In the internet marketing arena, search engine optimisation is the continuous process of tweaking your website so as to ensure that when your potential traffic searches for your goods or services, it’s either the highest-ranked page or among the top pages to appear in a search engine’s results pages. Optimising your website involves these basic steps.

First, your website has to be accessible by search engines’ spiders. Search engines’ spiders crawl through the internet searching for content to add to their list. If they encounter barriers when they visit your site then your content won’t be indexed. Picture your competitors being listed in a directory and your business missing in action. Scary, isn’t it.

Second, your website must be easy to navigate. Nothing puts off and encourages visitors to leave a website more than an architecture that looks like it was designed more for extra terrestrials and less for human beings. Even if you score high marks for ease of navigation, visitors have to find what they are looking for. If you sell Kenyan tea on your site but the link they click on when your site comes up on search engines takes them to an empty page, they will leave. Your pages must load quickly, though this is one area you have no control of because it will depend on your ISP. SME owners usually sign up with the cheapest ISP because of budgetary constraints, but if their speeds are slow you will have no option but to sign up with a more expensive ISP who gives you quicker speeds, especially if you are targeting foreign traffic who have little patience with slow loading pages.

Third, update your content regularly because search engines treat stale content like you would treat yesterday’s newspaper: the news has lost value, so they downgrade your site. If you attend a fair, talk about it. If you add a new product or remove an existing one, put that information. If you have researched on your industry and want to share the findings, upload that information and request your visitors to download it. If you agree/disagree with a new government policy that will affect your business, share your views and encourage your visitors comment. If you experience disappointments like power rationing that might delay product delivery, post this information. Don’t forget to use keywords in your content that relate to your industry because keywords are the guide dogs that lead potential visitors to your site. So if you operate a car hire business, put ‘car hire’ somewhere in your content.  While you engage in updating content, ensure your grammar and syntax are excellent. You can get away with ‘kizungu ilikuja na meli’ if your SME does business only in Kenya, but if you want to attract foreign clients, that attitude won’t wash.

Fourth, give attention to your site the same way you do to your car. Check for broken links and if you find them, repair them. Experiment with different colours and fonts.

Fifth, search engines sometimes announce changes in the way they rank websites which can suddenly make your website lose a few positions. In such cases you may have to do a pay-per-click campaign that will restore your website to its original position.

Sixth, monitor your website for statistics such as where your visitors come from, how much time they spend on your site, what they buy the most, etc. You can use the Google Analytics tool for these analyses by implanting a special code on those website pages that you want to mine data from. This information will not only make your overall internet marketing efforts easier, but they will also allow you to know what keywords to optimise your website for.

One mistake you as an SME owner can commit in internet marketing is build a website, cross your fingers and hope it will attract traffic that will convert to sales.

The same way you market your SME offline via tools such as referrals, attending fairs, promotions, etc is what you will have to do for your website. The only difference when you open’ your website is that you will have to market it via the internet. One tactic you can apply is by joining a forum. Wikipedia defines a forum as “…an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages.” Think of it as the online equivalent of joining your trade association.

Start by searching for a forum specific to your SME line of business. If you specialize in car hire services, type a keyword like ‘car hire services forums’ on Google and examine the results. Second, join one or more forums and then comment on the trending (matters at hand) topics. Commenting on and initiating topics is a great way of not only marketing your expertise but also your website because you can leave links with a line like ‘I experienced a similar situation once, for the full story, please visit my site www…’ If traffic visits your site and finds the content you referred them to fascinating, they will reward your site by recommending the link to others. This action is called building back links because their recommendations will link back to your site, which in turn pushes up your ranking by search engines because your site is attracting considerable traffic. And who knows, some of your website visitors may want to hire a car when they visit Nairobi. If you diversify to another area such as hospitality and you can’t afford or don’t wish to build a separate website for it, then create a separate page for it on your existing website and then join another forum that deals with hospitality. Don’t forget to post the specific link to your hospitality page because visitors get irritated and leave when they land on a page they aren’t interested in.

