The digital marketing landscape in Kenya has changed drastically over the last few years. It's almost unrecognizable compared to what it was just a few short years ago.
And while there are certainly still many challenges that need to be addressed, there's also a lot of promise for those who know where to look and how to navigate these new waters.
So without further ado, here are some of the most important trends we'll be keeping our eye on over the next year or so:
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Deeper Mobile Penetration
Kenya is a mobile-first country. It’s one of the most progressive countries in Africa, reaching an all-time high mobile penetration rate of 84% in 2018. This means that almost every person in Kenya owns a smartphone or has access to one.
Mobile usage has increased by more than 50% since 2016 and is expected to reach over 100 million by 2023!
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Cheaper Mobile Internet
Kenya’s mobile internet rates have never been this cheap. With Safaricom and Airtel competing to offer the cheapest mobile internet, you can now get more data at a lower price than ever.
Mobile internet bundles are cheaper than they used to be, and so is the cost per megabit of data. There’s increased competition between service providers offering data deals that help users save money on their monthly internet bills.
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Cross Platform Messaging
This new trend has seen brands using multiple platforms to reach their target audience. This means that, instead of relying on just one platform, such as Facebook, they are now using multiple social media platforms to reach the same target audience at different times.
The advantage of this approach is that it allows brands to engage with their customers on different channels at any given time and, in this way, create awareness about their products/services even when no specific event or activity is happening.
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After-Sales Customer Engagement
The AJ Center Digital Marketing Trends survey reveals that 65% of Kenyan businesses consider customer service an important part of their digital marketing strategy.
Customer service is one of those things that will make or break you as a business owner or entrepreneur.
It’s an essential building block for any thriving business model and helps foster good relationships with customers and employees alike!
Customer service can mean answering questions about products/services through various channels like email/chat apps, resolving issues on time according to agreed SLAs (Service Level Agreements), or being friendly towards your clients!
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Big Data Collection
Big data collection is the process of collecting and organizing data. This can be done through various sources, including social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Big data collection is prevalent on e-commerce websites such as Jiji, Google Analytics or Google Adwords, Safaricom’s Lipa Na Mpesa program, and mobile device usage data such as WhatsApp chats.
Big data can analyze customer behavior patterns for marketing purposes and direct messaging. For example, a brand might want to know what content engages its audience on social media or how the weather affects its sales in certain areas at different times of the year.
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Tiktok Videos
Several brands have already started using Tiktok to reach young people, and it will only grow in popularity.
TikTok is an app that allows users to create short videos—15 seconds or less—and share them with others. It has more than 1 billion downloads worldwide, allowing brands to market themselves through this social media platform. And what better way than by making TikTok ads?
One example of a successful TikTok ad would be Jumia Travel Kenya's #No1CarRentalBrand campaign which uploaded videos showcasing its rental cars and trucks in various locations in Nairobi, such as National Museum or Karen car park, among others.
The video was so popular that some Kenyans didn't even know about Jumia Travel until they saw it!
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Fake News and Clickbait
Clickbait is a marketing strategy to attract website users to click on links to web pages to increase revenue by advertising.
It often uses sensationalized headlines or eye-catching thumbnail pictures (that don’t necessarily represent the article) to lure readers into clicking through their links.
Fake news is a form of yellow journalism that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or online social media.
Clickbait is grey hat. Fake news is black hat marketing; both have potentially negative consequences for businesses if done improperly because they can cause distrust among consumers toward brands they previously trusted.
Conclusion
The digital marketing trends in Kenya are exciting to watch, and we can’t wait to see what happens next. As the country continues to develop its infrastructure, more people will be able to access the internet and technology regularly.
This means that there will be more opportunities for companies who want their products or services available online.
