Marketing On A Tight Budget: How To Make Your Small Business, Services & Freelance Offers Stand Out in Your Niche in Nigeria

As a small business, service provider, or freelancer in Nigeria, we all know how difficult it is to get quality customers and sustain those relationships.

Infact, it’s part of what inspired us to start Workstedi. We believe you can make your business stand out, attract top-level customers and maintain these customer relationships with a little creativity and some smart marketing strategies, even on a tight budget.

Marketing in Today’s Nigeria? Here’s How To Get The Word Out About You

Here are some ways to put your brand out there and attract more customers:

• Utilize social media – Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are free to use (well… there is the data and time spent, but you get the point), and they’re a great way to connect with potential customers no matter what you sell. 

Some of these websites even have dedicated groups for professionals in your industry where you can connect with fellow professionals and potential customers. Also, creating regular content about your business will help you keep your brand in the minds of customers who see your brand name often. And when they need your services–or products– guess who they contact first? Yes… you!

So, using these platforms to share updates about your business, special promotions, new offers/products, and interesting content is a great way to attract new customers and market on a tight budget.

• Collaborate with other businesses – The best and strongest businesses are built with other complementary businesses working together. So we advise you to team up with other businesses, service providers, or freelancers to cross-promote each other’s services. This can be a great way to reach new markets–and countries even.

• Offer discounts and promotions – I know this is tricky and can make your business look like a charity organization, but this will only happen when it is poorly done. When it is well done, you can provide tangible value to prospects, and attract prospects who will go from one-time buyers to lifelong customers.

So we recommend your offers and promos are well-spaced (say once in 4 to 5 months depending on the nature of your business), targeted towards customer retention and acquisition, and of course, give them something they like in these promos and discounts.

• Get involved in the community – Remember the second point? Well, most people will only be willing to collaborate with you when you are actively involved in the community (or you have a ton of money to give them). So, we say participate in community events when you can and sponsor local charities–if you can afford to. This will help to improve your brand perception and build your reputation as a business that cares about the community.

• Build a website– A website is crucial for any business, service provider, or freelancer in Nigeria–especially with many people today owning an internet-enabled smartphone. 

It’s a great way to showcase your products and services, and it gives prospects an opportunity to learn more about your business. Make sure your website is easy to navigate, and that it’s mobile-friendly.

But then, we know websites can be expensive… and remember, we’re working with a tight budget, so what do we do?

This is where Workstedi comes in. You can create an account that provides a great way to showcase all your products and services–without needing a website. It also helps you create social credibility through your reviews. 

• Use Influencer marketing – Partner with influencers in your niche to promote your products or services, it’s a great way to reach a larger audience in a more targeted way. And if you have an interesting business you want to talk to us about, reach out to us. We love to celebrate small and upcoming businesses.

• Content marketing – Create valuable and informative content that your target audience would be interested in. Depending on your audience and how they like their content, this could be blog posts, videos, infographics, or even memes. You can share them on your website and social media platforms.

• Email marketing – An underrated method of building a community and marketing to it, an email list is a powerful tool in the hands of any business owner. An email list helps you keep current customers engaged and up to date about your business and any special offers, it also helps you attract new customers and share your ideas and offers with them. It is a great way to receive real–and private– feedback from customers about your business.

And the best part… it is not expensive! In fact, some Email service providers provide free services (like Gmail) so you don’t need any money to get this up and running. But if you have a larger community, getting a paid ESP will serve you better.

• Leverage word-of-mouth – In the age before social media, radio, and TV communications… We had Town Criers.

These guys traditionally went about with a large metallic gong and a loud, clear voice, bringing the townspeople up to speed on current happenings. While we don’t expect you to do the same in 2023 (you’d probably get arrested for disturbing the peace anyway), we know that word of mouth–especially from other satisfied customers– is a great way to market. So encourage your satisfied customers to leave reviews and gently remind them to spread the word about your business.

• Be consistent – Bruce Lee once said “I don’t fear the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but rather, I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”. This wise saying points to the importance of consistency.

The fact is, not all these strategies will work for your business. In fact, it might be just 3 of these that’ll produce great results for you. So pick a few strategies that fit your business scale and stick to them. Consistency is key to building a successful marketing plan.

So… that’s how to market without breaking the bank.

Try your hands on one (or some) of these strategies and start reaching more customers.

Happy marketing Workster!