Leveraging Social Media To Give Nigerian Businesses an Edge

With an estimated 33 million active users on social media in the country as of 2023, platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok have turned out to be more than just social spaces but powerful means toward increased business. 

The question remains, how will a Nigerian firm tap into the momentum of social media to maximize reach and profitability? Stay with me as I share a few tips in this article

Understanding the Digital Topography of Nigeria

First things first, you need to understand the digital landscape of the country as a business owner. Nigeria is one of the biggest digital markets in Africa. 

According to a report by DataReportal in 2023, 14.3% of the population in Nigeria is active on social media platforms, with Facebook leading at 22 million users, followed by other social media platforms. This gives a huge audience that businesses can tap into. However, the key is understanding where your target market spends their time.

For instance, a fashion brand could be more successful on Instagram or TikTok because they are visually engaging platforms. On the other hand, probably a service provider for B2B companies would do much better on LinkedIn or Twitter. 

With the proper platform, businesses will be able to build proper ways of connecting with the right people.

Building an Engaging Online Footprint

Amidst all the voices, standing out on social media is an art that businesses should never ignore. In this direction, Nigerian businesses can create a strong digital footprint. 

It is about continuity; using the same brand colors, logos, shades of tones on each platform. But that is not all. Storytelling is a very strong device; relating to your journey of doing business, giving a sneak peek at what happens behind the screens, or success stories of your customers make your brand more relatable, interesting, and relevant to the consumers.

Engage With Your Audience

What sets social media apart from other channels is its interactive power, engaging audiences on the spot. Nigerian business owners may need to adapt to this by gaining very responsive skills through comments, engaging discussions, and even offering customer service through direct messages.

For instance, quick responses to customer queries and complaints, can help a brand attain a reputation for excellence in online customer service, which helps reinforce brand loyalty.

Influencer Marketing: The New Word-of-Mouth

Influencer marketing has taken a front seat in social media strategies across the world, and Nigeria isn’t an exception. 

The right influencer partnership will capture your target market, build brand awareness, and ensure credibility for your brand. 

The influencer marketing sector in Nigeria recorded tremendous growth in the year 2023, and many brands reported increased levels of engagement due to influencer-driven campaigns.

Still, it’s about choosing the right influencer. Whatever influencer you’re going for needs to align with your brand values and have an organic relationship with their audience. That organic nature often gives you higher trust, and therefore conversion rates.

As a small business owner looking to leverage influencer marketing, you should look out for small scale influencers on more recent social media platforms as they tend to have a deeper connection with their audience.

Analytics for Improvement

The most underutilized aspect of social media is probably the analytics. Social media platforms give insights into the behavior of your audience, how well your posts are doing, and how effective your campaigns really are. These are some of the key metrics business owners should analyze regularly to refine their strategies.

For example, if a particular post (content type) goes better on a specific social media platform, then businesses can develop more content related to that or even promote that post so that a greater number of people can see it. Basically, by knowing what works and what doesn’t, the businesses get to continuously improve their social media efforts.

Social Commerce – The Future of Shopping

This is an emerging trend that Nigerian businesses cannot afford to overlook. Take for example, some social media platforms now offer features that enable customers to purchase items directly from posts. This means less friction between shopping and being social, as both are combined into one place.

In Nigeria, social commerce is growing very fast, especially in the SME sector. With such features, businesses can easily transform their social media pages into powerful channels for sales. 

In a country that is as digitally engaged as ours, social media is a necessity, not an option, for any serious business owner. 

Be it a startup or an established enterprise, this is the time to embrace social media with open arms and watch your business soar because in this digital era, only businesses that keep themselves abreast with changing times -molding and innovating at every step- stay ahead.  

So, understand the landscape, craft a compelling online presence, engage with your audience, leverage influencer marketing, use analytics, and embrace social commerce. All these and many more are ways by which Nigerian businesses can ensure the full potential of social media is truly harnessed to optimum effect.

For more insights and tips on running your business effectively in Nigeria, especially SMEs, you should join our “SME Connect” community on Fusion.