So sometime last week, iMullar published an article on top female Twitter influencers in Ghana, and it sparked a lot of reactions on Ghanaian social media space. Some thought the author compiled a list of his popular female friends on Twitter, while a few others thought he was well in right. We’re here to clear the air.
I think it’s important to start with the core – Who really is a social media influencer? Not a trends tweet promoter, not a popular celebrity on social media, but an influencer in every sense of the word.
Since the advent of a digital marketing industry, brands have been taking their businesses online and making good use of the many benefits that the digital space brings. It started with having a presence online and invariably moved to putting out content online to attract more customers and increase revenue. Today, it’s entirely possible to run your business on the internet without having to hire a single employee.
Then came the issue of driving traffic to your online presence and brand managers found this hard to crack. Brands had to figure out a way to generate conversation and engagement around their products/service which in turn drove traffic to their pages. The social media platforms tried to help by introducing business plans, but that wasn’t nearly enough – the brands needed a strategy that was direct. Then came Social media influencing…
Social Media Influencing pretty much sums up to rallying a few influential people online from various industries and engaging them to create a conversation about your brand online, which in turn, convinces their followers or fans to buy into the idea of your product/service. The eventual goal is conversion – turning haters into believers. This is being done all over, and Ghana is definitely not left behind.
Though brands in Ghana are still slow to accept this new phenomenon, we tried to put together a list of Ghana’s top social media influencers (in no particular order), and what makes them influential:
Ameyaw Debrah (Entertainment, Lifestyle)
Recognised as Ghana’s top celebrity/lifestyle blogger, Ameyaw fits a social media influencer description. His take on relevant issues is one that is largely accepted and taken with all seriousness. He also has a good following and wields two platforms that take his influence to a whole new level.
Dear Ghanaian brands, if you’re looking to engage an influencer with all the sauce, you might want to start with Ameyaw.
Naa Oyoo Kumodzi (Blogging, Digital Marketing)
Naa is a blogger and co-founder of Store Foundry, a platform that lets you create your own online store, and definitely matches the Influencer requirements. She’s a very active personality on Twitter and she gets a lot of keen attention by the people who would most likely patronise your brand/service. She’s in the e-commerce business, hence, she knows what potential customers/clients want to hear.
AccraWeDey (Hospitality, Lifestyle)
Now you might say, why put an online company on this list? Well, there’s no set-in-stone rule that a company, with a very vibrant personality, cannot be influential, in their own sphere of things.
AccraWeDey, which you might call “yellow pages” for things to do and places to go in Accra, used social media heavily, in scaling their business and becoming prominent in the lifestyle/hospitality sphere. They have the following, and they also have the ears of Accra’s everyday hustlers.
Jemila Abdulai (Travel, Digital Marketing)
Jemila, who is a blogger and travel connoisseur, is a great personality with a lot of influence. Today’s Ghanaian millennials pay keen attention to what she tweets or blogs about. Her blog, Circumspecte ranks high amongst blog rankings in Ghana. She’s also in the digital business, so she understands the tips and tricks of this digital business.
Kajsa Hallberg Adu (Blogging)
Kajsa, who is the co founder of Blogging Ghana and a professor at Ashesi University, is also a vibrant personality on Ghanaian twitter. She ranges in topics she’s passionate about, and she handles them so well. You definitely want her talking about your brand.
Manasseh Azure Awuni (Politics, Journalism)
Manasseh, an award winning journalist, and writer has to be on this list. His command on political matters in Ghana is resounding and echoes loud on Ghanaian social media. When he talks, tweets, people listen.
Kobby Blay (Health)
In issues of health, especially in Ghana, Kobby is the one to turn to. He’s a health blogger and founder of HealthNestGh. If you’re a Medicare brand that needs relevant people in that industry talking about you, Kobby is the one to engage.
Bernard Kafui Sokpe (Music)
Popularly known as Mr. Meister, Kafui heads Meister music and managed Mr Eazi from an upcoming artiste to the global superstar that he is. He’s also a brand communications specialist. He knows the business of music, and he can influence folks in that arena.
Keni Kodjo (Blogging, Communications)
Keni, an award winning blogger and World Economic Forum Global shaper is a personality a lot of people on social media admire. She’s a voice to reckon with especially in areas of marriage and vows.
Kinna Likimani (Activism, Politics)
Kinna is a feminist and a social activist. She’s currently the project lead for Ghana Decides, a non-partisan project which helps fosters a better-informed electorate for free & fair elections in Ghana. She is also part of the team at Odekro, an online platform which provides online access to public records and empowers citizens to keep an eye on public officials, especially parliament. Kinna is an avid tweeter especially when it comes to topics on feminism and African studies and literature.
And there’s a lot more where this list came from. Look out for Part 2…
