Influencing: Why monetising social media content is not easy

Samanta Kipury of Dentsu during the Launch of the Kenya Media Establishment Survey 2022 by IPSOS at the Serena Hotel on 5th July 2022 [File,Standard] While the compelling question remains whether TikTok will ever pay Kenya's content creators, they continue to flood social platforms with hopes of a paying gig. The relationship between brands and content creators has had a lot of friction, especially when it comes to actualising the vision of brands. Today, content creators in Kenya earn through brand endorsements, meaning they actively work with brands, becoming a bridge between brands and clients. Despite this, the creative economy is faced with the challenge of lack of information - especially for Nano creators- on how to monetise their careers. Nano creators are influencers with following of between 1,000 and 20,000 people. According to Samantha Kipury, Co-CEO of Dentsu Kenya, there has been a lot of friction between small creators, marketing agencies and clients. "A lot of them are just starting out, and it's not their fault because it is their first engagement with clients. There are a lot of things that they may not have had a chance to learn," Kipury said while officially launching Dentsu School of Influence in Nairobi. She said there is a lot of back and forth between clients and small creators, because sometimes they do not know how to actualise the vision of the clients. Kipury said Nano creators sometimes get frustrated when content does not perform well on different platforms. "Content may do well on Instagram but when you migrate from Instagram it performs poorly. Algorithms work differently, you can't just move content across". Being the link between clients and creators, Dentsu has said that Nano creators often fail to meet the client's needs because they are not given an opportunity to access information about the dynamics of digital marketing. "Also, they lack access to information that allows them to monetise their content and scale," Kipury said, noting that this lack of information informed the decision to set up Dentsu School of Influence, which trains creators at no cost. According to Kipury, the creator economy is Kenya is on an upward trajectory, "the reason being that with the state of our economy, getting jobs the old fashioned way is almost downright impossible." Youth restructuring The massive growth in the creator economy is largely driven by youth restructuring and doing what is within their control-which is the creator economy-to make a living. "The content creator space is giving people an opportunity to connect with audiences and launch whatever passion they have," Kipury said. Content creation has been singled out as an emerging economy that needs to be paid attention to. Data has shown that the global creator economy market is on track to experience explosive growth. By 2034, the market is expected to reach $1,487 billion (Sh191.8 trillion), up from $143 billion (Sh18.5 trillion) in 2024. A 2024 report by Market.Us showed that the amateur creator segment dominated the market with a massive share of 64.9 per cent, pointing to a growing trend of everyday individuals leveraging creator platforms to share their content and monetise their passion. Digital content creators are typically new generation workforce that fancy remote work, have eschewed the 9 to 5 for flexible working and are attracted to the world of influence and recognition. The rise of platforms such as TikTok has transformed the digital landscape in Kenya, creating unprecedented opportunities for young content creators. Today, TikTok boasts of 10.60 million users in Kenya, reaching 46.7 per cent of the country's internet users, highlighting the potential for Kenyan influencers to build their personal brands and monetise their creativity on a global scale. Interestingly, 55.3 per cent of TikTok's ad audience in Kenya is male, indicating shifting trends in content consumption and engagement. Despite this space being open for creators, making a living out of it is not easy, Kipury said. "Turning it into a career is not easy, some Nano influencers talk about how difficult it is to the point of wanting to give up. "Part of why we are here, is to make things a little bit easier for creators," she said of the four-month influencer programme. With the growing digital creator frenzy, creators need to learn how to hack and work with algorithms to ensure that their content is amplified. "A lot of advertisers are going the influencer way because influencers allow you to connect with the audience in a very immediate and authentic way," Kipury said. Brands seek influencer services because of the immediacy and relatability. "Building a career off social media has its fair share of challenges, creators need to affirm themselves before they start a career on social media," said Muchiri Mike, content creator, brand influencer and musician. He said if one fails to have an identity they might lose themselves in the opinions of other people. The brand influencer also foresees an evolving landscape for social media. "Five years ago, social media wasn't what it is today, no one would believe that you can live off it. "Social media is a big thing and will get bigger. I am a full-time influencer, and social media pays my bills," Mike said.

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