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Mobile Trends.pdf 1 2013/05/17 12:56:56 PM Keeping a nger on the pulse of KENYAN BUSINESSES MUST FOCUS mobile trends MORE ON QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY The number of Internet subscribers in Kenya in Africa grew by 13% in the second quarter of the 2013- 2014 financial year to stand at 13,1-million, up from 11,9-million in the previous quarter. These statistics from the Communications Commission of Kenya illustrate the East African nation’s continued love affair with the digital space. But, says a new report by digital consultancy Nendo, now is the time for businesses to focus more on quality, not quantity. The ‘2014-2015 Social Media Trend Report’ was released in March and notes that Kenyans are, first and foremost, a digital audience. “The year 2013 saw the world sit up straight as Kenyans online blogged, tweeted and ‘liked’ their way onto the C world stage. The general election was a hallmark M of this, with Kenyans cementing their position Y online [and] keeping erroneous journalists and wayward international news anchors on the CM washing line for any traces of stereotypes or MY inaccurate reporting,” said the study. This makes the country’s online audience an engaged and CY powerful force to be reckoned with. CMY Consider, said the report, the number of K Internet users in Kenya and how they use the medium. “Kenyans on Facebook, according to the Facebook Ad Planner, remain at 3,8-million. One should see that as a fraction of those with Internet access. Twitter, though growing in popularity, is still behind with approximately 500 000 users. Much of the statistics for Twitter remain ‘guesstimates’ at best, as statistics tend to have caveats, margins of error and, save for Twitter itself, there are few that can precisely list the audience online.” But, said Nendo, the key message is that engaging with the nation’s citizens can, and should, take on board their growing preference for digital communications. In a recent opinion article, George Kairu of Nairobi-based digital marketing firm Eagle Eye Strategies, wrote that digital marketing represented a transformational opportunity. “Businesses in Kenya, especially Nairobi, wanting to reap must now focus on integrating digital marketing into their marketing strategies in order to take advantage of the big growth in technologies and a [rising] middle class,” he said. Africa.Info@tnsglobal.com www.tnsglobal.com @tns_SAys TNS South Africa Third quarter 2014 strategicmarketingafrica 29 26-29 Social Media v3.indd 41 2014/06/26 3:51 PM