Content marketing in Africa is often a skeptical tactic, especially for tech and e-commerce startups. However, it is also an opportunity for early-stage businesses that do not have access to funding for paid marketing like ads, and influencer marketing.
However, in most cases, we lack the resources to deploy an efficient content framework that becomes a sales funnel. We are in the habit of getting a ‘marketing manager’, ‘product manager’, or ‘digital manager’ and leaving them to do all the marketing tasks.
They become overwhelmed and there is a visible lack of consistency in your content channels, and most likely you are not getting results. As a result, you lose some degree of your brand narrative.
You might argue that the African market is too small, something I will help you debunk later in this article. However, content marketing is a great way to get noticed by customers and investors.
So, why is content marketing not a priority in the African tech market?
It costs money and time to create insightful and meaningful content, something early-stage startups may not have. (I think it is not a valid reason)
Getting customers and growing your brand are part of the early-stage business priorities and content marketing is an integral part of this operation. As I view it, strategic content marketing will help you to attract the right assets, from customer acquisition, retention, and customer support to employees, investors, and partners.
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing involves strategically creating and distributing valuable, relevant, consistent content to achieve a specific goal.
It can range from creating blog posts, e-books, tutorials, social media posts, and even videos to help brands engage with their audience.
Instead, a good content marketing strategy educates, inspires, or entertains your audience. It is a great way to educate your audience and provide solutions to their pain points.
So, does content marketing work in Africa? This question arises because we have been accused of not reading blog articles or e-books. But how true is this?
People will read your work if it provides the answers they seek. However, marketers and brands tend to overlook the power of written content. I would attribute this to a lack of understanding of their audience. Your buyers are the people who will read your blogs.
Does content marketing work in the African Tech Space?
Content marketing is an excellent way to drive traffic and attract sales, but it is an ignored strategy by most African brands. Let me bring you closer and let’s talk about Kenya.
Do Kenyans interact with content? And if they do, what type of content does your audience want to interact with?
Before creating content, you need to zero in on who is your target audience.
All this sounds complex. But hear me out;
The Kenyan and African audience almost always engages with humor content. We have seen brands working with comedians and content creators to drive engagement and sales. But is that all, especially for tech startups?
My answer is no. Humor marketing is exciting and is mostly used by brands for viral campaigns. What about the long-lasting brand reputation?
Content marketing in Africa should be strategic and achieve a specific goal. For instance, a startup company can use content marketing materials like a White Paper, e-book, Tutorials, etc, to raise awareness and educate their target audience.
For a long time, tech startups have ignored the power of content marketing, especially written content. I can attribute this to the change in how your audience consumes content.
For instance, experts say that video content is the most consumed content across the globe. Does this eliminate the need for written content?
No.
Here is why,
You could land on an interesting video on social media about a product or service. However, you will want to visit the companies’ websites to verify and learn more about a product or a service.
So, yes, people who are interested in your services or products (qualified traffic) will consume your content. However, this is only if you provide valuable, relevant, and consistent content that improves their lives.
The benefits of content marketing for African Tech Startups
Content marketing offers genuine and long-term engagement and growth for tech startups. However, this is only when you focus on your target audience and remain consistent.
In this section, I will highlight the benefits of content marketing for tech startup businesses in Africa.
Connects You with Your Customers from a Personalized POV
Content marketing also helps you connect with your customers on a personal level. You can share brand stories, insights, and detailed articles on industry topics that resonate with your audience.
This personal touch builds trust and nurtures a deeper relationship with your customers. They will feel more valued and understood, thus more likely to choose your business.
Improves Your Traffic and SEO
Content marketing improves your traffic and SEO, which boosts your online visibility.
You can improve your SEO score by researching relevant keywords for your content. However, this is not all you need to worry about. You should create content to answer your audience’s most pervasive questions, share your experiences, and promote your product value.
When thinking about SEO optimization, search intent is a great factor. This article explains the importance of creating content that meets the search intent
Establishes You as a Thought leader in the Industry
Consistently sharing valuable insights and expert knowledge positions you as an industry authority. It builds your reputation and attracts other businesses and customers to engage with you.
