The new marketing trend

SHITAWA WALIAULA BAH, 23, is a  social media marketer at Eat Out Kenya. She spoke to WAMBOI KAY about her job

Tell us about your job…

Eat Out Kenya is an online restaurant guide company. I manage the company’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google plus and website feedbacks. I regularly update the sites by promoting new food or events happening in premium restaurants in Nairobi. I manage them so as to create an overall social media strategy. I help our clients (the restaurants) tell their story through pictures of various foods, which in turn generates conversation on social networks. I execute campaigns for our clients on social media networks, which aim to connect and encourage customers to spread the word.

What do you love about your job?

I get to interact with Eat out Kenya fans and I have the best colleagues ever. Restaurants also appreciate my work. If I go to work sad, I’ll leave smiling. I also love it when I post a picture then it gets 200 likes in 20 minutes. It means people  appreciate my posts.

What did you study in school and how did you become a social media marketer?

I did a double major in Advertising and Marketing at Daystar University. I initially wanted to become a creative director, but when I realised I had a great passion and influence in social media — I had 5,000 Facebook friends in 2009 — I opted to focus on Internet advertising and marketing. I decided to intern at an advertising agency as a social media marketer where I learnt a lot.

Why did you choose to pursue advertising and marketing at the university?

Apart from fashion, advertising and marketing are my other passions. Advertising involves a lot of creativity and I am creative. I love creating new things and I knew this field would allow me to diversify. With such majors, one can’t fail to get a job.

How do you ensure you reach older clientele, given that it is the young people who mostly use the social media?

Unlike a few years ago, people of all ages are now embracing the social media. We ensure we are visible in all social media sites to catch everyone’s attention.
 

Does this kind of marketing pay well?

It depends on the company you work for, but it pays well for most companies.

Most careers in Kenya start off as male-dominated. Is this the same in your field?

It is different in social media marketing. Most of the social media marketers I know are women. Women are more into advertising and marketing than men.

What would you advise other young people who want to become social media marketers?

They have to be creative, know all social media dynamics, and be ready to learn. Although it is a fun job, it is also as serious as any other job. Your creativity will determine how far you exploit it for your benefit.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Driving a Bugatti Galibier in the streets of Johannesburg (just kidding!) I would like to have made Eat Out Kenya have more than a million followers and I hope to still be a social media marketer. I hope to have brought remarkable changes to the social media and be a household name. Maybe I can also be the first Nobel Laureate in digital marketing.

What motivates you?

When I go home everyday, I know I have taught someone something new, made one of our Eat Out Kenya and Sleep Out Kenya fans laugh or hungry with our yummy pictures. I love making changes. Pinterest and Instagram also play a major part in my motivation. My mum, Margaret, plays a major role in motivating me too. She is a widow who has worked so hard to bring me this far. I love her and I am where I am because of her.

What are your hobbies?

I love social media, shopping, reading documentaries and swimming. Unlike most people who like reading novels, I love reading documentary books.