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People buy people, not products.

You have probably bought a product because you saw an influential person you admire holding or promoting the product.

Over a decade ago, influencer marketing was limited only to celebrities and a few dedicated industry experts.

This is not the case anymore.

Social media influencers on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and recently Tiktok have taken influencer marketing space by storm.

In this guide to influencer marketing in Kenya, you will learn the ins & outs of social media influencer marketing.

Let’s get started with the obvious.

What is Influencer Marketing?

 Influencer marketing is reaching out to an existing influential person who has built a large following and strong brand reputation in a particular niche in an industry who can support or endorse your brand/ product or help create content around it to increase brand awareness and drive more sales.

 When you take a look at the stats below, it makes sense why influencer marketing is such a widespread phenomenon now and in the future.

• Only 1% of millennials trust online advertisements, let alone TV commercials.
• 71% of influencers believe there is an honest and authentic voice that keeps their audience engaged.
• 4 of 10 people report purchasing a product online after seeing an influencer using it on Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, etc.
• An Influencer Marketing Agency did a survey, Mediakix, which indicates that 89% of ROI from influencer marketing compares to or better than other channels.

Also, there are other benefits to influencer marketing that don’t necessarily convert to ROI instantly;

• Build trust for your brand
• Get more website traffic.
• Generate more leads
• Reach a bigger audience
• Grow your following

What Makes an Influencer?

In this social media age, you don’t need to be a celebrity in movies or TV shows, a famous journalist, or even a sort-after expert in an industry.

To become an influencer in Kenya, you need a sizeable following on social media and a trusted community around your brand that other business brands are willing to pay or partner with you to promote their products to your audience.

For example, the number one influencer in Kenya is Eric Omondi [ depending on who you ask] began with comedy, but now he is doing shows.

Eric Omondi Instagram account has over 3 million followers, where he promotes brands like Ungawadola.

This list highlights the top  100 influencers in Kenya and their professions, with names like Betty Kyalo and  Henry Desagu [ Youtube Influencer]

How to Create an Influencer Marketing Strategy?

 A business that wants to leverage influencer marketing and grow its business must have a written strategy that works.

A fashion company like Vivo Woman has done well with its strategy.

It’s a long partnership with influencers like Kareena Iradukunda that seems to be paying off.

Another great partnership is Velvex personal care company with Jalango – a radio presenter and social media influencer.

The influencer promotes Velvex products in his daily show on Youtube ‘ Bonga na Jalas.’

A business can create an influencer marketing strategy that answers these questions.

How to and where to find influencers in Kenya?

Where your audiences spend most of their time, you probably won’t miss finding an influencer that they admire.

There are influencers on platforms like Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, and Facebook to promote your brand to their followers in the social media era.

Start by listening and observing where your audience is talking about your product or brand.

For instance, if you are in industries like fashion, home & decor, you can’t ignore Instagram.

Set a budget and management strategy for influencer marketing

You already know which influencers to work with; the next step is getting your budget right.

Social media influencers in Kenya set the price they are willing to take to work with your brand.

This depends on the number of followers, the content they should create around your product, and their experience as an influencer.

For instance, an influencer like Xtian Dela charges Ksh 250,000 to do affiliate marketing with his hashtag #GainwithXtiandela.

You don’t have to break the bank for your brand to afford influencer marketing; there are other ways influencers can promote your business;

• Offer free products – Influencers are willing to get free products or services to promote your business. You just need to ask.
•  Long-term partnership – This gets based on commission for agreed metrics.
• Giveaways – At a discounted price for influencer marketing charges, some influencers can promote your product to their community if you offer some giveaways. It’s a win-win situation.

Again, to get started, you don’t need to approach influencers in Kenya with a considerable following only; opt to test the waters with micro-influencers.

Better known as Nano-influencer marketing is working with micro-influencers in Kenya who have between 1,000 -10,000 followers and great engagement.

Decide on the goal and message of the influencer campaign.

Before writing down your campaign objectives, you should keep these crucial aspects clear;

• Influencer’s primary role.
• Target audience [ age,gender, location, incomes etc].
• Influencer’s role during the campaign.

Influencers can reach a different audience depending on their core message around their brand. An influencer like  Wabosha Maxine on Youtube is focused on Beauty, Travel, and Lifestyle.

Influencer outreach; contacting influencers in Kenya

 After deciding which influencers you would like to work with, just DM them on social media or send an email which you can get on either contact or about page.

It’s that simple

But be specific in your outreach message.

Review your influencer marketing campaigns.

 Don’t forget this last stage.

You need to review ongoing campaigns against your pre-determined metrics.

This will help future influencer marketing campaigns by refining what is not working and doubling down on what works.

Key Takeaways

Influencer marketing in Kenya is growing.

An article done by Business Daily Africa indicates that even state ministries are getting on the influencer marketing bandwagon.

Micro-influencers are the best bet for any business venturing into influencer marketing for the first time.

On how influencers get paid in Kenya – depends on how well you negotiate around their charges. Seek for long-term partnership rather than one-time sponsored posts.