How to advertise your business online in Nigeria.
Online advertisement is a very important tool you can use to develop your business as a Nigerian because we are in the age of technology where everyone searches for their interest online before making their final decisions of buying or not.
There were times when everyone is automatically glued to their radio and television for information, most people also make use of billboards and fliers but those are just old ways that aren’t moving many sales these days.
If you haven’t tried out an online advertisement, you are missing out a lot because most of the cakes (sales) are been shared online by those who know the way.
There are various ways you can advertise your business as a Nigerian online and generate many sales but you should know that it takes time and investment.
Different advertising means and ways requires different approach and capital (investment) but all of them are just for the sole purpose of making sales.
While some of them will reflect on our business immediately, some may take time which may be months but in the long run, they are all worth it.
In this comprehensive post, I’ll be enlightening us on how to advertise your business online in Nigeria following the below outline.
- Email marketing
- Social media marketing.
- Influencer marketing
- Brand website
- Google My Business profile
- Buying ad space on a popular blog site.
Let’s dive right into it.
Email marketing
Email marketing as the word implies means advertising your goods, business, or services by sending frequent emails and updates of your business to your potential customers through their emails.
Email marketing is one of the most awesome ways of advertising businesses but it’s quite disappointing that as a Nigerian, we don’t even know the usefulness of our emails.
Checking the email of an average Nigerian youth will amaze you with all the unread messages.
The following are reasons why I consider email marketing before considering any other means of advertisement.
Email marketing is more effective than any other marketing means.
Even while social media is a vital instrument and tool in every business marketing strategy and a terrific avenue for communicating with one’s audience, email marketing is considered to be more effective in generating leads and conversion to sales.
Even though social media marketing is also the first step in achieving a marketer’s purpose, email marketing is the best option for converting strangers and new leads into supporters and everyday buyers.
It is used as a measurement tool.
Many people have complained so much about running adverts on social media and some other places only to get no or little result because they were unable to measure the effectiveness of their ads.
Another advantage of email marketing in Nigeria is that it is measurable and traceable, which means that there is no guesswork involved.
When an email marketer uses marketing software, he or she can track who has opened the email, which links have been clicked, and how many people have subscribed or unsubscribed. This allows one to easily understand how the email campaigns are performing, make changes, and improve their effectiveness.
It’s more convenient to utilize.
Because mobile devices have grown so ubiquitous, and emails have been tailored to open in various types of phones, people may now check their emails at any time, anywhere.
As a result, one may readily sell his or her products and services regardless of location or time, and they can also access them at their leisure.
It is more cost-effective and economical.
When email marketing is described as becoming more economical and cost-effective, it means that it is low-cost, simple, and highly effective.
It allows businesses to contact a big number of customers at a low cost.
It’s simple to customize.
When email marketing is described as personal and customizable, it means that it can segment its audience into lists and send each list a customized message that resonates with its readers and provides them with something useful.
For example, with social media marketing, the audience is addressed as a whole, whereas in email marketing, customized messages are sent to specific audiences, and they are addressed by their names.
How to use email marketing
- Firstly, you will have to decide the platform you want to leverage. We have so many CRMs (customer relationship management platforms) platforms that can help with email marketing but my best recommendation is getresponse and this is due to its flexibility. We also have some other ones like active campaigns, Mailchimp, and so many others.
- Register for the CRM platform of your choice and subscribe to any of their plans. You have a free trial of 14 days on getresponse.
- Design a landing page for your brand with their easy-to-use templates or you hire a designer on Fiverr for a price as low as $5
- Generate your client’s emails or leads information through a survey form and the use of a lead magnet.
- Manage your relationship on getresponse by giving them the right information now and then which in turn increases your sales.
It’s just as simple as anything.
2. Social media marketing
There’s no doubt that in Nigeria, social media marketing is the most popular because almost everyone knows about it.
This is the situation whereby you promote your goods, brand, and services on your social media platforms.
Each social media platform has its functionalities and advantages.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Skype.
All of these channels have helped some firms grow from zero to millions of dollars.
Every social media network has users, and if your goods and services are appealing to humans, you should register on the most popular social media platforms and begin building your reputation.
Because managing the social media element of your business can be time-consuming due to a lack of resources, I recommend hiring a social media strategist if you have the financial means.
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms we have and a lot of businesses are making a profit with the help of email marketing.
There are two ways to market your business on Facebook.
Run ads on Facebook
Facebook has integrated some functionalities on their app that makes it easy for every business owner to promote their business with just a little amount.
