Bernard Muiru: Young digital marketer who can sell anything

BUSINESS TODAY: Good morning Bernard and it’s our pleasure to host you on our BT interview section.

BERNARD: Thanks BT for this opportunity. I’m in fact one of your loyal readers (sips tea)

What exactly do you do for a living?

Haha! I create marketing ideas or should I say digital campaigns.

Well, digital media is the in-thing now, how do you help brands in this new world?

Competition is cut-throat, and every brand wants to remain relevant not only with competitorsm but in the industry as a whole. The most important thing I do is to understand the product that my clients are selling out there. The next thing is to craft strategies to win the audience out there keeping in mind what other players are offering and how they are doing it.

I always look beyond the ROI (return on investment) and CPA (Cost per acquisition/action) to understand clients’ businesses and grow their profits.  Digital media nowadays does not need over-the-shelf kind of thinking but rather content that resonates well with the target audience.

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What brands have you worked with and how is the success rate of your work in terms of making an impact?

I started off as an e-commerce content writer. I was a freelance content writer for vendors selling on platforms like eBay and Amazon. It’s during those days that I got exposed to e-business, and when an opportunity popped up at Kilimall, I won the interview since those days it was hard to get a person with e-commerce know-how. I joined Kilimall as a Content Editor, and in two weeks I was promoted to a digital marketer.

Never be limited to your job description.  In just two weeks I introduced the Kilimall website’s blog and Editor’s Choice tab for top three products per day. That’s how I joined the marketing department and started handling SEO (search engine optimisation) for both Kenya and Uganda. Later I handled e-PR and events.

I’m now working for Top World Digital Agency from France handling several brands across Africa and loving it.

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How does someone become a digital expert, so to speak? In other words what kind of skills are needed?

Digital marketing is still new in Kenya and it’s hard to find a 360 digital marketer. The concept is broad with a number of fields like SEO, Social Media, Adwords, Affiliate marketing, e-PR, blogging, etc. I taught myself most of the skills online and even subscribed to online classes. One has to have the urge to learn and passion for writing! It’s creativity backed up with hard work. But the basic is that you need an eye for creativity.

What should brands do to win over digital audiences?

Someone said content is the king! In addition, the content should be sent to the right audience. That’s why brands need to create meaningful connections with their audience in order to realize a return on investment.

What’s the future of digital marketing and communication in Kenya and the world at large?

Technology is growing, and no one has enough time to watch what traditional media is saying or showing. Everything traditional is dying including the paper money; we now have digital currency! Most companies are now channelling their marketing budgets to the digital department.  Digital is where the future is!

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What’s has been your best and worst campaign so far?

2016 Black Friday was the best. The targets went overboard! I don’t think I have the worst; maybe average.

What do you do when you aren’t online running digital campaigns?

Hahaha, I’m ever online…sounds silly but at a time like now when I’m managing five multi-million brands I have to keep an eye on my phone. I don’t want to miss anything! Let’s say I’m only offline when sleeping or in  church.

Your favourite food?

Organic traditional food keeps me moving.