Description:
The research sought out to investigate the use of social media in creating brand awareness in
Tanzania mining industry by studying Nesch Mintec, a company which specialises in laboratory
testing of minerals. Social media has of late become popular as a means of creating brand
awareness due to ease of use efficiency and affordability. The study sought to identify the various
platforms of social media and their significance on marketing service, to determine the level of
brand awareness and to assess the use of social media as means of creating brand awareness of
Nesch Mintec. An exploratory study was carried out to understand social media coverage in
marketing by providing questionnaires to walk in customers, giving an online survey, carrying out
an interview with Nesch Mintec Management representative and monitoring the company’s social
media platform. The study found out that Nesch Mintec can utilise social media platforms such as
LinkedIn, Youtube and Whats app. However, 37.5% of the respondents believed Facebook was
more effective in creating brand awareness than other social media platforms. Nesch Mintec
mainly uses the Facebook platform of social media to market their services and it has proven to be
significant for the company marketing promotions with over 130,000 followers and was popular
in creating brand awareness especially when it was under paid social media (media boost) and
when the media content was a video. The Nesch Mintec brand is known to a moderate extent
according to 60% of respondents and 77.5% of the respondents believed that social media alone
cannot create brand awareness but a combinational of social media and traditional advertising
should be used for creating brand awareness of Nesch Mintec. It was recommended that Nesch
Mintec should utilise videos and boosting of social media posts to attract a larger number of brand
followers since organic posts alone are not enough in strengthening its brand awareness.