If you grew up in Nigeria, chances are you have a favourite advertisement you love. Whenever it comes on TV or radio, you sing and dance along. These ads were created by multinational companies that have since become household names.

Now, you are grown and have a business, a small brand you’ve poured your heart into.

However, you’re struggling to compete or generate enough sales to stay afloat, as the household brands you grew up with have dominated the market, leaving little room for new competitors.

According to Nairametrics, the beverage and banking sectors were the top spenders on marketing and advertising in 2023.

Nigerian Breweries Plc and Guinness Nigeria Plc led the beverage industry, while major banks, including First Bank and Access Bank, were prominent in the banking sector.

These companies can afford to spend millions of Naira on marketing because they have built their brands over time and have the resources to outcompete any up-and-coming business.

So, how can a budding entrepreneur compete in this saturated market and make their brand known to the world?

The answer isn’t new. It’s something you’ve heard before and perhaps have tried but may not be doing correctly.

The answer is digital marketing.

You’ve likely heard of digital marketing, but to clarify, let’s define it properly.

Digital marketing is the use of internet platforms to sell products or services. It involves transferring traditional marketing methods online and enhancing them with data to achieve measurable results.

Essentially, it’s a form of marketing where you target people at their online “addresses” in much the same way you would target them at their physical addresses.

Unlike traditional marketing, where it’s difficult to track how many people saw a billboard or read an advert in a newspaper, digital marketing provides the ability to measure what’s working and what isn’t.

For instance, while I might not know how many people read this piece if it were in print, with digital marketing platforms, I can track how many people clicked, read, liked, or shared it.

Digital marketing decentralizes marketing and gives everyone the power to become a marketer and ambassador for their brand.

Now that we’ve clarified what digital marketing is, let’s dive into how you can use it to compete with and even collaborate with multinational brands.

1. Embrace the Power of Niche Marketing

Humans are social beings, and they value content that speaks directly to their specific problems and offers tailored solutions. Even when speaking to a large group, individuals want to feel like you’re addressing them personally.

For small and growing brands, niche marketing is key to creating this connection.

While multinationals cast a wide net, local brands have the advantage of deeply understanding the Nigerian market. By focusing on niche audiences, Nigerian brands can create tailored content that speaks directly to the specific needs, values, and preferences of local consumers.

For example, brands that leverage Nigeria’s cultural uniqueness, whether in language, tradition, or lifestyle, can build strong emotional connections that multinationals may struggle to replicate. 

2. Leverage Social Media

Through cold outreach, our agency has gathered that Nigerians resonate strongly with social media content, and they spend significant time on these platforms.

In our outreach, we’ve encountered brands that dismiss social media because they believe their established network of connections is sufficient to drive sales.

However, they are ignoring the fact that Nigeria is a social media powerhouse, with millions of active users across platforms like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

As a growing brand, you need to use social media’s reach to build brand awareness, engage with your audience, and create viral campaigns.

Social media allows growing brands to connect with users in real time, stay relevant, and quickly adapt to emerging trends. While social media should not replace building personal networks, it can significantly enhance your capacity to grow and engage with your audience.

By tapping into trending conversations and using localized hashtags, growing brands can dominate discussions and generate more business.

Who knows? A single comment could win you a lifelong customer.

3. Create Content That Speaks to Nigerian Realities

Nigerians are unique, and they speak unique cultural languages. The best way to connect with them is not by copying what works in Western countries but by creating content that resonates with the Nigerian market.

While multinational brands have the budget to produce high-end content, they often lack the relatability that Nigerian consumers crave. This is why some large brands are now collaborating with local creators to make their products more appealing.

As a growing brand, focus on creating content that reflects the Nigerian experience, highlighting real-life stories, challenges, and triumphs that are uniquely Nigerian.

4. Optimize for Local SEO and Use Google My Business

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps position your brand so people can find it online. Today, we don’t just optimize for search engines; we optimize for any place where people are searching for information.

That’s why I like to call SEO “Search Everywhere Optimization.”

For growing brands, SEO is a game-changer when competing against multinational giants. By optimizing your website and online presence for local searches, your business can appear ahead of larger competitors in search results.

Additionally, using Google My Business (GMB) ensures that when customers search for your products or services, your business appears with all the necessary information, including phone number, address, reviews, and more.

A well-optimized GMB profile can drive significant traffic to your website and convert online searches into sales.

5. Make Data-Driven Decisions

At the start of this article, we discussed how digital marketing’s biggest advantage over traditional marketing is the ability to analyze results and gather data to improve business performance.

While multinationals have access to large amounts of data, they often struggle to personalize their marketing approach. Small and growing brands, however, can capitalize on the wealth of data available through digital platforms to fine-tune their marketing strategies.

Tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and Mailchimp allow you to gather valuable data on consumer behaviour, engagement rates, and campaign performance.

This data empowers you to make informed decisions, continuously improving your strategies based on real-time feedback.

Conclusion

Digital marketing has revolutionized the way we market products, and as a growing brand, you can compete with multinational brands by consistently applying the strategies discussed above.

Digital marketing isn’t just a tool for survival; it’s a powerful vehicle for local brands to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with global players, allowing new businesses to thrive on a level playing field.

By staying close to your customers and leveraging digital tools, you can provide your solutions effectively.

Ultimately, it’s not just about competing, it is about crafting a uniquely Nigerian success story in the digital age.