Written by N.G. Onuoha, Journalist and Publishing Editor, Africa.com
You are officially open for business, and you’re wondering
how to draw your first customers. You try traditional routes such as
word-of-mouth, radio ads and billboard posters, but none of your marketing
methods are bringing in the numbers you want. You even build a website, but the
engagement numbers are lagging.
In today’s business market, the average entrepreneur can
tell you numerous stories about their efforts to grab the attention of a
potential customer. A Gallup poll published in December 2014 shows the number
of people who currently own a business in Sub-Saharan Africa has increased
between 2011 to 2014. The survey found 22 percent of the region identify as an
“entrepreneur.”
In Africa, marketing to people across the continent has
become a tricky game -- success seems only for the brand with the biggest
budget or the who's-who roster of supporters. Fortunately, within the last
decade a cheaper, more direct channel for business marketing has emerged:
mobile.
There is no ignoring Africa as a global hub of the mobile
revolution. The widening access to cell phone technology has attracted large
corporations such as IBM and Microsoft; created opportunities of social
conscious innovators; and kept Africans in the more rural villages connected.
It is the second-largest market for mobile, and the continent has embraced the
technology, completing tasks such as farming and banking with the ease of a
‘click’ and ‘send.’
A Pew Research Center study titled “Cell phones in
Africa: Communication Lifeline” and
published in April 2015, highlights the leapfrogging of the continent.
Researchers surveyed Africans living in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and
Tanzania in 2002. They followed up in 2014, and data shows a spike in all
countries, including Kenya which began with 10% cell phone ownership and jumped
up to 82%, 34% of which are smartphones.
East Africans have arguably been the biggest consumers and
integrators of mobile, leading a payment revolution with popular program,
M-Pesa, as the foundation. In “Lions Go Digital:
The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa,” McKinsey’s
researchers point out the impact of digital technology on financial services.
An increase in the technology could lead to an estimated 60 percent of people on the continent
having “access to banking services by 2025, with more than 90 percent using
mobile wallets for daily transactions and remittances.”
So why mobile for the business owner?
Sell Your Product At
The Click of A Button. E-commerce is a fast-growing industry on
the continent, reaping large benefits from the popularity and ease of mobile
payment. Have a shirt you want to sell? How about a lodge with a great deal for
travelers? Make it easy for the consumer. Allowing your customer to
conveniently purchase your product will surely increase sales.
Meet the Consumer
Where They Are (Literally). You will not have to wait for their car
to pass your billboard on the highway, and you will not have to argue about the
time slot of your radio ad. Meet your target audience where they are by making
your site mobile-friendly. Incorporate tools such as social media plug-ins to
keep your visitors connected to your brand.
Need help getting
started? Africa.com’s Mobile Website building service is helping
small businesses get online first, smart and fast. Visit go.africa.com and get started.
About
the Author:
N.G. Onuoha
Ngozi
“N.G.” Onuoha is a Nigerian journalist and Publishing Editor at
Africa.com. She earned her Masters Degree from Columbia Graduate School
of Journalism and also holds a B.A. in English from the City College of New
York (CUNY). Ms. Onuoha has been a contributing writer and event
coordinator for a number of emerging Africa-centric organizations. She is the
Africa.com staff representative on the President’s Advisory Council for Doing
Business in Africa and has been guest speaker for the Association of African
Studies Programs at Johns Hopkins University.
