In Zambia, the most used social network is Facebook, followed by LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and then Twitter on number five. Generally, Zambians in Zambia are not using social media as much as can be used, due to literacy, availability of relevant content and cost of connectivity issues.

WhatsApp, Messenger, Skype, and WeChat are social media messaging applications, not included in this article as it is focusing on networks, with a drive to provide insight for business and brands. Many businesses in Zambia and the continent at large, are not well informed of the benefits of Social Media, as they are of the scandals publicized thereof, bringing a fear and hesitation for business use.

Facebook for Business
The social network lion of the jungle in Zambia is Facebook. There are 2.2 million Zambians in Zambia that are using Facebook. Of these, 59% are male, and 41% are female. The growth rate of Facebook users in Zambia is 4.8% per annum.

The most followed Facebook page in Zambia is Zambia Reports with 1.1 million followers, followed by Mwebantu with one million followers, and the Zambian Watchdog with 716,000+ followers. Though fourth, interestingly, President Edgar Lungu, is the most followed person in Zambia on Facebook with 677,000+ followers on his page. The fifth most followed is the Smart Eagles.

As you assess Facebook as a potential platform, carefully consider your business goals. If you’re trying to acquire new business, Facebook might not be your best option, but if you’re building a dedicated following of clients and you need a way to keep in touch with them, this is a great option for your business.

To increase followers on a company Facebook Page, BluLeadz recommends that you “Invite Your Subscriber and Customer Lists”. If you offer a subscription, like a newsletter, make sure to invite your subscribers. They’re already interested enough to subscribe. Ask them to “Join our Facebook Community” or “Write on our Facebook wall” instead of the usual “join our fan page.”

LinkedIn for Business
There are 360,000 users on LinkedIn in Zambia. On LinkedIn, there is none followed as much as London based Zambian, Dr. Dambisa Moyo, with 1.3 million followers, and rated an Influencer by LinkedIn. She is a pre-eminent thinker, who influences key decision-makers in strategic investment and public policy.

LinkedIn has the distinction of being the most utilized platform for older audiences. It boasts the largest users among ages 30-49. LinkedIn is also unique because it has a narrow focus. People use LinkedIn to search for jobs and to network professionally. As a result, the platform is useful for B2B lead generation, general networking, as well as recruiting employees.

To increase followers on LinkedIn, TechCybers and LinkedIn actually recommend that “Engage your employees to join LinkedIn and ask them to add your company as their workplace. Encourage your company employees to create and complete LinkedIn profiles – once they include your company name, they automatically become followers of your Company Page. Encourage them to create and complete LinkedIn profiles – once they include your company name, they automatically become followers of your Company Page. This will help to drive more traffic to your page.”

YouTube for Business
There are 340,000+ users on YouTube in Zambia. The most subscribed (followed) YouTube channel in Zambia is Marvin Mulenga, with 116,000+ subscribers, and has over 33 million view. The Marvin Mulenga channel is strictly for Reggae, African, Caribbean and other related genres. A bit of some Zambian Music, Historical Zambian Videos, and other Zambian related items will also be publicized on it.

Although YouTube boasts 1 billion users, its reach extends far past that. You don’t have to sign up to be a user to view content on YouTube. As a result, YouTube has become one of the biggest search engine platforms. Many of these searches are for “How To” videos. Service industry businesses who can offer this type of content work well on this platform.

To increase subscribers and view on YouTube, Hootsuite recommends that you “Promote your YouTube channel with Facebook Groups. Over the last year, I’ve been rediscovering Facebook Groups. You can find a group for most topics and interests. For example, #TeamofOne is a community of social media consultants and strategists. I also follow a copywriting group, as well as groups related to my hobby of music production.”

Instagram for Business
There are 320,000 Instagram users in Zambia, with 61% male and 39% female. The growth rate of users on Instagram is 6.7% per annum.

The most followed influencer on Instagram in Zambia is Slad Dee, with 231,000+ followers. His posts are liked by an average 4,000 people, and based on his 760+ posts, this means that he has over three million likes on Instagram.

Instagram is one of the fastest growing platforms, especially among a young audience. Instagram relies on photos for conversation. As a result, this platform works really well for visual based businesses, like art, food, retail, and beauty. Because it’s a growing platform, there’s less noise than Facebook. This means the platform is useful for generating leads because your reach is wider.

Hootsuite recommends that you must have “a thoughtful Instagram strategy”. They say using any social network without a clear plan leads to wasted resources and a low return on investment. Since you’re reading this post, you’re clearly aiming to get more Instagram followers. This is a great goal to start with. But it needs to be part of a larger strategy that connects to your overall business strategy and marketing objectives. Think about why you want to get more Instagram followers. Maybe you want to increase brand awareness, boost product sales, and drive traffic to your website. Staying focused on these business-oriented goals will help keep your Instagram account consistent. It will help you tell a compelling brand story that appeals to new profile visitors and helps build (and keep) a loyal following.

Twitter for Business
There are 70,800 users on LinkedIn in Zambia, with 69% male and 31% female. The growth rate of users is 0.6% per annum.

The three most followed twitter accounts in Zambia are Mulako ZM (@mula_hahaha) with 231,000+ followers, Pompi (@ThePompi) with 221,000+ followers, and Q FM Zambia (@QfmZambia) with 175,000+ followers. Mulako is a very conversational socialite, that tweets random things, especially sports and lifestyles, with over 25,000 tweets. The Pompi is a Zambian Artist and TEDx Speaker, who is very conversational with over 10,000+ tweets. Q FM Zambia is very conversational, with 19,000+ tweets. They are a Radio, that provides social commentary, and other news in Zambia from their page.

Twitter is an excellent platform to build awareness for your brand. Twitter utilizes the hashtag, which organizes conversations around a word or phrase. By searching hashtags, you can learn what people are talking about so you can craft your tweets to take part in popular conversations. Why would you do this? Because Twitter can offer insight into what topics are trending, Twitter is often used by news outlets to find stories. Since Twitter is often used to provide real time updates to an audience, many brands combine Twitter with offline engagement, such as events.

SproutSocial recommends that “When in Doubt, Tweet More Often. Versus the likes of Facebook or Instagram, Twitter requires a more aggressive content strategy. According to data by CoSchedule, the “sweet spot” is anywhere between three and seven tweets per day to maximize engagement. Some brands tweet as often as 15 or 20 times per day, though, so context and competitive analysis are important here. But given how quickly the platform moves, brands can always err on the side of posting more often rather than being reserved.”

The New Normal
Your business and/or brand in Zambia, cannot longer ignore the evident possibilities of these platforms for not only marketing purposes but for literal survival in the New Normal of the Global Digital Economy.