Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were offered an opportunity to embrace digital marketing skills to boost their businesses.
It was at the SME clinic, organised by Techpoint Africa, a digital media platform in Lagos. A key point of the event was how small businesses can use online marketing methods, including platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, to market their businesses. The other optimisation methods were content and e-mail marketing.
Techpoint Africa Founder and Chief Executive, Adewale Yusuf said the firm provides means for SMEs to reach their target markets.
He said the SMEs clinic was organised to help improve the expertise of small business owners.
One of the speakers and Founder/Chief Executive NaturaGlow, Tope Olofin said digital media has value for SMEs seeking opportunity to market themselves.
The Founder/Principal Customer Experience Consultant, Neetch Company, Debbie Akwara, said with the digital era, every SME needed to be a technology business to succeed. She said the key to marketing success is using digital tools to boost customers’ experiences.
She said small businesses should be equipped to offer something that today’s customers want and, that is exceptional customer experience.
She said in the competitive market place, it is only exceptional customer experience that sets the most successful businesses apart.
According to her, providing personal, quality customer service is something SMEs must do to excel. This is because consumers frequent shop because of the feeling they get when they walk in.
She said technology enables small businesses to provide personalised experience for their customers.
While it’s not feasible for SMEs to have live customer service agents available, she said technology provides chatbots to handle a good majority of the frequently asked questions that come in about a product or service. This, according to her, empowers customers to self-serve, and keep lines of communication open.
The Head of Business Development & Digital, Luzo DN & Media Limited, Peter Nwabuoku, said SMEs cannot afford to leave social media marketing out of their businesses.
According to him, harnessing the power of social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to promote their brand cannot be wished away.
He added that it is an area of modern marketing with a host of different strategies to achieve success.
During the event, small businesses received advice on how to use data analytics to make marketing decisions.