HiPipo Money

It is commonly said that if you do not plan then you are planning to fail. Companies and brands need to carefully plan and budget for their social media presence. Social media is here to help build and/or strength corporate/SME or individual brands but if not well used it can damage brands. Jasmine Sandler , discuss the following among things to consider in your company/brand social media budget:

1.     Social Media Marketing Strategy

This budget in some cases may have to be delivered by consultants hence would come at cost. Even when delivered by internal company personnel, coming up with strategy will cost time of your marketing team.

2.     Social Media Channels/Pages Setup

In the event that you are just stepping in to social media for the first time, social media channel setup will be your first hard cost which may need graphics persons to design custom skins for pages such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn (company header) with clear focus that your brand is well represented in all the designs.

3.     Content Development

Content marketing it at the center of social media marketing! Without content your social media strategy will be weak. Compelling content takes professionalism in design, writing skills, video production, photography, audio development, and more hence plan for this in your budget.

4.     Channel Management

Once you have a working content plan, you’ll need daily management of the social channels that will drive your online brand awareness and engagement. Social media management takes listening, research, staying on top of trends and influencers, and ongoing creative thinking.

5.     Social Media Campaigns

There are loads of opportunities to create and deliver display ad and PR campaigns within the social networks. In doing so, cost factors include: design, goal-setting, analytics and reporting, and of course, outreach and management. Best practices at a minimum for any serious social media marketer include one strong targeted campaign per quarter.

Sometime back we wrote an article stating that the next billion of Smartphone and Tablet users will be more price conscious. We added that if Apple iPad Mini is to find more education purposes with the second billion of mobile device users, Apple will need to devise ways of delivering quality at much more reduced price otherwise, the writing is on the wall that Android based devices will become the darling of the second billion of mobile users if prices are not checked for apple devices.

Mashable reports a rumor courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, which cites “people briefed on the matter.” that a lower-cost iPhone targeted at China and other emerging markets is on its way adding that Apple CEO Tim Cook has made it clear that the company views China as its second most-important geographic region. If the company wants to find major success in China, it might need to compete with a lower-priced offering.

Recent Apple introduced the iPad Mini witch Steve Jobs (RIP) had predicted would never succeed in the market but has been a success. With the reports about the lower cost iPhone in the pipeline, it will be good news for many middle class Africans that may desire the iPhone experience but are short of over 800 USD to cash out on a phone given as most phone purchases in Africa are straight cash out.

We await confirmation of this lower cost iPhone and if that happens in the near few years, many Africans will be glad to have a choice iPhone. 

From Amy Guth and Scott Kleinberg, Tribune Newspapers 12 social media resolutions we select what we think are the 6 must do in 2012

1.       Check and update your privacy settings.

It is very important to control what information others see of and from you.  This can cost your reputation, cost you a job e.t.c

2.      Tweet shorter.

Shorter tweets are often the most shared, so it is a good to force yourself to tweet shorter.

3.      Completely fill out profiles on all your accounts in meaningful ways

E.g Twitter profile: The initial words are the most important so start your profile with the most important key words, never with “Hi, my name is.”

4.      Keep Active Followers and Fans.

In so doing eliminate/unfollow/ from your lists users that are not active for over a long period e.g a year

5.      Be polite and kind.

Remember whenever you tweet or post a Facebook update, there is a human being out there that is reading it…be polite and kind.

6.      Keep a balanced “rule of thirds.”

·         one third of the time, share and promote your news;

·         one third of the time, share news related to your area of expertise or interests, but that originates from someone or somewhere else;

·          and the last third of the time, be social — ask and answer questions, reshare interesting things posted by others, comment and interact.

Read Details of the 12 social media 2013 resolutions here

First  has been telecoms offering 3.75G, wireless routers, and wow LTE technology is setting ground as recently stated by MTN Uganda and other ISPs for which 4G is the near future.  The implication of this is that we shall soon start seeing more wi-fi connected homes for the upper middle class of Africa.

