The state of Social Media in Egypt (An open letter to marketers)
October 29, 2010 | Tarek NasrAdvertising, Social Media | Egypt, Marketing | 8 comments
I’m sure by now you’ve all heard the numbers; Egypt now has over 17 million internet users, 4 Million are on facebook, 250,000 and counting on twitter & over 200,000 Egyptian blogs; Throw away your TV sets and burn your magazines because that is “so 1996″!
Many of the top marketing managers in Egypt have been reading about the social media revolution taking place in the US & Europe, watched some of the cool youtube videos (check below) and have reached the conclusion that apparently we are now witnessing this revolution in Egypt which is still a ways off; though social media is a great tool for some brands it’s nothing more than a tactical tool for many at this point; based on…..
Social Media Revolution 2
Social Media ROI
The majority of Egyptians still do not know what the hell facebook or google is…
I recently heard a top executive from a top multinational soft drink brands at a conference declare something along the lines of ”If it was up to me I’d move my entire marketing budget online”!!!???
Come again?? I do not have privy to their retail audits but I assume that a large chunk of their sales are from lower SEC’s. You can shoot out all the facebook, twitter and blog numbers you want but still 80% of Egyptians do not use the internet! (now mobile might be more valid but that’s a different post for a different shisha “hagar”)
Don’t get me wrong; I agree that they should definitely be using social media as an integral part of their marketing mix but for most brands your main vehicles MUST continue to be traditional “so 1996″ ones such as TV & OOH.
The lack of knowledgeable Social Media experts with a solid marketing background & the rise of “Guru’s”
Agencies see social media as an additional revenue stream so when a client asks an agency for social media services they provide them (through a third party) without having the knowledge to integrate it into the overall brand strategy allowing the third party “Guru” to run rampant.
The “Guru” proceeds to start a facebook fanpage making sure all his/her friends’ joins, starts a twitter account doing the same and maybe even a blog and then proceeds to ask the audience “How they are doing?” and “Did they see the great game last night?” sprinkled in with a couple of offers for good measure.
Unfortunately without a concise strategy you will be subjected to a haze of numbers from your “Guru” making you feel like a million bucks when in fact you are doing nothing but damaging and watering down your brand.
Social media takes a great deal of planning and goes far beyond starting up a facebook page and a twitter account; What are your objectives? Who is your audience? What are their habits? Should you tweet? What will you say? When will you say it? What will you do when someone from the audience says something negative about your brand? Again… What will you do when someone from the audience says something negative about your brand? Social Media is a two way communication; its inevitable…. Ask BP & even facebook, yes facebook!
BP Parody video; 11 Million + Views
greenpeace against facebook 2 Million + Views
These are just some of the many questions you need to answer before venturing into social media….
Social Media is measurable; unlike traditional mediums
While the above statement is true most marketing & brand managers in Egypt are not yet familiar with social media (as a marketing tool) and if you so happen to hire a “guru” god forbid!! they will drown you in a sea of meaningless numbers that make your head spin faster than a spiked shisha “hagar” (I only smoke traditional shisha; thank you very much!)
Furthermore never forget that numbers, like pictures are never undisputable and tell the story of the person using them to support their side of the story
So while social media is measurable marketers need to identify metrics that best measure their objectives and get a grasp for social media to ensure they are getting the results they are paying for.
In closing tread carefully when entering the social media landscape; there are many benefits to be reaped for some brands; till my next post…. With a shisha in hand!
Tarek Shalaby
October 30, 2010Very true! Sometimes we’re obsessed with the idea of following trends initiated in developed countries, when in fact, sometimes it’s a completely different case. We have the advantage of witnessing how social media’s evolving in the US, and can be prepared when we reach an equivalent level.
Until then, let’s not lose focus on where we are, and who we’re dealing with.
Soon, we’ll ALL be surfing the beautiful web, exchanging information at over-whelming levels across space and time. Until then, let’s not forget 1996.