You can set up an ad for your business on Facebook.
One reason why Facebook ads are good is that you can choose the type of people you want to Target for your advertisement.
Post on your timeline.
This second method is also effective but only for those who have a lot of friends list on Facebook.
If you have up to 3 thousand friends on Facebook, you can make use of your timeline to promote your goods and services.
WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is a very useful and important social media platform all over the world, however, the business functionalities on WhatsApp aren’t as complex or complete as the other social media platforms and that’s why you only have one means of promoting your business on WhatsApp.
You can only advertise your goods and services by making use of your status.
Imagine how ineffective this method will be for someone who doesn’t have enough contact list to display his brand to.
That’s the essence of some contact polls organized by some WhatsApp groups to help us generate more contact thereby promoting sales.
Sometimes you’ll have to swallow your pride and go DM hoping.
Especially if you don’t have a marketing budget for the internet.
DM hoping is also an excellent approach to make your business more personal.
People should be introduced to your brand and told what you can accomplish for them.
Instagram.
Instagram is also a social media platform known for sharing images and pictures.
You can make use of this platform also by either using their storylines (status) or you run an ad just like Facebook.
However, before you can decide which one to make use of between the two methods, you should understand that you have to manage your Instagram page to some number of followers.
Don’t be bothered, you can hire a social media manager on Fiverr for a low price that will help you increase your leads.
TikTok
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms that has been used to generate income and maximize sales for different brands in Nigeria and everywhere.
TikTok gives you a lot of features that you can easily leverage for the promotion of your business also if you are thinking of going for influencer marketing, you should consider influencers on TikTok because the seems to pull a lot of crowds more than that other social media platforms.
There are so many ways you can advertise your business using TikTok and they are all explained below
TikTok influencer
This is just the same pattern of influencer marketing as explained below however, this seems to be more effective on TikTok than on all other social media because of the traffics recorded on the platform every single day.
You can pay for promotion and this will do your business a lot of good.
Run ads on TikTok
This is another tactic you can use to advertise your business on TikTok but don’t be amazed if you are one of the few people who knew about this.
We have so many ads types on TikTok and they all have their distinct difference
IN-FEED ADS
For small and medium-sized firms, this is the most cost-effective alternative.
The ability to use the self-service platform simplifies the procedure, and these advertisements are often less expensive than other varieties.
These adverts show in TikTok users’ “For You” pages’ native feed.
4. BRAND TAKEOVER
These advertisements are more invasive than native advertisements.
They display when someone opens their TikTok app, taking dominating the screen for a few seconds before transitioning to an in-feed commercial.
For obvious reasons, TikTok limits the number of brand takeover advertisements.
BRAND HASHTAG CHALLENGE
TikTok’s hashtag challenges have become a tradition.
In an opening video, someone issues a challenge for their viewers, inviting them to perform a specific gesture while filming and submitting their attempt.
Branded hashtag challenges are similar to those undertaken by ordinary TikTok users and influencers; however, sponsors pay for them, and TikTok prioritizes them.
For businesses, they can incorporate a shoppable component.
Branded AR / Effects Content
These advertisements can be found in some of TikTok’s most unique locations, such as branded lenses, stickers, and other objects, such as 3D/AR content offered by brands for TikTok filmmakers to exploit in their videos.
3. Influencer marketing
This is a very good way to advertise a business online in Nigeria.
This is the process whereby you leverage the influence and large fan base of some people to promote your business.
We call those people influencers and that’s because they help in calling attention to what so ever they are invited to.
This may be a very expensive way to advertise your business but it’s one of the ways that is working because most of us will love to buy a product recommended by an influential figure.
Unlike celebrities, influencers can be found anywhere. It might be anyone.
Their massive online and social media followings are what make them influential.
A well-known fashion photographer on Instagram, a well-read cybersecurity blogger who tweets, or a recognized marketing executive on LinkedIn are all examples of influencers.
There are prominent people in every industry you simply have to look for them. Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people will follow them.
However, many will appear to be average folks. They may only have a few thousand followers or even fewer in some situations.
Nonetheless, they will have earned a reputation as specialists in their industry.
They are the persons who people turn to for answers to their questions.
Influencer marketing isn’t just about finding someone with a following and paying them money or exposure in exchange for positive publicity.
It’s for this reason that viral celebrities exist.
Influencers are people who have invested time and effort into developing their brand and cultivating their following; they are naturally protective of their reputation and the people who trust them.
