By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
As businesses increasingly move from marketing-led to product-led growth (PLG), understanding how to leverage your product as the primary driver of customer acquisition, retention, and monetisation is key. This shift can be complex, but with the right tactics and insights, businesses can successfully implement PLG and unlock sustainable growth.
Amplitude’s Product-Led Growth Guide Volume 2: How to Get Started with PLG provides the essential knowledge and strategies needed to adopt a product-first approach. This guide breaks down the necessary steps, tools, and methods for businesses to successfully drive growth through their products.
What Is Product-Led Growth (PLG)?
PLG is a business strategy where the product itself plays a central role in driving the entire customer journey. From getting users to sign up, to activating them and ensuring long-term retention, the product is the main vehicle for business growth. This approach eliminates reliance on traditional sales and marketing teams for the customer journey and empowers users to experience the product's value on their own.
Amplitude’s guide explains this concept and offers detailed strategies for successfully embedding PLG into a business model. Download the guide here to understand how PLG can work for your organisation.
Key Product-Led Growth Tactics
1. Product-Led Acquisition Tactics
The first stage of PLG is acquisition, where the product itself helps bring in new users. Virality loops, user referrals, and product shareability are all tactics that drive new sign-ups. The guide provides real-world examples, such as Zoom and Calendly, that have used these tactics to fuel their growth.
2. Product-Led Activation and Engagement
Once users are onboarded, activation and engagement are critical to keep them coming back. The guide details how personalised onboarding flows, gamification, and social proof can make the product sticky and ensure long-term use.
3. Product-Led Monetisation
Monetising a product-led strategy often starts with offering free trials or freemium models, which let users experience the product before committing. The guide explains how businesses can turn free users into paying customers using product usage data and seamless self-service experiences.
Why Experimentation Is Crucial for PLG
PLG isn’t static—it requires continuous testing and learning. Experimentation is key to understanding which features and tactics resonate with users. Amplitude’s guide emphasises how to use data-driven experimentation to optimise product experiences, from onboarding to feature usage, ensuring your product meets users' needs.
How to Measure the Success of Your PLG Strategy
A major part of PLG is measuring its effectiveness through metrics. Whether it’s acquisition rates, user activation, retention, or monetisation, the guide outlines the most important PLG metrics to track, offering actionable advice on how to use these metrics to refine and improve your strategy.
Get Started with PLG Today
Amplitude’s Product-Led Growth Guide Volume 2 is a comprehensive resource for businesses looking to embrace a product-first approach to growth. It covers everything from organisational structure to technology and metrics, providing a clear roadmap to building and scaling a successful PLG strategy.
Start your journey toward Product-Led Growth today by downloading Amplitude’s guide. Download the full guide for all the insights you need to succeed, or book a demo to see how Amplitude’s platform can help you put these strategies into action with real-time analytics and insights.
Product-Led Growth (PLG) is the buzzword that’s taken the marketing and product management world by storm. But what does it really mean, and how can it transform your business strategy? If you're a product manager or marketer looking for a fresh way to drive acquisition, retention, and monetisation, PLG is your ticket to sustainable growth.
What Is Product-Led Growth (PLG)
At its core, Product-Led Growth (PLG) is a strategy where the product itself drives the entire customer journey. From acquisition to retention and monetisation, PLG places the product in the spotlight, empowering users to discover, engage, and pay for your product without relying on heavy marketing or sales interventions.
In simple terms, PLG is a model that shifts your focus from traditional marketing and sales tactics to allowing your product to naturally attract and retain customers. When done right, it’s a powerful way to generate leads, keep customers engaged, and drive long-term profitability.
A product-led customer journey is the series of touchpoints where the product drives the customer from awareness to active usage and eventually to becoming a paying customer. Here’s a breakdown of the key stages:
Acquisition: The journey begins when potential customers discover your product. With PLG, viral features and user-generated content lead the way, so customers find you naturally—no hard sell required.
Activation: A smooth onboarding process is essential for activation. In a product-led model, customers should experience their "aha" moment quickly, with minimal friction.
Engagement & Retention: Once users are activated, PLG tactics encourage ongoing engagement, making your product "sticky" and ensuring they come back time and again.
Monetisation: The final step is converting users into paying customers. With PLG, users can self-serve and make purchases or upgrades without needing a sales rep to intervene.
Is your customer journey aligned with PLG? Book a demo today to find out how our solutions can help you optimise each stage.
The Right Environment for Product-Led Growth
PLG isn’t just about implementing the right product features—it’s also about fostering the right environment. Here’s what you need:
1. Data-Driven Culture
To succeed with PLG, you need a culture built on data insights. Without the right metrics and analytics, it’s nearly impossible to understand how customers engage with your product and where improvements can be made. Behavioural data reveals what’s working (and what isn’t) throughout the customer journey. The more you know, the better you can optimise.
2. The Right Technology Stack
To make PLG a reality, you need the right tools in place. From user onboarding solutions like Userflow to CRM platforms like HubSpot and analytics tools like Amplitude, having a modern tech stack allows you to monitor customer behaviour and improve user experiences across the board.
Building the Right Team for Product-Led Growth
Implementing a product-led strategy requires a team that’s equipped with diverse skills. You’ll need product managers, marketers, and data analysts who can:
Understand customer behavior.
Run experiments to optimise product usage.
Continuously refine the customer experience based on data and feedback.
Product managers, in particular, need to wear many hats, from analysing user data to iterating on product features that drive growth.
When Is Product-Led Growth the Right Strategy?
PLG isn’t a catch-all solution, and it’s not for every business. If you’re not sure whether it’s the right fit for you, consider the following:
Are your users able to activate and engage with your product independently?
Does your product deliver immediate value to users without the need for extensive support?
Are you ready to shift your sales strategy and focus on user-driven growth rather than traditional sales funnels?
If you answered yes to these questions, it might be time to explore how PLG can transform your business. Download the full guide to see if PLG is the right fit for your team.
How to Get Started with Product-Led Growth
Getting started with product-led growth requires a shift in mindset. It’s not just about adopting new tools; it’s about changing how you measure success and empowering your team to make data-driven decisions.
Key steps for adopting PLG:
Analyze user behaviour to identify friction points and "aha" moments.
Use analytics to understand which features drive engagement and monetisation.
Empower your team to experiment, test, and iterate for continuous improvement.
PLG can be a game-changer for your business, but it’s essential to know where to start and how to track progress. Book a demo with us to see how we can help you build a product-led strategy that works.
Ready to Take the Leap into Product-Led Growth?
If you’re tired of the old ways and ready for a growth strategy that puts the product first, Product-Led Growth might be the perfect solution for your business. It’s time to transform how you acquire, engage, and monetise customers.
Black Friday is fast approaching, and the stakes are higher than ever for app marketers globally and in South Africa. To stand out in crowded inboxes, your email strategy needs to be on point—engaging, personal, and action-driven. With the right tactics, your emails can boost app engagement, drive conversions, and give your revenue a strong lift during this high-traffic shopping period.
Looking for more Black Friday marketing insights?Chat with our team to see what tech can boost your Black Friday strategies. In the meantime check these out these five essential strategies to help you build Black Friday email campaigns that convert like never before.
Push Notifications That Drive Black Friday Sales
Automate Your Black Friday Campaigns with OneSignal Journeys
1. Start Early: Build Anticipation with a Countdown Series
Goal: Generate excitement and keep your app top-of-mind before Black Friday.
Why wait until the day itself? Launch your campaign early with a countdown series, beginning 1-2 weeks before Black Friday. Keep these emails brief and visually appealing, giving enough information to spark curiosity without revealing too much.
How to Execute:
Teaser Email: Use phrases like “Exclusive Black Friday deals are coming!” and include a countdown timer to build urgency.
Push Notification: Complement your email with a push notification saying, “The countdown has begun! Check your email for a sneak peek.”
Pro Tip: Combining email and push notifications increases visibility and engagement.
2. Segment Your Audience and Personalise Offers
Goal: Boost engagement by tailoring your offers to different user segments.
