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Are You Making These 5 Network Marketing Mistakes?
Here are five pathetic mistakes I’ve seen MLM Distributors or Network Marketers make over and over again… Mistake #1: Tricking People After speaking at a webinar yesterday, a young man slid into my DM, thanking me for the insightful webinar. Next, he invited me to join a zoom call with him by 6:00 pm to discuss “business” and how we can move forward. Something told me not to promise him anything. Lo and behold, by 6:00 pm, he dropped a zoom invite link to attend a Forex/Crypto/Banking Opportunity webinar. The webinar wasn’t organized by him but by someone else.…
5 Whatsapp Marketing Mistakes That Cost You Sales
Whatsapp is a great tool for marketing your products and services as well as making sales to potential and loyal customers. Both big businesses and small business owners who have realized the importance of marketing on WhatsApp have taken advantage of it to make sales and close deals. However, marketing and selling on Whatsapp is a skill that requires a proper set of techniques and strategy for you to get a positive result, because, doing it the wrong way can be counter-productive and even cost you sales and more. Here are top 5 Whatsapp marketing mistakes that would cost you…
Pilot Campaign: How Much Will It Cost To Get Sales Leads From Online Ad
I just finished a meeting this morning with a client whom I did a pilot campaign last month. I wanted to prove to him and the board members that digital marketing works. They paid for the testing phase. My team delivered on the target he set, now he is convinced and ready to invest big time and put us on a monthly retainer. I’m sure you are wondering what a pilot campaign means… You see, I know nothing when I take on a new client who’s never used Google Ads or Facebook ads or LinkedIn ads for lead generation. I…
Top Digital Marketing Tools To Grow My Business in 2020
2020 is just around the corner and smart business owners are already planning and making adjustments for the new year. Last week, I had paid strategy sessions with 2 clients who needed help with mapping a better actionable strategy to boost leads and sales in 2020, complete with fill-the-blank templates and tools. These clients are already getting ready to run their businesses in a better way come 2020! In this piece, I have made a comprehensive list to help you and everyone else who has asked to get themselves equipped to do business online in a better way, next year.…
10 Digital Marketing Skills Nigerian Companies are Hiring in 2019
Ever since Nigeria adopted digital marketing with all its benefits, a lot of companies have been hiring professionals with digital marketing skills to help promote their brands online and generate more revenue in the process. Digital marketing enthusiasts have also been able to acquire some basic digital marketing skills in order to meet up with the demands of employers and add value to companies they work for. The year, 2019 is fast approaching and digital marketers are advised to tighten their seat belts while new entrants into the digital marketing field, on the other hand, are compelled to acquire any…
What I Learned From a Month of Selling Clothes Online In Nigeria
I’m sure you must have seen me posting pictures of clothes and accessories from an Islamic fashion shop on my WhatsApp Status, right? Like this: A post shared by Habeebat (@habeebatfashionstore) on Jan 23, 2018 at 6:05am PST And this: A post shared by Habeebat (@habeebatfashionstore) on Mar 8, 2018 at 1:14am PST Well, that was because I was tasked with promoting an e-commerce fashion shop to boost online sales. Since this was my first time doing so, here’s what I learnt: 20 Lessons Learnt From Selling Clothes Online In Nigeria: 1. Do market research. 2. Create your marketing strategy.…
13-Point Blog Post Checklist: What To Do Before Publishing A Blog Post
If you are like me, I’m sure you usually have difficulties coming up with a suitable, click-worthy SEO friendly blog post. What if I told you that it is much easier than you imagined? In this blog post, you will discover my blog post checklist on what to do before publishing a blog post. What To Do Before Publishing Your Blog Post 1. Do A Keyword Research or Topical Research 2. Write a persuasive post title that includes keywords. 3. Start the blog post with an interesting story or a question. 4. Divide text into smaller sections with sub-headings.…
Are Nigerians Getting Tired of Filling Online Forms?