However, don’t be carried away commenting in forums until you forget to update your content. Search engines will punish stale news by ranking your website further down the search engine results pages and that’s not only disastrous for your internet marketing efforts, but also to your reputation at the forums.

Even though social media marketing is an inexpensive and measurable method of building and maintain an enthusiastic online community that will boost your brand, one fact you have to remember that this community is composed of human beings and exciting content is what will keep them engaged with your brand.
Below are 5 ways you can excite your community.

1. Post different content forms

Don’t assume content is synonymous with words only. It includes video, photo and audio too. Ensure your content mix is balanced because different community members prefer different content.

2. Update content regularly

Avoid the ‘one content fits all platforms’ temptation. What your community members view on Facebook shouldn’t be ‘photocopied’ to your Twitter tweets. In addition, content, especially tweets and Facebook statuses updates, shouldn’t park in your accounts all day. Update at least thrice a day. Otherwise your community members will assume you are doing a copy and paste job.

3. Associate your business with a cause

One tactic that will earn your social media marketing campaign bonus points (and a surge in traffic, albeit temporary) is by aligning your brand with initiatives like the recently concluded Kenyans 4 Kenya.

Keep content about your participation minimal otherwise you will be regarded as a publicity seeking pig. Instead, ask your community to voice their views on issues unleashed by such disasters such as agricultural policy, irrigation and extension services.

A temporary diversion from brand-related content shows that your business cares about – and desires to – be involved in solving real-world challenges.

4 Massage their emotions

Nothing makes an impact on your community’s emotions than that feeling that your business considers them special. So special that they are the first to know of new products and services and also the first to try out the beta versions, so special that they are the first to be invited to the launch parties, so special they are the first to know of upcoming price discounts, so special that you’re the first to send them birthday wishes, etc. You can never go wrong with massaging your community members’ emotions.

5) Emergency responses

Unfortunately, like all relationships, sometimes you and your community members will experience turbulent times. This situation usually arises when businesses experience disasters and their responses are inadequate. Remember BP’s 2010 PR disaster after an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

You will be tempted to respond with a ‘know-it-all’ reply. Resist that temptation. Respond politely with a line like, “Thank you for your observation, we are doing our best to contain the situation…”  In these emergencies, constant communication is essential, otherwise your community will suspect you are being evasive. Nothing contributes to your community’s alienation (and possible defection) than defensiveness and evasiveness.

Implementing the five social media marketing tactics above is a strong way to anchor your social media marketing strategy on a stable surface.

Kenya’s current economic weather is hostile to businesses, particularly SMEs. The wobbling shilling (currently converting at 97.58 to the US$, having lost 19% of its value since January 2011), rising fuel, raw material and electricity prices are some factors that make running your SME nightmarish.    

Despite those and other hazards in your business environment, your SME still has to attract new customers. The current options of radio, print, TV, events, etc to achieve this goal are not only prohibitively expensive for your SME’s short-term financial health, but tracking their effectiveness is impossible. Word of mouth from satisfied clients is an inexpensive way of getting new business, but you can exponentially increase its effectiveness via social media.

Priceless return on investment

That’s why you should consider social media marketing to complement your other marketing efforts. Approximately 4 million Kenyans could access the Internet by June 2011, and a million of them had Facebook accounts, according to statistics from Internet World Stats.

Imagine if you could cultivate a relationship with your target audience on Facebook. The contagion from their ‘liking’ and recommending your SME could extend to their friends overseas: priceless. You’ll be wondering what your competitors are on about when they complain that, “Biashara ni mbaya.” And you haven’t covered other popular social media marketing territories like Twitter and Linkedin yet.

Our social media marketing team at Pamoja Media will be honoured to work with you in compiling and implementing a relevant social media marketing strategy that delivers a return on your investment for your SME. Contact us today.

Last year, budget allocations and ad spending on online marketing surpassed that of the traditional media in the US. This is the direction our region is taking; but at a much faster rate than the West did. Just two years ago, over 60% of the activities carried online in Kenya would only have been considered a myth. The push for online activities have driven the priced for modems and broadband connections drastically down.