Not all users are alike—segment your audience based on user behaviour, spending history, and preferences. By doing this, you can craft personalised emails that resonate with each group.
Segmentation Ideas:
New Users: Offer a first-time discount or personalised product recommendations.
VIP Users: Reward loyal customers with exclusive early access deals or extra discounts.
Cart Abandoners: Send reminders featuring the products left in their cart, highlighting deeper Black Friday discounts.
Example Campaign: Re-Engage Inactive Users
Email 1: “We Miss You!” A friendly nudge with a message like, “It’s been a while! Come back for exclusive Black Friday deals.”
Email 2: Tailored Offer: Provide a special discount based on the user’s browsing history or past purchases.
Email 3: Last-Chance Reminder: Include a countdown timer to create urgency and reinforce the limited-time offer.
Pro Tip: Use location-based personalisation (e.g., “Exclusive deals for our Cape Town customers!”) to make your message more relevant.
3. Optimise for Mobile: Design and Copy That Convert
Goal: Ensure your emails look great and are easy to navigate on mobile devices.
Most Black Friday shoppers will be browsing on their phones. A mobile-first approach is essential for capturing their attention and guiding them to take action.
Design Tips:
Keep It Simple: Use a minimalist design with plenty of white space and large fonts.
Highlight the CTA: Make your call-to-action button prominent and use phrases like “Shop Now” or “Unlock My Deal.”
Prioritise Key Information: Place the offer and CTA at the top of the email for maximum visibility.
Copywriting Tips:
Be Direct: Clearly state your offer—avoid lengthy or vague language.
Use Power Words: Phrases like “exclusive,” “limited time,” and “VIP access” create urgency.
Catchy Subject Lines: Opt for short, punchy subject lines like “Flash Sale: Up to 50% Off!” or “Unlock Your Black Friday Savings.”
Pro Tip: Incorporate interactive elements like countdown timers for an extra layer of urgency.
4. Perfect Your Timing and Frequency
Goal: Keep your emails top-of-mind without overwhelming your audience.
The timing of your emails can make all the difference. You want to stay present in your users’ inboxes, but sending too many emails can lead to fatigue. Here’s a suggested cadence:
Suggested Email Schedule:
1-2 Weeks Before Black Friday: Start with a “Countdown Series” to build excitement.
3-5 Days Before: Send a “Preview Email” teasing the upcoming deals.
Black Friday Morning: Kick off the day with your main promotional email.
Afternoon Reminder: Send a short follow-up email to catch those who haven’t acted.
Evening Wrap-Up: Finish with a “last chance” email for final purchases.
Pro Tip: A/B test your send times to determine when your audience is most responsive. This will help you optimise engagement.
5. Track, Analyse, and Adjust in Real Time
Goal: Use data insights to refine your email strategy continuously.
Black Friday is dynamic, and adjusting your approach quickly is key to maximising results. Monitor performance metrics and use them to guide your strategy.
Metrics to Watch:
Open Rates: Test different subject lines to see what resonates best.
Click-Through Rates: Analyse which CTAs generate the most clicks.
Conversion Rates: Track how many users are completing purchases and adjust your offers accordingly.
Pro Tip: If engagement dips, try switching up your offers or sending a flash sale email to re-engage users quickly.
Takeaways: Black Friday Email Campaign Essentials
Start early with a countdown series to build anticipation.
Segment your audience for personalised offers that resonate.
Design for mobile and use clear, engaging copy.
Time your emails strategically to maximise visibility without causing fatigue.
Track and adjust in real-time to optimise performance.
By following these strategies, you’ll create a seamless, engaging Black Friday experience that stands out and drives results.
Ready to elevate your email game this Black Friday? Book a demo with YOUKNOW Technologies to see how OneSignal can help you boost engagement, increase conversions, and drive app revenue.
I have been falling in love with the practice of Product Led Growth.
It’s an alternative set of practices that rivals the more traditional growth models, such as Marketing Led Growth and Sales Led Growth. And it’s taking the marketing, product and data sectors by storm.
Seeing Michael Jon Wissekerke and the TymeBank advertising for roles in the space reiterated to me how relevant and important it is to breaking through the clutter and doing things better than before.
Product Led Growth is something that we - at YOUKNOW - have been looking into ever since our natural progression of technology exploration led us to user analytics that shed light on the data customers share with us through their actions.
Ideally, if you’re tracking and analysing everything that a customer does when they’re interacting with you, then theoretically you can influence those customers much faster than building a marketing campaign, or by getting a sales team to interact with them over a long period of time.
So, as the first in a series of pieces on the topic, let’s unpack what Product Led Growth looks like compared to Marketing Led and Sales Led Growth.
Marketing Led Growth
Having started my career in the corporate space, I learned quite a bit about the need for - and pitfalls of - Marketing Led Growth. MLG operates on the principle that brand visibility and lead generation are the most important levers for growth. By leveraging digital marketing strategies - SEO, PPC, social media, content marketing, and more - MLG aims to attract a wide audience, convert them into leads, and ultimately into customers.
MLG is mostly effective when the goal is to reach a broad market or to create a strong brand presence. Consumer-facing brands like Nike and Coca-Cola have used MLG to become household names. The model also works well for businesses where the product can be easily understood without the need for a sales team to explain its complexities. In these cases, marketing’s role is to educate, inspire, and drive action, often through large-scale campaigns.
This is what we leveraged at Cell C when I was there and it’s what I see many of clients practicing. And that’s fine. But as long as it’s done with purpose, and not because it’s what’s always been done. The upsides are huge, but the downsides need to be acknowledged as well.
These could be:
It’s expensive to compete
It needs constant increasing investment to maintain visibility
It relies heavily on the effectiveness of creativity, tactics and tools - which can easily become saturated over time and lose that potency. Not every campaign can be a homerun.
Rising above the noise of today is so tough, which makes everyone shout louder, or forces brands to continually search for quieter spaces to spread their message.
Sales Led Growth
From corporate, I then moved into the technology solutions space, starting YOUKNOW as a way to make awesome global tech easy to use for African companies. This is mostly a sales job. So trust me, I get the need for the whole SLG angle as well.
In SLG, the focus is on direct sales efforts, with sales teams reaching out to potential customers, negotiating deals, and driving growth through personal relationships.
While this model can still be highly effective, particularly for large enterprise deals or complex products that require hands-on demonstrations and consultations, it has its limitations.
SLG is often costly and time-consuming.
Sales cycles can be long,
and scaling requires adding more salespeople, which isn’t always the efficient way to grow.
Companies like Oracle or IBM have thrived using SLG because their offerings often require customization and deep integration, areas where human intervention is critical.
If your business employs either of these models, there is probably a good reason for it. However, it’s extremely valuable to constantly be asking whether a 3rd way might be more effective as people, channels, trends and forms of engagement change.
This is where Product Led Growth comes in...
Product Led Growth
PLG hinges on a simple yet transformative idea: your product should sell itself. Rather than relying on a team of sales professionals or hefty marketing budgets, companies using PLG focus on building a product that customers can easily adopt, derive value from, and ultimately become advocates for. In this model, the product is the focal point of the user experience and the primary lever for growth.
Let’s look at Slack as an example: no aggressive sales team or fancy marketing campaigns. Slack grew exponentially by offering a product that users loved, shared with their teams, and stuck with. This growth was organic and self-perpetuating because the product was intuitive and brought immediate value.
It’s this self-perpetuating part that I love the most.
The Product Growth Cycle, from Amplitude
The Product Led Growth Flywheel is a principle which dictates that if you do all the right things, as per the PLG principles, your business should grow itself like a snowball growing into an avalanche as it follows gravity down the hill.
Compared to MLG & SLG there are some obvious advantages that PLG brings to the table
Cost Efficiency: PLG can scale without the need to hire a large sales team or spend exorbitantly on marketing campaigns. Instead, resources are invested in improving your product and experience with the customer.