Are people getting tired of filling online forms (aka contact forms, registration forms, sign up forms, etc.)? There’s something I’ve noticed ever since I installed a live chat bot called drift on my website. The number of online form fills dropped. While the number of conversations on my live chat tool increased. Are people becoming lazy to fill out forms? Or is that the latest trend now? Interacting with live chatbots? Why am I asking this question? Yesterday, someone started chatting with me on Facebook messenger via the live chat on my website. He was making inquiries about my social…
Lessons From My First Year Running A Freelance Digital Marketing Agency
In case you haven’t noticed, January 2016 was the year I transitioned from paid employment into launching my freelance digital marketing agency (full-time). Right smack in the middle of a terrible recession that hit Nigeria like “Hurricane Katrina”, I started my small digital marketing agency. This happened after my former boss felt I would do great as an entrepreneur, rather than being a full-time employee. I took that as a sign from God to move to the next level. I still remember the fear in my mother’s voice when I told her I wasn’t going to look for…
[Video Tutorial] How I Use Whatsapp Status Update For Business
Recently, Nigerians woke up to the latest feature on their beloved Whatsapp. Whatsapp Status Update! I can see that Facebook didn’t come to play this year. What Is WhatsApp Status? WhatsApp Status allows you to share photos, videos and animated GIFs that disappear after 24 hours. Your status updates are only visible to the contacts you have saved in your phone’s address book. How To Use The Whatsapp Status: To view someone’s status update, tap the Status tab and select a contact’s status. To reply to one of your contact’s status updates, tap Reply at…
10 Online Tasks I Do Daily To Win Clients & Influence People
Do you want to learn the process to winning more clients, keeping them happy, and influencing people online? Here’s a quote that helps to keep my sales pipeline full every month: “Share So Much That They Can’t Ignore You.” That’s right! I learned this strategy by watching some of my mentors’ online activities e.g. Neil Patel, Mari Smith, Regina Anaejionu, etc. Yep! This strategy has always worked for me ever since I started blogging in 2010 and for my clients in various industries. The internet has made it so easy for everyone to become a content creator…
How To Create Branded Instagram Stories Using Canva
Have you ever tried creating Instagram Stories to promote your business? Does it include scribbling a text with your fingers in an awkward manner? Does it come out childish? Well, it’s time to stop scribbling on your phone and create branded Instagram stories using Canva. I learned this tactic last weekend from a Branding Strategist, @DanaBrownDesigns. Here’s the video tutorial
How I Built & Manage Closed Facebook & WhatsApp Group in Nigeria
I must confess that in my few years of successfully managing clients’ social media platforms, and deciding that it was time for me to create my own niche community for solopreneurs and digital marketing savvies in Nigeria, I had no idea how hard and time-consuming it is to build, engage and manage a thriving community on Facebook, WhatsApp, and BBM Channel! I didn’t know it required a whole lot of hard work, strategic planning, design, telling stories, understanding human psychology and having patience in getting people to interact with each other in a social group. I discovered that managing a…
55 Best Google Chrome Extensions for Nigerian Marketers
Google Chrome is the browser in whom I am well pleased! Okay, I mixed up that line with a verse from a bible passage. But that goes to show you how much I love this browser for productivity reasons. You know why? It’s the hundreds of useful chrome extensions and add-ons in its store that works hard to automate and make your online work so easy at the click of a button. By the time you’ve finished reading this long list of carefully selected and tested chrome extensions, you will understand why I can’t do without them as a digital…
Top Online Marketing Tools For Small Business In Nigeria ($1 – $10)
So… you were able to convince your boss to try digital marketing for a change. Great! He also requested that you map out an online marketing strategy and budget for reaching out to your target audience. The problem is, as you present the carefully planned strategy and budget to him, your boss is suddenly sceptical. He can only approve $200 dollars budget for online marketing each month. Wait, what? Just $200 dollars, you say? What can we achieve with $200 dollars when our competitors are spending between $1000 to $1 million dollars every month online? And our competitors’ ads and…
25+ Google Analytics Dashboards for Nigerian Digital Marketers
