Marketing strategies for African Brands
Original Story / Photograph Credit: youtube.com/airtelnigeria/
If you have ever worked as a marketer in a Nigerian company, you should know one rule: YOU CANNOT LIFT STRATEGIES FROM COUNTRIES LIKE AMERICA AND EXPECT THEM TO WORK HERE but here are some Marketing strategies for African Brands that will work.
Effective marketing for African brands is unique. Not a lot of research has been documented. People who have cracked it, hoard information. And finally, we have a lot of low economics and cultural factor hurdles. So if you are about to forage into business, here are 15 simple strategies that work.
- Pricing Strategy
You’re going to want to make your prices low, very low.
- Offline Strategy
Don’t just stay online, make sure you are fostering partnerships with events, having speakers, an offline store, meet and greets etc. The reason why this is important is to establish trust and build real-life connections. Many people are apprehensive working with a faceless brand.
- Link Distribution Strategy
You want to use as many channels as possible to ensure backlinks to your website are out there. Online News platforms like this, social media, Nairaland, Google business, Newsletters and many more. This is how Google indexes your brand as trustworthy and this is how the general public does as well.
- Build Brand Trust
Refer to 2, People need to trust your brand and you need to build a rapport with people in real life to do so. Consider expanding your social circles and joining product exhibitions. Stop lying to your clients, if you can’t do it. You can’t do it.
- Nairaland strategy
Nairaland is the Reddit of Nigeria. If there has ever been a question your brand can answer, it has probably already been asked on Nairaland. Get in those relevant threads and share your links. Advertise on Nairaland.
- Simplicity strategy
Don’t make your message complex. Keep it very very simple.
- Giveaways
🔔LIVE NOW🔔
Click =>https://t.co/cxnpDQiE2H to enter our Wheel of Fortune contest on the App
1⃣RT, Like, Spin & Reply with as many screenshots of your prize
2⃣Comment using #JumiaSpinAndWin
3⃣One winner will be selected @ random
4⃣Contest available until Feb 28th @ 12pm pic.twitter.com/nVCBtYW7cE— Jumia Nigeria (@JumiaNigeria) February 27, 2020
Don’t turn your nose at giveaways, they are effective.
- Word of mouth/Influencers marketing
Encourage your customers you already have to share their experience with others. Word of mouth is the most effective marketing strategy globally. Take full advantage.
- Advertise on Multiple channels
There are so many advertising platforms out there. Take advantage of as many as possible. Optimize as many advertising channels as possible.
- Effective online ads
Ensure your ads are effective through research and most importantly through watching the conversion figures.
- Be responsive – customer service strategy
Don’t ignore emails or comments on social media. Respond to every email you receive, even if the question is redundant or you don’t offer the service.
Bonus
Take advantage of loans, grants, awards, etc – Marketing strategies requires money and funding regardless, so take advantage of loans from companies like fairmoney, grants and awards like resafric entrepreneur grants. Find out about Resafric award here.
If you want to learn about successful brand algorithms and developing them for your brand’s online presence, read more here.
Do you have other Marketing strategies for African Brands? Comment below!
