TheCure J- Soul, Kenya’s most sought after Instagram Influencer

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 20 – Meet TheCure J -Soul, one of Kenya’s most sort after social media Influencer.

His meat is particularly Instagram and has influenced for big brands that include Airtel Kenya, Taxinet Kenya, Snack attack, Burger King, Heineken, among others.

On his Instagram page, TheCure has over 80, 000 followers with an impression of over one million and reaches over 150, 000 unique accounts weekly.

But first, who is a social media influencer?

A social media influencer is a user who has established credibility in a specific industry, has access to a huge audience and can persuade others to act based on their recommendations. An influencer has the tools and authenticity to attract many viewers consistently and can motivate others to expand their social reach. An influencer may be anyone from a blogger to a celebrity to an online entrepreneur. They must simply capitalize on a niche to attain widespread credibility.

Big companies in Kenya have turned to social media marketing because it is cheap with a wide range of reach. However, for J – Soul, being an influencer was never part of his career plan.

The Strathmore University marketing graduate, joined Instagram six years ago and was just sharing jokes and memes until he hit 10, 000 followers in two years and thats when he became serious with the platform.

“I would share pictures and memes and was getting a lot of engagement, my followers, would tag their friends, who would also tag other friends, until I reached 10, 000 followers in a very short span, I realized 10,000 engaging followers are an audience for advertisers. I started getting calls from brands and decided to take this seriously,” he explained.

According to TheCure, Instagram Influencers make six figures for a monthly campaign for one product/brand.

“You could have as many products as you want, as long as you are able to deliver on the promise with no conflict of Interest,” he said.

Since its introduction in October 2010, Instagram has grown into a social media staple across the world, boosted further by its subsequent affiliation with Facebook. It’s a place where people have either become overnight celebrities or outright brands thanks to their ever-growing following. Over time, these people and businesses reach a league of their own and were termed “social media influencers” or just ” influencers.” Each influencer serves as an inspiration for business and brands on how to become reputable through Instagram, becoming an example of self-sustenance.

“Since Instagram’s content is easily digested as images or short videos, it encourages more peer-to-peer sharing, which helps brands improve their target audience reach. Their audience isn’t limited to their actual followers; they can connect with the followers of their followers who share their content. As a result, they engage in many sponsored posts, allowing them to be paid for what they share on Instagram,” TheCure told Money Series Africa.

He says Instagram influencers can have a significant impact on brand outreach considering influencers garner more social engagement than the advertising brand’s account.

According to a report by Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) on the ‘State of the Internet in Kenya, 2017, In 2017, a total of four million Kenyans were active on Instagram on a monthly basis, placing it second in the rankings behind Facebook.

“With such good numbers, marketers and communication professionals need to embrace digital marketing. There is need to design and implement a digital marketing strategy for the benefit of the organization and clients. Digital marketing gives an organization with a wide reach, both in demographics and geographical location. Arguably, this is a niche that remains widely untapped by traditional media forms,” he said.

But the main Challenge is for influencers changing engagements and views into real customers.

Easy understanding of the brand and fast replies to inquiries in the social platforms turns into sales.

“Organizations also save on advertising expenditure due to a reduced budget in the digital arena compared to other advertising modes. Right now one full page advertising for a day on the paper costs about Sh1 Million, this budget can get you more than five influencers in different platforms that can run a campaign for you for one month.  The time is now for brands to embrace digital marketing since it is the future for Kenya,” he advised.

Reach TheCure J-Soul on : info@thecurejsoul.com