Why Motherland Moguls need to master the marketplace
One speaker at the recently concluded TEDxAccra 2016 spoke passionately about the ills of the entrepreneurial journey. This is an aspect of entrepreneurship that we often don’t like to talk about, or don’t want to admit. He spoke about the uncertainty that is associated with being an entrepreneur, as well as the depression that comes with that for many entrepreneurs. This speaker addressed the need for openness and honesty in the entrepreneurial narrative. Entrepreneurs need to have a supportive community of other entrepreneurs around them to engage and share lessons with. Passion is not enough As he spoke, I was reminded of one thing I often hear from and about entrepreneurs. That is the need for a deep compelling passion for what you are doing. I don’t disagree with that, I will just add that passion alone will not sustain you on the entrepreneurial journey. You need strong knowledge and understanding of the marketplace in your field of work. You also need a deep appreciation of what that marketplace needs, for you to operate successfully and efficiently in the medium to long term. To elaborate further, it’s rather like a parent saying of their newborn; “I am going to bring this child up with so much love, that s/he is going to be a gift to this world.” The child may be a gift to this world the child. But whilst a foundation of love is a vital ingredient for raising a child, it alone will not prevent the child from being bullied at school, for instance. It will not stop the child from failing at Math. That love foundation will not protect a child from the negative externalities of this world that we live in. Love may sustain, it helps in going through and coming out of many uncertain times, but it will not prevent uncertainty. Likewise the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur’s marketplace For the entrepreneur, mastering the marketplace is a continuous necessity for going the long haul in business. The marketplace is that space you operate in, that space that comprises your product, your clients, your suppliers, your team, your financing, and your intellectual property. That space is intangible for some, but for the more successful and the more resilient entrepreneur it is very tangible. This is because successful entrepreneurs make it their business to know, understand, assess, learn from and develop that marketplace. It is their passion for their service and/or product that leads them to a relentless, almost incomprehensible obsession to understand their unique marketplace. The marketplace is different for everyone. For each business, no matter how similar, there will be nuances that make you, your brand, your service and your product distinctive. However, if you have not studied or thought deeply about the marketplace, you will not know your nuance. Passion alone will not sustain you. The key is to learn Peter Senge in his decisive work, The Fifth Discipline, alluded that; “The only sustainable competitive advantage is an organization’s ability to learn faster than the competition.” And there you have the operative word, learn. Learning must become a way of life for the entrepreneur. It is not enough to create Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages, engineer likes and exhibit your products and selfies with celebrities on social media. The viable marketplace is less trivial. The world needs a compelling reason to buy your product. It takes learning, engagement with like-minded people, conscious conversations, mentoring and a truly informed engaged network to reach the peak of entrepreneurship. What all of that does is change you, it strengthens and grooms you to be the leader you need to be for your business, your clients, and your team. Selfies with personalities and social media likes will not get you there. Senge also said, “Business and human endeavors are systems…we tend to focus on snapshots of isolated parts of the system. And wonder why our deepest problems never get solved.” By focusing on our passion alone, we focus on snapshots and in doing so may fail to really respond to the opportunity and the value of our business idea to the outside world. We need to master the marketplace. My own response to this dilemma is a master class called “Mastering the Marketplace”. This class outlines a framework for fine-tuning a business concept. It also helps with developing a responsive business strategy and roadmap that will meet the needs of your preferred clientele and your business as a whole.
