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Digital Marketing

Generating Online Sales Through Digital Marketing

Digital marketing has transformed the way businesses connect with their audiences and drive online sales. By embracing various strategies and tailoring them to your SME’s unique goals, you can harness the power of the Internet to reach and convert potential customers effectively. What is Digital Marketing? Digital marketing includes all marketing activities conducted through electronic devices or the internet to promote products or services. It utilizes various online channels and platforms to engage with customers, connect with a specific audience and accomplish marketing objectives. How to Generate Online Sales through Digital Marketing To embrace the dynamic nature of internet marketing, adapt to trends, and stay committed to delivering value, here’s what you need to do: 1. Understand Your Audience: Successful internet marketing begins with knowing your target audience’s preferences, needs, and behaviors. This enables you to tailor your strategies to resonate with them effectively. 2. Set Clear Goals: Whether it’s increasing website traffic, boosting sales of a specific product, or improving brand awareness, defining clear goals will guide your digital marketing efforts. 3. Create Compelling Content: Engaging and valuable content not only attracts visitors but also encourages them to explore your offerings. High-quality content builds credibility and encourages sharing. 4. Optimize for Mobile: With a significant portion of internet users accessing content on mobile devices, ensuring your website and content are mobile-friendly is essential for a seamless user experience. 5. Leverage Analytics: Utilize tools like Google Analytics to track the performance of your digital marketing campaigns. Monitor metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and click-through rates to refine your strategies. 6. Consistency is Key: Building an online presence and driving sales through internet marketing requires consistency. Regularly update your website, social media profiles, and content to maintain engagement. Ready to amplify your SME’s digital presence? Discover how the Kleos Africa SME Growth Voucher (SGV) program can empower your business with the expertise of dedicated digital marketing interns at little or no cost. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to obtain affordable support for your business. Learn more about our program and how it can increase your business revenue and online presence today! Click HERE for more details: https://kleosafrica.com/blog/2023/08/30/call-for-applications-kleos-africa-sme-growth-voucher-program/

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Understanding the 3 R’s of a Marketing Plan

A new year is here! Is it too late to be super excited? I delayed this writing just to ensure that I have your full attention and to be honest, I recently resumed work and I am still a little sad about it. Anyway, back to this important piece. I am here to explain the 3 R’s of a marketing plan to you, in less than 1,200 words. An ambitious goal, but stick with me, it is going to be worth it. We shall focus on three things. Reviews. Reward. Repurpose. Remember these three words because they will set you free this year. They will set you free from the daily hustle of trying to acquire new customers, and the daily grind of coming up with ‘engaging content’. Save your energy this year because who knows what the almighty algorithms will bring forth? We will not be discussing your objectives, goals, products, target audience and all the others that you already know. Instead, we shall focus on the things that you do not pay attention to. Let us start with reviews: Reviews are golden for you this year. They are unarguably one of your most powerful tools and you have to get them. Wondering how? I wrote all about it here. Plan for them, beg for them and then creatively use them; whatever it takes. Next up is rewards: For a business to remain profitable, retaining customers should be top on your list. The focus should be on keeping your customers as opposed to trying to acquire new customers everyday. How do you do this? One way is to put a customer reward system in place this year. Go the extra mile, treat your customers well and do what you need to do (within reason of course), to make them your super fans. This is a great goal because you can then get to keep them, cross sell or up-sell to them and the best part? They will bring in more of them (new customers). Is there any loss in this game? I do not think so. I know you must now be wondering how to go about this. Well, you have to understand your customer so well that you can determine what is valuable to them and proceed to offer exactly that. I have to mention however, that you should not always make it one of those freebies that we all know has something in it for you. Believe me when I say that we can see through those discounts, we can. If you are still with me, then congratulations, because this is the final step! The last thing is to repurpose your content. Leave the struggle to jump on every trend. This year, I want you to study all the content you created last year and ask yourself, ‘what can I reuse?’ I will give you an example. You are an agripreneur and you created a reel showing us a day in your life as a farmer, including how you water the plants, keep pests away and determine harvest days. This reel is your masterpiece, because from it, you can get the following: 3 ways to keep pests away from your home, why products need to ripen before harvest or the perfect conditions to send your produce to you. Of course these are just examples and if I actually had the video, I would give you a good number of reels, images and articles that could come from this easily. What is my point exactly? Repurpose your content and save your resources because you will need them. I hope with these few words of mine, I have been able to convince you to use reviews, reward your customers and repurpose your content.

