This is an important question which a lot of people including business owners and business executives ponder over and it constitutes an important part in strategic social media marketing planning. However, what we must understand is that, the choice of a particular social media platform is not dependent on one’s personal likeness for it but on the frequency and use of your market (target audience). It is like a DJ preparing a playlist for an event. The choice of music for each playlist does not depend on his personal preference but that of his client and of the nature or type of event.
As for social media, if your target audience uses a particular social media platform more, then your social media campaign should be focused more on that platform. With the availability of numerous social media platforms across the globe, this choice becomes even more complex and one may turn to assume that a particular platform might be better based on personal judgment, maybe because we are present there and it blinds us to other possibilities.
I have tried to find out from some people, mostly Cameroonians, which social media platform is ideal for social media campaigns directed to Cameroonians and a host of them spoke about X and when I dug deeper to under why, I realized their reasons were personal rather than logical. They felt that X is a mature platform and assumed it would be the best. Did you get that? Their choices were personal, backed by their feelings of being “responsible”. In actual fact, a business goes where the market (customer) is and that is why I recommend that to effectively source for the best social media platform for a particular social media marketing campaign, it is paramount to rely on statistics (data) before making this decision.
Let me share with you some figures from Statcounter about social media use in Africa and the following countries: Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Equatorial Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire, between the periods of January 2023 – January 2024. All the above listed countries are countries within the CEMAC region except Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire which I have specifically put here as a result of constant comparism between them and the English speaking parts of Cameroon (Northwest and Southwest) and the French speaking parts, respectively. The social media platforms considered in this article include Facebook, X, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram and LinkdIn.
- AFRICA
Facebook: 70.35% | YouTube: 11.39% | X: 7.77% | Instagram: 6.53% | Pinterest: 3.19% | LinkedIn: 0.52%
2. CAMEROON
Facebook: 70.53% | Twitter (X) : 16.12% | Pinterest: 6.81% | YouTube: 3.75% | Instagram: 2.23% | LinkedIn: 0.4%
3. NIGERIA
Facebook: 59.55% | X: 13.28% | Instagram: 10.62% | YouTube: 8.06% | Pinterest: 7.26% | LinkedIn: 0.93%.
4. GABON
Facebook: 71.1% | X: 20.32% | Pinterest: 2.95% | Instagram: 2.63% | YouTube: 2.56%
| LinkedIn: 0.27%
5. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Facebook: 75.63% | X: 17.99% | Pinterest: 3.87% | Instagram: 1.88% | YouTube: 0.42% | LinkedIn: 0.1%
6. CHAD
Facebook: 72.33% | X: 23.72% | YouTube: 2.2% | Instagram: 1.26% | Pinterest: 0.34% | LinkedIn: 0.14%
7. THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Facebook: 73.66% | X: 19.54% | Pinterest: 3.09% | Instagram: 2.23% | YouTube: 1.2% | LinkedIn: 0.21%
8. EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Facebook: 76.99% | YouTube: 10.87% | Pinterest: 4.87% | Instagram: 3.98% | X: 2.78% | LinkedIn: 0.25%.
9. COTE D’IVOIRE
Facebook: 82.31% | X: 12.76% | Pinterest: 1.95% | YouTube: 1.37% | Instagram: 1.32% | LinkedIn: 0.18%
Now, what does this tell you as a business person in any of the above countries who wishes to use social media to grow their business? It is evident that in Africa, the most used social media platform is Facebook with 70.35%, followed by YouTube which comes with 11.39%, then by X with 7.77%, Instagram 6.53%, Pinterest 3.19% and lastly LinkedIn with 0.52%. These percentages may seem small for a platform like LinkedIn but in terms of actual numbers, they are not insignificant, however, they tell us where to focus more.
DIGITAL MARKETING IN CAMEROON: A GOLDMINE OF OPPORTUNITIES
Comparatively, Nigerians are more active on Instagram (10.62%) than Cameroonians (2.23%) while Cameroonians are more active on Facebook (70.53%) than Nigerians (59.55%). In the CEMAC region, Cote d’Ivoire has the most active users on Facebook (82.31%). It is equally interesting to note that there are more Cameroonian users on Instagram (2.23%) than Ivorians (1.32%).
In Cameroon for example social media platforms have become integral to the digital marketing landscape in Cameroon, providing businesses with a direct channel to engage with consumers and build brand awareness. Like earlier mentioned, Facebook remains the most popular social media platform in the country, with over 6 million active users as of 2023. Additionally, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and X are also widely utilized by businesses to connect with their target audience and promote their products or services.
Cameroon’s internet penetration has been steadily increasing, fueled by the growing availability of affordable smartphones and improved network infrastructure. According to recent statistics from the Cameroon National Institute of Statistics, internet penetration stood at approximately 38% in 2023, representing a significant increase from previous years. Moreover, the widespread adoption of mobile technology has played a pivotal role in driving digital connectivity, with mobile internet usage surpassing desktop usage.
“Your products and services, your brand personality, your business type…they should all influence your channel selection. Highly visual brands, like graphic designers and artists, should explore DeviantArt, Dayflash, and Instagram, among others, while large B2B enterprises should definitely have LinkedIn at the top of their list.
But channel choices aren’t black and white either. Many large corporations have a visually stunning brand presence that shows well on Instagram, like Apple. Similarly, creative operations are still businesses, and they can benefit from what LinkedIn has to offer. Some channels have broad appeal, like Instagram, while others are more niche, like DeviantArt. You just need to weigh what makes sense for your business and understand that what your company does impacts the options available to you.”
Decision making on which social media platform or platforms to use for social media marketing campaigns should therefore be based on information and that stems from data. Thus, with accurate data, you’ll make the best social media marketing decisions.
Thank you for this post. I have gathered much useful information from it.