Faster Growth Cycles: Using some of the PLG toolbox options such as self-service, freemium models, and viral loops, PLG companies often experience faster growth cycles. Users onboard themselves, reducing the time from awareness to adoption.
Experience as the North Star: In PLG, the product is the ultimate determinant of success. It forces companies to prioritise customer experience and continuous improvement, leading to a more customer-centric organization
Why is Product Led Growth Taking Charge?
If you’re paying attention to some of the success stories out there, you’ll start to notice the PLG strategy in many of the big case studies.
The modern buyer's journey has changed. With information readily available, buyers often prefer to try products themselves before engaging with a salesperson. And they’re more likely to be swayed by the reviews than by your marketing campaign.
Product Led Growth takes advantage of this shift by removing friction in the value exchange process and focusing on delivering constant moments of value through the product itself.
Quick foreshadowing to a future piece: when we talk about product we’re mostly talking about the digital, or real-world, experience that your customer has with you. It’s not the chequing account product that a bank comes up with, or the can of Red Bull. It’s the online banking experience and the World of Red Bull. For more obvious examples, think takealot.com , where the online presence is the manifestation of the product they’re offering a customer.
Product Led Growth highlights the contract between you and your customer. For sustainable growth, I firmly believe in that contract. I’ll talk about it in a future piece (more foreshadowing), but basically it’s relating to the fact that you’re promising to deliver a certain amount of value to your customer and in return they are agreeing to stick with you to receive that value, possibly even sharing more than just their time and money with you - if that’s part of the contract.
By building an experience that personifies this contract, you then have the levers to push and pull to deliver on that in ways that might be specifically tailored to individuals.
It’s all about uncovering what’s valuable to me as a consumer and then giving that to me - easily - as often as possible. If I get what I want without friction, and possibly with some additional joy, then “Take my money, take my attention. I am your loyal consumer for as long as you can keep the bonfire burning”.
When you’ve unlocked these moments of value and have found the most efficient way to expose your customers to that dopamine hit again and again and again, then you unlock the Product Led Growth flywheel, mentioned above. And once that flywheel gets rolling, the growth returns just keep expanding.
And this is why Product Led Growth is becoming so much more attractive. It’s ticking those boxes we’ve all been promising for so long:
Customer Centricity
Marketing Budget Efficiency
Exponential Growth
Takeaways from Product Led Growth
There is no way that every company can adopt a Product Led Growth strategy in isolation. Some will not be able to adopt it at all, in it’s purest form.
However, I believe that there are principles in the discipline that can and should be adopted by everyone. Even for those professionals who prioritise one of the other models, it’s like a set of tools that they can reach into and leverage in the right situations.
So I’m hoping that the next few articles, and videos, on the subject will help not only help those exploring the Product Led Growth model, but also for all marketers who aspire to throw in some innovative approaches to their hybrid strategies.
If you're struggling to get your strategy off the ground, you're also welcome to slide into my DMs and I'd be happy to chat to you about it.
South Africa's competitive landscape demands constant innovation to keep customers engaged and loyal. Customer churn, the loss of paying customers, can be a major drain on your business. Here's where a powerful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform like Braze comes in. By leveraging Braze's features specifically tailored to South African customer behaviour, you can develop a winning retention strategy that keeps your customers coming back for more.
Understanding churn in the South African market
South African customers are tech-savvy and expect a seamless, personalised experience across all touchpoints. This means traditional, one-size-fits-all marketing tactics simply won't cut it. Understanding the "why" behind churn is crucial.
Price sensitivity
South African consumers are value-conscious. Price hikes or a lack of competitive pricing plans can lead to customers seeking out better deals elsewhere.
Poor customer service
Long wait times, inefficient resolution processes, and a lack of empathy can leave customers feeling frustrated and undervalued.
Lack of personalisation
Generic marketing messages and a failure to tailor offerings to individual needs can lead to disengagement.
Data security concerns
South Africans are increasingly aware of data privacy issues. A lack of transparency or a data breach can damage trust and send customers running.
Braze is your churn-fighting secret
Braze offers a unique set of tools to combat churn in the market. Chat with our experts to learn how their platform can help you reduce churn.
Omnichannel engagement
Engage customers on their preferred channels – be it SMS, push notifications, email, or in-app messaging. Braze lets you create personalised campaigns tailored to each channel, ensuring your message reaches them at the right time and place.
Real-time customer segmentation
Go beyond demographics. Segment your customer base based on behaviour, purchase history, and in-app activity. This allows you to deliver hyper-personalised experiences and targeted offers that truly resonate with your South African audience.
Data-driven insights
Braze provides powerful analytics that help you understand customer behaviour and identify churn risk factors. Use these insights to proactively address potential issues before they lead to churn.
Seamless customer journeys
Map out the ideal customer journey for your South African customers. Leverage Braze's automation features to trigger personalised messages and recommendations at key touchpoints, keeping customers engaged throughout their lifecycle.
Loyalty programs
Incentivise loyalty and reward repeat business with Braze's built-in loyalty program features. Develop tiered programs with points and rewards that resonate with South African customer expectations.
Churn-busting strategies
Here are some specific strategies you can implement with Braze to tackle churn in the South African market:
Combat Price Sensitivity: Use Braze to trigger targeted offers and discounts for customers at risk of churn. Offer value-added services or bundles that cater to South African customers' price-conscious nature.
Win Back Lapsing Customers: Identify customers who haven't engaged in a while. Send personalised win-back campaigns with enticing offers or re-engagement messages that remind them of the value you provide.
Leverage SMS for High Engagement: South Africans have a high mobile penetration rate. Utilise SMS marketing for important updates, flash sales, and time-sensitive offers.
Personalise Customer Onboarding: First impressions matter! Use Braze to create personalised onboarding journeys that guide new customers through your app or service in a user-friendly way. Offer in-app tips and helpful resources to reduce friction and encourage continued engagement.
Prioritise Customer Feedback: Integrate Braze with your customer support platform. Streamline communication and address customer concerns quickly and efficiently. Use in-app surveys and feedback forms to gather valuable insights from your South African customer base and continuously improve your offerings.
The Braze advantage: more than just a platform
Braze goes beyond being just a platform. Their team of experts can provide valuable guidance and support on implementing churn-busting strategies tailored to your specific South African business needs. Additionally, Braze integrates seamlessly with other popular marketing and analytics tools used in South Africa, allowing you to create a powerful, unified customer experience ecosystem.Schedule a personalised demo with Braze to explore how their innovative platform can empower you to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
By putting Braze's capabilities to work, South African businesses can develop a data-driven, customer-centric approach to retention. Reduce churn, boost engagement, and build long-lasting relationships with your South African customer base.
South African consumers are bombarded with marketing messages from all directions. To cut through the noise and reach your target audience, you need to adopt a cross-channel marketing approach.
Cross-channel marketing involves using a variety of communication channels to reach your customers, such as email, SMS, social media, push notifications, and even traditional channels like print and television. By using a cross-channel approach, you can ensure that your message is reaching your target audience wherever they are and on the platforms they frequent the most.
Why cross-channel marketing matters for South African businesses
There are several reasons why cross-channel marketing is essential for South African businesses:
Reach a wider audience
With so many South Africans using a variety of communication channels, businesses can ensure they're reaching their target market wherever they are.
Increase customer engagement
By using a variety of channels, businesses can keep their customers engaged and interested in their products or services.
Personalise the customer experience
Cross-channel marketing allows businesses to tailor their messages to each individual customer, which can lead to higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
Drive sales and revenue
By providing a more consistent and personalised customer experience, cross-channel marketing can help South African businesses drive sales and revenue.
Schedule a demo today to discover how Braze can help you create seamless customer experiences and drive business growth.
Mix and match: creating engaging cross-channel campaigns in South Africa
The key to successful cross-channel marketing is finding the right mix of channels for your business and target audience. Here are some factors to consider when choosing channels:
Customer demographics: What are the age groups, genders, and locations of your target audience in South Africa?
Customer behaviour: How do your customers typically interact with businesses? What channels do they prefer? For instance, younger demographics might be more reachable on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, whereas business professionals might be more responsive to emails and LinkedIn outreach.