The 4 minute guide to SME marketing: Much ado about big budget
“Jennifer our business only has #xxxx and I can show you our account statement if you don’t believe me. I really would love to do marketing o, but If I spend that kind of money now, I would have nothing left to run my business.” This was a real statement from a friend of mine during a conversation we had about his recently launched platform. At some point during the conversation, I had to subtly remind him that if he does not market his platform, he wouldn’t have a business to run in another few months. I cannot say this enough, when it comes to getting your business out there, marketing is a big deal. As you think of your product you also have to think about how you will go to market with that product. Having worked with/and for startups and small businesses, I am all too familiar with the budget constraints. There is usually too little cash competing with too many business priorities. This, coupled with the fact that for a long time small business owners have been told that marketing (and subsequently advertising) is for the big players with big budgets, have made them shy away from it until it becomes an absolute necessity. The real questions are: Can you create buzz around your product or service without a killer budget? Yes! Can you get people to care about your brand and actually want to engage with your brand without having to dole out a shit load of money? A big yes! These things are very possible as long as you are committed to going through the marketing process in a creative and deliberate way. As we go further in this series, we will explore multiple strategies and tactics that you as a small business owner can deploy in growing your customer or client base. However, today, I would like to speak to 2 things that I consider very essential at the early/launch stage of your business that will cost you little or nothing to implement: Be approachable One of my favorite IG luxury fashion retailers once did a PSA that encouraged people to come into her store and window shop even though they might not be able to buy any of the items at that particular time. I thought that was really warm and inviting and it inspired my first interaction with her business. Truth is, your brand essence notwithstanding, if your business projects an image of being aloof or arrogant, people will probably have a difficult time connecting and interacting with it. Give something back Earlier this year I bought a pair of shoes from one of these online stores and inside the box was a voucher with a discount code for 20% off my next purchase. This was to thank me for choosing them and to encourage me to choose them again. I was quite pleased with both my purchase and the incentive and let’s just say before the end of the day I had redeemed my voucher. Make people feel appreciated for spending money on your business and you give them a powerful reason to want to spend more. More often than not superior marketing can beat a superior product. Coca Cola and Pepsi are fantastic in illustrating this because despite the fact that Pepsi typically wins in blind taste tests, Coca Cola still controls a huge chunk of the carbonated soft drinks market. However, superior marketing does not always imply superior marketing spend/budget. With a healthy dose of creativity, strategic marketing and sometimes just plain hustle you, with your little or no marketing budget, can achieve results that would rival that of an FMCG with their seeming infinite marketing spend.
Debunking the “Marketing is Advertising” myth
Advertising is not marketing. As a marketing professional I encounter clients who usually do not understand that although all advertising is marketing, not all marketing is advertising. Marketing is an all-encompassing practice, made up of various elements such as strategy, customer research, trend investigation, public relations, social media promotion, product design, pricing techniques, promotional campaign activities, distribution management, competitor research, innovation, concept and service design, content creation, copywriting, and so much more. All of these efforts need to be working together to build a successful product or service. Advertising on the other hand is really only one form of marketing but that which everyone actively notices. It is the promoting of brand awareness to a large target audience via mass media, such as television, print and radio. Let me try to simplify this Think of marketing as a box of crayons with different colors, while advertising is just one color in the entire box. To create a masterpiece that isn’t lackluster, you need to play around with the different colors in your box of crayon. I thought it was important to establish this because I encounter quite a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners who think that because they have a Facebook or IG page, they are ‘marketing’. While social media is a fantastic marketing tool, it is but one in the arsenal of tools that are available to you. Nonetheless, advertising works The big brands have proven this over and over again. They have also proven the fact that advertising needs the support of other marketing elements to deliver good results. So while you would be serenade by Power Oil sachet jingles on radio on your way to and from work (Advertising), you would also find that Power Oil sachet at almost every street corner (Optimized Distribution). More importantly, advertising alone would not solve all of your marketing problems. So for example, you can choose to invest your limited funds in a radio campaign or on Facebook sponsored posts but all of these efforts would yield little or no results if you do not have a product that solves a real consumer need. However, the process to dimensioning & understanding these needs is a marketing process called customer and market research (and definitely not advertising)! Another example is the lady who sells packaged food items (Say 5kg at ₦8000) and wants to increase her sales. She might not necessarily need to spend money trying to set up a billboard along the third mainland bridge. What she could do is launch smaller variations of her product (let’s say 2kg @₦4000) that students and other low income earners can afford. This would help her appeal to more people and broaden her market space. Am I making sense? The lesson today is single minded: Marketing is much bigger than advertising. And to be very honest, marketing is a tough concept to get your arms around but that is why I am here. To help you get the hang of it such that you would get actual returns on all investments (time, money and effort) made into this very vital aspect of your business.
