With numbers looking good, digital advertising is the way to go

With numbers looking good, digital advertising is the way to go

Y

ou may toy with the idea of giving out free spaces on your website and once you have marshalled requisite bargaining hits and numbers, devise an advertising fee guideline that will target your former freeloaders and future partners.

By MUSYOKA NGUI

Digital advertising is reliant on  gadgets like laptops/Internet Sources

Kenya is a top technology savvy country in the region and beyond. Over the last few years the number of internet and mobile phone users has surged.

The Communications Authority of Kenya places the penetration of Information Communication Technology (ICT) at 78.2 per cent.

Various traditional media like television, radio and newspapers are converging online. People do online shopping conveniently from their mobile devices, smartphones, tablets or laptops.

Kenya boasts of 23.2 million internet users, majority whom are the youth. 97 per cent of the users access the internet via their mobile phones. This is good news for mobile phone manufacturers and associated service providers.

Nearly 30 per cent of Kenyans own and use smartphones meaning that they can access the internet via dedicated 3G internet. This is faster and more reliable than 2G. 4G technology is also coming up and with leading telcos like Safaricom championing for its adoptions, the future is bright. Safaricom has just launched digital television box called Big Box set top box that will enable users to enjoy irresistible data offers and incredible streaming services on YouTube and international television channels. They will also enjoy free to air channels.

Digital advertising is cheaper for agencies since one only requires a computer and not a physical office to set up their operations. Of note is the growing number of tailored services for different market niches that the customers are set to enjoy. For example, the real estate sector is booming and potential home owners and tenants are taking to the internet to look for convenient services which will not waste their time. Agencies are taking and posting photos of houses for clients to sample. It is that simple. That is the technology employed by Online Exchange(OLX) which has cracked the beauty of digital advertising.

Most of those who shop for houses online are the young people. The internet is a powerful tool that new age advertisers can tap into. At first clients may be skeptical whether your platform really works but push on. Grow your audience. Advertise on the social media and have as many followers, likers and commentators as possible. Encourage interaction and criticism.

Social media consultancy and blogging are likely to make you a focal point of online brand endorsement and this means good money from revenue streams gotten from advertising.

Once you grab a market niche go ahead and list as many clients as you can and encourage friends to visits your website. Remember you need numbers to negotiate your rate card charges. The higher the traffic the more you are likely to earn from advertising online.

It is unlikely for those over 50 years and above to use the internet to search for property but the youth. Google analytics place the youth as the highest number of internet users. 49 per cent of internet surfers are aged between 25 and 35 while 34 per cent lie between the age bracket of 35 and 40. Only 17 per cent of internet users are aged between 45 and 54 years. Only 11 per cent of those aged between 55 and 64 years are active online enough to look for property to own.

It cannot hurt to include value added services in your marketing deal just to make it sweeter. These include cleaning and construction services. Companies which perform moving errands and designing interior spaces too need you to market their services.

In a nutshell belowis the distribution of Kenyan internet users:

Mobile Phone- 97 %

Smartphones- 27 %

Desktops/ laptops/PCs- 8 %

Tablets- 1 %

While you may want to be everywhere online, it is safer to target the mobile phone niche first as you diversify to the rest of gadgets with time. You may need an app at some point.

Employ working strategies while pitching your ads online. It is believed that putting the ad on the top of the web page boosts its visibility by 10 per cent compared to other positions. This means that it will be the premium point to start and attracts the highest rates.

Another strategic placement is the right hand side of the web page so you will reserve it for the premium clients and those who demand the highest quality of services.

     While at it throw in creative offers from your clients that are geared towards saving on the pockets of your followers. Be kind enough to share information that will not necessarily compromise on the nature of service offered but is affordable and reasonable.

As a beginner, you may toy with the idea of giving out free spaces on your website and once you have marshalled requisite bargaining hits and numbers, devise an advertising fee guideline that will target your former freeloaders and future partners.

Another way of pitching for adverts is shifting the base from your own website and planting it directly on Facebook and YouTube where there is more traffic to tap. Currently there are over 4.2 million Kenyans who are active Facebook users and they spent about 6.2 million hours each month on YouTube. Thisis a great market to sell to your client. Keep your video clips and pictures high definition for successful and happy clients to come back for more tenders as well as second you to their friends and colleagues which means increased client base and thus more profits.

Musyoka is a writer, blogger and journalist

Power Management in the Field Oughtn’t To Be Tricky

Power Management in the Field Oughtn’t To Be Tricky

By MUSYOKA NGUI

I

t may be a conspiracy for machine makers to overlook research in battery life so that they can sell spare parts but any good manufacturer worth their name should consider developing a battery that does not keep users worried on the life of their devices.

 

Mobile Phone Battery/Internet Source

For journalists in the field gathering news constant supply of power is crucial since it is the connection they have with the studio. No one wants to be scooped by competitors merely because they didn’t upload a story in time simply because the battery ran low.

To avoid such embarrassing circumstances ensure you have charged your batteries before leaving the house or office for work. Include extra batteries which foresight should have told you that they should be charged beforehand.

Unfortunately outdoor settings expose your gadget to a lot of light meaning you cannot reduce the screen brightness to minimize the consumption of energy in your camera, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Minimized light renders the monitor too dim for you to read the display.