Next came the main technological tools meant for Africa; mobile phones. The cost of smart phones and tablets has reduced. The rise in mobile browsers and locally developed applications for Internet-enabled phones provided the needed kick for this sector to grow. Android has a special mention in this sector. Similar to the success Android has had globally in the smart phone market, this operating system has been the leading smart phone OS in the Kenyan market. The affordable IDEOS from Huawei has been quite successful in Kenya.

As a result, local developers have stepped into this new avenue, creating local solutions to local problems in all sectors including agriculture, health, education etc. Locally developed apps and sites provide an invaluable portfolio for brands to showcase and grow markets – reaching a target audience within this region.

The new order in marketing is that of brands following the masses. The power of numbers cannot be better displayed than through the growth of social networks and social media marketing. The Facebook phenomenon has shaped governments and institutions in Africa. The Arab spring that saw the ouster of leaders in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya is a powerful testament to the power of social media. This is the epitome of online communities reaching their maturity, shifting from a “fun and hanging out” platform to a more decisive and impact oriented gatherings. The same decision making and discussions have extended from the politically oriented conversations to products, services and brands. Budgets for online PR and monitoring are slowly increasing now that executives open up to the fact that these conversations are growing. This provides an avenue for brands to lead conversations and threaten their markets.

Traditional media has become congested and thus more expensive. Companies are now looking for a cheaper, more effective option of reaching out to a highly segmented audience. The low entry barriers for marketing online coupled with intensive tracking and analytic tools have proved to be most resourceful for selling brands online. This is especially true for SMEs and start-ups that have to muscle their way to the top using the most cost-effective means. The audience has also become more segmented through specific platforms and communities based on age, geographic location and interests.

Some leading global Internet brands have set up shop in Kenya with the country pegged as a leader in ICT across the African continent. Internet search and marketing giant Google has its Africa headquarters in Nairobi and held the GKenya conference earlier in September 2011 for the second time running. A key strategy for the company is to grow the number of businesses going online and eventually using their products.

The final blow is the youth. In search of income while studying, college kids nowadays spend time online to find research writing jobs thus end up creating mini-BPOs in their rooms. Upon graduation, these youths have gained an understanding of how the online scene works. This means they graduate into other money-making ventures by starting e-commerce sites or running community-based platforms. Both of these require highly developed skills in interacting with people online. It is this naturally acquired skill and experience that companies are now tapping into to execute online marketing campaigns and grow their brands.

We are therefore witnessing a positive growth of internet marketing in Africa. With 25% of the population with access to the Internet both through PC and mobile devices, we are optimistic about the growth of the industry.

If you find that simultaneously balancing your business’various demands and marketing your business on social media sites is unmanageable, or you don’t have an employee sorely dedicated to this aspect of this online business, you are better off contracting this function to a specialist company.

Finding the right social media marketing company

Finding an online marketing company to take care of your social media needs should be a simple process thanks to the internet. A Google search is a good start. To make your search easier, type keywords based on your subject and location such as: ‘social media marketing agencies in Nairobi’ or ‘social media marketing companies in Kenya,’ etc which will bring relevant answers on the search engine’s results pages.

Your potential social media marketing agency should possess the following minimum assets once you have compiled a shortlist and invited them to pitch for your business: The willingness to understand to your business environment, the ability to engage you in mapping out a relevant social media strategy and tactics, knowledge about social media marketing (staff) and current trends, the capability to analyse results of your social media campaigns and how they affect your business, speed in responding to your queries and a portfolio of work done in this arena and other internet marketing spheres such as website development. Speak to former clients to confirm that the agency is what it says it is.

Finally, chemistry is vital because without it, you and your agency won’t get along.

Keep tabs

Once you select a social media marketing agency and sign a contract, don’t assume it’s the end of the ‘chase’. Follow up constantly to ensure that your chosen partner is meeting and exceeding your social media marketing goals.

If you need a social media marketing agency that will both compile a great social media marketing strategy unique for your business and execute it, talk to Pamoja Media today.

A well-planned social media marketing strategy will contribute to your company’s online marketing success.