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Web 3.0: More power to the people!

Web 3.0. Metaverse. Artificial Intelligence. Machine Learning. NFTs. Cryptocurrency. Internet of Things… – you have to have heard about one of these buzz words, let us break it down In 1989, the internet came into existence. It was called Web 1.0 or the Static Web and provided access to information with absolutely no interaction but importantly it was a decentralized platform where development, ownership, and operation were not controlled by a few. Web 1.0 was the dominant and more reliable form of the internet till 2005 when Web 2.0 was introduced.  Web 2.0 is the internet as we know it today.  It is also known as the social web, it is very interactive and led to the formation of big tech companies that created interactive web platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, iTunes, YouTube, and so on. On Web 2.0, platforms and apps are developed, owned, and operated by big tech companies. These big tech companies created centralized platforms whilst making it easier to connect, browse and transact.  In Web 2.0, these platforms and apps collect data from users and the owners of the apps use the data for what they please. The biggest challenges are that they use users’ data for their financial gain and that they decide what should be on the internet and when it should be on the internet.  But Web 3.0 is shifting things, by giving power back to the people (decentralized like Web 1.0) whilst creating open-sourced interactive web platforms (Web 2.0). Web 3.0 is the creation, operation, and governance of the internet by users, creators, and practically anything online. Ownership is defined by digital tokens and cryptocurrency; the more you have over a network, the more control you have over its operations and governance. This leads to the number one criticism of Web 3.0 whereby early adopters and venture capitalists are more likely to own more tokens and cryptos leading to more ownership of the web.  Web 3.0 is focused on decentralization and ownership. Web 3.0 processes information and data in a human way and interprets the information using artificial intelligence mainly machine learning. This data is generated from various sources; this is where the internet of things comes in. Any device that can be connected to the internet will generate data that you can choose to sell so it can be used to offer more personalized solutions to you.  This is bad for big tech companies as the selling of our data to advertisers is where their revenue comes from. As such many of them are moving to the Metaverse – a digital world where digital assets can be purchased and sold by anyone. These big tech companies are creating digital assets that can be sold.   Although Web 3.0 has not been fully nor officially launched, there are a few early-stage platforms that have already started rolling out Web 3.0 such as Siri and Alexa, which are platforms that collect data from ios or android devices connected to the internet whilst using artificial intelligence to decode the information and understand it in a human way.    Contact Versa Research your trusted data, research & consulting partner! https://seekingalpha.com/amp/article/4480677-what-is-web3?source=acquisition_campaign_google_premium&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=14926960698&utm_term=128319903825^dsa-1455561509464^^555659366580^^^g&external=true&gclid=Cj0KCQiA95aRBhCsARIsAC2xvfx-IlWBWYeMtKmlyWnCA25LMQSiOn-5j7avDJSiap80Q64P2qLwuWAaAstWEALw_wcB https://www.investopedia.com/web-20-web-30-5208698

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Why You need a Functional Website

