As more businesses move online, a new challenge has emerged: standing out is easy, but staying memorable is proving harder.
Lindokuhle Dlamini, who once used social media to run a business, experienced that shift firsthand.
“Social media helped me get my business in front of consumers, but getting their attention and keeping it became two different things. As more online businesses and digital marketing opportunities were promoted by influencers, people had more options, and it became harder to stand out and keep them interested,” Dlamini reflected on the development.
Her experience points to a broader business question – if almost every entrepreneur has access to the same platforms and potential audience, how much value does simply being visible online create?
For small businesses, the attraction of digital marketing is clear. It can provide a way to reach consumers beyond their immediate area, showcase products, and communicate directly with potential customers without relying solely on traditional advertising.
But visibility is only the first stage of the transaction.
A business still has to persuade a consumer to buy, deliver what was promised and, ideally, give that customer a reason to return.
The growing creator economy offers a glimpse into how valuable and competitive digital attention has become.
Humanz’s 2026 South African Creator Economy Report, based on nearly 1,200 South African creators and more than R100 million in verified creator payments through Humanz over 12 months, found that only about one in five creators surveyed had ever been paid in cash for brand work. Among paid creators, 55% earned less than R5,000 a month from content across all income sources.
At the same time, 159 creators in Humanz’s payment sample earned more than R180,000 over the year from Humanz campaigns alone, while 45 earned more than R360,000. The report also found that income predictability was rated at 2.1 out of five, showing that an online audience does not automatically translate into predictable income.
For businesses using digital marketing, that distinction matters.
The opportunity is not simply to collect views, likes, or followers. The commercial value lies in whether attention can be converted into customers and whether those customers generate repeat business.
That makes competition for attention a business issue.
Every new online business, creator and influencer adds more content to the same digital environment. Consumers have more products to choose from and more promotional messages competing for their attention.
The money generated online also does not sit outside the formal economy.
The South African Revenue Service said in September 2025 that it had created a specific taxpayer segment for social influencers, describing them as modern entrepreneurs who may operate as sole proprietors or independent contractors. SARS also said income from brand collaborations, sponsored content and affiliate marketing must be declared, including remuneration received through products, services or travel.
The phone may be the marketing tool and the social-media account the storefront, but the fundamentals remain familiar: a business needs customers, revenue and a model that can sustain itself.
Digital marketing has expanded access to the marketplace. The harder question is what happens when almost everyone is competing for the same attention.
For small businesses, the next stage may therefore be less about simply getting noticed and more about what happens after someone stops scrolling.
