Skip to main content

A Beginner’s Guide to Social Media in Africa for Women Entrepreneurs

Accessibility to social networks may be limited in Africa, but a reported nine percent of the population who do use social media often view it as important and empowering. Given that access to cell phones is widespread in the continent, use of social networks and messaging apps is increasing by the year among businesses, customers, schools, and students. In fact, the 2014 “Emerging Nations Embrace Internet, Mobile Technology” report from the Pew Research Global Attitudes Project (as quoted in ventureafrica.com) reports that about 78 percent of Africa’s internet usage is for social media. No wonder female entrepreneurs doing business in Africa are using social networks to support each other.

In the first of this series of posts for women entrepreneurs looking to use social media in Africa, we’ll review some of the main social networks, as well as how women entrepreneurs are using them.

 Social Networks Popular in Africa

Facebook long dominated social networking in Africa, but over recent years, it has been challenged by other networks, especially those that offer messaging capabilities like WhatsApp and WeChat, which are rapidly taking over in popularity. These apps enable connection in a more personal and private way among cell phone users.

Image sharing is widespread, too, with Instagram seeing rapid growth in Africa in recent months. Likewise, Twitter users on the continent enjoy marrying social causes with images that tell a story. Take a look at how hash tags like #TheAfricaTheyNeverShowYou have given great voice to African social activism, regardless of gender.

Sharing Stories

Given that oral storytelling and personal communication have long played a huge role in African societies, it is perhaps not surprising that social media has been slow to take off. While it can’t replace personal conversations and meet-ups, social media has proven a powerful platform for women entrepreneurs who want to share their stories, champion causes, and connect with one another. When choosing which channels to use as a female entrepreneur, consider how you will share your own stories and connect with the stories and causes of others on your chosen platform.

As Miguel Castro of the Gates Foundation says, as quoted by African Geek Goddess on Twitter, “No one cares about the industry. People care about the story.”

Making Connections

Connecting with other women and female entrepreneurs is naturally a priority. African women are keen to support one another and passionately champion each other’s causes in a business culture often dominated by men. Feminism is powerful in African social media, as are the groups that are set up to support women entrepreneurs, which are well worth looking into. Check out Lionesses of Africa on Facebook, for example, and the online community She Leads Africa.

As is often the case with social media, connecting personally can be a more powerful goal than making direct sales and can indirectly have a greater effect on profits than direct selling. Given the power of the personal in Africa, this is particularly the case on (preferred) platforms in Africa.

In my next post in this series, we will look more closely at how women entrepreneurs in Africa can use social media to grow a following and promote their brand.

--Chimuka Moore
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Comments from Social Media Experts (3): Dorie Clark on Creating and Sharing Your Own Content

Recently, I have been reading more and more about the importance of creating your own content. “It’s useful and powerful to be a curator of other people’s good stuff,” explains Dorie Clark at Buffer , “but if you really want to establish an expert reputation, the fast ticket to do that is creating your own content.” It seems that popular ways of creating your own content can include starting your own blog, publishing original posts on a social media platform (like LinkedIn), or having those posts featured on the blogs of others. Clark, author of the popular business book Stand Out , says that by sharing your own thoughts, your customers and clients will start to recognize that you are an expert in your field. Here are three of Clark’s tips to keep in mind when creating and sharing your own content: Live out your brand through your content: “If you want to stand out and get noticed as, for instance, an innovative and connected fashion entrepreneur,” writes Clark at Entrepren...
1 comment
Read more

Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa on Facing Challenges (Wisdom from Africa’s Successful Women Entrepreneurs)

Although gender equality is on the rise in Africa, there are more potential challenges for women entrepreneurs than there are for men. However, it isn’t unusual for successful women in business to attribute their successes to the challenges that they’ve faced. In this post, I share the wisdom of Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa , who set up the first human resources company in Zambia at a time when HR businesses didn’t exist there. As you’ll see, her story contains many lessons for women who are facing the challenges of entrepreneurship, especially those who are just starting out. A tough start doesn’t mean you won’t succeed: When Miyanda Maimbo Katiwa drove to Zambia to start her human resources company, she had only a little money to split between her living expenses and what was needed to launch her venture. Having quit her job and been told by her boss that it was impossible for someone without prior experience to succeed in such a business, she knew she was taking a huge risk. “T...
2 comments
Read more