Social Network in Kazakhstan: Best Marketing Practices for Business Growth

Social networks are a powerful and accessible tool for business in Kazakhstan. In 2024, more than 92% of the country's population has been connected to the Internet, which is more than 18 million people. In addition, mobile phones account for 65.62% of Internet traffic. With this level of engagement, a properly chosen SMM strategy can not only increase brand awareness but also have a direct impact on sales. This report will analyze popular platforms, their peculiarities, and key recommendations for successful promotion.

Social networks in Kazakhstan: Statistics and Trends

In 2024, Kazakhstanis actively use the following platforms:

• TikTok leads in the number of active accounts, with more than 14 million. The platform attracts young people aged 16-25, who actively participate in challenges, and create and consume entertainment content.

• Instagram maintains its status as one of the top visual content platforms. With 12.1 million users, approximately 60% of whom are under the age of 35, the platform is perfect for promoting fashion, cosmetics, and gastronomy brands.

• Telegram has established itself as a platform for information sharing, discussion, and cross-channel promotion. It has more than 12 million users. Its versatility attracts companies that want to reach multiple audiences at once.

• Despite its declining popularity among young people, Facebook remains a powerful tool with 13.4 million users. It is dominated by an adult audience that is actively interested in mid-priced goods and services.

• VKontakte with 6 million users focuses on the regional audience and young people. The platform is suitable for selling everyday goods and organizing communities of interest. 

• Odnoklassniki. The social network has 1.9 million users and is popular among the audience over 35. Products for the whole family, educational services, and offers for home are promoted here.

• Twitter, with 320 thousand users, remains a niche platform. Its audience consists mainly of professionals, journalists, and activists discussing current events and trends.

Interestingly, most of the content is created in Russian, but the share of Kazakh publications is growing, especially in TikTok and Telegram.

TikTok: a Platform for Viral Content

TikTok is a space for experiments and viral content. It has become a platform where brands create complete stories that capture users' attention from the first seconds. Its popularity is due to its original approach to interaction: viewers don't just consume content, they actively participate, whether it's creating videos or taking part in challenges.

In addition, ads on TikTok are 23% more memorable than on TV. This is due to the interactive nature of the platform and its algorithms, which adapt to the interests of the users and make the content more personalized.

TikTok is a good fit for brands targeting a young, active, and creative audience. The platform is perfect for promoting fashion and beauty products, cafes and restaurants, entertainment events, educational services, and home goods. 

TikTok also works well for local businesses, such as beauty salons or gyms, as they can showcase their services through trending and creative video content.

When discussing the feasibility of advertising on TikTok, it should be noted that it makes sense for large brands to implement such projects. For example, companies working in the entertainment industry, chain stores with a wide presence in the regions, or e-commerce representatives. Advertising in TikTok will not be that effective for "newcomers," also because of the cost.

SMM Approach for TikTok

SMM strategies for brand promotion on TikTok are related to video content and collaboration with bloggers within the social network. What you need to pay attention to in the first place:

• Launch activities that are close to the local audience, inspired by the platform's current trends. This will help organically involve new users in content creation.

• Work with micro-influencers who have a reach of up to 50,000 subscribers. Their audiences are more engaged, making these integrations particularly effective.

• Emphasize useful content. For example, construction companies can share renovation tips, and electronics retailers can show how-to guides on how to use their products. Use premium ad formats to increase reach quickly, such as TopView or In-Feed Ads, which are discreetly integrated into a recommendation feed. These tools help brands drive traffic to external sales pages.

• Use tools within the platform, for example, a branded hashtag challenge to engage the audience. In addition, videos can be enhanced with branded effects in 2D and 3D formats. You can also use Collection Ads to showcase products in a card or showcase format right in the video, making it easier for users to buy.

Instagram: the Perfect Patform for Visual Branding

Instagram is one of the leading social networks in Kazakhstan, with an active and solvent audience of over 12.1 million users in 2024. The majority of users are young people between the ages of 18 and 34, and about 75% of the audience are women. 

The platform's popularity is supported by its versatility: fashion, cosmetics, children's products, gastronomy, and beauty services are actively purchased. However, premium products often lose out due to increased competition and the need to demonstrate a unique value offer.

