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By Patience Nyange
Since the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic earlier in the year and the first case announced in March 2020 in Kenya, it is evident that COVID-19 has proved to the world that ‘normal’ is not permanent. The pandemic has granted us an opportunity, whether at a personal, family, institutionally, nationally and internationally, to pause and reflect while making adjustments as part of our survival tactics.
The Communications and Public Relations (PR) industry has undergone real challenging times. Those who have weathered the storms have had to get creative and innovative in a quick span because, in communication, we shouldn’t waste a crisis. Those who put their act together, invented themselves, learnt new skills, enrolled in a few online courses and learnt the trick of digital communications have remained afloat.

While most PR clients still use the traditional media coverage in promotion of their goods and services, a key area of global communication that is fast-growing and gaining traction is digital communications management. We all agree that the future in communication is digital. Therefore, the big question begs, what aspects of digital communication should today’s Communication/PR professionals be alive to? One such area is digital campaigns.
Digital campaign, as the name suggests, involves online tactical strategies used by individuals or companies (private or public) in driving a specific agenda with the aim of positive customer experience, awareness creation, creating engagement, boosting traffic and ultimately revenue generation.
During my one-year sojourn as an International Public Relations student at Cardiff University, UK, digital communication management is a course that I truly enjoyed. Drawing examples from international digital campaigns to local campaigns in Kenya, a successful digital campaign must be conducted within set objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs). Some key considerations include the following;

a) Understanding and defining your target audience.
Understanding the range of existing, current, and potential customers is a sure way of targeting the right audience. A quick survey or research will tell you what your audience is looking for, what their interests are and the best way to communicate with them. Without this understanding, you will be wondering where your customers are and if at all, your investment in digital campaigns is worth the sacrifice in terms of money and the time invested. Here is a great lesson we can all learn from Susan Chritton, A Master Personal Brand Strategists and Coach – “One of the biggest mistakes we do in relation to our audiences is trying to appeal to everyone. Think about this as the game of darts; You have to aim harder to hit the board. If you let your darts go without aiming them, you probably won’t be making any sense. If you hit the board, you score. And if your aim is perfect and you hit the bull’s eye, even better.”

b). Review your content, from which, develop the most effective campaign messaging and appropriate and catchy hashtags.
Well, if you are in an organization that has been in existence for a while now, you probably have enough content that you would like to promote through a digital campaign. The temptation to put everything out there is one that faces many organizations and individuals in the promotion of their products. However, carry out a successful digital campaign by focusing on one agenda, one product, one messaging per campaign. One way of doing this is to conduct a content audit. If done well, a content audit will help an individual or organization identify relevant content, matching it with the needs of the target audience while crafting sensible messaging and appropriate hashtags.

Make sure to seize the moment by finding a hook in each of your digital campaigns. Ride and leverage on an already existing frenzy and buzz, especially localized campaigns that have an international outlook. When riding on other existing hashtags, contextualize your hashtag so that it is searchable and trackable by your target consumers. For example, during the 40th London Marathon held in early October, Kenya Export Promotion and Brand Agency (KEPROBA), leveraged on the #LondonMarathon digital campaign, to market and brand Kenya as the worlds largest exporter of black tea. In addition, this was a perfect time to endorse the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s sentiments early in the year during the UK-Africa Summit, “every one in two cups of tea drunk in Britain is from Kenya.” Therefore, the choice to brand Kenya’s tea and put appropriate content out there with the hashtag #MakeItKenya when the world was watching the international marathon, in full acknowledgement that Kenya is the #HomeOfChampions, was an excellent digital campaign by KEPROBA.

c). Choose the most appropriate digital platforms.
Before embarking on a digital campaign, it is important to understand how your target audience uses social media. According to 2020 Social Media Marketing Trends report by the Global Web Index, “The most influential brands know that they need to stay on top of customers’ social networking needs. And one way of doing so is by engaging your community and consumers through social media activity; however, this can only be achieved through knowledge of your consumers behaviours and trends online.” It is, therefore, important to tap into the digital consumer survey as a sure of gauging which social media platform is the most appropriate for a given digital campaign.

Other considerations in running a successful digital campaign will require an individual or organization having an adequate budget for it, which could be key for content creation. Creative and innovative content sells. Never underestimate the power of imagery, videography, and infographics. Invest in content creators who understand your brief and your consumers. To use or not to use influencers in digital campaigns is an unending discussion within professionals in PR and Communication industry. Should you want to use them, be sure that they stand for what you believe in, they have an influential digital footprint and are ready to get creative with the content given to them.

Though designing and articulating a complete digital campaign might sound and look like a daunting task, when planned and implemented effectively and efficiently, the benefits are worth the pain the gain. Over and above it all, strive to build trust with your customers even before you need them! A brand is as good as what the consumers say about it!

Patience Nyange is a Communications and Media Advisor. She is also a Chevening Scholar 2019