If you are setting up Google Analytics for monitoring your website’s traffic for the first time, you may notice that it can be confusing. This could be due to the fact that you don’t know where to look, what metrics to measure. Therefore, I compiled a list of cool Google Analytics dashboards so you can display your data in a fun, colourful and easy-to-understand reports. How to Add Custom Dashboard to Your Google Analytics Account: Make sure you are logged into your Google Analytics account, then click on any of the URLs below, for instance the ’70 Facts about…
7 Digital Marketing Skills Nigerian Companies Are Hiring Now
Last time, I revealed 5 digital marketing skills Nigerian companies were hiring. I’ve decided to do a sequel after receiving so many job opportunities from talent hunters on LinkedIn and from prospects/clients via my website. Another reason why I’m talking about this topic is because LinkedIn did a study of top 25 skills that got people jobs in 2014 and 4 of these skills were marketing related. 5 – SEO/SEM marketing 12 – Marketing Campaign Management 16 – Digital and Online Marketing 20 – Channel Marketing. I agree because I noticed that Nigerian companies had similar job openings too. Keep reading. 7 Digital Marketing Skills that Nigerian companies are…
Twitter Lead Generation Card Setup For Nigerian Marketers
Building an email list is very important to any Nigerian marketer doing business online, and Twitter has made it very easy and FREE for us to build our mailing lists using the Lead Generation card and MailChimp integration via its advertising platform. However, as at the time of writing this blog post, Twitter ads is yet to accept Nigerians. UPDATE: On September 2015, Twitter Ads is now available in Nigeria and over 200 countries Discover how to set up Twitter lead generation card for building your mailing list in Nigeria Here’s the ultimate step-by-step guide for creating…
12 Websites Where Nigerian Marketers Can Find Stock Photos
Gone are those days when Nigerian companies paid millions of naira (Nigerian currency) to advertising agencies, who in turn pay modelling agencies to scout for beautiful models to take several photo shoot for promoting their client’s brand. How do I know all this? Well, I was once a TV advertising model for companies in my teens, way back in 1999. Yeah, that was during the dark days of no internet, no Facebook or Instagram. All that is history! Thanks to the internet and a new generation of cheap stock photo sites. With as little as $1 dollar or nothing, you…
6 Things You Must Get from Your Nigerian Web Developer Now!
Recently, I was at a client’s office to discuss social media strategy for his hair extension brand. Then the idea for redesigning his website came up. So we decided to look up his site for changes to be made, and then we saw a message that said domain name has expired. Ghen ghen! An awkward moment. He called his web developer’s phone number several times, not reachable. After the hundredth phone call, he remembered that his web developer once told him that he was planning to leave Nigeria to start a new life abroad. To cut a long story short,…
How Much Does It Cost to Run an Online Business in Nigeria?
Some people think doing business online in Nigeria shouldn’t cost a dime. After all, the internet is free for everyone, right? The truth is, it’s NOT. At least, you’ve got to subscribe to MTN, Airtel, Etisalat’s data bundle or use a local cyber cafe, which is not free. Not only that, they burn a big hole in your pocket and give you internet connection headaches too. Ever since I started my online business back in 2010, I’ve come to realize that if you want people to take your business seriously, you’ve got to spend money on premium online products. From…
3 Lessons I Learned While Talking To A Nigerian Journalist
Earlier this month, I got featured on the weekend New Telegraph newspaper. Here are 3 Lessons I Learned While Talking To A Nigerian Journalist 1. The power of LinkedIn: The journalist connected with me on LinkedIn and then sent me a message, requesting for an interview. Isn’t that amazing what LinkedIn can do? 2. The power of being consistent on Social Media: I learned that if I hadn’t blown my own trumpet, by consistently posting updates on my blog and via social media, I wouldn’t have been discovered. It was refreshing to know that people were actually watching my online…
Igbo Education Graduate Who Became A Digital Marketing Specialist
You read that right. I read studied Igbo Education at the University of Lagos. You must be wondering how did a graduate of Igbo Education end up becoming a digital marketing specialist? You are about to find out in my recent interview on the TwoTV Network’s Break Digit Show for Nigerian tech founders. My good friend, Roberta Edu invited me to share my story on my journey from Igbo Education to becoming a digital marketing expert in Nigeria. Watch the video here: Lessons You’ll Learn: How I came to read Igbo Education at the University of Lagos. My first encounter…