Campaign goals: What are you hoping to achieve with your marketing campaign? Are you looking to generate brand awareness, drive sales, or increase customer engagement?
Once you've chosen your channels, you need to create campaigns that are tailored to each channel. Here are some tips for creating engaging cross-channel campaigns in South Africa:
Keep your messaging consistent: Your messaging should be consistent across all channels, but it should also be tailored to the specific channel. For example, your social media posts will likely be more informal than your email newsletters.
Use visuals: South Africans are visually engaged, so be sure to use high-quality images and videos in your campaigns.
Personalise your messages: Whenever possible, personalise your messages to your customers. This will make them feel more valued and increase the likelihood that they will respond to your campaigns.
Make it easy for customers to take action: Your campaigns should always include a clear call to action, such as a link to your website or a discount code.
Leveraging cross-channel experiences to enhance retention in South Africa's mobile network industry
E. Molapo's (2014) study on customer retention in South Africa's competitive mobile network industry offers valuable insights for enhancing customer engagement, monetisation, and retention through cross-channel experiences. The research highlights the importance of addressing customer churn, a key challenge in this market.
The recommendations, which include product innovation, improved customer care, and geographic expansion, all have the potential to be amplified through strategic cross-channel communication. For instance, innovative products could be launched with social media campaigns and targeted email marketing.
Improved customer care experiences can be delivered through in-app chat functionalities alongside traditional call centres. Similarly, geographic expansion efforts could be supported by targeted advertising across various channels, reaching potential customers in new regions.
By leveraging cross-channel experiences, mobile networks can effectively implement Molapo's recommendations, fostering deeper customer relationships, driving higher engagement, and ultimately boosting both retention and monetisation.
Final thoughts
South African businesses can create effective cross-channel marketing campaigns that will help them reach their target audience, increase customer engagement, and drive sales. Chat with our experts to learn how Braze can assist you. Cross-channel marketing is an ongoing process, so it's important to be constantly testing and refining your campaigns. By staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies, South African businesses can ensure that they're getting the most out of their cross-channel marketing efforts.
How to Group Data Into Buckets Using DOMO Beast Mode
We will explain and show to you how to use Beast Mode calculations to group data into buckets. The example uses running data from a Strava account, which includes various distances run over several years. The goal is to bucket these distances to make analysis easier.
Data grouping is an essential technique in data analysis. It helps transform raw data into meaningful categories for easier analysis and visualisation. By grouping data, you can uncover patterns, trends, and insights that are otherwise hidden in the vast amounts of information.
This tutorial will explore how to use DOMO, a powerful business intelligence platform, to group data effectively. Specifically, we will dive into Beast Mode calculations—a unique feature in DOMO that allows users to create custom calculations and transformations on their data.
We'll demonstrate this process using running data from a Strava account, which includes various distances that have run over several years. Our goal is to bucket these distances into manageable segments, making it easier to analyse and visualise the data. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to understand how to leverage Beast Mode calculations to transform and group your data in DOMO. After this tutorial, you will have a new way to find more profound insights which will help drive better-informed business decisions.
Importing Data and Creating a Calculated Field
The first step is to import the Strava running data into the DOMO platform. This data consists of various running distances over several years. To segment this data into our ‘buckets’ we need to create a new calculated field called "Kilometres Buckets”. How to do that, we use a CASE statement. This calculated field will help categorise the data into manageable segments for better analysis.
Using a CASE Statement to Group Data
The CASE statement is a powerful feature in DOMO’s Beast Mode calculations. It is used to group the kilometres into increments of 5 kilometres. The syntax is as follows:
Example in Tutorial:
Validating and Visualising the Data
After creating the calculated field, the next step is to validate and visualise the graph. The data is then dragged into the series to show the bucketed distances. The data can be graphically displayed after validating the categorised CASE statements to facilitate insightful analysis. A bar chart can illustrate the frequency of runs within each distance category, providing a visually striking representation of the distribution of running distances over the years.
Example in Tutorial:
Filtering Data for Deeper Analysis
In addition to bucketing data, filtering can be used to focus on specific distance ranges. For example, filtering the data to show only distances between 0 and 30 kilometres and changing the graph to show data per month provides a more detailed analysis, which allows for shorter runs. Changing the chart to show data each month can further enhance the analysis, revealing the seasonal and monthly trends in running distances.
Using Beast Mode calculations to group data into buckets is a prominent technique for data analysis. This technique can be implemented quickly and easily, making it a valuable tool for data visualisation and analysis with DOMO. If you didn’t know, now YOU KNOW.
Have you enjoyed the read? Then book a demo with DOMO.
By leveraging a user segmentation tool like Mixpanel, you can uncover hidden patterns in user behaviour, prioritise features that resonate with specific user groups, and ultimately drive product innovation and growth.
How user segmentation with Mixpanel drives growth
Mixpanel empowers you to segment your users based on a multitude of factors, including demographics, behavioural patterns, in-app activity and conversion funnels. This granular segmentation allows you to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and tailor your product experience to the specific needs and preferences of different user groups.
If that sounds like something that would work for you, get a personalised assessment today! If you’re not convinced yet, carry on reading to find out how user segmentation with Mixpanel fuels product innovation and growth:
Identifying user needs and pain points
By analysing user behaviour within each segment, you can pinpoint areas of frustration and unmet needs. For instance, analysing a segment of new users who churn quickly might reveal a confusing onboarding process. These insights become the foundation for product improvements that address user pain points and enhance the overall user experience.
Prioritising features for maximum impact
Not all features are created equal. User segmentation allows you to prioritise product development based on user needs and potential impact. For example, segmenting users by feature usage can reveal which features are driving the most engagement. By focusing on features that resonate with high-value user segments, you can ensure your development efforts deliver the greatest return on investment.
Personalising the user journey
Today's users crave personalised experiences, and with user segmentation, you can tailor the user journey to each segment. Imagine a segment of highly engaged users. You can present them with targeted in-app messages highlighting advanced features or exclusive content, keeping them engaged and propelling them further down the product funnel.
Uncovering ‘aha moments’
The ‘aha moment’ is when a user grasps the true value of your product. User segmentation can help you identify these moments for different user groups. By analysing user behaviour leading up to these moments, you can optimise the user journey to increase the frequency and intensity of aha moments across your entire user base.
A/B testing for targeted optimisation
User segmentation is a perfect springboard for A/B testing. By testing different variations of features or functionalities on specific user segments, you can identify the versions that resonate best with each group. This data-driven approach ensures you're constantly optimising your product for maximum user engagement and growth.
Want to see how user segmentation can shape your brand's success story? Let's explore how Mixpanel can help.
Putting Mixpanel user segmentation into action
Here are some practical tips for getting the most out of user segmentation with Mixpanel:
Start with clear segmentation goals
Clearly define what you want to achieve with user segmentation. Are you looking to improve user acquisition, boost engagement or drive conversions? Having a specific goal will guide your segmentation strategy and ensure you're collecting the right data.
Leverage the right data points
Mixpanel offers a vast array of data points. Focus on metrics that align with your segmentation goals. For example, if you're looking to improve user engagement, segment users by time spent on the app or frequency of feature usage.
Don't over-segment
While segmentation is powerful, avoid creating too many segments with tiny user bases. This can make it difficult to draw statistically significant conclusions. Aim for a balance between granularity and actionable insights.
Iterate and refine
User segmentation is an ongoing process. As you gather more data and user behaviour evolves, revisit your segmentation strategy and refine your segments to ensure they continue to be relevant and insightful.
By following these steps and leveraging the power of Mixpanel, you can transform user segmentation from a data collection exercise into a strategic driver of product innovation and growth.
Ready to experience segmentation with Mixpanel? Schedule a demo and let's build a better digital future, together. Unsure if Mixpanel is right for you? No worries! Get a personalised assessment from our martech experts.
