Skip to main content

Comments from Social Media Experts (1): Elyse Meyer and Jackie Johnstone



On reading social media advice from experts in Africa and beyond, I came across Elyse Meyer at Prism Global. She writes that entrepreneurs should focus on relationships first, when it comes to social media, rather than hiding behind their products or services. “Create and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with both your potential customers as well as thought leaders,” writes Meyer. “It's these influencers who can make a significant impact on your social media marketing success. A single retweet or like from a key influencer can put your content in front of hundreds, maybe even thousands of eyes!”

Lionesses of Africa offer similar advice on their website, reminding Africa’s women entrepreneurs to converse with others: “Above all, it’s about engaging in a proactive and helpful conversation with your customers through social media, so that their experience with your brand is always a positive one."

Naturally, the conversations we might have with others—be that on social media or elsewhere—should always be genuine and mutually enjoyable, rather than pushing a particular product or service. In fact, in summary, Jackie Johnstone of Entrepreneur says it perfectly: “To build real, genuine connections, those doing the sharing must be human.”

--Chimuka Moore

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 A...
Post a Comment
Read more

Starting a Business in Africa: Tips from Women Entrepreneurs

Africa offers rich opportunities for women entrepreneurs, but your efforts are unlikely to succeed without support, courage, and strong research. In this post, women entrepreneurs who are successfully doing business in Africa offer tips to those who are just starting out. Develop a Plan and Implement with Courage: Njeri Rionge is one of Africa’s most successful women entrepreneurs. The co-founder of numerous multi-million dollar companies, including Wananchi Online , said in an interview with Mfonobong Nsehe at Forbes , “ You need only to believe in yourself, trust your gut feeling and develop a clear plan or strategy. Keep it simple and implement that plan step by step with courage, conviction and love above all.” Ultimately, Rionge says flexibility is important. “Be open minded and flexible to change course when needed, and listen to your customers.” Look for Mentors: Kenyan eco-preneur Lorna Rutto is the founder of EcoPost , a company that is famous for transforming plast...
2 comments
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