I’m not sure when it happened, exactly, but digital marketing is suddenly hot in Kenya. It was not too long ago that I did a two part article here on this blog complaining about how local Ad Agencies did not “get” digital marketing and were more often than not going the tried and proven route of analogue marketing. Clearly, from what I can tell, somewhere along the way, everyone got their digital marketing groove on.

Its interesting to see how many “local” ads one can find on web sites such as Google and Facebook. These are NOT limited to the big brands such as Safaricom and Airtel. You get even really small and probably bedroom operated businesses also doing the digital marketing rounds. To be honest, its hard to find a better medium than the Internet in Kenya to deliver the best return on investment for marketing. As the saying goes, “fish where the fish are”.

A big part of the on-going digital marketing revolution in Kenya stems from the fact that we have approximately 9 million internet users at the moment. This is massive as it represents almost 25% of the Kenyan population – that’s HUGE! The Internet, as a marketing channel therefore has become truly viable and everyone is scrambling to capitalize on this growth. It seems all the large, small and everything in between sized Ad Agencies are all announcing “digital marketing” initiatives every week. In addition, the fact that over 1 million Kenyans are on Facebook and a good number are also on Twitter show that we are indeed a digitally inclined Nation.

So, here is the thing. Even as digital marketing goes into overdrive in Kenya, exactly how well are local brands doing on it? Digital marketing in itself is comprised of a myriad of sub-channels – from email, to mobile web, apps, social media, etc etc. Its actually a very broad channel and it seems that specialization is going to become key. Personally, I have recently had the opportunity to do lots of digital marketing at Dealfish and the results are more often than not eye popping – its really does work! However, specialists in digital marketing niches do deliver the best “bang for buck” in this space. Its very easy to burn cash and NOT get good results. Knowledge and experience is key. We are learning everyday.

There are also a good number of quacks cropping up in the digital marketing “industry” so one has to pay attention and choose carefully. Credentials do matter as do really creative and innovative approaches that guarantee maximum results. Its not just about buying Google Adwords and hoping for the best – optimization of digital marketing needs to be comprehensive and synergistic across all the sub-channels. It has to run the whole gamut of digital arsenal available to Kenyan brands – trust me, there are many many ways of making this happen. In concluding, the future is finally here – digital marketing is hot in Kenya and its already disrupting marketing practices that have been the norm for decades.