One of best websites you should definitely include in your social marketing efforts is Facebook. This social network currently boasts 750 million active members worldwide. Half of them spend approximately one hour daily updating their statuses, posting photographs and video links, and commenting on their friends’ statuses, etc. More than 30% of Facebook users use their mobile phones and other hand held devices to browse this site. One tactic you should begin with is creating a profile page for your business free on Facebook and then requesting your friends, suppliers, employees, etc to ‘like’ it. But that’s not enough, you have to keep the page fresh by updating content regularly and responding to your customers’ comments, complaints, and so forth. These measures will allow your initial base of users to recommend it to their Facebook friends who will then recommend it to their friends…

Twitter is another popular social media marketing website you can’t ignore in your optimization efforts. It currently has more than 250 million users worldwide. Again, it’s free to create your account there and then begin posting content also known as ‘tweeting’. Follow that up by asking your friends, suppliers, employees, etc to follow your business. But that’s not enough, you have to keep the page fresh by updating content regularly and responding to your customers’ comments, complaints, and so forth. These measures will allow your initial base of users to recommend it to their Twitter followers, who will then recommend it to their followers… Just remember to keep your tweets at 140 characters maximum, otherwise the excess copy won’t be published.

Another great website to include in your social media marketing planning is YouTube. It’s the world’s most popular video sharing website, with over 3 billion videos viewed daily! You can record a video explaining your company’s goods and services and then upload it on your account. Follow that by up by sending the link to your Facebook and Twitter friends and followers respectively to get the account on its feet. But that’s not enough, you have to keep your account fresh by updating content regularly and responding to your customers’ comments, complaints, and so forth. These measures will allow your initial base of users to recommend it to their Facebook and Twitter friends, who will then recommend it to their friends…

If your business needs a social marketing strategy that will nurture and grow your business and complement your other online marketing efforts and contribute to your return on investment, talk to Pamoja Media http://pamojamedia.com/services/online-services/social-media-campaigns/ like yesterday.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) last Friday announced that its Founding Patron and renowned Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter, will participate in workshops and address the Foundation’s first class of interns, capping the inaugural African Markets Internship Programme (tonyAMIP) that has placed some of the world’s brightest young business students in executive suites in African owned businesses across the continent.

Professor Porter, recognised as the father of the modern strategy field and ranked globally as the most influential thinker on management and competitiveness, will speak at the TEF programme’s session-ending events on Sunday afternoon, August 7, 2011.

Professor Porter will lead two strategy workshops with the interns and the host business CEOs in which they will discuss their projects and lessons from the programme before the group and receive feedback, thoughts and strategic consultation on the way forward. The sessions will include a focus on the industries represented in the 2011 programme—media, agriculture, private equity.

“Our African Markets Internship Programme combines two ingredients that could put Africa on the fast-track to transformation: top-tier students whose talents we bring to bear in the world’s fastest-growing markets and the world’s keenest business minds, such as Michael Porter, whose ideas have shaped national markets and triggered regional development,” said Founder of TEF and Chairman of Heirs Holdings Tony O. Elumelu, MFR. “It is unique in Africa.”

AMIP is a 10-week internship programme, pairing students from Africa’s top business schools with students from elite business schools in Europe and the United States. The interns participate in intensive, highly structured programmes at fast growing African owned firms.

In his keynote address, on “Creating Shared Value,” Porter will discuss his paradigms on operating business efficiently and solving social challenges, which can be applied to the 10-week projects the interns worked on, as well as work with the host businesses CEOs to think through strategies to overcome industry and environmental challenges in the different regions of the continent.

“Over the next few years, Africa will approach a turning point in its economic development,” Porter said. “Its key business leaders could reinvent capitalism on both a local and continental scale if they are able to unleash innovation to drive growth in this region’s economies. As such, the fate of Africa rests upon the shoulders of a new generation of entrepreneurs and visionary corporate leaders.”

According to Efe Odeleye, programme manager for TEF’s AMIP, “This new generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders can be found at both ends of AMIP, as interns and host businesses. They represent the diversity and depth of African innovation and talent, and also demonstrate the interest of top business students from outside the continent in making contributions to Africa’s growth through the private sector.”