How to get discounts and sponsors for your next event
When you’re just getting started, the hustle for customers and publicity is real. You need to get your product in everyone’s face in the cheapest way possible. Events seem to be a favourite for their ability to generate brand exposure and activate your fans. But events cost money and most companies just starting out, don’t really have any so the hunt for sponsors and discounts is on. Everyone wants sponsors, and discounted products and brands get requests from everyone all the time. If you want to stand out and get brands on board for your event, follow these steps for your next event. 1. Start early Give yourself at least 3 months before the event to start looking for sponsors. This can be a long and tedious process and you don’t want to rush at the last minute. 2. Pull together your facts Create a budget as if you were going to pay for everything. This way you are clear about what everything you want costs. Then decide what things are the most important and what things you can afford to lose, if you had to. 3. Decide what you are able to pay for Most of the time it is advisable to pay for the items that the event can not run without. This way no matter what happens, you’ll still be able to run your event and be in control even if a sponsor falls through. However having the money and being prepared to pay for them does not mean you can’t ask for sponsorship. You can also use this during negotiations to let them know that you aren’t just looking for handouts. Brands want to know that you’re investing your own resources to make the event a success as well. 4. Determine if you want a discount, product or cash So many start-ups request cash for their events but that is always the hardest thing to get from a sponsor. Think about what kind of support a brand can provide via in kind services or through exchanges. By being creative in this area, you can strike deals. 5. Decide which sponsors you want to approach and why Beyond just the financial value, think about which brands you want to be associated with your business. Even though you’re just starting out, you want to make sure you’re working with brands that connect to your values and identity. You also want to target brands where whatever you’re offering in return actually matters to them. Most companies that provide sponsorship are looking for the advertising opportunities or to connect to your community. Some may just be happy to support but these companies are few and far between. Generally, everybody wants something in return and you need to figure out what that is. 6. Do your research Call people you know and find out as much as you can about other events this company may have sponsored. Look online for their values and if they have a sponsorship request form. Use LinkedIn to find the right contacts in marketing or communications departments. 7. Prepare a sponsorship package that is targeted at the sponsor Do not ever send a generic proposal. That is the fastest way to get your proposal ignored. Looking for another way to get your proposal in the trash? Have another company’s information in the proposal. That’s a big no no. Spend the time demonstrating that you’ve done your research and know exactly why you want to work with this brand. 8. Send your e-mail Be clear, polite and straight to the point. Ask for a meeting, whether online or face to face so you can explain further and build a relationship. If you have chosen your sponsors carefully you should at least peak their interest in you. 9. Keep track of who you have approached and when If you haven’t heard within 5 days try and follow up with a phone call. 10. Ensure you are able to fulfil the offers you provide sponsors Sponsors can become long term partners if they like your work ethic, product and customer service. Treat sponsors the same as customers. Ensure you have clear agreements so that everyone is on the same page and you keep in touch after the event. Be creative, keep going and good luck with getting them coins!
