In this era of digital dominance, traditional marketing channels for B2B manufacturers are losing their acclaim. Print ads gather dust, billboards fade into the urban blur, and radio jingles compete with a cacophony of online distractions. To thrive in a landscape as dynamic as this, Zambian manufacturers must embrace a new frontier: comprehensive digital marketing.
The landscape speaks for itself. With over 4.6 billion internet users globally and 80% of B2B buyers starting their journeys online, a robust digital presence is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. It’s about reaching a wider audience, engaging customers meaningfully, and ultimately, driving measurable growth.
As businesses begin to appreciate the importance of not only acquiring new customers but also maintaining relationships with existing ones, allow me to usher you into the digital world which presents numerous avenues to communicate, engage, and deepen your relationship with your customer base.
Starting point? Online presence. This refers to all the platforms and channels where customers can interact with your brand. You can strengthen your online presence by optimizing your website for search engines (SEO), maintaining active profiles on relevant social media platforms, and utilizing email marketing forums. Critical to this is an indepth understanding of the local Zambian context.
Utilizing SEO strategies, your manufacturing website can appear at the top of search engine results when potential customers are searching for products or information relevant to your company. Content needs to be keyword-rich but remember – quality and relevance are key. Not only will quality, relevant content improves your search engine performance, it’s been shown that 77% of internet users actually read blog posts when researching a business or service, highlighting the need for compelling content on your site.
According to a recent study from BrightEdge, an overwhelming majority of online experiences, approximately 68%, start with the use of a search engine. If your company is not taking advantage of SEO, it is potentially missing out on a vast number of opportunities to connect with prospective customers.
Zambia is an Internet-savvy nation with a growing tech industry. According to Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), the total number of active internet subscriptions in the country increased from 10.4 million subscriptions reported at the end of 2021 to 11.1 million recorded at the end of 2022 representing a growth of 6.73 percent. Consequently, the increase in the total number of active internet subscriptions reflected a marginal increase in the internet penetration rate from 56.7 per 100 inhabitants reported in 2021 to 56.8 per 100 inhabitants attained in 2022.
In Zambia, Facebook and WhatsApp are the most popular social media platforms. In fact, 87% of Zambian internet users are on Facebook. This could present a golden opportunity for manufacturers to extend their online presence to these platforms and engage the audience with relevant and eye-catching content, turning casual browsers into devoted brand advocates.