16th April 2024 — YOUKNOW Technologies, specialists in providing data-driven solutions that help businesses optimise their marketing strategies and improve customer engagement, proudly announces its achievement of Orbit-Level status within the Braze Alloys partner ecosystem.
Braze Alloys partnership status is determined by several factors — accreditation, measured by the amount and depth of Braze certifications; delivery outcomes, measured by the volume of Braze customers; business performance, evaluated through influenced revenue and sourced opportunities; and adoption of the Braze platform.
South Africa's E-commerce Boom Demands Sophisticated Customer Engagement
South Africa's e-commerce market is experiencing explosive growth, with sales reaching a record R71 billion (roughly $4.9 billion USD) in 2023. This surge presents both opportunities and challenges for local businesses. While online retail flourishes, particularly in clothing (30% market share) and groceries (22.3% market share), customer expectations are also evolving. A recent study found that 73% of online retailers believe exceptional customer service is critical for success.
South Africa's App Boom: Decoding Consumer Habits and Winning Strategies
South Africa's mobile app landscape is flourishing, with app downloads reaching new heights. But how are South Africans using these apps, and which sectors are leading the charge? Let's delve into the local app scene and explore winning strategies for businesses.
App Downloads on the Rise
According to Statista, South Africa's smartphone penetration is expected to reach over 70% by 2025, fueling the app download frenzy. A report by World Wide Worx indicates that South Africans downloaded an average of 40 apps per phone in 2023. This presents a massive opportunity for businesses to connect with their audience on a personal and interactive level.
Understanding the Customer Journey
While downloads are impressive, a good customer experience is key to app retention. Research by Rogerwilco reveals that "good" customer experience is becoming the bare minimum for South African consumers. The report highlights the importance of a seamless customer journey within the app. This translates to user-friendly interfaces, intuitive navigation, and quick resolution of in-app issues.
The App Race: Who's Winning?
The "app race" is a close call, with different sectors vying for dominance. Retail apps are strong contenders, with convenient features like online shopping and loyalty programs attracting users. On the other hand, financial apps, particularly those in the banking and insurance sectors, are experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for mobile banking and on-the-go financial management. Social media and messaging apps remain ever-popular, showcasing the continued importance of staying connected.
Email Marketing: Alive and Kicking!
Despite the app boom, email marketing remains a powerful tool. A study by Mailchimp indicates that South Africa's average email open rate is 32.4%, slightly higher than the global average. This highlights the continued relevance of email for targeted communication and driving customer engagement.
Exploring the Benefits of the YOUKNOW Technologies and Braze Partnership
As part of the article, let's imagine a scenario where our CEO, Kelvin Jonck at YOUKNOW Technologies, engages in a conversation about the partnership with a prospective client at an event:
Over a Coffee:
Prospective Client: "So I read about your new partnership with Braze. How does this expand your service and how would this make my business practically more efficient and profitable? What are the day-to-day benefits?"
Kelvin: "Absolutely, let me break it down for you. Our partnership with Braze means we can offer you a comprehensive solution for optimising your customer engagement strategies. With Braze's powerful platform combined with our expertise in data-driven solutions, you can expect several benefits. Firstly, you'll gain access to more granular data, allowing for deeper insights into your customer behaviour. This means you can tailor your marketing efforts with precision, reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time. Secondly, better customer tracking means you can understand your customers' journey more effectively, identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement. And finally, easy integration ensures a seamless experience for your team, saving time and resources that can be better allocated elsewhere. Ultimately, these day-to-day benefits translate into improved efficiency and profitability for your business."
This conversational approach not only introduces Braze but also highlights the practical benefits and day-to-day advantages of the partnership between YOUKNOW Technologies and Braze.
Background Information
Since 2013, YOUKNOW has been at the forefront of efficient customer engagement and communication strategies for African brands, utilising the world's best technology. As a prominent partner in the innovative Braze Alloys ecosystem, we specialise in transforming how brands connect with their audiences. YOUKNOW is your essential partner in building robust data strategies and crafting compelling customer journeys. Our expert team is dedicated to seamlessly integrating advanced technologies, ensuring your brand not only meets but exceeds your strategic goals. From initial consultation to full-scale implementation and beyond, YOUKNOW is committed to elevating your customer interactions and boosting your revenue through superior engagement solutions.
Key Benefits of the Partnership:
X% Savings in Costs: Through our partnership, brands can expect significant savings in costs, optimising their marketing spend for maximum ROI.
More Granular Data: With YOUKNOW's solutions, brands gain access to more granular data, allowing for deeper insights and more targeted campaigns.
Better Customer Tracking: Our advanced tracking capabilities ensure better customer tracking, enabling brands to understand and anticipate customer needs more effectively.
Easy Integration: YOUKNOW's solutions seamlessly integrate with Braze, providing a hassle-free experience for brands looking to enhance their customer engagement strategies.
Spokesperson Quote
“We appreciate the dedication and focus from the YOUKNOW team to help our customers realise maximum value from the Braze platform,” said Gareth Ballard, VP, Partnerships of Braze. “Achieving this status is no small feat, and it’s a great demonstration of the effort from the YOUKNOW team. It’s an exciting time to be a Braze partner, and I look forward to seeing how YOUKNOW continues to drive value for our customers.”
About YOUKNOW Technologies
Founded in 2014 by our CEO, Kelvin Jonck, YOUKNOW was established from a need to help African digital professionals outpace their competition by expertly leveraging top global technology within a local context.
Our mission is straightforward: we identify the world's leading technology companies and ensure that African companies can leverage those technologies to realise full ROI. We've curated the most effective tech stack to meet their needs and support it with a team of local experts specialised in these technologies.
About Braze
Braze is the leading customer engagement platform that empowers brands to Be Absolutely Engaging.™ Braze allows any marketer to collect and take action on any amount of data from any source, so they can creatively engage with customers in real time, across channels from one platform. From cross-channel messaging and journey orchestration to AI-powered experimentation and optimisation, Braze enables companies to build and maintain absolutely engaging relationships with their customers that foster growth and loyalty. The company has been recognised as a 2024 U.S. News Best Technology Companies to Work For, is a 2023 UK Best Workplace for Women by Great Place to Work, and was named a Leader by Gartner® in the 2023 Magic Quadrant™ for Multichannel Marketing Hubs and in The Forrester Wave™: Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs, Q1 2023. Braze is headquartered in New York with 10+ offices across North America, Europe, and APAC. Learn more at braze.com.
Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs, Q1 2023. Braze is headquartered in New York with 10+ offices across North America, Europe, and APAC. Learn more at braze.com.
Imagine planning a birthday party for everyone in your town – a logistical nightmare! It would be impossible to cater to everyone's tastes and interests. Marketing used to be similar, relying on broad messages aimed at a generic audience. But just like planning a targeted party, technology has revolutionised marketing.
Gone are the days of clunky methods like focus groups and surveys. Today, we can leverage powerful digital tools like Audiense to understand your ideal audience in much deeper ways. You just have to start the conversation.
Audiense uses advanced social listening and data analysis to uncover hidden insights about your target market. This allows you to create detailed profiles that go beyond demographics, revealing their online behaviour, interests, and even the conversations they're having.
This level of granularity empowers you to craft personalised messages that resonate on a deeper level, leading to higher engagement, conversions, and ultimately, a much more successful marketing campaign.
We are bringing consumer research into the digital era
Traditionally, audience research involved surveys, focus groups and other time-consuming methods. Audiense revolutionises this process by leveraging big data and social listening.
Exploring Audiense's audience intelligence
Audiense offers a comprehensive suite of audience intelligence products to cater to your specific needs.
Digital intelligence
Uncover valuable insights into your target audience's overall digital activity and interactions across various platforms. This helps you identify where your audience spends its time online and the type of content they engage with.
Social intelligence
Go beyond demographics and delve into the "why" behind your audience's behaviour. Social intelligence tools from Audiense analyse social media activity to reveal real-world affinities and interests.
Demand intelligence
Understand your audience's demand for talent, brands and intellectual properties (IPs). This cutting-edge tool leverages social and digital signals to provide a comprehensive view of your audience's preferences.