How to Build Your Personal Brand In Nigeria Via Social Media
Did you know building your personal brand on social media in Nigeria takes hard work, solid strategy and consistency. I created a SlideShare presentation below that shows you how. Keep reading: How To Use Social Media To Build Your Personal Brand In Nigeria from Caroline Wabara Nigerians have various reasons for hanging out on social media. • Education • Information • Entertainment • Solution The average Nigerian user’s favourite social media Hangout includes: • Facebook • Twitter • Linkedin • Youtube • Blackberry Messenger • Instagram • Whatsapp • Pinterest So how do you get these people to know, like,…
#SMWLagos: Social Media Week Lagos 2014 Begins (17 – 21 Feb)
The second edition of Social Media Week Lagos 2014 (@SMWLagos) officially kicks off in Lagos and around the world today. This annual event runs till the 21st of February, 2014. Get more details on: What events & classes will take place, The speakers, partners and attendees of this event, Where the event will take place. Social Media in Nigeria has come a long way and is here to stay. If your business is not on Social Media, I wonder what you are waiting for? My advice is that you don’t miss this event for anything in the world. Once you’ve attended…
Matt Anton From Depression to Industry Leader SEO Company in NJ
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” —George Bernard Shaw Ah, the ideals of living the American dream…something says that didn’t involve living in the basement of your parents’ house at the ripe age of 25 years old. In New Jersey, Matt Anton had lived a life of both academic and athletic success. He attended the most distinguished and esteemed New Jersey school (TCNJ), and he was a letterman of Neptune High School. Junior Year at TCNJ came around, and Matt’s known world collapsed. He had a GPA of 3.5. His parents informed him the family…
Top 6 Engaging Facebook Page Posts For Nigerian Entrepreneurs
From my own personal experience, I know how managing a Facebook page and trying to keep those fans hooked on every of your update can be really time-consuming and frustrating. However, there’s a solution. Here are 6 Engaging Facebook Posts that will keep your fans liking, commenting and sharing your brand’s message. I hope you’ll learn a thing or two from this blog post. Enjoy! A. Quote: I have not seen any human being who doesn’t love inspirational quotes. Your fans aren’t any different. So inspire them daily with fresh quotes from Goodreads. B. Fill in the blank: This is…
10 Lessons 2013 Taught Me About Social Media Marketing
2013 was a year of the good, bad and ugly of social media networking. It was the year I learned that the tweet is mightier than the sword. If you don’t check and cross-check your tweet for the 10th time before posting on your personal or corporate account, be prepared to face the consequences that comes after that. With that being said, here are 10 lessons I learned from social media marketing in 2013. I hope you learn a great deal from it and use it to improve your social media marketing strategy in 2014 and beyond: LESSON 1…
Merry Christmas & Cheers To Another Great Year Together in 2014!
I want to thank you for being a part of my life in 2013. Thank you for your wonderful comments on my blog. I’m grateful to all my customers who purchased my ebooks, attending my social media consulting seminars and hired me to manage their brand’s reputation online. It was fun bringing smiles to your faces and directing paying customers to your doorstep. Have yourself a merry little Christmas and Cheers to another great year together in 2014. With love, Caroline Wabara
10 Digital Marketing Job Interview Questions Nigerian Employers Ask
In my previous article, I disclosed top 5 digital marketing skills that Nigerian companies are likely to hire in 2014. In this article, I will disclose top 10 job interviews questions that Nigerian employers are likely to ask before hiring a digital marketing executive. These questions were gotten from my own experience. I do hope you will read through and have some smart answers up your sleeves once the job opportunity comes knocking on your door in 2014 and beyond. Be sure to add your own job interview experience in the comment box below: 10 Digital Marketing Interview Questions Nigerian…
5 Digital Marketing Skills Nigerian Companies Are Hiring
Companies and Advertising agencies in Nigeria have started placing job vacancies on LinkedIn for these top digital marketing skills: * Analytics * Mobile Marketing * Email Marketing * Content Marketing * Social Media Marketing. See the infographic here: http://www.intelligenthq.com/marketing/infographic-most-coveted-digital-marketing-skills-for-2014/#! The question is, how qualified are you? What’s your strategy for getting hired by these companies? Have you been honing your skills through constant practice? Have you taken any professional certification exams lately? They include; * Inbound Marketing Professional Certification by Hubspot [Free] * Google AdWords Certified Partners by Google [Free] * Hootsuite University by Hootsuite [$21/month]. Do You Really Need…