SMM Approach for Instagram

The main feature of SMM in Instagram is high-quality, bright, interesting visuals that correspond to the latest social network trends. Advertising on Instagram is suitable for brands targeting a young female audience (especially Generation Z). This category includes fashion (clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.), beauty, travel, online services and others.

To attract users to a brand page, it is important to consider the following points:

• Focus on visual aesthetics: Photos and videos should be stylish and colorful.
   

The visual design of the 25 Union brand account in the actual natural style with daylight

 

• Posting highly relevant Reels featuring trending sounds, movie clips, and real-life situations in a humorous style. For example, the restaurant "Dendy" showcased a scenario from a girl's life: "Today is my boyfriend's birthday."

 

 

 

 

 

Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Публикация от торты|бенто|круассаны|завтраки|Алматы (@dandystudiokz) 

 

• Utilizing geotags and hashtags to help users quickly find the brand's products. Include store locations or popular search categories.

• Сarousel-style posts that combine photos and videos in a single post to increase visual appeal and engagement.

• Customized geo-targeting to show content only to users in the right region. This helps avoid unnecessary requests and makes it easier to interact with your audience.

• Organization of contests and giveaways with simple and exciting terms.

• Instagram has a shopping feature that allows brands to add products to their profile. Users can easily browse the range, see prices, and read descriptions right in the app. A buy button takes them to the company's website or other platform to complete the order. The feature is especially useful for small businesses selling goods such as clothing, cosmetics, accessories, or home products.

• Leverage collaborations effectively with both micro-influencers and celebrities. Microbloggers working on a CPA (pay-per-action) model can help build a loyal audience at a lower cost, while celebrities provide massive reach and brand image.

 

 

 

 

 

Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Публикация от Эльмира Толегенова (@elt6i)

Reels in the style of unpacking the goods from the Golden Apple store in the famous blogger Elmira Tolegenova's account  

 

• Paid social through Facebook Ads perfectly complements this approach, providing additional tools for Instagram promotion. It enables precise audience targeting based on interests, geography, and behavior, as well as retargeting to re-engage potential customers.

• In addition, it is worth paying attention to creating content in the Kazakh language to bring the brand closer to the audience. For example, some bloggers often use two languages in their posts: Russian and Kazakh, duplicating it in the text of posts or subtitles in reels.

Telegram: a Direct Contact Channel

Telegram, which is rapidly gaining popularity in Kazakhstan, is also an effective tool for brand promotion, especially in the B2B segment. Kazakhstani users, who number 12.5 million on this social network, appreciate the messenger for the convenience of receiving messages and the absence of ‘unnecessary noise’.

Brands use Telegram mainly as a tool for effective communication with the target audience. Promotional strategies undoubtedly prioritize creating original and engaging content, paid social use, and collaboration with popular channels.

SMM Approach for Telegram

Telegram users in Kazakhstan are mainly interested in news and business trends. Therefore, promotion in the messenger is more suitable for brands that are connected with business in one way or another. For example, it can be a real estate brand that not only talks about its properties for sale but also broadcasts expert content about the real estate market in general. This doesn't mean that companies from other industries can't use Telegram for promotion. In their case, the content strategy will be more complex.

What you can use: 

• Telegram is a platform where users value information and exclusivity. Therefore, the content strategy should necessarily include expert advice formats, analytics, or other materials that are not available on other platforms. 

• To increase the reach of a brand's Telegram channel, you can use cooperation with large and relevant thematic channels. This is especially applicable to Kazakhstani brands focused on the local market, such as restaurants, travel companies, or educational projects. It is also worth considering news channels, which are mostly owned by the media. 

• Automated advertising strategies that use targeted posts with a selection of relevant channels based on various audience characteristics or geo will also be suitable for increasing reach.
   

 
Ozon paid social in the  Tengrinews.kz - News of Kazakhstan Telegram channel
 

• Telegram users actively interact through comments, polls, and reactions. To establish communication with the audience and increase its engagement, it is useful to include such mechanisms in the advertising strategy.

