CHEERS TO SA’S YOUNG AND POWERFUL

I CAN remember when being on social media was a hobby. A reprieve from the mundanity of our lives. We commented on our friends’ breakfast choices, were recommending new music and TV shows to one another and encouraging people who follow us to follow people we like.

Social media was a space to share thoughts, pictures and videos. It was like a little community.

While that may still be the case, some, mostly millennials and Gen Z, soon realised that social media could give them an opportunity to live their dream. One of success and all the trappings that come with it.

Thulasizwe “Lasizwe” Dambuza was one of them. He harnessed the power of social media and turned himself into a success story.

On his YouTube skits, where he takes the mickey out of everything and everyone, no one is safe. From supermarket cashiers and domestic workers to celebrities and civil servants, he creates situations that will make you either laugh or cringe.

Your reaction doesn’t really matter. The only thing that does is that you added to his viewership figures.

And yet, he feels like his success is a fluke, too good to be true. A mirage. In an interview this week, the YouTuber shared his unbelievable success.

“Five years ago, people were finicky about online marketing and the influencing space and my career overall. People were like ‘he’s wearing wigs, wenzani’ (what is he doing?) They didn’t understand what we were doing until recently, where now even people older than me are realising they can use comedy to make money online.”

Making money online is not easy. There are those who are celebrities (or fame adjacent) and their transition to being social media influencers is easy. For the unknown people who are creating content, it is a challenge. Pressure is added when they are in the same space as other creators who have secured major brands to work with them. Although it frustrated Dambuza, he felt it was a lesson that was necessary.

“It’s literally about being patient and not rushing the process. We all strive to be successful immediately, but that doesn’t happen often.

“In the beginning, I never got paid for my work, until someone told me I could get paid for it. You just need to monetise yourself. Make sure that people understand what it is that you do, do it well and make money from your skills as a content creator.”

Being a content creator is more than being an influencer. While influencers are also content creators, their main aim is to build an audience that will attract brands to spend money. In that way, the brands get access to the influencer’s community and, with the influencer’s help, get the communtiy to buy the brand’s products.

Content creators are almost like producers, who create engaging content that draws an audience. They are not specifically about gaining followers and brand attention.

To be a successful social media influencer, you also need to create engaging content that will make your audience buy a brand’s wares.

Dambuza is one of the few who successfully straddles both worlds – creating content on his YouTube channel that draws a big enough audience to allow him to be a successful influencer on his other social platforms.

While being one of the few who have successfully gone from online content creator to becoming a TV star, it’s that experience that has shaped how he conducts his business.

“TV and online are two different worlds. The content you create for a TV show belongs to the producer. The online content that you create, belongs to you, and you will make money from it until you die,” he said.

“Some of the videos I have done on YouTube continue to make me money. But on TV, I don’t get any residuals from the many repeats of my reality show and the shows I have presented. It’s a reminder of the importance of ownership. That’s how you will make your money – through owning the content you produce.”

He has gripes about the way brands treat influencers.

“Brands need to stop trying to force influencers to change who they are. There’s constant pressure from brands for influencers to change how they speak, how they interact with their audience, forgetting that the reason we have this audience is because of who we are and how we speak to them. Brands want to collaborate with me, for example, and then they want me to use long words and make me speak proper English when, on my page, I speak broken English.

“Brands need to understand that they are tapping into the audience that I have built for years on my own. It’s important for brands to allow the creator to be as authentic as possible.

“The key to my success has been just sticking to my own lane and what I know. What also worked was authenticity. Being authentic and true to yourself and who you are, will always be important and will always attract a loyal fan base.”

South Africa’s youth unemployment rate is at a shocking 74.7%. Dambuza believes that social media can be part of the solution.

“Kids today tell their parents they want to be influencers when they grow up. Five years ago, that wasn’t a thing. It was misunderstood. And yet, technology and social media can open doors for more youth to be business owners and thrive as entrepreneurs. There is a huge gap in the market when it comes to advertising.

“There are so many businesses and brands that need advertising and a boost from online collaborations in order to reach the clientele they want. By using social media content creators to showcase their products, they can have a great impact on their business.”

Not everybody can be a luxury influencer, like Dambuza and his peers, Mihlali Ndamase, Jessica van Heerden, Thickleeyonce and Kamo Mafokwane. However, there are opportunities for influencers with a lower following to also thrive, by looking for gaps and being brave.

After working with Google, getting his reality show on MTV and working with Samsung, Dambuza is ready for something new.

“It’s a big miracle I am working with Samsung, a major international brand. It’s great to be associated with them. But the dream is to collaborate with Land Rover. I am growing up and I am getting interested in cars, and Land Rover is a brand I would really love to work with.”

“Technology and social media can open up doors for more youth to be business owners and thrive as entrepreneurs.” Lasizwe

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