The vision of every business is to achieve its set goals, meet the demands of clients and create solutions peculiar to life challenges. Irrespective of the drive of a business, accomplishing more results with less resources is usually an approach most use in achieving these visions. Thanks to the impact of digitization in day-to-day activities, every business ranging from small-sized to large-sized get a chance to be optimized as there are many opportunities to get on with. Ecommerce enables businesses to trade goods and services over the internet in the various levels of business-to-business, business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer relationships. Why Online Visibility is Important? Is there a need to put your business online? Of course. Among many reasons, looking for the right audience is a major factor in running a business. Generally, different audiences exist, hence, the need for wider reach to find a niche in the market. Businesses put themselves up online majorly through websites, social media platforms, emailing strategies and mobile apps techniques. As much as it is important to set up a website for your business, it is imperative that you ensure the website is functional and responsive. Facts about online visibility and reputation management: 98% of the audience expect to see visual structures that are appealing. Understand that your audience/viewers have needs for which they seek solutions and would not appreciate unresponsiveness when in search of solution. Gain is the bottom line of businesses. This can be in the form of financial profit and other business support. Competition exists in business. Your business may not be solid, it doesn’t stop the presence of competitors in the market. Residing on the few facts expressed above, a functional business website can go a long way in helping your business succeed as there are many things it can do. On the business side, the cost of operating and managing a business website is minimal compared to setting up physical strategies of reaching target audience and engaging market interaction. Less operational cost with effective results generates more revenue. Why Social Media Presence is Not Enough In a bid to get your business running, creating Ads, posting on social media platforms is not sufficient to maximizing the benefits of digitization in business. These can give publicity to your business but having a website that is effective is more beneficial as it creates an online presence for your business. Having a website for your business gives your business the feel of trustworthiness. The integrity of a business is core in attributing organizational values both from the business team and clients. When a client gets introduced to your business and finds a center to get more resources on what your business entails, it creates a sense of credibility to what you do, hence, confidence to engage in your business. Furthermore, if the website is responsive, customer services available and call-to-action prompt, the impression alone gives the viewer a level of satisfaction. How a Functional Website Provides Significance Having a website that showcases your business and gives you the opportunity to reach a wider customer base. Offline operations may not offer these opportunities as there are mobility limitations and other factors. A functional website helps you identify loopholes, monitor customer interaction, track customer patronage, fetch reviews and give insights to the business. These activities help you in making business decisions in finances, publicity, operations, customer relationship, potential areas in need of your business solutions. Lastly, in a business, market augmentation is such that an expansion in target audience or product line occurs. This is very much achievable when your business is online and has a website that is functional. Effectiveness of a business component has a way of rubbing on the choices of the market audience. What is a functional business website like? A business website that is functional has good content. It is compatible across devices. The creative visual designs attract viewers and make them stay longer on the site. It displays only relevant information. The website is easy to navigate.      

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How to Maximize Social Media for Ecommerce

The emergence of ecommerce in Africa has seen online shoppers take advantage of the convenience it offers, as goods can now be delivered directly to their doorsteps while they also have the flexibility of selecting the payment channel either using their debit cards or payment upon delivery option. However, as ecommerce continues to evolve and shape how business is done, there are numerous challenges that has been associated with making orders online, these challenges if unresolved over a long period of time, would make the trust the customer has to completely diminish as the reputation of the businesses would also be affected which would reduce the demands and sales. Social Media for Ecommerce A major growth that ecommerce is experiencing in Africa is the transition from building enormous ecommerce sites to the use of different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and most especially Instagram to deliver products and services to online shoppers. The advantages of utilizing social media for ecommerce is numerous Social media platforms require no payment to utilize them. Building followership on social media is relatively easier compared to making a website rank well using digital marketing. Interaction between online vendors and shoppers is instant. Online vendors do not necessarily need to have the product until an order is made. No requirement of any form of maintenance for the platforms used. No formal business registration is required to become an online vendor. While the use of social media platforms for ecommerce has scaled ecommerce in Africa, a major challenge experienced by shoppers is trust. Online shoppers order for products and receive a totally different order, a damaged order or one that is totally different from what was displayed on the platform. This has been seen with items such as confectionaries, fashion, hair extensions, utensils, electronics etc. The inability of customers to get a refund or a replacement of the item ordered when it does not meet up with the specification is a big gap that is causing customers to reconsider when making a purchase on social media. Customers are well informed and are now beginning to compare prices of items in a physical retail store. Reputation Management Techniques for Online Vendors Reputation management by online vendors is very important as it can help to build a real business from scratch and not a side gig as is done by most vendors. To build reputation, it is important to do the following Create a relationship with prospective shoppers by engaging in visuals such as posting a video of the person engaged in business as an online vendor. A lot of shoppers want to relate with a person they see and the ability to have a visual can help in building reputation. Stick to your terms of order and delivery. A product that should be delivered within 3 days should not exceed the expected day of delivery, and if there are changes, the online shopper should be informed. There should be no hidden charges when engaging in ecommerce using social media platforms. Conducting Due Diligence Before Making Payment To avoid losing their monies to fraudulent vendors, shoppers are to conduct dues diligence on the vendors Read through the comment section of the vendors from 3 months, you would either find complaints or compliments. Start with an order that does not cost much in order to understand the vendor’s mode of operation. Insist on paying through an online payment platform such as Paystack or Flutterwave in order to be able to channel complaints appropriately. To ensure customers are protected, it is necessary to have a system that ensures goods are only paid for when the customer receives them and confirms they are in good condition. This way both the buyer and seller’s interest are protected.

