This week we talked to Bonkhe, a content creator, teacher, and head of department. Bonkhe discusses key factors in his career growth, including his early interest in branding, active engagement with social media, and continuous learning. He shares insights on balancing multiple professional roles, highlights impactful brand partnerships, and offers advice for beginner content creators, emphasizing the importance of personal branding, strategic thinking, and building a clear identity to foster growth and professional opportunities.
Career Chat: Could you describe the key factors that contributed to the growth of your career as a content creator and influencer?
Bonkhe: To begin with, I must share that my journey as a brand influencer was inspired by my interest in understanding how brands grow. I developed this obsession as I pursued entrepreneurship. By chance, I happened to download (in 2014, doing final year) a 15-page PDF document that was entitled “The 9 Principles of Branding. I still have this document even today. Since graduation in 2015, I made it a culture to invest in entrepreneurship and lifestyle magazines. It is through these magazines that I gained exposure to the concept of personal branding. I applied what I read from the interviews of different personalities and that inspired me to package myself as a brand.
During my time as a varsity student, I was more of a Facebook addict – given my highly active social media presence in those days. This enabled me to learn more about the platform, and its features – such as page manager (now called Meta Business Suite) – as it developed over time. I started reading more about the concept of Integrated Marketing and even signed up for short courses on same, as offered by the Nelson Mandela Washington Fellowship – YALI Network. Over the years, I paid attention to social media trends, developed story-telling skills, and kept adapting myself as a personal brand.
Beyond reading and obsessing with brands, to analyzing their brand strategies, I looked up to the mentorship of ECONET founder Strive Masiyiwa, and DJ Sbu, by religiously reading their publications on Facebook. All of these are attributes of what enabled me to find my voice – I strongly believe that I have been able to grow into the person I am because of finding my voice, and being intentional about leveraging it.
Career Chat: How do you balance your responsibilities as a content creator, teacher and head of department at your school?
Bonkhe: It is not as easy to strike a balance across my responsibilities as a content creator, teacher and head of department in my school. In addition to these roles, there is a creative director role that comes with my clothing brand COTTON SWAY. I try to manage, by simply picking things as they come and getting them done. I do not worry about what I cannot do. I focus on what I can accomplish. Reflecting on milestones achieved keeps me going. What drives me is positivity, dreaming big, being overly ambitious, and I carry myself with such a big “I can do mentality”. I am one person who pushes to do more than just one thing, because I believe the universe has so much more to offer, for dreamers like me to explore and enjoy.
Career Chat: Could you please specify the number of brands you have partnered with in your role as a content creator? What are some of the key insights you have learnt from collaborating with different organisations?
Bonkhe: I have had the pleasure of partnering with MTN Eswatini, United Holdings Eswatini, Perfume Paradise Eswatini, Eswatini Tourism, Nkonyeni Lodge & Golf Estate, Unilever-Knorr Soup, and currently Olive Country Lodge Eswatini. Some of these partnerships were short-term while some were long-term. All of them were an opportunity for me to learn, and level up. I took them as an opportunity to apply myself in terms of marketing ideas and creativity. They gave me access to high impact executives, marketing heads and their marketing teams. I am currently pursuing an MBA–Marketing Management course. Had it not been for the industry exposure I gained through my content-creator opportunities, I would not be pursuing this academic path. These opportunities nurtured me, and equipped me with marketing skills, campaign implementation skills in particular. Now, I am more professional, strategic, and structured in my work to create brand value for my clients. I have also developed the capacity to offer strategic guidance to brands as they curate and execute their marketing campaigns.
Career Chat: What mistakes do “beginner-content-creators” make that hinder their growth?
Bonkhe: I strongly feel that content creators miss great opportunities when they create without stepping up as brands themselves – for it takes a brand to push a brand. Building oneself as a brand is an opportunity to grow not only as a creative, but as a professional. We often get carried away by the idea of building a following and the desire to grow big too quickly, than driving impactful conversations, which enable one to get noticed overtime. As such, you find a content creator trying different things, just to fit in, yet an engaged community is built through developing an identity that your audience can identify with. Also, without content pillars, there is no structure and direction. Where there is no clarity, brands will be reluctant to partner with you.
Career Chat: Can you describe the most challenging moment you have faced in your career as a content creator, and what motivated you to persevere?
Bonkhe: My most challenging moments have always been navigating around issues of reputational damage when the names of the brands I represent are dragged alongside my name. In my view, Facebook Eswatini seems to be turning into a toxic landscape. Further, the influencer era has not been fully embraced in the local social media circles, yet. Some users don’t seem to understand the concept and what it entails. I have had to thrive in an environment where we are constantly told that there are no influencers in Eswatini, and as such, some choose not to recognize us. To hear such from your own people ought to leave one defeated. But, there is no point where I ever felt like removing myself from the space. I kept showing up, drove conversations, inspired my audience, kept my audience engaged, and celebrated every milestone achieved. However, the atmosphere has improved. Content is now currency. More people are moved by the idea of content monetization.
Career Chat: What are some prevalent myths and misconceptions regarding content creation in Eswatini? If you were to clarify these matters, what information would you provide to assist readers in understanding the facts accurately?
Bonkhe: I would like people to appreciate that as much as content monetization remains locked for Eswatini as a region, content creators can still earn from their content by positioning themselves for paid partnerships with brands. Companies understand that content is king, and marketing heads appreciate the social role played by content creators in connecting their brands with different communities. Young people should not be discouraged – they should create with purpose, and demonstrate how their content creation skills can translate to value creation for brands.
Career Chat: Given your extensive sharing of content on social media platforms, how do you handle feedback from critics?
Bonkhe: I used to clap-back, until I got to understand who I was becoming. I had to mature-up, develop a sense of emotional intelligence, and understand that people will always have something to say – either negative or positive. I draw lessons from the challenging moments, shape-up through positive criticism, self-introspection, and filter through the noise. I have lived to see, and appreciate that social media can make or break you. For the most part, I turn lemons into lemonade.
Career Chat: What distinguishes content creators who maintain long-term success from those who fail to stand out?
Bonkhe: The keyword is longevity! It requires adaptability. When you are intentional about this level of growth as a content creator, you are able to attract premium brand partnerships and sustain such for a longer period of time. I also find it very important to stay true to who you are, and never deviate from what you stand for as a person. You do not have to go out of your character, just to establish relevance – that becomes very hard to sustain. It is also important to know what differentiates you from the rest. Today, creative opportunities are accessible to everyone, but not everyone is a high-impact personal brand. Further, not everyone can clearly communicate the strategic leverage they could offer to a brand.
Career Chat: What key insights would you offer to young individuals considering content creation as their primary professional pursuit?
Bonkhe: I would like to urge them to invest in learning about content creation as an industry, as opposed to being drawn to it for just in-case the platforms such as Meta and TikTok start paying in Eswatini. The content creation space is very wide, considering the evolution of podcasts, organizational needs digital wise, transformation in media platforms such as radio and TV as well as print-media houses. The career opportunities are increasingly wide, yet the local curricula has not taken much shape to align with same. Therefore, this calls for young people considering content creation as their primary professional pursuit to take it upon themselves to get professional training, establish portfolios, and impact on the communities they live in through the content they create.
With projects such as BakaNgwane, the disruption that Netflix brought, IShowSpeed Africa Tour, and local tourism campaigns such as Eswatini Tourism Festive Season Campaign, there is more than enough inspiration for them to get started.
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