• In general, a brand's Telegram channel can become an additional source of traffic from another social network where contests are held.

 

HT.KZ travel agency announced in its Telegram channel about the tour giveaway on Instagram

YouTube: Love of Video Content

YouTube occupies a prominent position among video streaming platforms in Kazakhstan, with 10.6 million active users. The majority of the audience consists of young people between 20 and 41 years old.

This social network is particularly suitable for advertising brands in the following categories:

• Technology - reviews of gadgets and electronics are very popular.  

• Online courses and educational programs - learning through video continues to attract the attention of Kazakhstanis.

• Beauty and Fashion - Beauty channels and fashion vlogs help promote cosmetics, accessories, and clothing.

Products with high visual potential attract more attention. It's harder to promote products or services that don't have a strong visual component, although a smart content strategy can fix this. For example, Halyk Bank shoots instructional videos instead of dry descriptions of its products.

 

Auto re-registration in Halyk app

SMM Approach for YouTube

Brand promotion on YouTube, regardless of the brand's geo, has more to do with influencer marketing. In addition to video integrations with bloggers, you can also add banners and targeted video ads. 

However, you can also go the other way: start promoting the brand through Shorts and, if users like this format, move on to long horizontal videos with a complex storyline. This format is suitable for both B2C and B2B segments.
 

Shorts in the Opatra London beauty salon YouTube channel

Facebook: the Choice for B2B and Older Audiences

Despite Facebook's declining popularity among young people, the platform remains important in Kazakhstan, especially in the business environment. The social network's active audience is made up of entrepreneurs and managers over the age of 35. As a result, brands place a high value on text-based business content.

Facebook attracts an audience with a high level of solvency. Advertising for printed publications and books, niche perfumes, clothing, handmade designer products, automotive goods, etc. is particularly well realized here. 

On the platform, you can sell goods or services through the internal marketplace, specialized groups with an activated trading function, as well as through brand pages.

SMM Approach for Facebook

To effectively promote a brand on Facebook, consider the following nuances:

• Emotional and informative content that speaks to the brand or product.

• Publications by experts that attract the public’s attention.  For example, as Toyota Kazakhstan does in its community.

 

• Use of paid social to attract customers. Brands in Kazakhstan can reach audiences based on interests, geographic location, language preference (e.g., Kazakh or Russian), and other parameters. This is especially important for niche products such as localized goods or services.

• Running ad campaigns with different goals. Facebook Ads Manager allows you to choose various targets: drive traffic, engagement, or sales. This is a great way for brands to combine image and conversion campaigns that work for different types of customers. 

• Creating introductory video reels to demonstrate products.
   

CenterCredit bank published Reels, in which an expert warns of fraud schemes

VKontakte: a Social Network with a Masculine Character

The Vkontakte audience actively responds to contests, promotions, useful articles, and event announcements. This social network is suitable for selling goods in the low and medium-price segments. Users are mostly looking for inexpensive everyday items, original novelties, gifts, jewelry, and similar products. The platform's audience is young people aged 25-34, with more men than women - 67% vs. 33%.

SMM Approach for VKontakte

• Segmenting the audience of a VK Advertising promo campaign. This approach involves using built-in targeting tools to find users by interests, geography, gender, and age. For example, you can create a campaign targeting users in a specific city or region to promote local businesses.

• VKontakte supports various formats: Posts, Stories, and Video content. For example, it is possible to publish videos with product demonstrations or organize live broadcasts with experts.

 

The Kolesa.kz application community published a useful review of Hyundai LAFESTA from China 
 

• To communicate with customers and build trust, brands actively use VK Messenger to answer questions, provide discounts,, or take orders quickly.

• Constant interaction with the audience through questions, comments, voting, and interactive elements strengthens the connection with subscribers. In Kazakhstan, local brands actively use contests, polls, and thematic discussions in groups and use groups for instant feedback.

 

Kaspi.kz informs its customers about the stable situation with payment and delivery 

Odnoklassniki: a Social Network for Family Audiences and Local Businesses

Odnoklassniki's audience is mainly people over 35, who appreciate the simplicity of the interface and thematic communication. As of 2024, the platform is actively used in Kazakhstan for user interaction in Russian, although there is a slight increase in Kazakh language content, which reflects a general trend in social media in Kazakhstan.