Good content marketing features interviews with SMEs (subject matter experts) with your team to convey your expertise solutions to your customers. This goes deeper than just explaining your vision and mission, but also about your team’s insights on industry topics and personalized brand promotion.
Brands that establish themselves as thought leaders communicate their opinions and mastery of the subject. Content marketing helps you get there quickly with strategic distribution channels like paid marketing and email campaigns.
Increases Customer Retention and Conversion
Customers who find your content helpful and engaging are likelier to come back for more. The challenge is to create undifferentiated content, so unique that even if you don’t brand it, your audience will still know it is you.
They will return for more information and updates, leading to higher conversion rates. Satisfied customers also tend to recommend your business to others. This further boosts your growth and brand awareness.
Types of content marketing in Africa and where they are best applicable
There are many types of content marketing to help you connect with your audience. These may include:
- Blogs
- Social Media Content
- Video Content Marketing
- E-books
Blogs
Blogs are an excellent way to provide valuable information to your audience. They help improve your website’s SEO and establish you as an authority in your industry.
Additionally, blogs are best for sharing detailed insights, how-to guides, and industry news
Starting a blog post will set you up for long-term success with online visibility. However, your posts should address industry problems, and how to solve them.
Social Media Content
Social media content includes posts, stories, and ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
It’s ideal for reaching a broad audience quickly and engaging with them in real time. Social media content is best for brand awareness, customer interaction, and promoting products or events.
Video Content Marketing
Video content marketing involves creating videos to promote your products, services, or brand. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are popular for sharing videos.
Videos excel at demonstrating product use, sharing customer testimonials, and creating engaging, visual stories that capture attention.
E-books
E-books are comprehensive digital publications that provide in-depth information on a particular topic. They are effective for lead generation, as users often provide their contact information in exchange for the download.
I recall one of our best campaigns at Slyzed was creating a detailed guide on how affiliate marketing helps retailers increase sales and revenue. We got a conversion rate of over 30% from that campaign, giving us an array of sales-qualified leads.
E-books are best for detailed guides, and research reports.
E-books are also excellent for educational content that needs more space than a blog or social media post can provide.
In this article, we will focus on blog content, especially for tech startups. Blogs are a powerful tool for these businesses to drive traffic, improve SEO, and establish themselves as industry leaders.
Creating a B2B content marketing framework for African tech startups
Now that we’ve outlined how content marketing can benefit African startups, let’s look at how to create a content marketing framework.
You want to create a content framework that does not only focus on how many blog posts you’ve published. Rather, you should focus on a framework that ensures you have consistent online messaging, to stamp your product positioning.
Here is a detailed guide on how African tech startups can create and implement an effective content marketing framework.
Ask Your Audience What They Want
For tech startups, this is critical. Focus on the questions your sales team receives the most. These questions reveal where your customers get hung up in the buying journey. Identifying these pain points helps you create content that addresses specific customer needs and concerns.
For instance, when I worked for Slyzed, I would often interact with the customers via chat, email, and even phone. I found it quite helpful to narrow down the common questions I received and compile them. I would then create content, offering solutions to their pain points, and then include them in our monthly newsletters.
In return, we saw an increase in engagement and organic traffic because we were speaking to our audience, people who’d already expressed an interest in the product.
Here is an example of an article I created to respond to a common inquiry from our content campaigns.
How to increase your online presence (for e-commerce sellers)
Additionally, you can also use the common product use inquiries to create how-to product guides to provide self-service customer support. I will expand on this below.
Use FAQs from sales and customer support teams
Creating detailed blog posts, FAQs, and tutorials addressing these questions can help ease their concerns and guide them toward purchasing.
Additionally, your biggest success stories can serve as powerful case studies. This will build credibility and guide potential customers through the decision-making process.
For instance, if a client successfully integrated your tech solution and saw a 50% increase in operational efficiency, document this story. This provides a real-world example that potential customers can relate to.
See my case study
Essentially, case studies help potential customers visualize how your product can solve their problems and improve their operations.