These are the 7 can’t miss sessions from Social Media Week Lagos
Social Media Week Lagos is finally here!! From the 22nd – 26th of February, there will be a new kind of traffic as Social Media Week takes over the city. I kid, I kid. Traffic aside, there are several reasons why you should care about this event. Social Media Week is a conference held in cities all over the world that aims to highlight the different ways business, culture, society, and even politics can be affected through technology and social media. With over 100 events per city spanning across a wide range of industries from fashion to finance to technology to government, there is something for everyone. In Lagos, some of the companies hosting events include Facebook, Intel, Andela, Google, and Paga. Besides the undoubtedly great knowledge that you would gain from attending the events, it is also a wonderful opportunity to network with other young professionals. As I’m sure you can already tell, Social Media Week Lagos is exactly where you need to be. But how to choose from all these events? Well, because I’m all for efficiency, I have compiled a list of the 7 sessions you simply must attend: 1. The Networked African: Etiquette Of Building An Engaged & Creative Professional Profile This event is for those of you looking to boost your online profile and learn how to get a richer networking experience. Hosted by Poise Nigeria, a soft skills consulting firm, the session will cover topics on personality and image management. The event is especially relevant if you’re currently job hunting, because it will leave you with unique ways to stand out from the pack and leave a lasting impression for recruiters. 2. #TalentDebate: Technology As A Catalyst For Economic Growth & Competence Development Here, industry gurus will debate the critical issue of unemployment and what (between a job and skills) is important for sustainable economic and technological growth in the current market. The session will begin with a crash course on the current economic climate and review statistics published by the World Economic Forum and GE. Additional topics to be explored include skills and talent development. Overall, it will be a good way to glean information about how to remain competitive in the market. 3. The Beauty Of Tech Who doesn’t love beauty? Check out this event to explore new ways to innovate in the beauty industry. Speakers include Bukola Akinmboni from House of Tara, recently featured by SLA Tress Co-founders Esther Olatunde and Priscilla Hazel. There will be discussions on the impact social media has had on influencing beauty trends, and the future of beauty on the continent. 4. FB Start & Free Basics For Developers – Powered By Facebook A workshop catered to tech innovators, this session aims to educate on current opportunities provided by Facebook to aid the up-and-coming start-ups. The session will go over services like Free Basics and FB start. A must-see for any entrepreneurs in the tech space. 5. Channeling Fashion: How African Fashion Media & Brands Tell The African Fashion Narrative Calling all fashion lovers! Here’s a session tailor-made for you. Featuring a very exciting panel which includes fashion moguls like Lisa Folawiyo and SPICE TV Channel Manager, Yoanna Chikezie, this session explores a range of topics. Some of these include: the influence of technology on fashion communication, the challenges faced in the industry and ways to overcome them. If you are creating a brand or are simply interested in getting more information on the industry, this is the place to be! 6. Launch Of Women In Tech Africa Nigeria Chapter! For those of you interested in STEM, this session is a great place to meet some very successful women in the industry from all over Africa. With panelist members including representatives from Google, Facebook, and TechCabal, there will be no shortage of expert knowledge during the session. Women in Technology Africa is an organisation that aims to empower and bring attention to women involved in technology throughout Africa. The organisation also plans to start a chapter in Nigeria, which you can join during the event. To find out more about the organisation, visit their website here. 7. Small Is The New Big: How SME’s Will Transform Africa… And How You Can Be A Part Of It If you have a startup, this is a great event to get some practical business advice from industry experts. The event is hosted by PAGA and will overview opportunities that exist in Nigeria and how to tap into them. The session explores the unique situation presented by Nigeria’s need to diversify as a result of the current oil crisis. Bonus: Internet Of Me Masterclass – Making Connections, Building Community & Sharing Your Voice Come see She Leads Africa’s own Afua Osei at this event! Along with Matthew Sedze from Facebook, they will be discussing ways to use social media to create an impact in the issues you are passionate about. So don’t miss out! Register for Social Media Week here! Images from Social Media Week Lagos 2015
Beginner’s guide to marketing to an African audience
