So you want to be a star?

Fashion stylist Silvia Njoki and fitness guru Jane Mukami and fare just two Kenyan social media influencers, who have grown their brands purely by clever use of their social media accounts. PHOTOS | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Fitness guru Jane Mukami and fashion stylist Silvia Njoki are just two Kenyan social media influencers, who have grown their brands purely by clever use of their social media accounts. 
  • Millions of people use the Internet for news, entertainment, to socialise and above all, to keep up with what’s hot, on sale and available to them. That’s where social media influencers come in.
  • These are people who garner huge followings simply on the strength of their personalities, and leverage their fans to make money by endorsing products – or even selling their own.

Do you want to be wealthy and successful in future? You might want to shelve your ambitions of becoming a lawyer, doctor or architect because in today’s world, social media stars are the new currency.

Millions of people use the Internet for news, entertainment, to socialise and above all, to keep up with what’s hot, on sale and available to them. That’s where social media influencers come in. These are people who garner huge followings simply on the strength of their personalities, and leverage their fans to make money by endorsing products – or even selling their own.

These products could be anything from beauty and fitness products to nightclub appearances and holiday destinations.

Fitness guru Jane Mukami and fashion stylist Silvia Njoki are just two Kenyan social media influencers, who have grown their brands purely by clever use of their social media accounts. 

THE FITNESS QUEEN:

JANE MUKAMI

Twitter/Instagram: @fitkenyangirl

Website: www.janemukami.com

Jane Mukami has a degree in computer information systems from Kennesaw State University (Georgia, USA). She worked in the field from 1999, but a personal decision to lose weight in 2008 led her down an unexpected path, transforming her into a personal fitness brand and one of Kenya’s notable social media influencers.

Before it all began

“Three years after beginning my personal fitness journey, I discovered I had passion for fitness. My social media posts changed to reflect this and people started sending me messages requesting information on how to get fit. I decided to start blogging in order to share my love for fitness and tips with others.”

Seeing the potential

“I had no intention to build a fitness brand until Jessica Mutuku (a branding, marketing and monetisation expert) contacted me in 2012. She saw potential that I couldn’t even wrap my mind around at that time. We started working together and in 2014, we launched janemukami.com.”

Taking the leap

“I remember trying to explain to my mother that I was moving back to Kenya to build a virtual business. She couldn’t understand why I was leaving a well-paying career and a comfortable lifestyle to begin ‘some internet job’. Moving back to Kenya after living in the US for 16 years and kissing my career goodbye was a scary, bold move. But I knew that this is where my market was. I don’t think I ever felt safe (about the move) but I knew I needed to take that risk.” 

“The brand’s objective is to help others transform their lives through fitness, health and wellness. It is a fully fledged virtual business. I have a team of people who help me run and manage different aspects. The day-to-day activities involve consulting, posting content, running (fitness) challenges, answering questions, customer support, etc.”

The returns

“I got my first client in 2012 when I was still in the US – they paid me $250 (Sh25,000) for meal plans and $300 (Sh30,000) per month for personal training. In 2015 the brand started generating enough income for me to quit my job. I have received a lot of business opportunities from corporates, organisations, TV stations, etc, but I am careful to (only) partner with initiatives that are well aligned with my brand.

My e-book has sold 10,000 copies in less than a year, on Amazon, all over the world – North America, Australia and 70-plus countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. I’ve had marvelous social and business experiences – like working with the First Lady on the Beyond Zero campaign and having Kevin Harrington, one of the original Sharks from Shark Tank as a partner/advisor, and a member of my board of directors.”

The recipe

“Authenticity, branding and social media marketing have played a huge role in my brand’s success. Authenticity fosters a real connection with your audience. I don’t feel like I have to be in character when I am in public I don’t walk around with a made-up face or dressed extremely fancy. When eating out, I stick to certain rules but if I am indulging (for example, I love cake!), I share it on social media and let people know that I also indulge once in a while.”

Personal brands and virtual businesses

“Even though there are only a small number of internet influencers who are reaping the rewards of having a massive presence in Kenya, I think it’s only a matter of time before we get to where the West is. I am pursuing some such opportunities. The only challenge is that corporate clients here are scared of investing adequately because they don’t fully understand the value of social media and its exponential returns on investment.”

 

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THE FASHION GURU:

SILVIA NJOKI

Twitter/Instagram: @stylesilvia

Website: www.silvianjoki.com 

When she graduated from the University of Nairobi with a degree in nutrition and food technology, Silvia Njoki didn’t feel like spending the rest of her life in a food lab. The following year, in 2011, she enrolled in a fashion styling course at Central Saint Martin (London) and Nuova Academia di Belle Arti (Milan). She credits her three-year-old daughter, Nielsine, as the inspiration for what would later become a personal brand with a robust digital following. 