Document Your Content Strategy
Documenting your content strategy is essential for ensuring consistency and effectiveness. This strategy should outline
- When to publish content
- The sequence in which different types of content will be released
- Who is responsible for creating and managing the content,
- The deadlines for each piece.
A detailed content calendar helps in planning and organizing your efforts. It ensures that all team members are aligned and your content is published regularly and on time.
This documentation also serves as a reference to track progress and make necessary adjustments.
Define Your Content Marketing Goals
Clearly define your content marketing goals to guide your efforts. Specific, measurable goals help you track the success of your content marketing initiatives.
For instance, if your goal is to educate customers, you will want to invest in informational content. This can include:
- How-to guides
- Video tutorials
- Educational social media posts
- Whitepapers and e-books
On the other hand, when you want your sales (especially for new startups), you can take it a notch higher and think about paid marketing. However, you need to identify your specific content goal before running a campaign, or rather, when creating your strategy.
Defining goals ensures that your content is purposeful and aligned with your overall business objectives.
Define Your Target Audience
Defining your target audience is crucial for creating relevant content. Know who you are writing for by identifying your ideal customer profile.
Identifying your target audience involves understanding their demographics, interests, challenges, and needs. The more detailed your audience profile, the better you can create content that meets their expectations. In the B2B space, understanding your audience requires you to talk to them. Sit down, take a phone, or email, and speak to them about their pain points.
Before creating this article, I booked a meeting with a few founders for a short interview. As a B2B content writer, my target audience is early-stage startup founders and product managers. In the article, I get into the nitty-gritty of user onboarding and how to create an efficient experience for users.
Talking to these subject matter experts helped me identify the gap and their pain points, and I created content that reflects on these issues.
It helps to create personas that represent different segments of your audience. This allows you to address their specific concerns and preferences directly.
Plan Your Content Distribution
When creating your content framework, distribution is a critical element. Content distribution allows you to map out how to put your content in front of your audience’s eyes. That said, it means you must identify where your audience spends time.
For instance, my target audience hangs out on LinkedIn (formally) and casually on Facebook Groups. I share my expertise by answering questions on online communities and forums about content marketing.
You can distribute your content using various channels, such as social media, email newsletters, and influencer partnerships. Additionally, use SEO techniques to improve the visibility of your content in search engines.
Consistent and strategic promotion ensures that your content gets the attention it deserves and helps you achieve your marketing goals.
Content Ideation and SEO for African Tech Startups
Content ideation is generating (brainstorming) topic ideas that will engage your audience and address their needs.
For African e-commerce and tech startups, effective content ideation is crucial for meeting the unique needs of African consumers.
I will take you through the content ideation process to help you get started.
Identifying Content Gaps
Many African markets are underserved in terms of specific, relevant, and high-quality content. But this is an opportunity for businesses using content marketing to not only focus on sales but also develop a brand image.
To identify content gaps, start by analyzing your industry and competitors to see what content is lacking. Tools like Google Trends, SEMrush, or Ahrefs will help you find keywords and topics that are not being adequately covered.
For example, if you find that there is little information on Shopify-Mpesa integration, you can create detailed guides or blog posts to fill this gap.
Additionally, look for questions that are frequently asked but poorly answered in the ‘People also ask’ section of the Google search page results.
These questions will guide you in discovering your target audience’s pain points which you can address through your content.
Addressing Customer Pain Points
Your content ideation process should address customer pain points is essential. Start by understanding the common challenges your customers face.
For instance, in the African market, logistical challenges such as delivery issues and payment processing difficulties are common.
As a logistics tech startup, create content that provides solutions to these problems. Tutorials on how to optimize delivery routes or guides on using mobile money for payments can be highly valuable.
Collaboration with Sales and Other Departments
Talking to your sales team and other departments can significantly enhance your content ideation process.
Sales teams are on the frontline, interacting directly with customers and understanding their concerns and questions.
For example, if your sales team frequently receives questions about the reliability of your tech product in remote areas with limited internet connectivity, you can create content that addresses these concerns, and offer them an answer.
This might include case studies of successful implementations in similar conditions or tips on optimizing product performance with low bandwidth.