On the other side of the technology spectrum, we have seen Samsung “step Into the future of TV” promotions where Samsung is offering smart TV and soon as tech evolves, YouTube will be permanent citizen on TV.  TV makers are eager to help YouTube with a number of sets launching at  Computer Electronics Show  CES 2013  Las Vega  including sets from Bang & Olufsen, LG, Panasonic and Sony offering YouTube video service’s recently launched “send to TV” feature (Mashable).

Putting it in Uganda context, Uganda may be a few years away from seeing YouTube on TV on large scale but not so far away. As long as our data speeds and the reliability of telecom services keeps  getting  better, we shall expect more affordable data  rates and the rest of the players such as the device (TV) manufacturers, application developers will play their role  and boom: YouTube will be on Your TV.

Still there will be challenges of video quality which challenge will hopefully be averted with more intelligent applications that could switch to available HD if devices such as TV are connected to your YouTube experience. 

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Kampala

In the spirit of innovation and community enrichment everywhere you go, MTN has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Grameen Foundation to scale mobile based financial services to the entire Ugandan rural community as one of the top Mobile Money adopters around the world.

With the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation providing a shared budget support, and Grameen sharing its experience working with the rural population, MTN was to both adopt new Mobile Money based products targeted specifically towards the segment of the Ugandan population that earns under $2.5 per day, as well as scaling up Mobile Money usage and infrastructure support in terms of a robust Agent network with access to training across the entire rural countryside.

“This is a welcome partnership that will go a long way in ensuring that the unbanked people in the rural areas have access to financial services, particularly MTN Mobile Money,” said Charlotte Kaheru, MTN Uganda’s Head of Mobile Money.

The project which is to last for 3 years from November 2011 was subdivided into two phases. The Incubator Phase of the project supported new Mobile Money product development for communities in the rural areas while the Accelerator Phase will be focused on scaling Mobile Money services and campaigns across the rural areas with the aim of capturing an additional 3 million new and active users.

Shaibu Haruna, the MTN Uganda General Manager- Sales and Distribution commented, “MTN Uganda has currently more than 3.5 Million Customers registered for the Mobile Money service. Our Mobile Money Customer base has increased by more than 40% during the last 12 months”.

Currently the MTN Mobile Money service provides access to perform the most popular financial transactions that the ordinary Ugandan requires. This includes purchase of airtime, school fees payment, TV subscriptions, purchase of goods and services, payment of water and electricity bills, payment of salaries and secure money transfer from one account to another, just to mention a few. Through our partnership with Western Union, MTN subscribers registered for Mobile Money can send and receive Western Union Money Transfer transactions in their mobile accounts from 450,000 locations in 20 countries around the world- this is another first from MTN Uganda.

MTN Uganda is now working on how to integrate more financial services services onto our platform and in a few months we hope to announce new, revolutionary financial services on our MTN Mobile Money platform.

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It was thriving and an amazing party, one of its kind that I am convinced many Airtel staff will keep in memory.

At a mega Christmas party organized at one classy hangout in Kampala, Airtel Uganda brought together all their employees to  meet , greet, have fun, interact and be entertained as they say Merry Christmas and Happy New to Team-mates in Style.

Grace Nakimera put up a standing, crowd engaging performance at the party that majority of Airtel’s employees and management had to get to the dancing floor and shake their bodies to hits such as Mpola Mpola, Nkwagala Kufa, Anfukula and Sexy among others. Later, Bobi Wine also performed at the event.

Airtel party was colorful with majority of the attending Staff in high spirits.

#Merry Christmas

MTN Customers will between now (December 2012) and 28^th February, 2013 gets a 10 per cent discount whenever they pay their DStv monthly subscription using MTN Mobile Money.

This comes after the two companies; MTN Uganda and Multichoice (DStv) partnered to reward their loyal customers and welcome new subscribers during this festive season.

“This new promotion further shows MTN’s commitment to giving back to its customers particularly now as we all get geared up for the festive season. At MTN Uganda we continue to look at ways to give back to our customers with relevant offers,” said Ernst Fonternel, the MTN Uganda chief marketing officer while launching the promotion mid this week.

