Poor marketing strategies hinder African start-ups

At the recently concluded Mobile East Africa 2014 event, experts stated that poor marketing strategies are holding back African start-ups from experiencing further growth. With over 50 countries on the continent, 30 million square kilometers of land and a population of over 1 billion people, marketing experts asked why African start-ups have a problem making their voices heard.

“We have so many brilliant innovations by innovators in Africa. However, most these solutions remain solutions to the ‘elite’ few who have access to internet and such forums as these (technology conferences.) I think it’s time we overhauled our marketing strategies and customize them for our target population,” explained Nduta Maina, lead digital strategist for consulting firm Aim Group.

Maina also explained that African start-ups have a hard time getting their message across to their key target markets.
David Mark, chief technical officer (CTO) at mobile money crowd funding system, M-Changa, responded by saying that African start-ups are still grappling with poor cash flows; an integral part of carrying out marketing campaigns on their products.

He added, “Mainstream media like TV and radio and billboards are very expensive mediums of advertising for many start-ups.” He also went on to say, “Unfortunately these three remain the most effective forms of advertising for our target population, implying that most start-ups are locked out of reach to mass markets.”

Mark also went on to suggest that this leaves them with no alternative but to go with cheaper advertising such as Facebook, Google groups and online adverts, which is not as effective as “having a flashy billboard downtown to get everyone’s attention while in traffic.”

Speaking to ITWeb Africa, Kevin Njoki, a software engineer at East African document management solutions firm COSEKE, said that African startups do not give marketing strategies the attention it deserves. “Most of us focus on developing our products and putting them ‘out there’ to make money, instead of first understanding our target market, and crafting our solutions to fit the exact market needs,” Njoki told ITWeb Africa.

“I think it’s time we became professional in how we approach software solutions development, by engaging marketing research professionals in helping us understand the best marketing strategies to employ in making sure our products get to the end user,” Njoki added.

Source: ITWeb Africa