I'm starting this thread as a way of sensitizing Nigerian small businesses especially those based in Abuja about the power of using social media as a marketing tool in finding new leads, more customers and engaging existing customers.

I'm sure we're all familiar with the term online social media e.g facebook, twitter, linkedin, blogs and so on. Basically social networks which carry the same power as conventional media (Newspaper, TV, Radio and so on).

Social Media Marketing services are fast gaining ground in Nigeria with the advent of a few social media marketing firms and individuals who specialize in using various online social media platforms to share and distribute information and promote businesses indirectly.

I'll soon start a tutorial on online social media and how they can be used for marketing purposes in Nigeria! Stay tuned

keeping tabs

Selling on Twitter

One thing many small businesses in Nigeria don't realise is that Twitter is a very effective marketing tool. I'm talking from experience because 2 of our listed business members on www.Abujafood.com have received direct sales through tweets we handled for them.

One of our clients a first rate Nail Spa in Abuja received a lead who happens to be one of our followers on @Abujafood (won't mention names for obvious reasons) after reading a tweet from us in which we stated first hand the name of the business and the quality service they render. That very follower retweeted and followed up with a visit to the Spa and the rest they say is history. One client making a sale through us via twitter.

Another client, an educational consulting firm who also happen to be agents to 10 recognised universities in the US, UK, Canada and Australia got a direct client who is just a few weeks from starting her Degree program in England. She like many of our followers found an interesting tweet which she favorited and followed up with a phone call leading to an appointment and eventually a counselling session from which she landed a course of study and university of choice.

More to come stay tuned

Selling/Marketing on Facebook - Part 1

Another smart idea of doing business by selling online is the use of a facebook page. A facebook page is just like your regular facebook account except this time it's customized for businesses and organisations rather than for individuals. It's different from a facebook group which is more or less a forum for people to come and discuss or participate in a particular topic of interest.

On a facebook page you have likes which shows you how many people have shown an interest in whatever you're offering and hence want to connect with you through your posts. An example of a facebook page is www.facebook.com/abujafood where in this case people interested in City guide, food and lifestyle information about Abuja can connect to get reliable information.

Another fun thing about many facebook pages is that they tend to incorporate an entertaining element to keep engagement on! Abujafood.com uses this strategy by organising a thrice weekly contest (Free Lunch Contest on Monday, Free Credit Wednesday and Free Cash Friday) where people who like the page can participate and be rewarded for their loyalty!

Still on ways to find new customers in Abuja using Social media, this informative article has more details;

http://www.abujafood.com/news-digest/abuja-business-advice/1040-abuja-business-tips-selling-online-.html

This week we made 3 sales through twitter! Here's how we achieved our results.

1. Promotional tweets

We made a tweet early last week about our services on tweeter and got 2 favorites and 1 retweet from some of our followers who later emailed/DM us for more details.

2. Enquiry

The enquiry we received from 3 of our followers led us to engage them before sending them emails.

3. Engagement

We then engaged our clients on twitter in productive conversations, requesting their emails!

4. Follow up

We sent them a detailed break down of our services and products and how they can fit with their budget and promote their businesses.

5. Sale

Shortly after this we received orders for one particular service which our clients paid for in full less than 72 hours after receiving our emails.

This is just one way to make sales on twitter!

Selling online via facebook

Selling online via facebook is becoming less tedious for a number of savvy businesses using Social Media for their promotions! For instance we've received a number of enquiries from our facebook page from some of our fans who have engaged with us!

We've found a way to actively engage an audience and have received enquiries what's left is to convert these engagement into sales and potential leads.

Tip: Create engagement, conversion to leads and sales will likely follow!

How to sell using a blog

Blogs are really cool way to make sales online if you have web pages on it that are optimized for search results. On Abujafood.com a good example of an article that generates sales on auto pilot is this article about cakes in Abuja

Facebook Likes

Facebook added a special feature called likes to enable people connect and engage with businesses and brands. This feature has a marketing advantage in that businesses can send out updates about what they have to offer potential clients and also in turn offer consumers a chance to get back at them (Feedback) through comments!

What likes can do for your business?

1. Handle customer complaints
2. Enquiries
3. Take orders
4. Product updates and more!

Have you got a facebook page yet? When you do ensure that you get as many likes as possible!