Local Trends In Social Networks In South Africa

By Cornelia White


Social networks in South Africa are generating significant interest, with 9.4 million active facebook members and 7.4 million mobile app fans. More obscure smartphone applications have over a million users, demonstrating that marketers and business owners trying to penetrate the SA market need to do so through integrated campaigns which include networking advertising.

South Africa's most unusual characteristic is the fact that it combines third and first world countries into one. Another niche trait is that many lower income groups use premium gadgets, which alters the traditional approach to target market advertising. Computers are not a luxury affordable by all, but most earners own a smart phone. SA's marketers thus need to place particular focus on mobile networking options.

The type of networking sites marketers choose for their campaigns is relatively simple to choose when there is a comprehensive definition of one's demographic. Mobile app users, for example, spend an average of an hour on the application daily, and the fact that it offers a budget-friendly way to socialize creates a specific target market for those focused on middle income groups.

Currently, Facebook is the fastest growing network in SA. City dwellers, professionals, and mid to upper income classes are the network's most common users. In contrast, professional networks are not growing quite as quickly. Those working in the white collar sector, particularly in finance, are typical professional digital network members.

SA's more obscure networks often target lower income groups via smart phone apps. Many have collected their membership numbers through campaigns on consumer products, and their membership numbers are large enough to compete with some of the world's most successful networking media. Those with low to middle income earners as target markets can't afford to market without the use of the more obscure mobile applications, since they often have as many as one million active members.

Digital users can be divided according to where they live. Natal dwellers, for example, prefer mobile networking sites. This is a target market with a sedate, sports oriented way of life. In contrast, those who live in Gauteng prefer using professional media. This group is known for its focus on high-powered careers. Their earning power is significant.

Image sharing media are gaining ground throughout the country. Video sharing sites generate the most interest from Western Cape locals. This target market is interested in quality of life above career, although the Cape has niche subcultures that sustain thriving professional lives at a slightly slower pace than Gauteng dwellers.

SA's networking sites are gaining ground more quickly than they are in other countries, with many media showing an annual growth rate of more than 100 percent. This development includes corporate usage, as brand managers develop marketing teams dedicated to online campaigns.

Marketers and advertisers who are savvy and strategic enough to excel in the formation of their digital marketing campaigns gain a significant amount of competitive advantage. This is because, in general, SA businesses are not approaching their integrated campaigns in as efficient a way as they approach the rest of their advertising. In a country with such a thriving advertising industry, social networks in South Africa still need to be mastered.




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