Building audience segments with Audiense Insights
Audiense Insights empowers you to create highly granular audience segments based on a rich set of criteria. Here's how:
Define your target audience: Start by outlining your ideal customer profile. Consider demographics, interests, online behaviour and any other relevant characteristics.
Leverage Audiense's data: Explore Audiense's vast database of social media profiles and online activity to identify individuals who match your target audience criteria.
Segment and refine: Audiense allows you to segment your audience based on various filters, such as demographics, interests, keywords and social media behaviour. You can further refine these segments to create hyper-targeted groups.
Benefits of hyper-targeted marketing with Audiense
By creating audience segments with Audiense, you unlock a multitude of benefits.
Increased engagement: Tailored messages resonate better with your audience, leading to higher engagement rates and click-throughs.
Improved conversion rates: When your messaging is laser-focused on specific needs and interests, conversions are more likely to occur.
Enhanced brand relevance: Hyper-targeted campaigns demonstrate a deeper understanding of your audience, fostering brand loyalty and trust.
Optimised ad spend: Target the right audience at the right time, eliminating wasted ad spend on irrelevant demographics.
Don't settle for generic marketing. With Audiense, you can create hyper-targeted campaigns that resonate with your audience, driving engagement, conversions and, ultimately, success.
South Africa's vibrant mix of cultures and languages shapes its digital marketing landscape in fascinating ways. Unlike some countries with a more uniform online presence, South Africa demands a nuanced approach. Internet access varies across regions, and local preferences and languages play a crucial role. To truly connect, marketers need to tailor their strategies to resonate with each unique segment of this dynamic online market. It's not a one-size-fits-all game – it's a celebration of the country’s rich diversity.
The South African marketing scene is undergoing a transformation. Customers are savvier than ever, demanding personalised experiences that cater to their specific needs and preferences. To stay ahead of the curve, brands need to embrace innovative customer engagement and personalisation strategies.
The top 10 customer engagement and personalisation trends in sa for 2024
1. The rise of A-powered personalisation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer science fiction; it's playing a central role in marketing. In 2024, we'll see a surge in AI-powered personalisation. Predictive AI will anticipate customer needs and recommend relevant products or services. Generative AI will craft personalised content that resonates with individual customers, boosting engagement.
Braze, a leading customer engagement platform, is at the forefront of this trend. Their platform leverages AI to analyse customer data and deliver real-time personalisation across channels.
2. Data-driven customer journeys
Gone are the days of generic marketing messages. In today's data-driven world, customers expect a seamless journey tailored to their specific interactions with your brand. By leveraging customer data from various touchpoints (website visits, app interactions, purchase history), brands can create personalised experiences across the entire customer lifecycle. This includes targeted email campaigns, personalised product recommendations, and dynamic website content.
3. The power of communities
Building brand communities fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty. In 2024, we'll see a rise in brands fostering online communities where customers can connect, share experiences, and provide valuable feedback.
These communities offer valuable insights into customer needs and preferences, allowing brands to refine their personalisation strategies. Braze provides the tools to manage and engage these communities effectively, fostering two-way communication and building stronger customer relationships. Chat with our experts to learn how their platform can help you build and nurture thriving brand communities.
4. The integration of offline and online experiences
The lines between offline and online experiences are blurring. Customers expect a consistent brand experience regardless of whether they're interacting online or in a physical store. In 2024, we'll see a rise in omnichannel personalisation.
Brands will leverage customer data to deliver targeted messages and promotions across all touchpoints, creating a unified customer journey. Braze excels at omnichannel marketing, allowing you to orchestrate personalised campaigns across various channels, including SMS, email, push notifications, and in-app messaging.
5. The privacy-first approach
With increased data privacy regulations, brands need to tread carefully when it comes to customer data. In 2024, transparency and customer trust will be paramount. Brands need to be clear about how they collect and use customer data, and they must obtain explicit customer consent. Personalisation efforts should be based on data that customers have willingly provided.
The POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) regulates how businesses collect, use, and store customer data. It emphasizes transparency and customer consent, aligning with the privacy-first approach mentioned in the trends.
6. Social media and influencer marketing
South Africa's social media space is thriving! According to Kepios, the user base grew by a significant 200,000, representing a 0.8% increase from early 2023. This continues the upward trend observed throughout 2023. As of 2024, an impressive 42.8% of South Africa's population, roughly 26 million people, are active social media users. It's important to consider that, similar to previous years, this figure might not account for entirely unique individuals.
South African consumers are glued to social media, with Facebook and YouTube reigning supreme. But the game doesn't stop there. Instagram is a haven for influencers and aspirational lifestyles, LinkedIn connects professionals, Twitter fosters real-time conversations, and TikTok and Pinterest are on the rise. This rich tapestry of platforms demands a strategic social media marketing approach.
For example, Sindi Ngwenya is a popular South African chef who uses her platform to promote healthy and delicious recipes. She partners with food brands to create content featuring their products, but also incorporates them into her recipes in a way that feels natural and beneficial for viewers. For example, showcasing a new spice range by using it to create an exciting dish.
Challenges to customer engagement and personalisation in South Africa
South Africa's digital marketing landscape is rich with potential, but also presents unique challenges. Catering to a diverse population with varying preferences requires a nuanced approach. Bridging the digital divide between urban and rural areas necessitates creative solutions. Marketers must also navigate cultural sensitivities to ensure messaging resonates with local audiences. Keeping pace with the ever-evolving digital landscape adds another layer of complexity. Despite these hurdles, South Africa offers a dynamic and rewarding digital marketing environment for those who can adapt and innovate.
The South African marketing landscape is evolving rapidly. By embracing these top customer engagement and personalisation trends, brands can connect with customers on a deeper level, drive loyalty, and achieve sustainable growth. Schedule a personalised demo with Braze to explore how their innovative platform can empower you to deliver exceptional customer experiences in 2024 and beyond.
Growth marketing thrives on innovation and continuous improvement. Technology serves as the backbone of this approach, empowering marketers to acquire new customers, retain existing ones, and propel business growth.
Streamlining customer acquisition
Technology fuels various channels for customer acquisition, enabling growth marketers to target high-value audiences with laser precision. Here are some prominent examples:
Marketing automation
Automating repetitive tasks like email marketing, social media posting and lead nurturing frees up valuable time for marketers to focus on strategic initiatives. Marketing automation platforms also enable personalised outreach at scale, significantly improving conversion rates.
Data-driven targeting
Growth marketers leverage customer data to identify ideal customer profiles and tailor messaging accordingly. This data can be gleaned from website analytics, social media engagement and CRM systems. By segmenting audiences based on demographics, interests and behaviours, marketers can deliver highly relevant content that resonates with specific customer segments.
Paid advertising platforms
Paid advertising platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads and LinkedIn Ads offer sophisticated targeting options that allow marketers to reach their target audience across various online channels. These platforms also provide valuable insights into campaign performance, enabling marketers to optimise their spend for maximum return on investment (ROI).
Fostering customer retention
Technology plays a pivotal role in retaining customers and nurturing long-term loyalty. Here's how:
Customer relationship management (CRM)
CRMs provide a centralised platform for managing all customer interactions. Growth marketers can leverage CRMs to segment customers based on their purchase history, support inquiries and engagement levels. This data can then be used to personalise communication and deliver targeted promotions or loyalty programmes.
Marketing automation for retention
Marketing automation can be effectively employed to nurture customer relationships post-acquisition. Automated email sequences can be triggered based on customer behaviour, such as abandoned carts or inactivity. These sequences can provide educational content, personalised recommendations or exclusive offers to re-engage customers and incentivise repeat purchases.
Customer feedback and analytics
Technology empowers growth marketers to gather real-time customer feedback through surveys, polls and social media monitoring. Analysing this feedback helps identify areas for improvement and tailor product or service offerings to better meet customer needs. Additionally, customer journey analytics tools can be used to track customer interactions across different touchpoints and identify potential drop-off points.