But if you are in a seminar you can lower the display settings so that it matches the surroundings. Indoor lighting is friendlier to machines unlike outdoors. Additionally, you can carry extensions and adapters to charge your devices as the press conference continues. You may need to ask permission from the organizers of the workshop to avoid unnecessary trespass. You will earn respect that way.

Some smartphones come with a power bank that you can charge your phone should the battery run low. Power banks are must haves for users whose phones cannot last a day without requiring a recharge.

If you can, invest in a good gadget that has excellent battery life. Sony Xperia Z3 lasts up to two days when charged. It has superior specifications such as a 20 MP camera and plenty of memory space you may want to store your gallery. It also comes with a Lollipop Android OS that enables fast browsing thus giving you an upper hand when it comes to cruising across internet pages as opposed to your rivals who are stuck in a rut waiting for their phones to resume from hanging.

Turn off applications which you do not use at the moment to minimize power wastage. Do not remove your device before it is fully charged and beware of overcharging it too. Unless you need to capture a moment that cannot wait, avoid removing and returning the device from and to the socket when it is not fully charged.

Some programs like Games consume a lot of charge and unless you have a super battery you do not want to play games then when the real game starts you have no field to play.

It may be a conspiracy for machine makers to overlook research in battery life so that they can sell spare parts but any good manufacturer worth their name should consider developing a battery that does not keep users worried on the life of their devices. No one wants to walk around carrying power cables. It’s tedious and taxing.

Musyoka is a writer, blogger and a journalist

Ingenious ways to beat high talk tariffs and data charges

Ingenious ways to beat high talk tariffs and data charges

By MUSYOKA NGUI

“You need adequate airtime to call sources and follow stories on the wire. You must research and verify facts online.

A caller uses a mobile phone/Internet Sources

Those who lack elaborate data plan have received that dreaded below 2 MB message that rudely disrupts their surfing fun. This often comes at a time when one wants to stay longer browsing. Then it happens that the top up airtime too went south with the exorbitant talk tariffs and a host of hidden costs that operate in the background and others at night when you are not using your gadget.

Not all users are harassed by needless top up or inconvenienced by buying new data bundles since they are sorted. Aspire to join this exclusive club.

You do notneed to be a baller to afford reliable data and credit. At the start of the month just pay for talk and touch bills just as you do your rent, electricity and water. The beauty with the former is that you forget since for the next 30 days you will be plugged in and do not need to turnoff your data regime.

Moreover, you will sail through bouts of “brokeness” and people will not notice since you can call and surf unlike them who whine their Please Call Mes and OkoaJahazis are over.

There are many affordable data sets that you can subscribe to monthly just take the trouble to visit your telco and compare the prices against your needs. Consider the strength of a network signal, the volume of the gigabytes or megabytes you want and what the competitors offer.

You need adequate airtime to call sources and follow stories on the wire. You must research and verify facts online. Data vote heads are things human resource directors are counting as incentives to load for talents who deliver dependably.

Musyoka is a writer, blogger and a journalist

Cord faces a dilemma in picking a presidential candidate

Cord faces a dilemma in picking a presidential candidate

By MUSYOKA NGUI

Cord logo

All Cord co- principals have declared that they will run for presidency in 2017. Tension is building up on who the coalition will settle on to carry the party flag. Unlike Jubilee Coalition that has his ticket figured out up to 2022, Cord faces stark choices that could make or break it.

The party may choose to conduct a joint primaries or build consensus of who will be the ultimate candidate to face President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto in 2017. Whichever way Cord selects its presidential flag bearer, it may spark splits particularly should either of the three feel the coalition undemocratically chose its top candidate.

Raila and Kalonzo parted ways in the lead up to 2007 general elections and this weakened their chances of clinching the State House. Wetang’ula, if he is to be believed to be serious, will be taking his first stab at the presidency.

NEED FOR COMPROMISE

Raila’s handlers have dismissed both Kalonzo and Wetang’ula as inconsequential and asserted Raila remains the candidate to beat. What’s more, they have even said he could get an automatic ticket, something that has angered the allies of the other two co -principals. 

Despite general elections being three years away, Cord principals are busy jostling for the presidential tickets instead of checking Jubilee government-the primary role of the Opposition. Methinks if Raila’s henchmen to do not exercise humility they will scatter Cord.  At the same time, compromise should be seen to prevail in negotiating for the coveted candidature.

They should come up with a candidate who is popular enough to give Uhuruto a run for their money. Many think that that candidate still remains Raila but the supporters of Kalonzo and Wetang’ula also feel their candidates must be considered. Is Raila a first among equals? Is Cord an Animal Farm? George Orwell famously quipped that all animals are equal but some are more equal than others and seemed to have had Cord in mind when he wrote so.

Kalonzo admitted that Jubilee has been dangling carrots to lure him ditch Cord. This threatens the Cord unity. ODM, Wiper and Ford Kenya ought to strengthen internal democracy within their individual parties and in the Cord coalition if they are to give Jubilee a serious challenge come 2017. A botched primary will give Jubilee a walk over. In the meantime, let them not play hard ball. Someone will have to give up their political ambitions for the sake of their party. Any grandstanding is a sure recipe for disintegration of the Opposition.