Speedy internet sparks e-marketing talent wars

Business opportunities arising from the recent landing of high speed internet in Kenya are causing major skills realignments as companies seek to hire people with specialised knowledge of the emerging virtual markets.

Competition for people with new media skills has intensified in recent months as key players reorganise their operations for visibility in digital and online markets that are expected to drive growth in the next decade.

Kenya is one of the African countries with the highest number of social media websites such as the popular Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz and LinkedIn, according to the State of Mobile Internet in Africa’ report released by Opera Mini last month.

Consumer market research firm Synovate estimates that at least two million Kenyans are on social media, giving it a larger fraction of the eyeballs that producers of goods and services are looking for to build their brands and boost sales.

Facebook’s own statistics show that 800,000 people who live in Kenya are on the website.

That number mainly comprises of people aged between 15-44 years.

Although only 17 per cent of the Kenyan population has access to the internet, that number is expected to rise to nine million in the next five years, making it the most accessible technology in the country after the mobile phone.

This combined with the ongoing advancement in mobile technology and the experience from early adopters is promising to open a multi-billion shilling market that businesses have to capture to grow market share.

Last year’s landing of the fibre optic cables and the subsequent explosion of internet use had initially sparked the race for audiences, but analysts say there has been a realisation that turning those audiences into new revenue sources requires different types of skills and mindset.

“Progress beyond growing the number of Facebook fans or Twitter followers requires a rethink of ‘social’ as a key part of customer relationship management process,” said Muchiri Nyaggah, the director of Semacraft in an online discussion forum.

That number has since grown to 31 per cent, with 56 per cent of marketers using social media for 6 hours or more each week while 30 per cent use it for 11 or more hours weekly.

These numbers have forced technology and media companies into the race for control of on-line audiences, intensifying competition for people with the skills to market products and services in the new landscape.

It is, however, emerging that when it comes to on-line or electronic markets, consumers have outrun the suppliers.

Companies that have moved into the new media space confess that there is an acute shortage of people with the skills to develop and use the emerging electronic markets.

Even fewer are people with the skills to turn the growing on-line audiences into platforms that can be used to market products or even monetise the millions of ‘eyeballs’.

“There remains an acute shortage of expertise in what works, what doesn’t and how to apply these advances to achieve business value” said Mbugua Njihia, the chief executive at Symbiotic Media Consortium.

This scarcity of skills in the emerging business lines such as on-line, mobile and digital marketing has sparked a vicious war talent that is forcing some Kenyan firms to look beyond the borders for expatriates with India as the main source market.

The numbers are not yet available but information technology industry insiders say Kenyan corporations have employed more than 200 e-marketers since June last year with the number expected to more than double in the next 12 months.

Although Kenya has a large pool of people with quality ICT skills, the acute shortage of e-marketing experts is linked to the fact that it requires equal amounts of competence in two critical areas of technology and marketing.

“To succeed in this market, companies must find people with a deeper understanding of marketing and the technological competence to create e-products that can deliver real measurable value to brand owners,” says Sharet Sharma, an Indian professor of business management in a research paper.

The list of Kenyan companies that have been shopping for this specialised staff include telecoms operators Safaricom, Zain, AccessKenya, the Wananchi Group, Kenya Airways, and the Nation Media Group.

Safaricom has, for instance, launched a search for individuals who will sit on an innovation board it has set up to help it address the changing consumer needs and tap new revenue.

Activity has been more intense in the technology and media sectors but several firms, including soft drinks giant Coca Cola, real estate and financial services firms have established websites that generate specialised content for Kenyan users – hoping to leverage on the audiences to market their products.

Kenya Data Networks, a technology firm, is riding on Google Buzz to boost the presence of its Butterfly portal, which rides on the “shopping mall” concept for internet services -- giving users free access to a menu of services online.

Human resource experts expect talent wars in the country to intensify as companies position themselves to tackle each other in the new frontier of competition.

“Talent wars in the sector are going to get notoriously intense requiring players to employ creative methods to get and keep staff,” said Kuria Muchiru, the Kenya Country Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Hare Harry, the managing director at Africa-eDevelopment  an IT training and consulting firm, says rapid changes in ICT market dynamics is forcing companies to realign their strengths with the best talent.

The developments in the local sphere take place against the backdrop of increased global activity.

In October, hundreds of marketers will converge at the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) DMA2010 Conference & Exhibition on the Future of Social Media in the United States to discuss how best to leverage the new field for better returns in investment.

Cross media and channel marketing professionals from over 50 countries are scheduled to be in attendance to learn from the thought-leaders behind some of today’s most successful household brands.

Social network marketing spending is expected to exceed $24 billion by 2015, and analysts advise that brands and marketers gain more education in the field to succeed in the ever-expanding world of social media.

“With the landscape of Social Media changing at such a rapid pace, it’s imperative to keep up with the newest technology, platforms, statistics, strategies and techniques”, said Chas Salmore, CEO, Marketingworks.