Your customer service department can provide insights into recurring issues and customer feedback. Product development teams can highlight upcoming features or improvements that can be promoted through content.
These internal resources ensure that your content is aligned with actual customer needs and business objectives.
Social Listening for Content Ideation
Social listening is monitoring social media platforms and online communities to understand what your audience is talking about and what issues they care about.
This real-time data can reveal emerging trends and common customer concerns.
For example, if you notice a growing conversation about the lack of local tech support for e-commerce solutions, you can create content addressing this need.
This can be in the form of articles on how to find reliable tech support locally or videos on basic troubleshooting.
SEO Considerations
SEO is important for ensuring your content reaches a wider audience. Start by conducting keyword research to identify high-traffic keywords relevant to your industry and audience.
Focus on long-tail keywords that are specific to the African context, such as “best e-commerce platforms in Kenya” or “mobile payment solutions in Nigeria.” Use these keywords strategically in your content to improve search engine rankings.
Additionally, optimize your content for local search by including region-specific terms and adapting your SEO strategy to target local search engines and directories.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of African internet users access the web via mobile devices.
These approaches can help you generate relevant, high-quality content that addresses the unique needs of the African market and improves your online visibility and engagement.
Content Marketing in Africa: Content Creation
Creating high-quality content is essential for engaging your audience and improving your online presence.
Here, we explore various types of content and their importance, with a focus on how to create them effectively. I like to use the cluster strategy throughout my pages. Essentially, it involves converting industry topics before moving on to another.
This not only enhances your SEO but also promotes your domain authority. Let’s talk about cluster topics, and how this strategy can help you achieve successful content marketing in Africa.
Cluster Topics Content Strategy
Cluster topics are a collection of related content pieces centered around a core theme. The main idea is to cover a broad subject in depth by creating multiple articles that link back to a central “pillar” page.
This approach enhances your website’s SEO by organizing content in a structured way that search engines can easily understand.
Cluster topics help improve your website’s search engine ranking by demonstrating expertise and comprehensive coverage of a subject.
This structure encourages users to explore more content on your site, increasing engagement and reducing bounce rates.
How to Create High-Quality Cluster Topics
- Identify a broad topic relevant to your audience, such as “E-commerce Strategies in Africa.”
- Create a pillar content page that provides an overview of the topic.
- Develop supporting articles (cluster content) that delve into specific aspects of the topic, such as “Mobile Payment Solutions,” “Logistics Challenges,” and “Customer Retention Strategies.”
- Ensure all cluster articles link back to the pillar page and to each other where relevant.
Pillar Content
Pillar content is the main, comprehensive piece that serves as the cornerstone of a topic cluster. It covers a broad subject in detail and acts as a reference point for all related cluster articles.
Pillar content is crucial for establishing your authority on a topic. It attracts backlinks, improves SEO, and serves as a valuable resource for your audience.
How to Create High-Quality Pillar Content
- Choose a broad topic that is highly relevant to your audience.
- Conduct thorough research to ensure your content is comprehensive and accurate.
- Use a clear, organized structure with headings and subheadings to enhance readability.
- Include internal links to relevant cluster articles and external links to reputable sources.
- Update the content regularly to keep it current and valuable.
Response Posts
Response posts are blog articles that directly address specific questions or concerns from your audience. These posts are usually shorter and more focused than pillar content.
Response posts help you engage with your audience by providing immediate answers to their questions. They are excellent for SEO because they target long-tail keywords and address specific search queries.
These posts also build trust and show that you understand your audience’s needs.
How to Create High-Quality Response Posts
- Identify common questions or concerns from your audience through social listening, surveys, and feedback.
- Write concise, focused posts that provide clear and actionable answers.
- Use keywords naturally within the content to improve search engine ranking.
- Include visuals, such as images or infographics, to enhance understanding.
- Link to related pillar content and other relevant articles on your site.
Listicles
Listicles are articles formatted as lists, such as “Top 10 E-commerce Strategies” or “5 Best Tech Tools for Startups.” They are easy to read and highly shareable.
Listicles attract readers by breaking down information into digestible chunks.
They are engaging, often go viral, and drive traffic to your site. Listicles are also great for SEO because they often match search queries that start with “best,” “top,” or “how to.”
