Alfred Mbai’s career started off as an intern at Glass House Public Relations where he was tasked with monitoring social media communications for a number of organizations. His role included creating content and building audiences for a number of brands.
Mbai, who is currently working as a social Media Manager at Ecobank Kenya Limited, had a vision to be a constitutional lawyer but ended up studying Business and Information Technology and later Journalism and Mass Communication where he majored in Public Relations at St. Paul’s University.
Formal approach & style
Over the past few years, Mbai has developed special interest in Photography, Graphic design, Web Design, Events Management, Creative Writing, Video Production and Digital Media.
Mbai’s formal approach and style on social media have endeared him with brands and Kenyans on Twitter.
As a result, a few tweets will from time to time drop him a Direct Message asking for a job or possible brands to approach for a gig, he says.
Business Today interviewed Mbai about his career, social media and life. Here are excerpts.
Q: Who is Alfred Mbai and how old are you by the way?
A: Mbai is the only Kenyan gentleman who considers himself as having been born twice. The first one is 27 years old. He was born to conquer minds but because he was shy offline, he was presumed dead at age 20 and this Social Media genius was born. He helps you to monitor leading brands communication on social media and position their key messages at the heart of the targeted audience.
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Q: In what ways do you use social media for building business brands?
A: I love to trigger emotions aimed at creating long-lasting impression and impact. I love to relate various life occurrences to available products and services in the industry, whether social, economic or political. With these, I create conversations with my online family. When it comes to brand goals and targets, they differ from one another and therefore different approaches are employed that are suitable for each.
Q: How do you measure return on investment and success in social media?
A: Every second a new user opens an account, social media changes and as we continuously strive to find the best ROI measurement strategies, I feel fulfilled whenever I engage with a brand for a given period of time. When the time to interact with the brand ends, it can then run its marathon independently.
Q: What’s your biggest achievement so far?
A: The Cubot in Kenya Campaign which I worked on while at Kilimall International. It opened the door for the Cubot smartphone market in Kenya and East Africa through the launch of the Cubot Note S.
Q: What strategies would you suggest to a business seeking to generate leads through social media?
A: Focus on facts and figures. Talk about the various success stories about your brand. You could also describe and discuss unique elements to the company at hand. Greatest of all, shift from targeting sales and dwell more on customer satisfaction. If they like your product or services, customers will come back.
Q: What social media tools do you use?
A: Hootsuite, SproutSocial, Tweetdeck. They are many. But consider myself to be my greatest tool.
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Q: A: How do you stay up to date with the latest social media trends?
Every day, I remind myself that above of all things, I smile when I remember that someone calls me a social media enthusiast. So I follow some blogs and a couple of influencers. I try to be ahead of the next recruiter. This is the simple trick.
Q: What is next for you in your work?
A: I’m positioning myself as a consumer behaviour analyst. Starting yesterday, I’m exploring how to capitalize on the same in ensuring better ROI.
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