Scaling Marketing Technology in South Africa – Social Places Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation 

In 2015, Social Places was founded with a clear mission: to simplify local marketing for multi-location businesses. The challenge was clear – brands with multiple locations struggled to manage their online presence effectively across platforms like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing, Tripadvisor, and social media. 

Imagine being a digital marketing manager for a franchise brand with 300 locations, scrambling to update trading hours across multiple platforms just before the holiday season – A near-impossible task! From inconsistent listings, rogue pages and unaddressed customer feedback, Brands were missing opportunities and taking weeks to complete tasks that could take minutes. Social Places set out to change that. 

A Journey of Innovation and Growth 

“It wasn’t easy,” says Ashleigh Wainstein, Co-Founder at Social Places. “We’re competing against global software vendors with massive funding. But being from South Africa has its advantages—our exceptional talent and dedicated team provide a hands-on service that isn’t available globally. Being bootstrapped forces us to truly listen to our customers and continuously innovate. This approach has served us well, helping us grow our software revenue by over 50% last year.” 

Now, 10 years later, Social Places has grown to a team of over 60 people, managing local marketing solutions for 400+ of the world’s largest franchise brands across 50 countries. Our clients include industry leaders such as Spur Group, Standard Bank, McDonald’s, Forever New, BMW, and Pepkor. 

Our core offering – a powerful, user-friendly dashboard – serves as the central hub for our product suites and workflows. From Listings and Reputation Management to Social, Ads, and Bookings, our solutions help businesses enhance operational efficiencies and amplify their local marketing efforts. 

Milestones That Define Our Impact 

• 9 Million Listing Updates 
  Driving foot traffic with accurate local information.

• 8 Million Reviews Managed 
  Helping brands monitor and respond to feedback, building trust and credibility. 

• 11 Million Social Comments Processed 
  Helping brands foster engagement and build strong online communities. 

• 1.3 Million Content Posts Published 
  Boosting engagement by 400% with localized content strategies. 

• 4.6 Million Messages Managed 
  Driving superior customer service through prompt AI enhanced communication. 

• 150,000 Bookings Processed 
  Enhancing customer convenience and driving revenue growth. 

A Decade of Achievements 

From humble beginnings to strategic partnerships and global expansion, Social Places has consistently pushed the boundaries of MarTech. A standout achievement in 2024 was Co-Founder and Client Services Director, Ashleigh Wainstein, winning an award for Standard Bank Top Women Young Achiever 2024 – a testament to our impact and leadership in the industry. 

Each year has brought new advancements, including being leaders in AI-powered sentiment analysis and responses for the past 4 years. With a 97% renewal rate, our hands-on customer success approach continues to be the foundation of our growth.  

As we look ahead, Social Places remain dedicated to innovation, delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower franchise and multi-location brands. Our journey is just getting started. 

Discover how Social Places can transform your local marketing strategy. Get in touch with our team today.