Services
Digital Marketing for Zanzibar & East African Brands
I help tourism and hospitality businesses in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam with marketing, from planning campaigns to reporting on results.
The difference: I report to a CEO, monthly
As Marketing Manager at Pilgram Group International, I report to the CEO each month on what we spent, the results and what I plan to change.
That single habit changes what gets built. Measurement comes first, because a report you cannot assemble is a report you will not write. Activity that cannot be defended gets cut early rather than quietly renewed.
Where tourism brands in Zanzibar leak money
Paid traffic sent to a page with no clear next step. Beautiful Instagram accounts with no path from a saved post to a held date. Enquiries answered in eighteen hours in a market where the answer arrives in eighteen minutes. And a total dependence on the OTAs, where you pay a commission for a guest you could have owned.
None of these are creative problems. They are operational ones, which is the part I'm actually good at.
What the engagement covers
Not everything, and not all at once. In practice a Zanzibar tourism brand needs three things working before anything clever is worth trying.
- Search: local and intent led SEO so people looking for what you sell in Zanzibar find you rather than an aggregator
- Paid acquisition: Meta and Google, run tightly, with a defensible cost per enquiry rather than a cost per click
- Conversion: the path from first touch to a held date, including how fast humans respond
- Content: pages and posts that answer real pre booking questions and are worth linking to
- Measurement: GA4, campaign tagging, enquiry source capture, and a one page monthly report
Ranking against the OTAs
Broad searches such as “Zanzibar hotels” are highly competitive. Focus on searches specific to your location, experience and business name, where you have a better chance of reaching guests directly.
That is where the direct booking margin comes from, and it is a twelve month build, not a campaign.
Reporting you can hand to a board
Each month, I report on spend, enquiries, cost per enquiry and conversion, along with what changed and what we should do next. Redacted examples are available on request.
What it costs and how long it takes
Diagnostic
1 to 2 weeks
Measurement audit, channel review and a prioritised plan you can execute with anyone. Fixed fee.
Growth retainer
Monthly
Search, paid and conversion work run continuously, with a monthly performance report and review call.
Embedded
Quarterly
Acting as your marketing lead: strategy, agency and freelancer management, and reporting into ownership.
Exact figures depend on scope and content readiness. I quote in writing after one conversation, never before.
Proof
Two examples of this work in practice: Pilgram Group International and Rock the Yacht.
Questions people ask
Do you work with hotels only?
No. I also work with tour operators, charter companies, restaurants and property businesses. Most of my work is in tourism and hospitality.
How long before SEO shows results?
Local and long tail terms can move in 60 to 90 days. Competitive national terms are a 6 to 12 month project. Results depend on your market, competition and content.
What ad budget makes sense in this market?
The budget needs to be enough to test campaigns and measure results. I will suggest a starting budget for your business before you commit.
Can you take over from our current agency?
Yes, and the first step is an honest audit of what they built. Some of it is usually worth keeping.
Do you work in Dar es Salaam?
Yes. I split time between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam and work across mainland Tanzania.
Will I own the ad accounts?
Always. Accounts, pixels and data stay in your name.
Let’s talk about your marketing.
WhatsApp is the quickest way to reach me. Email works too; I read every message.