They’re people who have the patience and focus to build a social media following organically, one organic follower at a time these aren’t people who are only engaged in influencer marketing for the money.
4. Brand website
It’s impossible to overstate how important having a website is.
A website is essential if you want to run a successful business in 2022 and beyond.
Websites help firms project a professional image and establish brand credibility.
A website will enable your company to reach a larger audience and establish direct contact with its clients.
It’s important to keep in mind that your website must be operational (you must upload content at regular intervals).
With more content for customers to interact with, regular content uploads can enhance organic traffic to your site.
Your website should also have a blog that will project a clear goal in mind: to promote your company or brand.
As a result, you should avoid the urge to add irrelevant content to the site. In 2022, one of the most cost-effective and simple ways to market your business is to start a blog.
If done correctly, you can improve traffic and sales volume, providing you have a competitive advantage over your competitors, and even If you don’t, the analytics measured by your website can help you determine how you can beat your competitors at their game.
5. Google My business profile
If you are in this century and you still don’t know about google my business, then you are missing out.
Those who know the importance of google my business can testify to its effectiveness and how much it has helped their business.
For those who don’t know what google my business is, Google My Business (or GMB) is a free internet-based service designed to help promote local businesses online. It’s a tool that enables business owners to manage how they appear online across Google and make their business stand out.
Every day, almost everyone uses google to search for one thing or the other and this made google the most popular and prominent search engine.
It also means that you register your business on google will make it visible to anyone who searches for your business online.
Benefits of Google my business profile
- Immediately after you register your business on google my business, anyone who searches for your business sees everything about your business including a map that describe your exact business location and how well people rate you.
- It allows you to build a customer–business owner relationship. All your customer who got to you through your profile has the chance to rate your business on how well you treat them and their rating will also determine how quickly you show it to other customers.
- Google my business is equipped with some distinct features that allow you to understand the market more. Some of the features include the following
- View – with this feature, you can see the number of people who viewed your profile or check up on your post.
- Search queries – google my business provides a report where you can learn and understand how consumers find your business. It shows how people are searching specifically what keywords they input to find your listing. Knowing what keywords are relevant to your online presence can help you significantly boost traffic. For example, you can find out the exact keywords needed to seriously increase clicks to your profile. GMB can provide this information.
- Engagement– Google my business can show you just how your audience is interacting with your posts. It enables you to see what posts they share and what types of comments they leave. This way, you’ll have an idea of the types of material that work well for your business.
- Audience– Google my business has a section where you can find a summary of the profile of people following you. You’ll be able to check out the age groups, gender, and even the countries they’re from. These are all helpful when you’re building a campaign.
- Google my business is free – No matter how helpful a product is, its potential won’t be maximized if it’s overly costly, impractical, and difficult to use. Fortunately, that’s not the case when it comes to Google My Business.
This efficient tool is free and easy to use, so even any business can utilize it to promote their business or service.
Creating and verifying your profile can be done in a matter of hours. Some tools can get you instantly verified. Once that’s done, you’re ready to rock page one of Google.
Plus, Google’s tools help you analyze performance so you can find ways to improve your business’s ranking.
Google My Business makes it easy for local businesses to promote their products and services online by increasing visibility and improving their chances of showing up in search results.
It can help potential customers quickly find and contact you.
It’s a free tool that you can make use of to improve your online presence, connect with your customers, and increase your business’s revenue.
6. Buying ad space on a popular blog site.
This is one of the ways you can advertise your business as a Nigerian or anywhere in the world.
With the help of some advertising agencies such as AdSense, business owners can advertise their business on a prominent blog with larger traffic at a very small token.
The fact that we are in the age of the internet makes this tactic advisable since we all rely so much on information gotten from blogs.
Some blog receives traffic of more than ten thousand per day and this means you just advertise your business to ten thousand people successfully, however, the rate of conversion may not be as great as we wish it could be but some businesses have made so much money using this.
Factors that can affect this tactic include the following.
- Advertising on the wrong blog – how would you see a blog that talks about business advertising food brands? It is quite unprofessional and this could cause ineffectiveness in the advertisement
- Low-value content on the blog – a blog with low-value content will have little or no traffic and this means no one will see the adverts. It’s just a waste of money.
Conclusion.
There are so many ways to advertise your business online in Nigeria and all the ways listed here have been proven to be so effective.
If you are new to online advertisement, you can ask for help from people who know about online marketing and if you don’t mind, you can also hire one from Fiverr.
