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Vandudzayi Zirebwa Buy Zimbabwe
Of late Zimbabwe has been experiencing phenomenal growth in the use of social media.
Almost each week we have creative individuals, who for long lacked the means to share their stories, that are now able to communicate and interact with audiences across the breadth and depth of the country as well as internationally.
Just recently a school teacher in Harare became a celebrity simply by posting a social commentry , “unoshaya kuti zvirikombofambaseyi”.

In a short space of time, friends and relatives within the diaspora and locally have adopted the phrase.
The guy is now a hero and has landed contracts to feature on adverts and on radio. Not only has he made some money but enabled Zimbabweans far and wide to have some comic relief.

As we watch this trend unfold, it is sometimes hard to believe that only a few years back, such occurrence would have required substantial amounts of money and serious networking skills.

The cost of producing an audio or video clip would also have demanded the use of persons that are skilled and trained in television production.
Not so now.

The advent of the smart phones and accompanying growth in digital media and expansion of broadband has enabled individuals far and wide not only to take the power of audio visual technologies into their hands but to share stories with each other at a fraction of cost compared to years gone by.

This development has presented a quandary to traditional media forms that fail to innovate.
Unlike years gone by, society no longer relies on big broadcasters to tell them stories that will have occurred in places a few kilometres away. A friend can simply use a cellphone to record and send such news and accompanying pictures.

In similar ways, advertisers are no longer tied to follow the main traditional media houses.
They now have the means to create their own content and send it straight to the intended target market.

The rise of social media should be seen as godsend by Zimbabwean companies that have been struggling to advertise their goods and services as well as gain relevance in a world where those with big advertising spend have dominated.

Now they can tap into the inherent creativity that we have as Africans to popularise their products at a fraction of cost.
In the light of high import bill, which was in the range of $ 1,4 billion in the first quarter of 2014, a host of small to medium enterprises in Zimbabwe have struggled against competition mainly from South Africa. Retailers who are fighting for the scarce dollar are also increasingly reluctant to try out new products. The general rule has become one of sticking to the tried and tested product.

As a result new players are finding it hard to be known let alone establish a basis to export their products.
Social media would be most suitable to such companies. A well-structured campaign that is sufficiently exciting can easily go viral and may in fact end up being picked up by mainstream media.

The company itself would also benefit by building up a reliable database of customers that it can communicate with on a regular basis without having to worry about establishing expensive distribution channels.

As Zimbabweans we need to realise that the current challenges that our economy is experiencing are also laced with numerous opportunities especially for entities that dare challenge established order and are competitive.

We also need to begin taking ourselves a little more seriously and stop believing that we are destined for perennial existence at the margins of poverty.
At the moment our country, thanks to high literacy rates and the rise in the use of cellphones is among the top ten countries that use internet and Facebook in Africa.

In fact even within the religious realm Harare has emerged with highest users of Facebook for TB Joshua. That in a city with less than a faction of the population of Lagos speaks volumes to the shift in our use of media.

The disappointing thing is that, we still need to recognise how we can unleash the new power in our hands to change the game against foreign competition as well as popularise new products and services that many of small to medium scale enterprises produce.

The diaspora who are now closer home they were before can become a useful source of circulating globally the good coming from the motherland.
However, a word caution is necessary. While the cost of sharing has dramatically fallen certain fundamentals remain the same.

It must be understood that in essence, social media by and large favours those that know their market, have a competitive product, and have a story to share.
In fact because the world is so interconnected a simple mistake may be very difficult to correct.

As such greater preparation, pretesting of ideas and strong relationships with the target market are now required for one to succeed. With a great product that is priced right there is absolutely no reason why we can as a country fail to beat competition.

Let’s utilise the growing use of social media to spread the word about Zimbabwean products and services and not simply share jokes that do little to our national economy.

With more structure, nothing can stop us from competing and beating the world. The time to Buy Zimbabwe is now.

Till we meet again, God Bless.

Email: [email protected] Cell 0773751878