some settings and design.
- Help your clients to set Analytics so they can see what exactly is happening on their site and make data-driven adjustments
To Business Owners…
There are many ways to take your business online. But if you want to give your brand some serious attention, having your own business website is highly recommended.
At Tanzlite, we always try our best to create websites that actually bring leads. If you still don’t have a website in 2020, we can help you get one at the price you can manage. Check our website service page and get in touch.
by Shukuru Amos
With COVID 19 continuing to affect our everyday lives, digital marketing has never been more important to businesses than now. Businesses that didn’t have a digital presence of any kind are the ones losing the most during this pandemic.
It is obvious now that there is no way to go but take your business online.
It is important to invest in online marketing efforts to promote and grow your business. Most of your customers are online. Those who are not will hear about you from those who are online (social media is a good driver of word of mouth referral).
Now without further ado, we have gathered six ways you can give your business online presence. Let’s dive in.
- Through Social Media
This is the most preferred option. Social media is a good driver of word of mouth marketing. It helps you to connect with customers and build relationships. It only takes a few minutes to set up a profile for your business online.
Most social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn have features to create company profiles. It is important to note that social media channels vary in terms of content type and users. This will help you with planning a social media marketing strategy for your business.
A good social media profile must include relevant keywords and hashtags as well as a Call to Action.
- Google My Business (and other listing directories)
Google My Business is an ideal tool for local businesses. It is a free tool that allows your business to be listed on maps and create a profile. Google will show your business to people searching for services related to yours. For maximum visibility, make sure to encourage your customers to leave reviews on your profile.
There are also plenty of other local and international directories offering business listings. It is easy to find them in your location. For example, try to search a key phrase related to your business or any business and pay attention to search results. Youll see websites with a list of companies offering such kind of service.
- Create a website
This is the most obvious way to take your business online. It acts as your digital home or office where customers can visit and learn more about you. Creating a website is not that hard, thanks to free information. But the hard part is making it an effective marketing tool that brings leads to and converts visitors into subscribers or buying customers.
And the good thing is that creating a website is cheap these days. You can even do it on yourself through the help of free tutorials online. But if you too busy to create a website by yourself, we can help you create a corporate website that’s fully SEO optimized. Click here to get started.
- Online classifieds platforms
These are platforms that connect sellers and buyers. You can use these platforms to post classifieds advertisements for your product and drive sales. One advantage of these platforms is that they already have an audience of people visiting to look for something to buy. In Tanzania, Kupatana and Zoom Tanzania are good examples.
- Using influencers
These are people with big followers on social media. They can help you reach an audience of their followers. For this to work, your business must be online first so that an influencer can direct people to you by tagging, mentioning, or sharing a link.
- Through Email
Emails marketing is good for building trust and brand loyalty and the good thing is that everyone has an email account. To do this, you need to collect email contacts of your customers (such as through signup forms)so you can engage them through newsletters or other important updates such as new products and offers.
Taking your business online is easier. However, getting awareness and recognition takes time. You need to learn the best practices of navigating different digital communication channels to grow your business.
One quick method for you to get noticed is to use paid advertisements through Facebook Ads or Google Ads. This is a quick way to jump in front of your customers in minutes!
