According to the most recent report by Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) there are now
100.9 million Mobile internet users in Nigeria. This means that close to 52% of our country’s population is using the internet on daily basis.
But very few businesses have an online presence. So why is the use of internet as a medium for growing a business greatly ignored by many small and medium scale Businesses in Nigeria?
Maybe the reason for this attitude can be attributed to lack of awareness and expertise to create an online presence. But now you don’t need any coding skills or high end knowledge to take your business online.
These days, all it takes is a profile on
ConnectNigeria (which takes 5 minutes to create) to create your first online presence. Once your profile is setup you should
register a domain name (costs only N499) for your business to create your business emails and your website to showcase your products & services.
Ways the internet can help your business
Startups & local businesses
Whether you own a car dealership, or are a used goods seller or an agriculture startup, an online presence is a must for you.
Listing your business on local search engines like ConnectNigeria, Google can get you in front of massive internet audience.
When someone will search for a product or service that you offer, if your website or listing shows up on your potential customer’s screen then you are highly likely to convert them.
For example, you can do a search for ‘Web designer in Lagos’ on Google you will see the local business search results.
You can clearly see this listing on search results on your local keywords means a lot of business opportunity. So, if you are local business you cannot say no to having an presence on Local business directories.
Education Institutions
Whether you are a school or a university, it is really important for your institution to have an online presence through a website.
A website or an online portal for your institution will best serve the purpose to convey timely information & important updates among the students and staff. It will also help new students to learn about your faculty, rules & curriculum of the institution.
Like you can see Jamb portal means a lot to student, you must make one for the students of your institution.
Law firms & Lawyers
Despite normal perception, law firms & lawyers really need to market themselves to remain competitive. A website for your law firm can be the first step in your marketing efforts.
You also need to create your business profile on ConnectNigeria & lawyer directories. This will give you more exposure in front of internet users who are searching for lawyers.
Hotels & Lodges
If you own a hotel or a lodge, it is must for you to have a website if you want to stand out and put forward your best image online.
I am sure your place will have something special in itself like a vibrant entrance with great lightning, super clean designed rooms and great natural view through the windows. You need to put it on the internet for more travelers to discover you.
You can attract more direct sale via marketing your hotel to frequent travelers directly via Facebook. You can also leverage Google ranking & ConnectNigeria listing rather than just relying on sale via channel partners.
Just to give you an example there are 2800 searches for “Hotels in Ikeja” every month. So if your hotel is in Ikeka then you can easily get these researchers to come to your Hotel or Lodge by creating your website & Google business profile.
Restaurants & Bars
Every restaurant has its uniqueness and it is really important to showcase it. Creating a Facebook Fan page along with your business website would serve the purpose. It would be best way to exhibit your food & drinks through exotic images for a virtual experience of your restaurant or bar. In addition, you can also display your menus and rates.
Creating an online presence for your small business cannot be undermined today! The internet offers a vast opportunity to grow your business. Not leveraging it can be a big mistake on your part.
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This article was first published on 7th May 2018 and updated on May 17th, 2018 at 6:55 pm
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I work as the Marketing head for DomainKing Nigeria, the leading domain name registration & web hosting provider in Nigeria. I’m a startup evangelist who is recently growing more interested in the Nigerian tech startup scene. I’ve managed DomainKing’s PPC & Social campaigns for past 2 years helping the company grow as one of the largest web services provider in the country.
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