Benefits Kenyan Businesses Stand to Reap From the 2019 Census (Marketing in Kenya)

The country is fresh from a national census exercise and boy! What a whirlwind it has been! From boycott threats if the enumerators were not locals to funny faces when they asked some completely outrageous questions. I mean, who owns a motorboat in the deep pockets of mountainous Kisii?

Which man was going to make a side-woman admission? Okay, there are reports that one man did, and his present wife fainted immediately after. I have not verified that though, so don’t quote me.

Amid all the questioning, however, there are questions that appeared ordinary that would have sounded far-fetched in the last exercise a decade ago.

• Do you own a smartphone, have you accessed the internet recently, do you have Wi-Fi?
• Have you made an online purchase in the recent past?

These questions appeared as natural as those about education levels and property ownership in the 2019 census. Hey, being asked if you have Wi-Fi was more welcome than being asked if you own a fridge!

Now, since smart business lies in identifying opportunities, isn’t it smart to look at what these developments mean for business. While the data will take time to be analysed and released, we can do some correct speculation here.

The fact that the government is seeking to collect internet usage data for the first time in a national census means it is an item it has in the research hypothesis. Previous reports have already suggested that over 60 per cent of Kenyans are using smartphones and majority spend more than an hour online each day.

What do these figures mean for people doing marketing in Kenya, thus?

For starters, Online marketing is no an actual advertising platform in Kenya. Online marketing Kenya businesses will be more than eager to get fine-tuned details of internet usage in order to position themselves to reach out to different potential customers. While the studies done before may represent a general picture of the situation, census data is bound to be more accurate and comprehensive.

What’s in it for you as an online marketer?

Positioning. The importance of this cannot be overstated. For instance, SEO marketing in Kenya has not been scratched beyond the surface. Any business of whatever size that positions itself to do it right will be in for a bumper sales harvest. The time to take that position is now so that by the time the statistics bureau releases those numbers, all you will need to do is swing into marketing action.

Positioning yourself can be done in several ways. One option is to learn how to do SEO yourself. It is something that will help you understand marketing dynamics, but you have to appreciate that it will take time to perfect. If your business requires your close attention, it is bound to suffer.

Alternatively, you can use a digital marketing agency in Kenya. A local agency like ours understands the market well, so that puts you in a good position. It will save you the need to comb through the detailed census data once it is release. Thankfully, the cost of SEO in Kenya is still quite low compared to other countries even when outsourced.

Don’t just be a census statistic. Be a smart business person and take advantage of what census brings.

Do you own a boat?

Read Business Dynamics:How to attract and Keep clients (Business online)

This article was first published on SEO Online Mileage Website.