Now is a good time to become a game changer. Social media has allowed the world to get a cultural peak into the diversity of African culture. From Azonto music to African films, many African media outlets are re-branding Africa’s image to the world. Social media has given us the global platform to have unfiltered control over our own images (no pun intended) and build meaningful connections with those who are like-minded. Take advantage of the global opportunities that the internet has to offer. Working within the field of marketing is based off of the relationships and connections that you build with others. When others see that you are of value to them in some capacity, they are more inclined to support you. Content is king (or queen)! Your content must reflect your values. If your mission statement says that you believe in high quality, but your social media images look like your little cousin Kofi took them, nobody believes you. High quality photos are non-negotiable. The majority of your digital audience will most-likely have smartphones, if they can take semi-professional looking photos with them, at the very least, you can do the same. About 55% of online users leave a website within the first 15 seconds, this leaves little time to make a great first impression. You should always “sweat the small stuff”. Have an eye for detail. Putting elements of your personality into your marketing strategy sets you apart from the rest. It shows a level of creativity that no one else can effectively duplicate because there is only on you. Engage with your audience You have to tap into your audience’s needs on an emotional level. You must engage with your audience so that they feel connected to your brand; this is how brand loyalty is developed. Take the time to define who your target audience is and create content that is relevant to them. Be as personal as possible when addressing your audience, they need to know that they are valued. Implement nuances that remind them of their culture so that they feel a level of nostalgia and camaraderie in association with your brand. Allow your empathy to shine through. Show your core audience that you “get them.” Please understand that social media for brands is really not about self-promotion but rather to engage with your audience and build trust. Brands should use their social media platform to learn about their customers needs and find solutions for them. When you are marketing, you are in the business of solving problems. It is imperative that you take the time to know and grow with your audience. In knowing their values, you can develop marketing strategies catering to their interests. Majority of online activity for many is done on a mobile device (i.e. tablet or smartphone). Your website must be mobile friendly, responsive web design needs be integrated into your website. Responsive web design is “a web design approach aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing experience—easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling—across a wide range of devices (from mobile phones to desktop computer monitors).” If visitors have to struggle and constantly scroll across the screen just to read a sentence, they will easily become annoyed and less likely to visit again. Your website should be easy to navigate. If you are selling a product or asking visitors for donations on your homepage, visitors should not have to maneuver through three different webpages before finding the right button to click. People in the digital age are less patient, you have to find ways to accommodate that. I beg, “African time” need not apply in the digital world. Create customer profiles When marketing to an African audience, create a customer profile. A customer profile is just a detailed description about who your target customer is. Many marketing teams do this in order to make customer centered decisions that appeal to their target customer. The customer profile could include the following: Name Age Hobbies Where they live Favorite movies Goals and aspirations In addition to the above, you can even google a picture of what your target customer would look like, be as visual and descriptive as possible. According to user experience researchers from Experience Solutions “most projects evolve from an idea, and grow through the opinions of influential members of the project team. The trouble is that these influential members of the project team are rarely the end user or customer. This often results in a product or service that doesn’t quite meet customer expectations or needs…” Having a thorough customer profile serves as a reminder as to who your target audience is. You are more likely to accurately focus your branding strategies around their interests. Make Google analytics your best friend Make Google analytics your best friend. Google analytics is a free web service run by Google that tracks and reports your website traffic. You can use this tool to track the geographical location of your users, view which pages on your website they are visiting, the time of day that they visit the most, and a host of many other details. In knowing how your audience moves, you can study trends and plan strategically. For example, if Google analytics shows that your blog has that highest amount of web traffic on Tuesday’s between 3-5pm, you may want to release new blog posts during that time. There are plenty of videos on YouTube that walk you through the process of using Google analytics. Africa is not a country Finally, marketing to an African audience requires significant research. Africa has over 50 countries, each of which has its own unique culture. A marketing strategy that works in Nigeria may not work in Kenya. Collect data, analyze and respond accordingly. As long as you are working with a well-defined goal in mind, it is easier to establish your target audience and market to them effectively. Have any other tips on marketing
