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Nokia Egypt reaches one million Facebook fans

CAIRO, Egypt – Social media channels are a key means for Nokia to form a connection with customers and others interested in the company and its products. That doesn’t just mean this blog, of course. Different people like to find out Nokia news in different ways. For some, full-length blog posts are key; for others, 140 characters is just enough. Facebook lies somewhere in the middle and for many it provides the right balance between depth and brevity.

But it’s not just the global Facebook page that’s important. Many countries run their own pages. And today we’re especially proud of the efforts of our team in Egypt, where the local Nokia team has managed to attract one million Facebook fans. That figure is even more impressive when you consider that there are only 10 million active Facebook users in the country.

These are some truly staggering figures. What was the secret to the Nokia Egypt team’s success? We spoke to Omar Rostom, Digital Marketing Manager at Nokia North Africa, to find out how he and his team achieved such a feat.

Nokia Egypt Facebook page

Hitting the magic one million mark

“It feels awesome!” Is the first thing Omar Rostom says when we begin talking about his team hitting the magic million mark on Facebook. It’s easy to see why: “We are now the third biggest page in Egypt and plan to be the biggest in the very near future. We also have the highest consistent engagement rate as a brand in Egypt.”

This was no overnight success, however. It took over a year and a half of hard work to hit one million Facebook fans – and things only got tougher as that milestone drew nearer.

“The bigger you become as a page, the harder it is to keep your fans engaged,” reveals Omar. “The key is to always keep your content appealing and not be afraid to try something new.”

Fresh content, efficiently employed

So what kind of new content pushed Nokia Egypt over the line? “We had some really great local content behind the QWERTY Campaign [a typing contest for Nokia Asha owners] and 3D Projection in Egypt, which drove interest in our page,” says Omar. “During these two campaigns, we managed to increase our fan base by over 200,000 fans in just two months.”

“Facebook pages are fundamentally about building communities,” Omar continues.  “Our focus has always been to add value to people’s lives by engaging, educating, and interacting with them on our page.”

A country in transition

Hitting such a milestone is all the more remarkable when you consider the massive upheaval experienced by Egyptians over the past year. The Nokia Egypt team was aware they had to be sensitive to this throughout.

“Egypt is currently a country in transition on all fronts; socially, technologically, and politically to name a few,” Omar says. “We faced a lot of challenges in engaging with our fans because of this, but we made sure we were quick to adapt and understand the changes that the country was going through.” He adds: “We ensured that we reflected this understanding in our posts.”

Indeed, it’s through Facebook that Egypt’s youth are finding their voice. “Since the January 25 revolution,” Omar explains, “it [Facebook] has become a key touchpoint for youths. It’s where they voice their opinions, connect with friends and family, play games, share jokes, and engage with brands.”

The result is that Egypt currently has one of the fastest Facebook growth rates in the world. “On average it grows at a rate of around 15 per cent every three months,” says Omar.

Congratulations all, and here’s to the next million!

Image credit: archer10 (Dennis) OFF