The world is going Digital and so is Tanzania.

We are in a transition phase from traditional to digital. You might have noticed a few things yourself.

Regular shopping is getting replaced by online shopping and Ecommerce, cash is getting replaced by debit & credit cards or even Masterpass, recharge vouchers and bill payments are getting replaced by M Pesa and Tigo Pesa, taxis are getting replaced by Uber, books are getting replaced by E-books and so on. You get the drift.

This doesn’t mean that traditional marketing will disappear; it simply means that digital channels are getting stronger by the day.

Did you know that the number of internet users in Tanzania have increased by 13% as compared to 2015?

We now have an estimated 19.56 million internet users and 40.22 million mobile phone subscribers. With such a rapid increase in users, we are likely to expect a lot more growth in the near future.

Note: The above statistics are extracted estimates from published media. They are not entirely reliable due to lack of transparency in the media.

The fact is whether you like it or not, every business, no matter how big or small has an online reputation. And it depends on you whether you want it to be a good or a bad one.

Current Drawbacks

When I moved back to Tanzania, I started doing research on how the Digital Marketing industry is. I checked out several businesses, met clients and even spoke to people about online marketing. What I noticed was that a majority of people in Tanzania focused specifically on Social Media Marketing and even thought that Digital Marketing is basically just social media.

In reality, Social Media is a just one part of Digital Marketing. The field of Digital Marketing is so vast that major digital marketing agencies employ an entire team who would consistently work on implementing the strategies planned for the business.

Hence before you embark upon the path of internet marketing, it is advisable to consult with an expert to understand your options and investment required.

Shortage of Local Content

Another drawback is the lack of local content online. There is a dire need of content in Tanzania as it’s very difficult to find good information regarding anything in Tanzania. Most of the content we come across with regard to Tanzania is solely focused on tourism, wildlife and food. Plus a lot of these articles are written by travelers instead of locals.

That being said, there is still a lot of growth and development in various different industries and I truly believe that we have a lot of scope for improvement.