Affiliate marketing
What it is:
This is where companies pay you commissions for sending them customers through clicks on banners placed on your website. According to Emmanuel Chekumbe, a website developer based in Nairobi, you can sign up online through affiliate marketing networks or through a company that has its own affiliate marketing system. Once you sign up, you will be able to track the number of people who clicked on banners and got redirected to the companies’ sites. These are the clicks that will earn you commissions. “You enter into an agreement with the company, and in return, you earn a commission from clicks and purchase done by customers,” he says. This means that you should at least have a blog or website.
However, affiliate marketing is yet to blossom in Kenya. According to Martin Muli, the organizer of the Social Media Awards (SoMa), affiliate marketing is facing challenges from competitors such as Google, Facebook and social media content marketing. “Google is the biggest competitor because it makes money by getting paid to send users to companies’ sites or by charging for adverts,” he says. Additionally, Muli notes that companies are increasingly opting to sell their products through social media story-telling instead of setting budgets for banners. “The current trend is that companies looking to market online will set a higher budget for Google and social media than banners for affiliate marketing,” he says. This means that a product will be more likely to reach the targeted customer on social media before they can open a website and click on a commission-earning banner that redirects to the same product.
Local examples
Some of the sites you can link up with and start affiliate marketing locally are Jumia and Kilimall. On Jumia, you are required to register, and start advertising their content which includes banners, feed or deeplink generator. When visitors to your website click on your Jumia ads, you will earn a commission of up to 13 per cent on all orders customers make within 30 days from your Jumia adverts.
On Kilimall, the commission you earn will vary according to the kind of products available. “For example, the commission for mobile phones is 2 per cent, clothes 8 per cent, baby toys and kids accessories 8 per cent, baby and maternity products 8 per cent,” says Kilimall. According to the online retailer, you will have two options through which you will receive your commission. These are through bank or through M-Pesa. Interestingly, if you have more than one website, you will not need to open multiple accounts since you will get the option of adding the sites you manage to your account.
Social Media Influencing, Managing and Marketing
The growing number of Kenyans using social media, and the subsequent digitization of businesses has created a booming business for social media influencers. For instance, according to a survey by Twitter, 49 per cent of Twitter users rely on recommendations from influencers on the social platform. Social media influencing involves personalities mainly on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter who drive social or marketing trends with their huge following. There are also social media managers who manage specific accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
How to make money as a social media marketer
The main tools you will need to start making waves in this field will include an internet enabled mobile device, laptop or desktop, reliable internet connection, social media accounts on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and a following. According to Muli, you will need to have an online community that is well defined. “As a social media influencer, your audience should be able to give back maximum value. For example, you can be an influencer whose audience’ earning value is Sh. 20,000 while another influencer could have the potential of an audience whose earning value is Sh. 200,000,” he says. When getting started, you may need to ride on existing trends and post relevant materials as regularly as possible to grow your online presence. Currently, some of the popular social media personalities in Kenya include Robert Alai, Sharon Mundia, Caroline Mutoko, Xtian Dela and Cyprian Nyakundi – who has been at loggerheads with corporate such as Safaricom and Bidco. Once your social accounts get traction, you may need to pitch marketing proposals to specific corporate and business. Currently, some of the top corporate entities that have been using social media influencers in their marketing campaigns include Safaricom, Co-operative Bank, and Equity Bank.
Drop Shipping
What it is
According to Muli, this is one of the young entrants in the local online space. To get started, you will not need capital or a physical shop to start this kind of business. All you will need to do is create an online store. Once you have your virtual store, you will need to find suppliers and manufacturers whose products you will then place in your store. This means that you will erode inventory holding costs and the risk of getting stuck with products that aren’t selling. “You don’t need an inventory. When someone orders for a product on your online shop, you order from the manufacturer and the product is shipped directly to the customer,” says Chekumbe, adding that you may also request the manufacturer to rebrand the products before shipping them to customers. “Kilimall is one of the local companies that do drop shipping. Some of their products are ordered from China and shipped to local customers,” he says.
Advertising your virtual store
However, running a drop shipping business will also require some effort. When getting started, you will need to market your store before it can attract adequate traffic and run on its own. According to Chekumbe, when advertising your online store, you may consider using services such as paid adverts on Facebook’s Facebook Ads or on Google’s Google Adwords. Additionally, you may create a Facebook page through which you can boost [pay for] posts marketing your online shop. “You may also start a free blog where you write articles about the available products in your store,” he says. Always bear in mind that your store will serve as a retail arbitrage and your main advantage will be reaching customers – who’d otherwise shop from Ali Express directly – first.
Getting suppliers and manufacturers
Once you have created you virtual store, you will need to decide on your niche and get suppliers. These may include clothes, phones and accessories, consumer electronics jewelry and watches, and automobiles and motorcycles. Currently, the largest website where you can get manufacturers and suppliers is Ali Express (http:www.aliexpress.com).
Online Content Production
Top on the list of this segment is online academic writing, which involves penning of research papers, dissertations, essays, numerous assignments, and even thesis. Earnings for online academic writers currently stand at between $20 (Sh. 2,000) to $60 (Sh. 6,100) per week.
Getting started
There are many websites that offer academic writing opportunities such as WriterBay, Academia-Research, and Essays Writers. Some of these websites like Writerbay.comhave more competitive earnings of up to $20 (Sh. 2,000) per page. In most cases, a page contains 275 words. On WriterBay, you will need to bid for any available assignments. This means that you may not always get a high pay since you will be lobbying with a low per page figure. Some of the lowest paying sites include EssayWriters.Net which pays from just $2.5 (Sh.260), and iwriter which pays as low as $1.25. Despite the low pay, these website are more likely to get you jobs since unlike WriterBay, you are not required to make bids. For instance, on iwriter, all you are required to do is register for free and start writing. You will also need to acquire an online writing account or open one. There are multiple accounts for sale that are available on academic writing networking platforms such as the Kenyan Facebook group, Online Academic Writers’.
Risks
The main risk lies in buying fake accounts. However, online operatives with fake accounts could also lure you to work for them for free. Some administrators of accounts such as iwriter may terminate your account if you constantly score poor ratings due to unoriginal content.
YouTube
Apart from producing content on these online writing channels, you may create your own profile on YouTube where you create and spread content, and make money in the process. Locally, two of the leading figures who produce their own content online are media personality Caroline Mutoko and Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi who both run successful YouTube channels. According to Muli, you must learn to understand your audience in order to grow your ability to attract more people. “People are looking for versatile and attractive content. The right content will not reach the viewer, but their associates as well,” he says. With good content and growing viewership, you must monetize your account to start generating revenue for yourself. Your earnings will be sent through your AdSense account. Interestingly, this is the same account you should set if you have a blog to make money from advertisements that Google places on your site. Additionally, you may redirect your traffic to any affiliate links you have to boost your revenues through affiliate marketing, or transform your video content into live events.