How to Create High-Quality Listicles
- Choose a relevant and interesting topic for your audience.
- Research to ensure your list is accurate and comprehensive.
- Write a catchy headline that includes a number (e.g., “7 Must-Have Tools for African E-commerce Startups”).
- Provide detailed explanations for each item on the list, offering unique insights or tips.
- Use a consistent format and include images or graphics to make the list more appealing.
- Ensure each item is valuable and relevant to the reader.
Content Marketing in Africa: Promotion
Content marketing in Africa requires a tailored approach that considers local preferences and available platforms.
Here are some strategies based on the insights from the GSMA report on e-commerce in Africa
Use Social Media Platforms
Social media is immensely popular in Africa. Platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and increasingly TikTok are widely used across the continent.
Facebook and Instagram – Use these platforms for targeted ads and engaging posts. Create content that resonates with local cultures and trends.
WhatsApp – Use WhatsApp Business to share updates, promotions, and customer service. It’s a direct and personal way to engage with your audience.
TikTok – Create short, engaging videos that highlight your products or services. Leverage trending hashtags and challenges to increase visibility.
Engage with Local Online Communities – Participate in local online forums, Facebook groups, and other digital communities where your target audience congregates.
Community Engagement – Share valuable content and participate in discussions to build trust and establish your brand as a thought leader.
Email Marketing – Email remains a powerful content marketing tool for reaching customers. Tailor your messages to different segments of your audience for more personalized communication.
Additionally, share a mix of content, including newsletters, promotional offers, and educational webinars.
Measuring the right KPIs
Measuring and analyzing your content performance provides insights into what’s working and what’s not. This allows you to refine your content strategy for better results.
Secondly, it helps justify your content marketing efforts to stakeholders by demonstrating the impact and ROI of your campaigns.
Additionally, measuring performance enables you to identify trends, patterns, and audience preferences. This will help you tailor future content to better meet their needs.
When it comes to tools for measuring content performance, there are several options available. Google Analytics is a popular choice for tracking website traffic, engagement, and conversions.
Social media platforms like Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, and LinkedIn Analytics provide valuable data on post reach, engagement, and audience demographics.
Additionally, there are specialized content marketing platforms like SEMrush, Moz, and BuzzSumo that offer comprehensive analytics and insights into content performance across various channels.
Metrics to consider in content marketing in Africa
Traffic – The number of visitors to your website or content piece. This includes overall traffic as well as traffic sources (organic, direct, referral, social).
Engagement – Track metrics such as time spent on a page, bounce rate, scroll depth, likes, comments, shares, and click-through rates (CTRs). These indicate how well your content resonates with your audience.
Conversions – Monitor conversion actions such as form submissions, newsletter sign-ups, downloads, purchases, or any other desired actions. This helps assess the effectiveness of your content in driving desired outcomes.
Audience Insights – Understand your audience better by analyzing demographics (age, gender, location), interests, behavior, and preferences. This information can inform your content strategy and targeting efforts.
SEO Performance – Evaluate keyword rankings, organic search traffic, backlinks, and domain authority to assess your content’s visibility and impact on search engine rankings.
Measuring and analyzing these metrics gives you valuable insights into your content’s performance. This way, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your content marketing strategy.
For example, if you notice that a particular type of content consistently generates high engagement and conversions, you can allocate more resources to creating similar content in the future. On the other hand, if certain content isn’t performing well, you can adjust your approach or focus on different topics or formats that are more appealing to your audience.
Measuring and analyzing content performance helps you maximize your content marketing efforts and achieve your business objectives.
Done for You Offer
When creating your content marketing framework, two things must be in your mind; your specific goals, and your target audience. If you are struggling with creating a consistent content plan, I understand. Between your crazy schedule, meetings, and a gazillion tasks, content planning is not a priority.
And I disagree.
From your brand to your startup, content marketing can grow your visibility, define your positioning, and improve your conversion rates. Content marketing in Africa is also growing with the increase in tech startups and small businesses.
Would you like this done for your brand? Reach out and I am happy to help you map out your content framework.
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