Mr. Albert Nga, the marketing manager of MultiChoice Uganda said: “With MTN having the biggest mobile money platform in the country this partnership was crucial to us to ensure we bring convenience to our customers. Our objective is to reward subscribers who have embraced innovative methods of payment and ensure the benefits are obvious to our customers to employ when they pay their DStv and GOtv subscription.

The discount is offset from your DStv account when paying for your subscription, by or before the next due date.

To use this service, you need to be a registered MTN Mobile Money customer with sufficient money on your MTN Mobile Money account.

Grand prizes to be won include free DStv decoders and monthly subscription fees among other exciting prizes.

This promotion will run for 3 months from 13^th December 2012 to 28^th February 2013.

Note:

MultiChoice Uganda was the first corporate ‘Pay Bill’ partner on MTN Mobile Money since 2010. The partnership enables MultiChoice/DStv subscribers in Uganda who are registered on MTN mobile money to pay their TV bills using mobile money.

With over 60% of MultiChoice subscribers also being MTN customers and 30% of MultiChoice subscribers making their DStv bill payment using Mobile Money, this promotion will benefit both DSTV and MTN subscribers.

MTN is the biggest mobile money service provider in Uganda with over 3.5 million registered and active users of this money transfer service.

Early this year, MTN mobile money became international following a partnership with Western Union. Under the partnership, MTN mobile money customers can receive money sent from any part of the world through western union.  

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3^rd December, 2012

Press Release 

RVR the concessionaire for the Uganda-Kenya Railway has released plans to rehabilitate the Tororo Pakwach line. The Northern line which has been out of operation for the last 18years due to insecurity and vandalism runs between.  Tororo – Mbale – Kumi – Soroti – Lira – Gulu – Packwach, a distance about 500km.

Announcing the development in a press release today the General Manager of RVR Uganda Mr. Mark Rumanyika said “the Northern line is a very important part of our concession and will play an increasingly strategic role in our business development going forward. Landlocked Southern Sudan has recently become independent, commercially viable Hydro Carbons have been discovered in the Albertine Graben and peace has returned to the North meaning that the potential for business growth is virtually unlimited”.

He continued, “The work on the Northern line which will cost almost 2 million dollars commenced on the 19^th November 2012 and will use a three- phased approach. The first phase which includes clearing of bushes, weeding, and removal of anthills will be undertaken by Kato contractors, a Ugandan Engineering company. Kato contractors will employ local communities to do the work.  The second phase will involve restoration of washed out areas due to flooding especially in Soroti and installation of new culverts where required. The final phase will involve replacement of vandalized locations.” A total of 10% of the line needs to be restored.

“The contractor has hit the ground running and we are confident they will start registering significant progress. RVR is working very close to the Government to ensure the project is a success because we both understand the stakes involved and potential impact this project can have on the Northern region, to the country and the East African community as a whole. Opening up the central economies to the rest of the world is one of the most important aspects of the East African integration project EAC and we fully intend to play our part in accelerating this process” Rumanyika said.

Talking about the scale of the project and expected timelines, the MD of Kato Engineering noted that “rehabilitation of the Northern line will be a challenging project given the length of the line and the amount of time it has been non- operational, we are however confident of beating the nine month contractual deadline of the 25^th of August 2013”.

Rehabilitation of the Northern Railway line in Uganda is one of the major transformation projects aimed at improving the business RVR has undertaken in the last year, others include; repair and replacement of nine major culverts between Busembatia & Jinja in Uganda, overhaul of 365 wagons in a KFW funded project, overhaul of 8 locomotives, the replacement of 70km of railway line between Mombasa & Nairobi, the Automatic Train warranty project as other business process improvement projects that RVR rolled out this year.

About RVR

Rift Valley Railways (RVR) is the Kenya-Uganda concessionaire operating freight and passenger rail services in Kenya and Uganda on an exclusive basis. The company was founded in 2006 and has been granted a 25 year mandate to operate railway services on 2,000 kilometers of track linking the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya with the interiors of both Kenya and Uganda, including Kampala.

RVR is owned by the following shareholders: Citadel Capital, through its subsidiary Ambiance Ventures 51%; TransCentury, through its subsidiary Safari Rail Limited 34% and Bomi Holdings 15%.

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