This diversity can be observed through the different projects the interns have embarked on. Over her internship in Nigeria, Julia Otis, a Yale School of Management first year student, interned with NN24 where she undertook an extensive market study to determine the cable news station’s audience, reach and perception in their quest to become “the African CNN”. Julia has rolled her market study into broader analyses that projects NN24’s outlook, and makes recommendations to the management team on the way forward. CEO of NN24, Anthony Dara, called her work “critical, timely and key to redefining our image and honing our viewership base.”

In all, 11 host businesses in Lagos, Nigeria, Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya, all led by individuals in their thirties or forties, have added capacity, knowledge, and in some cases, financing to their businesses as a result of the programme. In Lagos, Brandeis University International Business School first-year student and banker, Azuka Okofu, helped his host business, E-Motion Advertising to close a multi-million dollar investment deal with the Swiss government. E-Motion controls prime advertising real estate along four kilometers of one of Lagos’ most valuable expressways that cuts through the heart of the commercial center, Victoria Island. “We could not have done it without him” remarked CEO Simdul Shagaya.

In Nairobi, Christian Haukaas, 2011 IESE graduate, worked with two of Kenya’s leading innovative young companies, Craft Silicon and Pamoja Media. Christian performed a market study and business plan consultancy for Craft Silicon, which provides backend business solutions for banking institutions in more than 30 countries worldwide. While at Pamoja Media, Christian has worked to construct an innovative mobile-accessible platform to help improve yields for smallholder farmers throughout Kenya. Joshua Wanyama, CEO of Pamoja and TED Fellow, has turned the web advertising agency into a multi-purpose firm, creatively bringing his company’s technical savvy to bear on Kenya’s agricultural realities.

Cameroonian AMIP intern, Zekebweliwai Geh, Harvard Kennedy School first year, who brings experience from his work at the IFC to Injaro Investments, a Ghanaian private equity firm with a presence in a few of West Africa’s English and French speaking countries. Zeke is working on deals that expand the number of impact investments in the region. “Zeke’s keen understanding of finance, dexterity with models, and holistic developmental underpinning is making him a effective team member when it comes to Injaro’s impact investment deals, regardless of whether they’re in in Ghana or Burkina Faso,” says Jerry Parkes, MD of Injaro Investments.

Harvard Business Review recently featured a blog from Tony O. Elumelu, MFR, “What Tomorrow’s Leaders Are Learning in Africa Right Now”, about TEF’s AMIP and the critical need for Africa to establish leadership in home markets first.

Through TEF and Heirs Holdings, Elumelu uses his experience and resources to spur African development. The internship programme, for example, seeks to infuse the private sector with business talent that serves African interests by using market tools to solve these problems while meeting demand in burgeoning markets.

“Professor Porter’s commentary and his ideas can only drive home the significance of the interns’ life-altering experiences, which included making executive presentations and contributing to decision making processes at host companies,” said the Foundation’s CEO, Dr. Wiebe Boer. “The internship creates a pipeline of talent to serve Africa’s interests and opens recruitment opportunities for African firms. The internship also takes on global significance. If the interns decide to leave Africa, their experiences will be transferable to emerging markets worldwide.”

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Original post from the World Stage Group website
Image from the Wharton Africa Business Forum

The phrase ‘Living under a dollar a day’ has almost become synonymous with living in sub-Sahara Africa. In Kenya for example we hear of the Great Rift which is basically the bread basket of our nation having food crisis annually, yet the salt of the earth farmers toil year round trying to meet their basic needs.

Yet if you look at our export yield it never changes and no one complains that Kenya is not producing enough. The prime reason is lack of Information Access by the rural farmer who basically does not reap what he/she sows.

Another example of inability to make informed decisions is a rabbit rearer. How many people know the market price of rabbits? You will find that a farmer will sell at a sub-standard rate for a well bred animal. How will he know this? From a newspaper? From the radio station?

Kenya is among African states that has seen the phenomenal rise in Mobile Subscription of 24,968,891 people and an estimated Data usage of 10,199,83 people.