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Thriving Through Disruptions – Tips for Startups

In a constantly changing and evolving business environment, business owners, entrepreneurs, and business managers are always seeking innovative ways to manage threats that could potentially ruin their business.  Growing a business entails creating solutions to everyday problems such as constantly identifying your target market in order to increase your revenues, sourcing suitable talents as employees, ensuring efficient business operations, and surpassing client’s expectations with minimal resources. There are however the not-so-everyday challenges that businesses must respond to; these sometimes come in form of disruptions and they have the potential to suddenly change the way a business has been operating. Disruptions can generate positive results especially if a business is built to respond and not only react to sudden changes. Disruptions could come in the form of infrastructural changes which can impact the physical location of a business, the shutdown of a supply chain, entry of a competing business in the market, regulatory changes, etc. In recent years, startups and even established businesses have had to grapple with disruptions from the covid-19 pandemic, change in government policies, regulations or laws, and technological innovations. Irrespective of the model of disruption, businesses should be built to anticipate, respond and thrive through the uncertainties that disruptions bring. In Nigeria, disruptions caused by changes in government policies and regulations have been the bane of many Startups. Notable examples include the ban on motorcycle and tricycle operations by the Lagos State Government, CBN restriction on the use and trade of cryptocurrency, the restriction placed on Fintech companies by the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission, prohibiting these companies from offering foreign securities (listed on other countries stock exchange) via their digital/online platforms. We cannot forget the most recent regulatory disruption – the suspension of the use of the Twitter app in Nigeria which has not only disrupted the marketing strategies of many startups but also thrown spanner in the works of alternative customer service channels used by many businesses in Nigeria. Disruption has the potential to cripple business operations but businesses can be proactive to ensure that they remain adaptable to take on any challenge posed by such disruptions. Some tips for adaptability are: Business Diversification- Having a single product line in a volatile business environment may not be advisable. To survive, Startups can begin to diversify their businesses by offering new products/services to their target market. It is also important to diversify different segments of your key operations. This for instance could be by having multiple supply chains, different communication channels for customers, and different marketing strategies for different customer segments. Business Model Reinvention: Businesses must ensure that their business models are flexible and innovative to enable them to enter into new markets. Reinventing the business could mean connecting with your customers and clients using technology in order to expand your reach or packaging your products differently using different brands. Explore possibilities of partnership: Businesses can explore the opportunities of collaborating with existing businesses using integrations. You can collaborate with your suppliers, retailers, or other businesses, thus creating complementary products/services. This collaboration can also lead to the creation of a diversified product/service for a different market. Constantly analyze the business environment: In order to predict disruptions and act in time, businesses need to analyze both internal and external operational risks which can hamper their operations. Businesses must simulate possible disruptions, and create make-shift solutions which can ensure that the negative effect of disruptions is better managed. Businesses can also have a business disruption and continuity plan. Seek professional Advice – Businesses can engage professionals who will help them identify the inefficiencies in the different segments of their business. Professional advisors can also help businesses put in place mechanisms that can make a business better suited to adapt to disruption. For instance, for regulatory disruptions, a legal professional can engage the regulator so that the regulator is better able to appreciate the non-traditional business models in that industry. Disruptions to your contractual transactions and relationships (e.g non –performance of contractual obligations due to the pandemic) can equally be managed when armed with sound legal advice. Businesses must come to terms with the fact this is a disruptive age and any business which will be sustainable must be built to adapt to change and respond quickly to challenges using innovative techniques.

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