4 simple ways to keep up on the digital inbound marketing trend
Are you interrupting your customers this year or are they on the hunt for you like a daily vitamin? As you are trying to peacefully creep through the pages of Bella Naija, I mean do important research on the latest happenings around your entrepreneurial purists, the last thing you need are those pesky ads interrupting your research. There are a few alternatives to those google ads and they call under the umbrella of inbound marketing. Inbound marketing practices have been taking over how we interact with users digitally. Inbound marketing is the ability to draw your customers to your site and products by creating highly engaging content. I emphasize to my clients – instead of interrupting users through traditional marketing methods, find other organic ways to flow into users’ day. . Inbound practices are not only friendly to the user but they are economically friendly to entrepreneurs as well. It allows you to connect naturally to your users without spending a fortune on ads. Below are 4 effective ways to bring customers in. 1. Opt-in Emails The lists built with care. Your users visit your site and sign up to be apart of the greatness you have brewing. It’s an opt-in because they chose and verified that they wanted to receive that information from you. It can be as simple as a “Sign up for our newsletter” box to the right or generously offering a free give away for signing up for your emailing list. For example, if you’re a branding extraordinaire you may offer a quick and easy digital workbook in exchange for their information. Positive: Anyone that signed up for this emailing list is looking to have you there. Difficulty: It takes time and strategic positioning to gather theses lists. You may have to form multiple partnerships with other entrepreneurs / businesses/ orgs to create visibility for yourself. 2. Thought Leadership Are you an expert in your field? Do you have a niche area that you can speak about better than anyone else? Are you the new technology expert that’s going to tell me how solar powered refrigerators are going to change my life? Thought leadership has become the ultimate trend for entrepreneurs willing to share the best and most up to date information about their field. Positive: Thought leadership opens doors for more speaking engagements and business opportunities because of your expertise. Difficulty: You. Must. Be. Consistent. To whom much is given, much is required. Taking the step to being a thought leader, especially in a very in-demand field, requires consistency to remain relevant. If those refrigerators can suddenly teleport, I’m looking to you first to tell me why. 3. Blogs A form of expressing the thought leadership are blogs! Start-ups to larger companies such as Price Water Coopers are utilizing the buzz. Potential customers, competitors and collaborators want to what you’re up to and where your interests lie. Fill them in. Positive: It’s a quick and easy way to get the information to people that are already following your work. Difficulty: There is a fine line between too little information and too much. People want to be engaged, educated and/ or entertained in a matter of a few minutes. One platform that I absolutely promote the utilization of is: Medium.com. A quick and easy platform that allows you to connect to fellow bloggers, business owners and politicians. 4. Community Building My favorite building trend. Yes, I am shamelessly biased to this form of marketing. When you create a community, you create a space for your customers/ readers to feel engaged,included and connected. This is the first market to sample that great item you have on display. As your continuously building that tribe of people who are invested in your product and expertise, they give you the right to infiltrate their inbox. What will you do with that power? Community building is also a great leverage when forming future partnerships. This community is your direct audience; this is a selling point when meeting with potential sponsors. Who can they really reach by working with you? In sum, goal setting and discipline are a few keys to success! Pick one that you haven’t started yet and add it to your already bubbling list of New Year resolutions. All of these items build on each other, but choosing one to focus on first will allow you to measure impact and what is and isn’t going well with how you engage your users.
