Social media has grown at a supersonic speed, ever since its birth at the dawn of this millennium. Brands are thus making an unprecedented rush to hire influencers; who by mere tweeting, lure customers into desired brand loyalty. Haven’t you ever wondered why ever since bae joined Twitter, she cannot accept an outing with you unless you use Uber; or why for some weird reason you found yourself tweeting about how fake Kenya is on #KenyaVsUganda? I guess you can now relate. Well, for that reason I reached out to these undisputed trendsetters; to bring you information about social media dynamics:
Arthur Musinguzi (@arthurtotally)
Being one of the most followed Twitter personalities of Ugandan origin in the whole world, this is what Arthur thinks about the term.
“A big following is very important otherwise you’re not doing anything. The numbers don’t lie. In fact, don’t call it followers or following but call it reach. That’s when it will make better sense.” He says.
Musinguzi has paid his tuition off influencing and appreciates the exposure, fame and payment he receives, but says shs. 4 million should be the ideal monthly pay for an influencer with a fair workload. He has some advice to companies intending to hire one,
“You ought to know. Does the person you’re hiring know the values of the organization or company? If yes, do they accept your ideas?
That can be done after doing a market study before making a mistake.”
Arthur is – for your information – the instigator of the #KenyaVsUganda and #UgandaVsNigeria twars; he commented about this too.
“As for the Twars, it was just fun. I always do trend hashtags for fun or for clients(business). Social media isn’t all about business, life isn’t that serious. There is always time to play.”
Patoranking(@Pyepar)
The Twitter comedy king boasts of over 37.6K followers – who a writer once described as “Pyepar’s cult of worshippers.” Faisal ‘Pyepar’ Sessanga, a trained Telecom Engineer that quit his profession, says influencing is the new job for him; regarding himself as an ‘interactive billboard’ that effectively communicates with customers. He is happy about the connections he gets from this livelihood, not to mention the financial benefits,
“Beyonce is a social media influencer – the highest paid at that; earning 1 million dollars per tweet. Tell me whether that’s a manifestation of unemployment in USA! I however don’t support campusers who drop out eyeing this. Read and get that degree for better, my friend.” He advised.
Sarah Kagingo(@SarahKagingo)
By now, you must have noticed the activeness of President Museveni’s Facebook page and Twitter handle, plus the wittiness of his tweets, but do you know the genesis? Sarah Kagingo is the answer. The former Guild President of Makerere University; cum former Special Presidential Adviser on Communication, is a social media guru.
“I did not set out to get paid; I just had a smart phone and an internet connection. And I chose to share the positives because positivity is what drives and attracts me. I will spot a magnificent sunset view and take a shot. That said, within a short time, everyone wanted me to be part of their drive: To tweet about their brand.” She stated.
Miss. Kagingo, with a 42.5K following, is the founder of SoftPower Communications, a big PR and Communications firm, was flattered by our address to her,
“It is pleasing to learn that I am refered to as an influencer. It is a great honour for one to earn the respect of their generation. Thank you, Bash and Campus Bee!”
The Usual Suspect (@Jude_Mugabi)
Jude is a warm fellow, down to earth and his followers say “he is not mean with retweets like most twelebs(Twitter Celebs).”
Jude says,
“Hiring an influencer shouldn’t just be about numbers. The person should be able to package the company’s message properly in a way that is well received by the public. An influencer should also understand the target audience of the company.”
To campusers thinking of joining the business, Jude maintains,
“I wouldn’t advise one to leave school. This industry is volatile. You never know what happens. All options should be kept open.”
Isaac Wandera Estone (@estone_thinks)
As his handle states, Estone thinks having an audience that can willingly engage with your content makes you an influencer, but the level of influence varies according to the numbers that actually engage.
Given that Uganda is not yet on the list of highly digitalised countries, marketing firms shouldn’t be worried as yet, according to this very hilarious tweep. He also shared his challenges with a lot of humour,
“Doing something you love has never been a business; it’s more of passion with a purpose. The biggest challenge is our internet structure – it’s lacking. When I leave Kampala and go to my village in Busia, I forget 3G and start to bargain for 2G. Then Of course there’s the obvious: 500/= buying 25mbs that lasts 25 seconds is massacre my friend. The competition is quite stiff as everyone seems informed. Looking for fresh content is as hard as trying to stop the age limit bill from being passed or is it amended? – I don’t know those things. Haha…”
Talkative Rocker (@Beewol)
The Talkative Rocker is undoubtedly the most talented wordsmith in the social media influencers’ community. Gifted with sublime techniques in prose, trust Beewol to make customers flood your business after he blogs and/or tweets about it. A person that good will obviously not be in a craze for posting; The Rocker doesn’t jump on just any hashtag but when he does, the world trembles. The wordy guy had this to say,
“Technically speaking, employment is the condition of having paid work. So as long as I am doing something that is getting me paid, I am employed. Forget the cliché; classroom understanding people keep blubbering about.”
He, however, cautions that a brand which over-relies on influencers risks having its head in the clouds with the assumption that things are going well yet they are actually not. This usually leads brands into what in behavioural finance is known as the ostrich effect.
“For starters, people assume that because you wield a little bit of influence online, suddenly you are a demi god; and you can pull rabbits out of hats with ease:
‘Please say something about my baking business; eh Beewol tweet for me about my cosmetics shop; Beewol please share my Post about baby diapers; eh young man Beewol say something about my juice making business; Beewol my husband beat me please embarass him for me.’
Occasionally, you throw in a word for one here and there, but then you have to remind yourself you are not the United Nations. Even the UN has financials.
You can’t just wake up one morning and expect me to plaster my platform that I have spent years building, with your brand, and imagine I will not charge you an arm and a leg. Please be organized and Gerrarahia!” Beewol made a jest firmly.
Till now, my ribs and jaws are hurting from the doses of laughter, and my brains boiling like a meal on a Chinese dinner table; over the spot-on information I received from these Social Media Generals – follow me too for updates on Twitter @BashMutumba.
Namaste!