Personalisation at scale
Personalisation is a cornerstone of growth marketing, and technology makes it possible to deliver customised experiences to each individual customer. Here's how technology fuels personalisation:
Technology has revolutionised growth marketing, transforming it from an art form into a data-driven science. By leveraging the power of technology, growth marketers can acquire high-value customers, foster deeper customer relationships, and drive sustainable business growth. As technology continues to evolve, growth marketers can expect even more sophisticated tools and techniques to emerge, further amplifying the impact of their efforts.
Unleash growth marketing efficiency with Braze
Technology fuels growth marketing, but managing a complex martech stack can be a hurdle. Braze bridges this gap by centralising your efforts. It integrates with various tools, providing a unified view of your customer journey.
Braze empowers you to acquire high-value customers with laser-focused targeting, nurture loyalty with personalised experiences, and optimise campaigns through A/B testing.
Ready to experience lifestyle marketing with Braze?
Schedule a personalised demo: See how Braze can tailor campaigns to your unique needs:
SA's Social Pulse Report Webinar! Join us in our upcoming webinar, where our team will share the top trends to fuel your marketing strategy—featuring speakers Shaun Pearson our Brandwatch Product Lead, and David Vahle - our Senior Reporting Expert.
Our fellow South Africans and digital participants, we are pleased to introduce "The Social SONA: State of the Nation Address," a webinar of significance and insight. Guided by our YOUKNOW comrades Shaun Pearson and David Vahle, experts in the realm of Brandwatch, this event will dive into conversations across our social nation. Join us as we explore the impact of Barbie on marketing discourse and the emergence of threadfluencers, chat through the influential role of X, and provide strategies to align your brand with the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
Simply fill in your details to book your seat and get your questions ready ahead of the interactive webinar. This is an opportunity to enhance your understanding of the social landscape in South Africa and ask our experts any questions you have about our global tech partner, Brandwatch.
We connect the right tech to businesses to build better connections with their customers. Our global tech stack is the top in the field of helping your business understand and connect with your customers. From social listening & customer experience technology to building your modern growth stack, our local support and expertise allow local enterprises to leverage leading global technologies for better customer engagement, insights, retention and growth.
The heartbeat of a nation lies in its conversations, and the threads of dialogue are what weave our social fabric. Introducing "The South Africa Social SONA" snapshot, unlock conversations that shape our nation:
💁♀️ Barbie
Who’s mentioning Barbie?
How did people react?
Barbenheimer, who won?
🧵Threads
Are people talking about Threads?
How long did it take to reach 10 Million?
What is the fate of Threads?
🐦 X (Twitter)
The timeline of Twitter (x)
Is X going anywhere?
🏉 Rugby World Cup
Who is mentioning the RWC?
Who is leveraging the RWC?
The South Africa Social SONA Snapshot offers you an in-depth exploration of these captivating topics that have left their mark on our nation's social discourse. Join us on this journey as we unravel the threads that connect us all, examine the pulse of our social media landscape, and peek into the future of our digital interactions.
Download your copy now and gain exclusive insights into South Africa's vibrant social tapestry. Be a part of the conversation that shapes our nation!
Who is YOUKNOW Technologies?
We connect the right tech to businesses to build better connections with their customers. Our global tech stack is the top in the field of helping your business understand and connect with your customers. From social listening & customer experience technology to building your modern growth stack, our local support and expertise allow local enterprises to leverage leading global technologies for better customer engagement, insights, retention and growth.
Introducing your 2023 Black Friday Snapshot. The perfect insights booster for your 2023 wrap-up, turning your data into actionable insights for your 2024 strategies. We dive into the top 6 takeaways of Black Friday 2023 as a data-driven guide to Black Friday 2024.
What's Inside:
🛍️ Is Black Friday still a big topic of conversation for consumers?
📣 Who were the biggest voices this Black Friday
🛒 What is Black Friday's new pivot?
👀 Which brands had the biggest visibility?
📈 How to drive engagement
This snapshot just scratches the surface of what our experts can do. Want to learn more about Brandwatch or explore custom reporting? Chat to our experts and let’s connect the dots for you.
Introducing Mixpanel's 2024 Benchmarks Report - Journey Through the Metrics 🔭
The Mixpanel team created this latest edition of the Mixpanel Benchmarks Report to be your navigation system in a universe of metrics. In it, they analyse two years of rollercoastering digital product metrics. By showing performance trends across key industries, these benchmarks will not only help you understand where your business stands in the competitive landscape but also provide a roadmap for improvement.
What's Inside:
🪐 A comparison of how products perform in four strategic areas:acquisition, engagement, retention, and marketing performance
🪐 A breakdown of product benchmarks, combined with industry-specific insights for Financial Services, Media & Entertainment, Ecommerce, Technology, Healthcare, and Gaming
🪐 An analysis of product performance across platforms, highlighting how mobile drives growth
🪐 Perspectives from industry leaders on market challenges, trends, and winning strategies
Want to learn more about product analytics or explore the world of Mixpanel? Chat to our experts and let’s connect the dots for you.
📊🚀 Elevate your Instagram game with our 2024 Benchmark Report on Stories! 🌟 Here's what you'll discover:
📈 Increased Story frequency: Brands are ramping up their storytelling efforts.
🎯 Growing reach rates: Connect with more of your audience than ever before.
💡 Steady retention rates: Keep your viewers engaged from start to finish.
📸 Posts vs. Stories: Understand the dynamics for better engagement strategies.
🗓️ Perfect posting frequency: Find the sweet spot for your brand's Stories.
🖼️ Frame frequency insights: Shorter Stories are dominating the platform.
💬 Boost interaction: Learn how to prompt more replies and engagement.
🔍 Analyze exit rates: Understand when and why viewers drop off.
📱 Uncover engagement trends: Discover what types of content resonate most.
Unlock the full potential of your Instagram presence with Rival IQ's comprehensive insights! 🌟 Download now for actionable strategies to level up your social media game. 📲💬 #InstagramStories #SocialMediaMarketing
Introducing Rival IQ's latest annual Social Media Industry Benchmark Report, now turbocharged. They've surveyed thousands of top brands and companies to uncover the secrets of social success. This comprehensive report covers essential metrics from 2023 across 14 key industries:
🍻 Alcohol
👗 Fashion
💵 Financial Services
🍔 Food & Beverage
💄 Health & Beauty
👩🏾🎓 Higher Education
🛋️ Home Decor
🤳 Influencers
📱 Media
🎧 Tech & Software
💕 Nonprofits
✈️ Travel
🛍️ Retail
⚽️ Sports Teams
It's all you need to gauge your social media performance against competitors on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram. Gain valuable insights into evolving engagement trends and optimize your strategy for 2024.
🇿🇦 Unbox South African Black Friday Insights this October! 📈🛒
Calling all retailers or marketers looking to dominate in this year's Black Friday scene. Look no further! Join us for an exclusive webinar where we delve deep into the hottest trends, strategies, and insights you need to succeed this Black Friday. Stay tuned for more details next week!
We connect the right tech to businesses to build better connections with their customers. Our global tech stack is the top in the field of helping your business understand and connect with your customers. From social listening & customer experience technology to building your modern growth stack, our local support and expertise allow local enterprises to leverage leading global technologies for better customer engagement, insights, retention and growth.
Hey there, savvy marketer! Want to stay ahead in the Martech game? YOUKNOW has got you covered. Our newsletter is your golden ticket to the latest tech insights, industry buzz, and exclusive events. Here’s why you’ll love it:
Product Updates: Get first dibs on our innovative solutions.
Industry Intel: Stay in the loop with the hottest news.
Exclusive Events: Network with the best and snag some cool swag.
Witty Reads: Say goodbye to boring emails and hello to a fab inbox.
Pop in your email below, it subscribe, and join the YOUKNOW crew. Because YOUKNOW where the best martech news is at!
