Second economy using Facebook

Findings revealed that Facebook appeals to people from all lifestyles in the 'second economy' communities, unlike MXit, which appeals primarily to the young. It seems that Facebook may be the ultimate eliminator of global and social barriers. The two companies recently partnered on establishing a number of Facebook groups such as In Support of Caster Semenya and African Women, where the group has the distinction of signing up 46 000 members in the first month, believed to be a world record for Facebook.

The growth of Facebook loyal and dedicated online members must be interesting news for marketers who are increasingly looking for 'low cost coupled with high impact' ways to reach media savvy young Black, Coloured and Indian consumers. An estimated 20% of South Africa's mobile phone subscribers use their handset for social networking-related activities.

Online activity on the social networking platforms such as Facebook is not only for leisure, its proving to be great for knowledge sharing, generating ideas to tackle civil society issues and an effective advertising tool for small business owners.

Growth set to explode

“Facebook has evolved into the most popular social networking platforms for all South Africans and the increase in Black, Coloured and Indian South Africans is significant. The growth is set to explode as the word spreads about the accessible nature of Facebook and the new low-cost internet packages offered by Blackberry kicks in around the festive season,” said Enver Buys, CEO of Chaza Strategic Management.

The financial meltdown is having a major impact on overall advertising budgets among businesses of all industry sectors, so the companies believe that it is essential for businesses to have a clear Facebook strategy.

“We have used the social networking tools to market our business and it has been good for our business, as it instantly connects us to people all over the world. Our new client list includes nightclubs, events management agencies, famous clothing labels and a string of high-profile radio and television celebrities,” adds Earl 'Kingpin' Davies, CEO of DTE Technologies.