This social network sells well for products and services aimed at mature and family audiences. For example, offers in the categories of home appliances, household goods, gardening, cosmetics, medical services, and educational courses are popular. This social network is also suitable for promoting local businesses, especially in regions where it remains the main platform for communication.

SMM Approach for Odnoklassniki

• Odnoklassniki is popular with an older audience. As a result, content related to family, memories, and nostalgia often resonates. For example, brands can share employee stories or create themed posts that focus on traditions and local culture. 

• Gamification works well on Odnoklassniki: polls, quizzes, or challenges.

 

Kaspi.kz promotion post in Odnoklassniki
 

• The platform offers native advertising formats, such as ads that fit seamlessly into users' feeds. 

• Video content remains one of the most effective advertising tools. Regularly publishing short videos related to products or services helps to keep the audience's attention, and generate interest and engagement. 

• It is important to keep in mind the preferences of the audience, which appreciates simple, clear, and visually appealing content. Colorful photos, heartwarming stories, and videos that evoke emotion work well. Captions should be informative, but not too long - the focus should be on the visual. This strategy works well for the main brand page content as well as for paid social.

Twitter: a Platform for Breaking News and Trends

In 2024, Twitter (or X) retains its status as a platform with a niche audience in Kazakhstan, consisting mainly of urban residents, active between 25 and 34 years old. Although the platform is losing some of its advertising volume globally (only about 320 thousand in 2024), it remains an effective tool for B2B companies, political discussions, and professional networking. Kazakhstan's Twitter audience is particularly interested in technology, startups, ecology, and civic initiatives. The language of interaction with subscribers is mainly Kazakh. 

The social network is more suitable for promoting intellectual goods and services such as educational platforms, online courses, consulting services, and software. Promotion of products related to new technologies and trending topics will also be effective. On the other hand, the platform is less versatile for the sale of mass consumer goods, such as fashion or cosmetics, as it targets a narrower audience with a high background.

SMM Approach for Twitter

• Use of Twitter for event announcements, news, and PR activities.

 

We are pleased to present the new business class lounge, The Shanyraq, in the international terminal at Almaty Airport.

The Shanyraq is a new lounge format in Kazakhstan, embodying the hospitality and comfort of Air Astana. In the new business lounge you can try our gourmet… pic.twitter.com/gvJcAupwM3

— Air Astana (@airastana) November 13, 2024

• The Twitter audience appreciates sincerity, brevity, and wit. Therefore, participating in discussions and using trending hashtags will help to draw more attention to the brand. 

• Publishing posts with interesting facts, news, or links to useful materials, as the format of this social network requires briefness and clarity.

• Responds to mentions, retweets, and comments to create an open and approachable brand image. 

• Posts with images and videos get more engagement. Businesses promoting local products or services can share short videos related to the process of creating or using the product.

• In addition, the platform allows you to promote tweets to increase their visibility using Twitter Ads. So you can use this tool to increase your reach and reach new audiences quickly.

Choice of Social Network in Kazakhstan

Each social network has its own audience and ways of interacting with users. For a successful SMM in Kazakhstan, it is important not only to choose a platform depending on your goals but also to create content adapted to the specifics of each one. For example, Facebook will be useful for building business relationships, and Twitter will be useful for quickly providing information or participating in discussions. If the audience is young, it's better to focus on TikTok and Instagram. Telegram is more suitable for B2B projects. And influencer marketing will bring efficiency to YouTube. 

A great strategy is to use several social networks at the same time with customized content. For example, on Instagram, you can attract attention with visuals, and on Telegram you can keep the audience with exclusive posts. At the same time, influencers on YouTube will talk about the brand using their author's pitch. In this way, a cross-platform strategy can increase your reach and work for audiences in different segments. In the future, this approach can be developed further, or you can focus on the platforms that convert best. 

You can try to do this on your own, or you can turn to the RMAA experts. To get in touch with us quickly, please fill out the request form in the Contacts section.