5 Steps to Get Your First Customer Online in Burundi

You have a business. You have a product or service that people need. But your customers are finding your competitors on the internet instead of finding you. Here are five steps to change that — starting today, with little to no budget.

Step 1: Create a Google Business Profile (Free)

This is the single most important thing you can do. When someone in Bujumbura searches for "restaurant near me" or "electrician Rohero," Google shows a map with local businesses. If you are not on that map, you do not exist for those customers.

Go to business.google.com, enter your business name, address, phone number, and hours. Add 5 to 10 photos of your business — the outside, the inside, your products. This takes 15 minutes and costs nothing.

Buja Café in Rohero did this and now appears when anyone searches for "café Bujumbura." They did not pay for advertising. They just claimed their business on Google.

Step 2: Set Up a WhatsApp Business Account (Free)

In East Africa, WhatsApp is the primary way customers communicate with businesses. Download WhatsApp Business (not regular WhatsApp), set up your business profile with your logo, business hours, and a catalog of your products or services.

Add your WhatsApp number to everything — your Google Business Profile, your social media, your business cards. When a customer finds you online, they can message you with one tap.

Step 3: Post Consistently on One Social Platform

Do not try to be on every platform at once. Pick one:

• Facebook if your customers are 30 and older
• Instagram if your product is visual (food, fashion, beauty)
• TikTok if your customers are 18 to 30

Post three times a week. Show your product, show behind the scenes, show customer reactions. You do not need professional photos — a smartphone is enough.

Step 4: Ask Every Customer for a Google Review

After each successful sale or service, ask your customer to leave a Google review. Send them a direct link via WhatsApp. Reviews are the most powerful free marketing tool available.

A business with 10 five-star reviews ranks significantly higher in Google Maps than a business with zero reviews. This alone can bring you 5 to 15 new customers per month without spending any money on advertising.

Step 5: Run a Small Facebook Ad ($15 to $25)

Once you have steps 1 through 4 working, invest $15 to $25 in a single Facebook ad. Use the Instant Form format — this means customers fill out a short form directly inside Facebook without leaving the app.

Target people within 25 km of your business, aged 25 to 55, who are interested in topics related to your industry. At the low CPMs in Burundi ($1 to $4 per 1,000 views), your $25 will reach 6,000 to 25,000 people.

What Happens Next

These five steps build a foundation. Once you see results — your phone rings more, your WhatsApp has new messages from people who found you online — you can decide whether to scale with Google Ads, more Facebook campaigns, or a professional website.

The key insight is this: in Burundi, the online space is still wide open. Most of your competitors have not taken these steps. The businesses that establish their online presence now will have an enormous advantage as the market grows.

Over 2 million people in Burundi use the internet today. That number is growing by 15% or more each year. Your next customer is already online — make sure they can find you.