Subscribe now and stay ahead with YOUKNOW Technologies
Join the Go Everywhere Club’s #JoinJogtober Challenge! 🌍💻🏃♀️🏃♂️
This October, we are hosting a Jogtober on our Go Everywhere Club - A Strava Group full of our fellow data lovers, industry pals and people who like to crunch numbers by day and smash PBs by the afternoon.
So how do you win?
It's all about logging the most activities on our Strava Group! Whether you’re a casual cyclist, pro runner, or padel fanatic, your activity counts — By the 31st of October, the person with the most activity wins an R2000 voucher! 🏆
Cool, how do I enter?
Fill out your details to get the Strava Club link
Join our Club
Log your activities
Stay active and aim for the top spot on the leaderboard
Boost Your 2025 Marketing Strategies with the 2024 South African Stats Report
Do you truly understand your South African audience? In our latest 2024 South African Stats Report (powered by GWI’s Core data), we go beyond surface-level insights to reveal the unique habits, behaviours, and trends shaping South African consumers today. This Consumer Behaviour Report uncovers the motivations behind their purchasing decisions, from essential buying triggers to broader trends that will shape the future.
With this in-depth South African Report, you’ll be equipped to tailor your marketing strategies and engage with your audience effectively.
Inside the 2024 South African Stats Report, You’ll Discover:
The key drivers behind South African purchasing decisions
Emerging consumer behaviour trends specific to the South African market
Insights into the lifestylepreferences of local consumers
Tech user behaviour for your potential audience to enhance your marketing approach in South Africa
South African social media and media consuming habits
Why GWI for the 2024 South African Stats Report?
This isn’t guesswork. We’ve harnessed GWI’s globally trusted data to provide you with accurate, real-time insights relevant to South Africa. This up to date Consumer Behaviour Report offers a data-driven view into our local market, helping you make informed decisions.
Why Download This South African Report?
If you're looking to refine your marketing strategy, launch smarter products, or impress stakeholders, this free 2024 South African Stats Report is your essential guide to consumer success in South Africa.
Fill in our form to get your hands on our 2024 South African Stats Snapshot.
Amplitude North Star Playbook: Your Guide to Digital Product Analytics
Our friends at Amplitude put together The North Star Playbook to equip product managers, designers, and developers with a practical framework to stay focused and aligned on metrics that matter. Built for teams aiming to create better digital experiences, this playbook provides tools to define and activate your North Star goal, ensuring everyone moves in sync toward shared success. As the leader in product analytics, Amplitude knows a thing or two about uniting marketing and product teams around focus metrics across the full customer journey. Get expert insights, real-life examples and actionable exercises designed to help your team move beyond common pitfalls and distractions.
What's included:
The purpose, value, and elements of the North Star Framework.
How to define and name a North Star Metric and inputs.
Tips on how and when to change your North Star Metric.
Best practices for making the North Star Framework “stick” to your culture and processes.
Advice on troubleshooting & avoiding pitfalls
Say goodbye to churning out features and hello to clarity and coherence across the organisation.
Why YOUKNOW Technologies Partnered with Amplitude:
YOUKNOW Technologies is bringing Amplitude’s leading digital analytics solutions to South Africa, empowering businesses with deep insights into customer behaviour to optimise product experiences. Amplitude’s platform, trusted by nearly 3,000 global brands like Shopify, Uber, and Walmart, combines qualitative and quantitative data for a comprehensive view of user behaviour. Through this partnership, South African companies gain local support and solutions tailored to build skilled, cross-functional teams in self-service analytics, bridging the gap between global tech and local needs.
Prefer to have someone chat with you through the Amplitude North Star Playbook? Click here to book a session.
Are you eager to join a community of product managers, growth marketers, and industry pros in your city? Well, you're in luck! Data Draughts is growing bigegr and better than ever as our community continues to fill up with cool cats that love to chat data and product analytics. Sign up to get on the guest list and cheers with data peers. Picture rooftop views, cold brews, and great banter—what more could you want?
Fill out our sign-up form to stay updated on all our future Data Draught events
We will post upcoming events here.
What’s Data Draughts? Think of it as the happy hour where connections pour as smoothly as your favourite brew. Our next session is all about bringing together like-minded professionals to mingle, share, and spark brilliant ideas—all in a relaxed setting.
Why Join Us? 🍻 Sip on Insight: Engage in lively discussions with fellow pros who are just as passionate about data and growth as you are. 🍺 Raise a Glass to Real Talk: Share your stories, swap challenges, and celebrate wins—no fluff, just the good stuff. 🍷 Toast to New Connections: Build meaningful relationships in a welcoming atmosphere where ideas flow as freely as the drinks.
Who Should Attend? If you’re a product manager, growth marketer, or anyone obsessed with data-driven success, this event is for you! And don’t come alone—the more, the merrier! Share the link with your friends and colleagues so they can join the fun too.
Who is YOUKNOW? We’re YOUKNOW Technologies, your local martech experts. We’re all about bringing the best tools and insights to our clients, and Amplitude is one of the gems in our lineup. We’re passionate about helping businesses in South Africa harness the power of data to drive growth.
Product-Led Growth (PLG) is all about letting your product do the heavy lifting when it comes to growing your business. Forget the old-school methods of relying on sales or marketing to acquire, retain, and monetise customers. PLG puts your product at the centre of the action and watches the magic happen.
It’s not just about bringing in new users—it’s about keeping them engaged and making sure they stick around long enough to become paying customers.
The Product-Led Customer Journey
So, how does PLG actually work? It’s a journey—one that starts with acquisition and ends with monetisation. But here’s the twist: the product itself drives every stage:
Acquisition: You’ll attract users with viral features and compelling content (no hard sell needed).
Activation: Make onboarding easy and let users experience the "aha" moment quickly.
Engagement & Retention: Keep users returning for more with triggers that make them stick around.
Monetization: Watch users convert to paying customers; no sales team is required.
What Environment Does PLG Need?
PLG isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution—it thrives in certain environments:
Data-Driven Culture: You need to know how your users behave. The better the insights, the better your growth strategy.
The Right Tech: Tools like onboarding flows, CRM systems, and analytics platforms are must-haves to make sure your product does its job without the need for heavy intervention.
Building the Right Team for PLG
To make PLG work, you need a well-rounded team. You’ll need data lovers who can read the signs, creatives who can keep users engaged, and experimenters who want to test everything. The key? Constant iteration and a growth mindset.
Ready for PLG?
PLG isn’t for everyone. It works best if:
Users can actually self-activate.
The product’s value is clear from the get-go.
You’re ready to shift gears from traditional sales methods and let the product lead the way.
How Do You Stack Up?
Want to know if your organisation is ready to embrace PLG? It all comes down to a few things: growth, culture, and infrastructure. If you’ve got the right tech and team in place, you might be closer to PLG than you think!
Get Started Now
PLG is the future, and it’s time you joined the party. Get all the insights, tools, and best practices you need to start driving growth through your product. Download the Full PDF Guide to learn how to make PLG work for you. If you want to jump straight into seeing a Product-Led Growth Platform, book a demo with our team
Looking to take your Product-Led Growth (PLG) strategy to the next level? Volume 2 of our partner Amplitude’s guide is here to help you move from theory to practice. If you're ready to implement PLG in your organisation and start seeing real results, this guide is packed with valuable insights and actionable steps to get you started.
What’s Inside Volume 2?
Proven Methods for Growth: Discover the tactics that drive acquisition, retention, and monetisation—the essential elements of a successful PLG strategy.
Tactics from Amplitude’s Own Playbook: Gain insights into the strategies and metrics Amplitude uses internally to fuel it's PLG motion.
Real Success Stories: Learn from businesses of all sizes and industries who’ve successfully adopted PLG to grow and scale.
Whether you're just beginning your PLG journey or looking to refine your approach, this guide has everything you need to create experiences that not only engage your users but also drive sustainable business growth.
Start Your PLG Journey Today!
Download Product-Led Growth Guide Volume 2 now and get the practical tips and inspiration you need to accelerate your growth, improve customer experiences, and boost your bottom line.
.png)
.png)
.svg)