Don’t vex: 10 must do’s for using social media for business
There is so much hype on using social media for business. Yet, many brands are not using it at all or many of those who are, are not getting it right. We’ve complied the basic must dos for all of us to revisit once more. Thousands of businesses have taken to platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus to build a brand that’s accessible, lovable, and profitable. Instagram has proved to be an especially viable means of building a customer base for fashion brands. Think Orange Culture, Eve and Tribe, Shop Zuvaa, Iconola, Tzar Studios, and so on. Social media gives you access to an enormous audience that could be converted to loyal customers if you play your cards right. Below are 10 steps that will help you dominate social media and harness its potential. 1. Know your why Explore why your business is on social media and why you are on each specific platform. While social media allows you to build a relationship your audience, the nature of the relationship you have with your consumers is completely up to you. Are you on social media to share relevant information to your industry, showcase your business products, establish yourself/business as an expert or some mix of them all? Whatever it is, knowing your ‘why’ is an imperative first step. 2. Decide the best platforms for your business Use your why to inform the social media platforms you choose for your business. There are over 400 social media platforms currently active and it is impossible to be them all. What platforms do you think would be more beneficial for your business? Let’s dive into the benefits of a few: Instagram and Pinterest allow you to connect with audience on a visual and emotional level. Google Plus helps with search engine rankings. LinkedIn is great for publicizing your company profile page or business resume. Ryze is a social network for businesses, may especially helpful for business to business (B2B) companies. Twitter, Facebook, Talkbizniw, Affluence, and Quora; the list is exhaustive. Take time to study the benefits of each of these platforms then pick at most 3 of the those platforms for your business. 3. Develop a strategy Wondering why 100 fashion bloggers are talking about the same shirt from a particular fashion brand at the same time? Well, it’s no coincidence. Welcome to the world of strategy – the ultimate key that unlocks opportunities for businesses. To start, your key strategies must align with your company’s mission. While all of the elements listed below are part and parcel of doing the strategic work, it is important to understand that setting time aside to write our your overall social media strategy is a vital actionable step that stands alone. Having a good social media strategy is essential for growth. Your strategy should include all of the elements listed below as well as data and feedback metrics. With a clear metrics for examining progress and growth, this work will be for naught. 4. Get the timing right Preparation + opportunity = success. Opportunity is a function of time, and posting the right content at the right time makes a difference. On Facebook, post from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m any day for the highest average click through rate; 3 p.m. on Wednesdays is the peak time. For Twitter, post from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. from Monday to Thursday. The peak times for LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google Plus are 5 p.m. daily, 3 p.m. on Fridays, and 9 a.m. on Wednesdays respectively. 5. Be human Think of developing a well rounded person as you develop your brand on social media. You must clearly articulate your mission and choose consistent brand colors, style, and tone for all of your social media accounts. Remember to show empathy in your branding, after all, there is a person on the end of the screen. 6. Know what your audience wants and give it to them As you begin to build your followers and audience, take the time to listen to them. Study the kind of posts they react to; which posts get the most comments? Which ones get the most likes? Which of your social media pages does your audience constantly engage on? Are they creating content and visuals related to your product that you can repost. Social listening and data collection is crucial: once you provide your audience with what they want, they’ll stick around and tell others about you. 7. Use hashtags As distracting as they appear to you, hashtags go a long way on social media. People are constantly searching for things, and correctly hashtag-ing your posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, will put you on the radar and increase your visibility on search engines. Use hashtags reasonably and strategically, and soon enough you’ll see the benefits. 8. Offer promotions, contests and discounts Everyone likes freebies in every shape and form. Giveaways, special offers, and discounts will get people to notice your brand. Be clear on how every giveaway you host improves your business, helps you grow, or increases audience interaction and participation. In order to create a win-win situation, everything you do must also be beneficial to your brand. 9. Link back to your website Many people forget this step: don’t forget that social media is there to help improve your business and as such, people must know where to find you off social media. Connect everything to your website so that your followers can actually make the purchase after you’ve done the work of building the relationship and converting them to loyal fans. Don’t just add your website link to your social media profiles; share that link with your audience intermittently as reminder. 10. Stick to the plan Finally, it is so easy to fall off on social media as a tool to grow your business if you are not consistent with steps 1-9. But there only way to win in the long run is to be consistent. As famous