Before it all began

“As a young girl I dreamt of being a fashion designer. Back then I didn’t know what a stylist was but in high school I secretly organised fashion shows for my classmates and styled them using bed sheets, khangas and whatever else was available. I was admitted to Nairobi University on the basis of my grades but while there, I used my free time to attend fashion events and network. By my third year in university, I was interning as a stylist in magazines and TV shows.”

The making

“I started my blog about  four years ago. My newborn daughter inspired me to create Style by Silvia to showcase her outfits – including some I’d sewn myself. It was an instant hit. The blog transformed into what it is today – a place where I share my styling experience and personal style moments. I also style individuals.”

It takes time

“It took me close to a year and half before I started making money through endorsements and promotions. You have to start climbing the ladder from the bottom – so at the beginning I was content with earning minimal fees. Eventually, the contracts started trickling in.”

Far-reaching opportunities

“The discovery of my brand’s international prominence took me by surprise. Some of my most treasured moments this year have been the P&G Future Fabrics event in Barcelona (P&G actually flew me there Business Class!), being invited to Los Angeles as one of the four African bloggers nominated for the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and going to Dakar, Senegal to represent Kenya at the first edition of the Festival of African Bloggers and Youtubers (FABY).”

Safety in numbers?

“Although my brand has been growing consistently, I still wouldn’t say I feel safe to rely on it as my sole source of income. However, my job as a fashion journalist can sustain me comfortably. I am not required to be there full-time so I can devote myself to growing the brand. Running this online platform is a lot of hard work. Sometimes it occupies my entire day.”

Authenticity and the branding of one’s self

“I am getting a lot more attention now so I probably wouldn’t walk into a mall looking unkempt. However, the way I dress is really how I want to dress so I feel that I am truly authentic. It takes a lot more than just being on social media to succeed – no matter who I endorse or promote, I want to stay true to myself. Nevertheless, without the full impact of the digital media, my brand wouldn’t enjoy the visibility it does.”

Personal brands and virtual businesses – what’s in store in Kenya?

“A few of my close friends who are online personalities in Africa have already made it into the millionaires’ club, so we are not so far behind the rest of the (developed) world. I would like to get there as well. The challenge, as in all walks of life, lies in keeping the momentum, especially after you have arrived at the top.” 

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Vera Sidika

She rose to fame on the basis of her ample posterior. Today, her Instagram account, boasting a following of 404,000, describes her as a ‘reality TV star, host, interior designer and entrepreneur’. While her ‘career choice’ might be deemed questionable and aspects of it hazy, news about her always makes for good entertainment.

Sidika has managed to capitalise on the buzz around her personality to make enough money to furnish a seemingly lavish lifestyle. Other than hosting parties around the world (in May, she hosted shows in three Chinese cities), she has also launched businesses – among them a hair lounge and a modeling agency. There are talks of an upcoming reality TV show to her name. 

Huddah Monroe

She has a solid following of 803,000 on Instagram. She first rose to fame on Facebook, posting modelling pictures, and this led to her participation in continental reality show Big Brother Africa in 2013 and a series of semi-nude pictures she later released. Three years later, Monroe, who refers herself as the ‘mistress of all trades’, has become an entrepreneur.

In addition to her clothing and lipstick line, international companies riding on the ‘Huddah’ brand have seen her become the brand ambassador for Uber, BrightenMi cosmetics and Chinese telcom company Huawei. One of her newest Instagram video-posts indicates that she has landed the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s ambassadorship for the love-condoms campaign – an initiative that promotes access, acceptance and usage of condoms to control the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Socialite to millionaire (US)

The queen of all social media influencers, Kim Kardashian-West, with 79.8 million followers on Instagram and 47.3 million followers on Twitter, used her body to grow that social media following. In 2010, this paid off as she started garnering endorsement deals.

She has since gone on to release products to her name. She is now leveraging her social media following to sell products such as her (Kim Kardashian emojis). Her Hollywood mobile game generated $71.8 million in income in 2015.

Vlogger to author (UK)

A recent entrant into the millionaires’ club, YouTube star Zoe Sugg started out as a beauty vlogger known as Zoella. She is now one of Britain’s most influential tweeps. In 2014, with 6.5 million (now at 11 million plus) subscribers under her belt she published her book, Girl Online. It sold 78,000 copies in its first week and became the fastest selling book of 2014. Three months after her book’s release, she had made enough money to buy a five-bedroom mansion for about $1.5 million. A sequel, Girl Online: On Tour was released in 2015.