Recently, I have found myself checking for information from two sources whenever the need arises; Mimi Mefo and the Beta Tinz Instagram page. Which is rather ironic because it is hard to call Beta Tinz a news platform. But whenever I want to get correct information my reflexes kick in and that is the first place I go to. And I do that for two reasons.
First, I will get a verified, true account of whatever news item I am looking for, and secondly, I am going to enjoy reading it because….
I will read it in Pidgin English.
My cousin put me on to BetaTinz. I specifically remember her telling me “if you are not following Beta Tinz on Instagram, you are missing out. And she was right.
I started writing for PoiseSocial because I was tired of seeing "bloggers" write click-bait headlines with content that was barely a paragraph. Sometimes the whole article was a reprise of the headline and three sentences. For a long time, I had generally avoided clicking on any 'celebrity news' blog out of the dread of being disappointed with the content form and the usual cringe-worthy grammar. That was until I came across the Beta Tinz page on Instagram.
I would not call the Beta Tinz Instagram page a 'celebrity and gossip page.' For me, it's more of a cultural hub where you can find stories ranging from who is running for elections to what the newest Buea-based celebrity beef is.
But anybody who follows BetaTinz will tell you that if they follow BetaTinz it’s because of the Pidgin English.
Media content in Pidgin English has been around for a long time now. We can go back as far as the mid-90s to Mt Cameroon FM and Jomo Kevin, and later on Kolle George. Then it went on to TV, with many private stations having Pidgin News segments. And while social media written Pidgin content is quite novel, it remains Pidgin content. So, the question here is; how is BetaTinz’ Pidgin any different?
The answer is in the delivery.
There are a certain texture and layer of intimacy covering the delivery. It is almost as if the person writing the stories is that one cousin who knows everyone's business and is eagerly telling you in your grandma’s kitchen in the village, over roasted plum and corn, while the rain falls outside. It is sweet and juicy and has this one-to-one, me-to-you flavour about it.
Clarisse Ndinge, who runs the page, seems to be writing these stories in the voice of a personal account rather than otherwise. It is formally hilarious like Kolle George’s or vulgar like IPP’s. It is intimate in a way that is hard to describe.
To add to that, the page has built a sturdy reputation for itself for fact-checking and doing serious background investigation before it is posted. Just yesterday I caught myself wondering what the updates on the corona virus situation in Cameroon were and my very first reflex was to open Instagram and check BetaTinz.
Imagine if that close cousin that tells you that gossips with you so intimately not only tells you these stories in the wittiest manner and full of Pidgin slangs and expressions, also tells you only true and verified stories. Imagine that cousin also debunks rumours that circulate on WhatsApp or some other app.
That’s the kind of Brand Voice that Clarisse Ndinge has built for BetaTinz
To add to that, the stories are written in a constructive and easy-to grasp-manner.
Introduction – Body – Conclusion. / Or Background Story – Current situation – Future Development.
That is something, which I must, many bloggers today have a hard time doing. It may sound obvious but take a look at what most people write on social media and you would realise you can't make the head or tail of most. Most people are concentrated on doing clickbait headings but are not able to research and write down the body of content that has to go with it.
Information and entertainment digital media is no doubt the fastest-growing sector of the digital media industry. New platforms are popping up all the time. Just look at how many music platforms are popping up from Cameroon just here on Facebook alone. The competition will become stiffer over time and being able to stand out will be important for survival.
BetaTinz found its niche market and its unique brand voice.
For those who missed out on our article yesterday, your brand voice is quite simply the way you talk to customers. It is your own (unique) manner of communicating with your public and your target market. It is the choice of vocabulary, the slangs, the expressions, and the level of colloquialism or formality. It is even to an extent, the medium chosen to communicate.
BetaTinz found its voice in that intimate Kongossa-ish Pidgin that you like to hear from someone you love and trust and filled with the slangs and funny expressions that make Pidgin a preferred medium of communication for just about everyone in an informal situation.
Do you have a business, a platform, a cause? Do you know who you are talking to and why you want to talk to them? Do you communicate with them often? In what voice do you communicate?
#FindYourBrandVoice
- Wandji Wilfred.