Rita Kusi shares 6 tips on how to make your marketing stand out
Are you having difficulties marketing and or selling to an African audience? Perhaps you should reevaluate your marketing techniques. Prior to relocating to Ghana, my way of marketing and working was mainly digital and via online platforms. After relocating, I realized that while these methods were very effective abroad, they were not as effective in reaching a large audience in Ghana. This is probably the case in most African countries. Digital and online marketing, commonly known as Above The Line (ATL) marketing, is a great way to target the urban youth and the global audience. However, if you want to reach adults and local residents living in rural areas, your best bet is to use effective Below The Line (BTL) marketing techniques, such as, on-the-ground activations and promotions. In Ghana, ATL marketing is effective because most people are almost always tuned into their local radio or television stations. The use of the internet has only increased recently because of the rising use of mobile technology. As a marketer, you have to know how to adapt to this environment. The solution is not to give up on the old tactics you know or are familiar with but instead, effectively incorporate new strategies to help you become a well-rounded marketer. So what characteristics do you need to be a great marketer in the African context? What marketing strategies are effective for engaging the African market? Well, I discuss them below. Characteristics of a great African marketer I’ve always considered myself lucky to have the skills of a marketer. At times, I wonder if one is born a marketer or can learn to become a marketer. I believe effective marketers are born with certain traits and also learn as they go. The world is always changing so we must be able to change with the times. Here are 10 characteristics that are time tested to be true of an great African marketer: Have a genuine passion for people Honest, personable and approachable Possess networking skills Embrace and drive change Stay connected to an African audience Communicate effectively Passionate Innovative and thinks outside the box Take chances Wholehearted belief in the product they are selling Motherland Mogul Tip:Remember, good marketers can market and sell any product, but great marketers choose the products they want to market and sell. They are persistent and do not understand the word “no”. Good marketers are led by passion and the need to connect the right people to the right product. They understand their target demographic and will go to great lengths to connect them to that product. Next, we discuss strategies for marking effectively in the African context. Strategies for marketing effectively in the African market Now, with these characteristics, you must be willing to do some things differently to gain traction in the African market. Let’s discuss a few strategies below. 1. Establish strong genuine relationships Often many of us like to take the conventional networking approach. I’ve been guilty of this in the past. We attend an event, meet someone and have a two-minute conversation then request for a business card. Effective marketers actually take the time to follow up and establish rapport with potential clients, sponsors, partners, and their audience. In Ghana, it is all about who you know. Therefore, establishing relationships is crucial to your success in almost any field. 2. Sustain relationships One of the most important lessons I have learned is that it is not enough to establish relationships with people. Sustaining those relationships plays a crucial role in the success of your marketing strategies. It is one thing to establish relationships but what are you doing to sustain them? Sustaining relationships are one of the hardest and most challenging things to do because it requires time. It is none the less a great investment. An occasional phone call, email, or visit helps you to stay connected. 3. Form strategic alliances/partnerships It is a fact that we all need someone and cannot get to where we are going alone. Form strategic partnerships that are mutually beneficial. Align yourself with people who have a similar mission and your best interest at heart. They will help you sell or market your product. In Ghana, having notable sponsors and partners as part of your event validates your event somehow. Rarely do you see fliers or posters without sponsors. However, you want to be strategic in forming these alliances and not overdo it. 4. Networkability Word-of-mouth continues to be the #1 effective way of marketing. As a marketer, it is your responsibility to go out and network constantly. Whether your goal is to increase your clientele or fan base, go out there and meet the right people who will help get you to your goal. True marketers understand that time is of the essence. There is no need speaking with everyone in the room, just key people who you share commonalities and a similar vision. 5. Communicate effectively and believe in the product As a marketer your verbal and written communication must be up to par. You have to believe in what you are selling in order for people to believe in it as well. Therefore, your way of communicating must be clear, concise, convincing, and easily understood. 6. Think marketing True marketers are always thinking about marketing. They apply marketing to almost any and everything around them. To conclude, marketing in Africa is very different from marketing in the States or elsewhere outside of the continent. Sitting behind your PC expecting to reach a large number of consumers is not ideal. Bottom Line Marketing is king! You must be willing to go out and connect with people.