‹ Back

Best Social Media for Business in South Africa

 

 

~By Walter Muzangaza

 

With every new app coming out, we are spending more and more time on social media platforms, and it goes without saying that this presents a considerable business opportunity. The role of business in society is changing. They dont have to be just providers of goods and services but also participants that actively contribute to the social discourse.

 

Customers appreciate it if they get to know more about the businesses that they buy from beyond just buying and selling.This helps build bonds of trust and enduring customer loyalty. Social Media presents a great opportunity to get this done as well as to address some of the problems that they may not otherwise be aware of that would have threatened the continuation of their businesses had they not been addressed. 

 

While we encourage that you use social media for expanding your marketing and engagement efforts, we do however like to advise that you keep in mind the organizational image that you present while doing so. Certain social media platforms may be appropriate for your business and some may end up doing more harm than good. Consider the example of having your business that deals with serious matters on a platform that is associated with a lighthearted image like tiktok. Social media is supposed to benefit your business not cause you harm. Below is a list of what we believe are the 7 top global and local social media platforms as well as one more that we believe you need to have your eye on as it is still in its early stages. 

 

Popular Social Media Sites in South Africa for Business Purposes

 

Facebook

2.85 Billion Global Users

27 Million In South Africa

Has selling platforms supporting apps

Integrates with Instagram for syncronised communications.

Highly potent and accurate ads by location, age, interest etc

Pairs with Instagram and Whatsapp for better communication.

Best for B2C Businesses

 

Whatsapp

Depends on the Size of your Contact lists if being used for business purposes.

You can use WhatsApp business to list your products and services and it helps with placing an order as well as efficient information dissemination

Pairs well with Facebook, Instagram and other social networks for communication

 

Youtube

2 Billion Global Users

~24 Million Users in South Africa

Video Content Creation Based Platform

You can create content or Advertise your business here in various ways.

Best for B2B & B2C businesses

Best platform to use for educating your customers about your value add, and if consistent you could monetise the highly trafficked videos.

 

Instagram

Over 1 billion global users

~10 million users in South Africa

Promotes communication through high quality pictures.

Very good for showcasing your products redirecting for a sale

High Orientation toward experience sharing

 

Twitter

192 Million Global Users

~9.3 Million users in South Africa

Very good platform for primary Data Collection.

Can be used to communicate with customers about your brand and to track & measure fluctuations in brand sentiment.

 

Linkedin

740 Million Global Users

8,4 Million Users in South Africa

Biggest Professional Networking Platform

Best for B2B Businesses, Recruiting talent as well as Engagement

 

Tiktok

Over 1 Billion Global Users

9 Million In South Africa.

Used mostly for Humour and Social Commentary

Business potential still developing

Not appropriate for all industries

 

Clubhouse (Special Mention - High Business Potential)

While we dont have conclusive data on the number range of the global and local users of Clubhouse, this appears to be a high growth potential app that is mainly driven by the fact that the conversation that are on the app are topic driven. It is a great networking app with instantly accessible rooms to meet and network with other like minded business owners. We expect it to gain quick traction and so would encourage you to try it out and see if it appropriate for your business goals.

 

In conclusion however, while our specialty at Thought Masters is not Social Media Marketing, we can assist in directing you to trusted partners that would be able to assist you with specific social media marketing needs should you need them. You can just email social media assistance to consult@thoughtmasters.co.za and we will gladly assist you with appropriate tools and direction toward the right partner.