The sooner a business, no matter how big or small, starts to build an online presence the better, says Carla Enslin, a founding member and head of strategy and new business development at the IIE-Vega School, which offers a range of tertiary qualifications in design, marketing and branding.

‘It is a big misconception that any business […] should have achieved a particular size, turnover and/or strategic stature before a social media marketing plan is justified or required. An SME should begin to build a meaningful online brand community from day one,’ she says.

Not only is using social media to build brand awareness more cost effective than other media, it ‘offers immediate feedback about what potential consumers genuinely feel and expect from the business’, says Enslin. ‘This enables the SME to pivot, to adapt and communicate much more clearly within a short space of time. Consumers are immediately engaged with the brand and its purpose. They become a tight-knit community that supports and promotes the brand.’

And companies are catching on… data from Statista shows that advertising spend on social media in SA is expected to reach about  R480 million in 2025, with 73% of total ad spend generated through mobile devices by 2029.

In addition, a 2024 GMSA report states that about 50% of SMEs in SA use some form of digital technology, including social media, in aspects of their business.

Choosing an appropriate platform is one of the decisions an SME must make on its brand-building mission.

‘Facebook and LinkedIn still feature the largest given reach and business-to-business networking, but younger audiences increasingly prefer short form and visually delightful creative engagements,’ says Enslin. ‘TikTok, Insta gram and sponsorship of strategically aligned live streamers, influencers or pod-casters may offer meaningful strategic platforms.’

Parent company Meta indicates that Facebook’s ad reach is equivalent to around 43% of SA’s population, while LinkedIn says its ad reach as of the beginning of 2024 was just shy of 20% of SA’s total population. The LinkedIn figures are, however, skewed by the fact that platform users must be older than 18, meaning less than 30% of SA’s eligible population uses the business-oriented platform.

There is, of course, a distinction between paid advertising on social media and organic brand-building. According to digital skills training company Digital Regenesys, organic advertising involves building brand loyalty over time through creating valuable content and engaging audiences on social media, while paid advertising involves paying for adverts to promote products or services. They each have their place, with paid adverts delivering quick results and ensuring high visibility; organic advertising, on the other hand, emphasises trust and integrity, but requires a longer time period to percolate.

However, Jonny Gorash, co-owner and marketing director of US creative agency Wilder Horse, warns of ‘advertisement fatigue’. ‘In the marketing world, we’re seeing consumers exhibit signs of advertisement fatigue. They’re constantly bombarded with paid ads while driving down the road, listening to podcasts, watching their favourite show or surfing the web,’ he tells Business.com.

He says SMEs can capitalise on the growing antipathy towards paid advertising ‘by populating social media with authentic and natural content that doesn’t come across as an ad’. ‘Honestly entertain or inform [followers], and they’ll reward you,’ he says.

Enslin echoes his advice. ‘Respect your internal and external community (staff, suppliers, markets, et al) and continue to add value, through your products and/or services, and by creating meaningful and engaging con tent, conversations and experiences, she says.

But how does a small brand stand out in a market where everyone comes equipped with a loud hailer?

‘A short-term solution is to be loud (inter minable repetition), or even attempt at being outrageous (copy, pictures, colours),’ says Enslin. ‘But the real answer for a brand to stand out is when it succeeds in uncovering its distinctiveness and delivers on its unique  promise uncommonly well. Be mindful of your brand’s performance at every touch point, across your entire ecosystem,’ she says.

While acknowledging there are many examples of local brands that do this well, she cites Legends Barber (@legends_barber) as one that stands out.

‘I appreciate how [Legends Barber] remains true to its roots and conveys a crystal-clear sense of identity – “it’s not just a haircut, it’s a movement”. The brand seems intrinsically mindful of creating value (#legendsgiveback), creating community and narrating content true to its nature,’ she says.

Building a brand via social media would probably be a no-brainer for companies such as Legends, which was started by entrepreneur Sheldon Tatchell a year after the launch of Instagram (2010), less than 10 years after Facebook (2004) and five years before TikTok. The brand and social media have basically grown up together.

The brand has accumulated a healthy following on most social media platforms –1.2 million followers each on Instagram and Facebook and 400 000 on TikTok. However, it engages with its followers differently on each. Its TikTok account has a decidedly younger vibe, while its LinkedIn account is for the business end of the business. The brand – and its customers – use visual-friendly Instagram to share videos and images of their latest do’s. While Legends does use the channels for paid ads about specials or the opening of new stores, they are just part of the mix and are not obviously dominant.

The brand must be doing something right. It now has 70-plus franchises across five countries (SA, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini and Namibia), and its founder, Tatchell, was named 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year at the 36th annual Business Partners Limited Entrepreneur of the Year awards. The company’s range of hair and grooming products is sold at SA retailers, and in 2022, staying true to the brand’s mission of giving back, Tatchell launched a free training academy in Johannesburg where aspiring young barbers can sharpen their skills.

Last year, Legends signed its first official brand ambassador – Bofelo William Molebatsi, aka William Last KRM, a TikToker and comedian based in Botswana, who has been generating silly but engaging content about the brand since 2022.

The point is, the collaboration was not created in a vacuum; it was a natural progression of an existing relationship. ‘It was easy to pick William as we have built a solid and strong relationship over the past two years,’ said Tatchell of the collaboration in 2024. ‘He grooms himself very well, and the standout point is that he relates to us and our clientele. This is a move that can gain good market space for our brands; working together is always a good idea.’

The company’s club of brand ambassadors has since grown to include Orlando Pirates footballer Relebohile Mofokeng and rappers Nasty C and Blxckie, all of whom are also Legends customers.

While brands such as Legends make it look easy, it is anything but. In its 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Survey, web hosting company GoDaddy reports that many entrepreneurs struggle with their social media content. More than a third say it’s hard to come up with engaging ideas for posts, and another 33% don’t have enough time to create and post regularly.

Enslin makes a case for why SMEs should employ staff who are savvy about social media. ‘Social media marketing is omnipresent and impacts all of an SME’s stakeholder groups (internal and external). Internal competence with social media is crucial in order to respond swiftly and creatively to new opportunities and unconventional points of connection. Consumer data is immensely valuable on every level and should be retained, managed and protected in-house as far as practicable.’

Social media marketing is about more than just selling products; it’s about creating a community.

By Robyn Leary
Image: Gallo/Getty Images