How many products are you selling with your social media target campaigns?
The internet scene in Kenya is full of online retail shops. Their proprietors have regrettably not yet scratched the online commerce surface enough to reveal what’s beneath.
Right now, the local industry has been reduced to following a hunch. Someone thinks that beneath the rubble lies an ore full of gold metal. The gold rush is on I guess and no one can stop
Viral illustration by Info.insitesoft.com
the prospectors. The question here is what else you are looking at that has yet to show promising results.
A decade ago, internet costs were prohibitive for many Kenyans. Today the cost of equipment is the only limiting factor for many entrepreneurs. There are far more people entering the internet business sphere compared to those who are leaving out of frustration.
The reason for this could be the ever-persuading news and rumour (to some) about online opportunities. Another one could be that as Kenyans, it is more enticing to wish for greener pastures than to install an irrigation system in our backyard.
This post looks at where the trend is going. Like a swarm of bees, people will follow the money. After the online dukas, we shall see online malls. What everyone now considers as social media sites are essentially malls.
Yes, they all started with only a simple commodity: You can update your status. Later on, new mini shops appear to complement the main service. Soon the site becomes a great place to hangout for many people. The owners start receiving requests from vendors. They create space within the site and rent it out to the vendors who may sublet or sell their own wares.
Look at LinkedIn and its humble beginnings. Now, there are apps running on the site that leverage your career development. You can buy file hosting, career improvements, attach books, make presentations and start a group (called meeting rentals) and many more exciting things.
Look at twitter and its modesty. In a few months, you will be able to target your tweets to specific visitors or users. You will eventually be able to use the proposed feature to segment your followers and talk to them differently.
Now, you can have your update placed at the entrance of the twitter mall. When users enter, they see your update first, before everything else. The service will be available to you once you pay (sponsor) for it. More is still to come.
Facebook too has been transforming itself very fast. Now, there is an app feature. Companies like cloudcrowd allow you to work using their app; earning money while just logged into your Facebook account.
You can participate in gaming competitions, win and even spend the cash in other events and features on Facebook. Just like in actual public places; preachers, conmen, activists and many other groups of people have their camps at the Facebook mall/market.
Always remember, innovation is not necessarily bringing out a new thing. It could be that you merely increased the functionality of an existing thing to deliver greater satisfaction. What do you think is becoming the new trend? In other words, where are people flocking to and how best can you position yourself for the potential benefits?
These are questions that any business owner or administrator should ask when they are strategizing to conquer their markets.