How can we leverage this technology to give information to these subscribers who are farmers and have purchased these devices. Pamoja Media was awarded a grant by The Rockefeller Foundation to develop a platform that would create a communication platform for farmers and would use the Web, mobile internet, and java apps.

We have tackled this issue by developing the Ukulima.net platform.

We have created a social network for farmers that allows them to track and connect to networks that they feel they share a common interest with. Why create another social network you ask? First of all, the other social networks do not address the needs of farmers like having a Knowledge Base that consists of content by crowdsourcing through question and answer method. Second, we need to create a simple enough tool that speaks the language of the farmer. Swahili version is one of the initiative we are looking to get Open Source developers onto. Third is where you as a developer can put in the greatest value: Application Development and Core Extension

We have developed the Platform on CodeIgniter which is an Open Source MVC Framework. Given this paradigm, it is easy to work on logic and presentation separately. We have worked on Libraries that conduct all the functions of registering, messaging, updating, commenting and others which means extending the core is as easy as developing custom libraries that we have already set the template for.

For Application Developers we have created an API that allows devs to register and using the oAuth protocols all you need is the key and secret provided to transact between our servers. The API documentation is currently growing with our beta site.

This will give space for all types of apps to be developed from the ubiquitous Android devices to the more trendy iOS devices and Symbian smart phones. Let us tackle the UKULIMA CHALLENGE

RESOURCES:
GitHub Repo of the platform: Ukulima
Beta Site: http://www.ukulima.net/
Dev Resources: http://www.ukulima.net/dev/
API Sign Up: http://www.ukulima.net/developer/
API Documentation: http://www.ukulima.net/developer/wiki/

For any inquiries please email me at comark@pamojamedia.com

Last year, budget allocations and ad spending on online marketing surpassed that of the traditional media in the US. This is the direction our region is taking; but at a much faster rate than the West did. Just two years ago, over 60% of the things we can now do online would only be considered a myth. The push for online activities have driven the priced for modems and broadband connections drastically down.

Next came the main technological tools meant for Africa; mobile phones. The cost of smart phones and tablets have reduced. The rise in mobile browsers and locally developed applications for Internet-enabled phones provided the needed kick for this sector to grow. Android has a special mention in this sector. As a result, local developers have stepped into this new avenue, creating local solutions to local problems in all sectors including agriculture, health, education etc. Locally developed apps and sites provide an invaluable portfolio for brands to showcase and grow markets – reaching a target audience within this region.

The new order in marketing is that of brands following the masses. The power of numbers can not be better displayed than through the growth of social networks. The Facebook phenomena has shaped governments and institutions in Africa. Mention Egypt, Tunisia and even threatening Museveni’s rule in Uganda. This is the epitome of online communities reaching their maturity, shifting from a “fun and hanging out” platform to a more decisive and impact oriented gatherings. The same decision making and discussions are have extended from the politically oriented conversations to products, services and brands. Budgets for online PR and monitoring are slowly increasing now that executives open up to the fact that these conversations are growing. This provides an avenue for brands to lead conversations and threaten their markets.

Traditional media has become congested and thus more expensive. Companies are now looking for a cheaper, more effective option of reaching out to a highly segmented audience. The low entry barriers for marketing online coupled with intensive tracking and analytic tools have proved to be most resourceful for selling brands online. This is especially for SMEs and start-ups that have to muscle their way to the top using the most cost-effective means. The audience has also become more segmented through specific platforms and communities, mostly based on age, geographic location and interests.

The final blow are the youth. In search of income while studying, college kids now days spend time online to find research writing jobs thus end up creating mini-BPOs in their rooms. Upon graduation, these youths have gained an understanding of how the online scene works. This means they graduate into other money-making ventures by starting e-commerce sites or running community-based platforms. Both of these require a highly developed skills in interacting with people online. It is this naturally acquired skill and experience that companies are now tapping into to execute online marketing campaigns and grow their brands.

…………………….
This article was featured in the June 2011 edition of the CIO East Africa Magazine (Issue3 pg13)