Are you looking for a reliable person who can help you market your business, products and services online in Kenya? Well, you have landed at the right page.
Before you visit my services and contact us pages, I would like to give you some useful tips for finding a reliable online marketer in Kenya. Take keen note of these important pointers so that you can get good value for your money.
Tips for Finding Someone to Market Your Products Online in Kenya
Of course, there are many other factors that you might want to consider but for today, these are the 10 quick ones that we will stick to. Remember, you can always add your thoughts at the comment section of this article which is at the tail-end of this article.
Tip #1:Find Someone Who Understands Internet Marketing
An online marketer should be someone who understands the A to Z of IM. Not someone who only knows how to use Facebook and Twitter.
I see many companies making the mistake of hiring a marketer on the basis of “how many friends do you have on Facebook”. Well, to tell you the truth, Facebook friends are not always potential customers for your products.
So how can you describe a person who understands internet marketing? This is a person who knows a bit of SEO, email marketing and social media marketing.
For your information SEO marketing is the strongest method of marketing and it has the best returns. Social media marketing (marketing on FB and Twitter) is quite weak and is ranked a distant third.
In other words, I’m encouraging you to work with someone who offers you a wholesome package. A person who understands how Google search engine works. A person who can build an email list for you. An individual who knows how to create trending topics on social media.
It’s difficult to find such a person, but when you find one – invest in him or her and don’t look back.
Tip #2:Blogging Skills Are Quite Important
I don’t want to say that bloggers are Kenya’s best internet marketers but going by the research I have done so far, they seem to deliver the best deal. Why and how? You might want to ask me.
Well, this is it: most bloggers have an email list of loyal subscribers who read their articles. As such a blogger can easily market you through email marketing.
Another reason why I vouch for bloggers as being the best internet marketers is that they can place a banner of your products on their homepage thereby deriving more exposure for you.
The fact that bloggers understand SEO marketing means that they can work towards getting you to rank for products that will bring you all the best customers that you would like to have.
Lastly, bloggers always know how to use social media, meaning that they have a good following that you can capitalize on anytime.
As you can see, we are talking about a combination of 3 important skills: SEO marketing + Social Media marketing + Email Marketing = More sales for you.
I may be a bit biased because I am a blogger though. Let’s move on to the next important quality of a person who can help you market your products online in Kenya.
Tip #3:Knowledge Of Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing in Kenya is quite an expansive topic because it encompasses multiple platforms that require different tricks. Ideally, you should find a person who has mastered the big 2 platforms i.e. Facebook and Twitter.
If you think that majority of your target audience is on Facebook then I would recommend you find someone who has experience in: posting in multiple groups, launching top-range Facebook Ads and a person with knowledge of running a Facebook Page.
Most people think that Facebook marketing is easy but wait till you give them an assignment and they will run helter-skelter. So it is important that you work with someone who has a track record of delivering measurable results on his marketing efforts.
As for Twitter, you need someone who knows how to take advantage of trending topics to create a buzz around your products. The quality of the audience may be a factor to consider especially if you are extremely strict with the kind of clients you would like to get.
Tip #4:Originality Of Ideas Is Quite Important
Different products require different marketing strategies and approaches. And this is where creativity and ability to think outside the box comes in handy.
A good online marketer is a person who will sit down with you and strategize on the best way forward. Not one who will rush into doing things just to make some quick money.
The online world is becoming more and more competitive everyday and you can’t afford to waste your money on a marketer who is not ready to envision the bigger picture for your company.
Here I am referring to things like: originality graphic design, originality of content created and originality in terms of filtering the customers from the jokers.
Tip #5:Availability On Phone and Email
This is actually the most basic requirement that you should consider before you hire somebody to market your products online in Kenya. You want someone you can communicate with daily so that you can harmonize your strategies.
Avoid working with people who are rarely available on social media channels. Remember, if you can’t interact freely with him or her freely chances are that he will not be available to listen to your requests once you pay for the contract.
Availability on Skype and Google Hangouts is a plus because it means that you will be able to talk with the marketer one-on-one especially when you need to clarify on some crucial issues.
Tip #6:Honesty Is The Best Policy
Do I really need to clarify the importance of honesty? Honesty is the best policy when it comes to online business. I say, never ever pay your hard earned money to a person you don’t trust.
