The word "influencer" raises a lot of mixed feelings among business/brand owners in Uganda. Some have testified to get value for money while others consider it an absolute hoax and don't even want to hear the word.
Influencers are key to business/brand growth because if you get your homework done right then you've hit the jackpot. The biggest selling point of an effective influencer is the power of "word of mouth" which ultimately means you are benefiting from referral marketing.
The Facts Of Habit
9 out of 10 people will choose to associate with your brand if the reviews or conversations around it are positive. It also applies if relevant authorities in the given industry, whose opinion is held in high regard, give a thumbs up for your product/service. They basically influence purchase habits or use their followings to "bias" people towards your brand.
According to a study by MediaKix, 17% of companies devoted more than half of their marketing budget to influencer marketing in 2019. The study showed that 18% of companies will spend between $100,000 and $500,000 per year solely on influencer campaigns. Source: Big Commerce
The challenge for Ugandan businesses
More often than not, the approach for Ugandan businesses to influencer marketing is one of total guesswork. It is marketing suicide to employ any strategy for your brand from a point of ignorance. Sadly, this is something very common; brands are infatuated with "vanity metrics" that they do not closely do their background check.
However, the biggest question we always pose is; How much do business owners understand the effectiveness of choosing influencers that are a perfect fit for their product or industry?
Ruby Marketing did a small survey among a number of CEOs, founders, and other decision-makers higher up the echelon. We discovered that there is little knowledge on the subject and huge bias on hiring a dedicated professional or an agency, which was considered an unnecessary cost (Keep in mind we are in 2021 where the world is going digital).
What's amusing is they somehow still engage in influencer marketing which leads to ineffective financial spend on the strategy and eventually a disgruntled business owner that prematurely concludes that it is nothing but a scam.
Back To Basics
What exactly is influencer marketing: Simply put, influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from individuals/brand personalities whose following views them as experts on a given subject or those who have grown their online traffic enough to garner a reaction to a given subject.
Influencer marketing is better leveraged when telling a compelling story rather than constant sales bombardments.
Breaking down the type of influencers in Uganda
- General/reach specific influencers: these are not experts in a given field but have a dedicated following that enjoys and engages with their kind of content. They are ideal for creating awareness on products/services that cut across people of diverse demographics and interests.
- Industry-specific / niche influencers: These position themselves as authorities in particular fields and are looked upon for their opinion on that given field. These normally have a smaller more devoted following but can also have large followings in some circumstances. They have a higher chance of impacting buyer decision-making as compared to the previous category. For instance travel bloggers.
Things to consider when choosing an influencer in Uganda
- Establish what you need; reach or niche; are you looking for a wider more general reach or a more particular in-depth discussion among a group?
- Focus on relevance; make sure that they are relevant to the product you intend to market
- Check their engagement rates; how much their followings engage with them can give you a picture of how impactful they will be. (engagement over a number of followers)
- Consider if the following they have is in your target market
- Know whom your target market aspires to; understand whom they follow or whom they listen to
- Familiarize yourself with their kind of content and see if the tone, voice, and style align with your brand
- Look for potential red flags; not every conversation is a good one, protect your brand equity by avoiding those embroiled in all kinds of PR crisis
Some ways of measuring the effectiveness of the influencers you use for your brand campaigns
- Direct sales tracked with campaign codes
- Website traffic during the time period
- Social media mentions from the conversations created
- Post engagement rate/shares on the given campaign content
- Social media following increases during the stipulated time
- Email subscriptions from the campaign
- Free trial sign-ups
- Creating lead forms/landing pages with a link you can share with your influencers
Our passion is to see Ugandan brands/businesses embrace digital marketing and its variety of strategies. You are one call/text away from a FREE CONSULTATION on how to get started with influencer marketing for your business.
Call the number +256783139371 or click HERE for a direct WhatsApp chat
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