Meet William Last KRM. William Last is the TikTok handle of Botswana comedian Bofelo William Molebatsi, who was last year appointed as the first social media brand ambassador of Legends Barber, a South Africa-based small business franchise specialising in men’s grooming. The business, which started in 2011, has 70 barbershops across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Limpopo and Eswatini.

Social media followers of @legends_barber and William Last can watch short clips of the bucktoothed goofball as he takes you shopping for Legends-branded grooming products or as he – hilariously – tries to shampoo clients’ hair at a Legends barber shop.

Legends is one of a growing number of African entrepreneurs who are increasingly using social media to market themselves, taking advantage of the explosion in smartphone use in Africa, and the corresponding spike in social media use.

According to the GSMA’s 2025 Global Market Report, sub-Saharan Africa is expected to account for nearly a quarter of new mobile internet subscribers globally between 2025 and 2030. Research by Meltwater and We Are Social in 2025 shows that in South Africa, with a population of more than 64 million, 50.8 million or 78.9% use the internet, and of those, more than half (26.7 million) use social media. The same research found that 99.3% of internet users older than 16 in South Africa own a smartphone.

While Facebook might be increasingly derided by Gen Z as being for Boomers, it is still the social media platform of choice on the continent. Statista data shows that Facebook has maintained traffic generation capabilities of more than 50% since 2021, followed by YouTube and Twitter with a share of around 9.4% and 3.8% respectively. The number of Facebook users in Africa is forecast to exceed 377 million by 2025, up from 271 million in 2022.

While Facebook also has the highest audience reach in South Africa (43% of the population), TikTok is closing in with 38.5% of adults older than 18, according to the platforms’ data for 2024.

‘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,’ said 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.

And advertising budgets are following the audiences to social media, with advertising spend on social media in South Africa expected to reach about ZAR480 million in 2025, according to Statista, which expects 73% of ad spend to be generated through mobile devices by 2029.

For small businesses, which usually don’t have an advertising budget – even though social media rates are often lower than traditional media – there’s the organic route of building relatable, meaningful content to attract followers that need not cost a fortune. ‘TikTok, Instagram and sponsorship of strategically aligned live streamers, influencers or podcasters may offer meaningful strategic platforms,’ Enslin said in an interview with the JSE Magazine recently.

But how does a small business stand out in a crowded market where everyone is equipped with a loud hailer?

‘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 touchpoint, across your entire ecosystem,’ said Enslin.

‘Respect your internal and external community (staff, suppliers, markets, et al) and continue to add value – through your products and/services and by continuously creating meaningful and engaging conversations, content and experiences,’ she said.

The Legends collaboration with William Last is successful as it is an organic extension 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 Legends founder Sheldon Tatchell 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.’

Funny William is one of a growing number of African influencers. According to market intelligence consultancy CoherentMI, Africa’s creator economy market was valued at US$5 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach almost US$30 billion by 2032 at a compound annual growth rate of 28.7%. Speaking to Strategic Marketing for Africa, Bobai Balat, founder and CEO of the TIMA Influencer Marketing Agency in Nigeria, attributed the booming influencer industry in his country to its ‘large population, high internet penetration and widespread use of social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube’.

However, working with influencers carries its risks, not least if their goals do not align with yours. One bad review of a product or service can mean the end of your business.

‘There are real risks for brand owners and influencers to think of – reputation, goodwill and commercial interests are involved from all sides,’ Megan Campher, an attorney at law firm DML Incorporated, told Strategic Marketing for Africa. ‘This means if the marketing effort fails in any material way, there could be legal consequences, such as patrimonial loss (financial loss) and hefty damages following a case of, for example, defamation.’

Enterprising small businesses in Africa are using social media to market themselves in other novel, more informal ways. The GSMA’s E-commerce in Africa 2023 report highlights the Asaba business community in Nigeria, which started out in 2020 as a WhatsApp community to connect local traders to buyers. Now with more than 1 000 members, the community provides training on how to market products and hosts in-person trade fairs to promote traders in the community.

And it’s never too early for a business to start its social media journey. Enslin advised small businesses to bed down their social media marketing from the very beginning.

‘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 said.

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’, said 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 the brand’s purpose. They become a tight-knit community that supports and promotes the brand.’

Image: Gallo/Getty Images