How do you pick a trustworthy person from a conman? It’s easy. Here are a few crucial pointers you need to consider when examining if your potential digital marketer in Kenya.
(1)Proven Track Record – Look for a person who has worked with other digital companies for many years.
(2)Social Media Presence – Carry out a thorough background check of the marketer. How does he conduct himself on his social media platforms?
(3)Physical Location – Although this is not mandatory, it is important you get a rough idea of where your internet marketer works from. If he works from home; he should be at least able to tell you which estate he lives in.
(4)Personal Documents – In case you still have doubts about the honesty of your prospective you can take the initiative of requesting for government identification documents from him. Some important documents to consider requesting for include:
- Recent Passport Photo
- Copy of Original ID card
- Copy of Signed Contract Document
Once again, always take precautions before you rush to entrust anyone with your marketing project or money. It is always advisable to do a background check of the individual.
Tip #7:Someone Who Can Receive Payments Online
This is an important factor to consider especially if you are in the Diaspora and are looking for somebody to market your products over here in Kenya. You want to work with somebody who can send and receive money through PayPal as this will enable you to transact easily and securely.
And even if you are not in the Diaspora, you will still need to work with someone who knows how to make online payments. Why? You will need somebody to make a payment on your behalf to Facebook or Google so that you can run your adverts online.
If you want to buy a domain you will need somebody who knows how to make a payment to GoDaddy.
So make sure you ask your prospective online marketer in Kenya if he or she is familiar with making payments online. And even more specifically, if he or she is familiar with PayPal and how to withdraw money from PayPal in Kenya – quite important.
Tip #8:Experience and Exposure
Anyone out there will tell you that they are in a position to market but wait until you give them the opportunity to work for you and you’ll be shocked.
What I’m I trying to say here? Experience and exposure in marketing are the most precious assets your chosen internet marketer should posses.
What I’m I trying to say here? Experience and exposure in marketing are the most precious assets your chosen internet marketer should posses.
If you are looking for somebody who to market your products online, make sure to inquire about their experience. Some typical questions that you can ask them include:
- For how long have you been marketing stuff online?
- Have you ever worked with another client and can you give me their name?
- What different methods of online marketing are you familiar with?
- If I give you this opportunity to work for me what kind of results can you promise to deliver?
Of course, these are not the only questions that you can ask. Ask anything that ascertains the credibility of the prospective marketer. Once again, I would advise you not to rush into paying anyone until you are totally sure that he or she is capable of delivering the results that you desire.
Tip #9:Someone Who Understand The Language Of Your Audience
Different products require different types of buyers. For instance, if you are marketing toys; chances are that your audience will mainly comprise of young parents. If you are marketing health solutions for aging skin, your typical audience will most likely comprise of middle-aged individuals.
Now you want your marketer to be capable of interacting with your right audience. The last thing you want is a marketer who cannot speak the language of your audience.
As you know, majority of Kenyans who have the spending power to buy stuff online are very choosy and they might just ignore your company if by any chance your marketer doesn’t know how to woo them.
I have seen cases of companies which hired marketers who did not know how to meet the needs of the audience. And as you would expect, the results were disastrous.
- Only hire marketers who are capable of blending with multiple audiences
- Look for a person who can speak and write good English and Swahili
- Invest in a marketer who knows how to use a salesy language that captures your audience’s attention
Now, let’s move on into the very last tip. I hope you have been taking notes and that you are ready to tell me what you think via the comment box.
Tip #10:Data Person
If you are looking for a digital marketer in Kenya, you definitely need someone who is good at compiling good reports of his progress in the field. If you are running a twitter campaign, you want to work with a person who can report to you the extent of your campaign’s reach.
As you know, data is an important ingredient in any marketing campaign as it provides you with a platform to track your return on investment.
Don’t work with a person who is not ready to commit to giving you a report of the progress. Good marketers always have some time in their busy schedules to prepare either a monthly or weekly report of the work in progress.
Final Words;
Kenya’s online market is ripe! And if you are looking to start marketing your products to an audience in this great destination you need to do your homework. Remember, marketers who know the trade don’t give their services off cheaply, and as such you must be prepared to spend a decent sum if you want to see good results.
I would like to hear from you; I’m fully available for consultations on this topic and you can always contact me anytime. Kindlly subscribe to my mailing list and let's keep the debate going.