Top 11 Inspirational Marketing Quotes for Nigerian Start-ups
Inspirational quotes and motivational quotes have the power to get us through tough times in our lives, and can even give us the courage to pursue our life’s dreams. So in the spirit of self-motivation, I dedicate these 11 inspirational marketing quotes to every Nigerian entrepreneur trying to get customers to know, like and buy their products or services. Discover top 11 inspirational marketing quotes for Nigerian startups. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself. – Peter Drucker “Early to bed, early to rise,…
5 Reasons Why You Must Attend Social Media Consulting Course
As a Social Media Marketing expert, I train Nigerian sales, I.T, marketing, advertising and internet marketing professionals on how to get hired by Nigerian corporate world in order to build, engage, influence and convert their social media fans (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, SlideShare etc) into happy customers and loyal brand ambassadors. Do you want to attend my class, but still wondering what you will gain from it? Discover 5 reasons why you must attend my social media consulting course: 1. Income: Past attendees have landed their first paying client within the first 30 days of attending this course. 2. Multiple streams of income:…
Facebook launches Objective-based Ads Tool
Today, Facebook for Business announced the redesign of its ad buying and reporting tool. The 8 objectives are: Clicks to Website Website Conversions Page Post Engagement Page Likes App Installs App Engagement In-store Offer claims Event Responses Plus, advertisers have even more choice about placement. For example, “a marketer looking to drive traffic to their website can now place a desktop ad with a link to their full desktop site, and a separate mobile ad that links to their mobile site.” The global rollout started today and will continue over the next few weeks. You’ll be able to access the…
Atiku Abubakar: Social Media May Change Governance in Africa
Just saw Nigeria’s Former President Atiku Abubakar’s promoted tweet link on Twitter. I read his opinion on why Social Media may change governance in Africa. He gave reasons on why he joined Social Media. Advised the Nigerian youth to be patient, dogged & consistent. Check out his article via the link below: http://atiku.org/aa/2013/08/18/social-media-may-yet-change-governance-in-africa-2/
Facebook Introduces Embeddable Posts
In a bid to inject Facebook into more public conversations, the company has introduced embeddable posts that will let blogs & news organizations include status updates, videos & photos in stories. The posts work in the same way as embeds from Twitter, YouTube & Instagram. Once your account is enabled (only CNN, The Huffington Post, Mashable & People Magazine has early access to the embeds for now), you will have the optiob to “Embed post.” That will produce a code you can cut and paste into a blog entry or HTML file. However, for a post to be embeddable, it…
10 Must-Read Blogs For Every Nigerian Social Media Manager
I rounded up ten of my most favourite blogs that opened my eyes to the world of Social Media Management and Consulting. I believe you know some or most of them. But, if you don’t know of their existence, here’s your chance to read them and subscribe to their rss feeds using the Feedly app. Enjoy! 1. Jon Loomer 2. SocialMediaExaminer 3. Mashable 4. Jeffbullas 5. PostPlanner 6. Clickz 7. Copyblogger 8. Kissmetrics 9. Hubspot 10. Bufferapp There you have it. Go subscribe to their rss feeds. Do you need extensive training on how to become a highly sought after…
Top 14 Android Apps for Nigerian Social Media Managers
As a Nigerian social media manager, you do realize that your job needs your attention at anywhere and at anytime of the day or night. Therefore you need a smartphone with mobile applications that allows you to engage your fans’ or clients’ social media community, write content on the go, provide excellent customer service, and monitor your social media marketing performance. But what kind of mobile (android or iphone) applications can allow you to perform the above-mentioned tasks and more? Here are 14 highly-recommended android apps for social media managers in Nigeria: WordPress App: If you own a wordpress blog…
A Great Lesson For Nigerian Social Media Manager: Don’t Try This
Here’s a perfect example of how NOT to manage PR crisis on your Facebook page. Don’t lose your temper. Don’t quarrel with your fans. Don’t use insultive words on your page. Don’t brag. Unfortunately, the Facebook page admin of a U.S based restaurant named Amy’s Baking Co committed all of the above cringe-worthy social media marketing sins and more. Check out their Facebook page via this link https://m.facebook.com/amysbakingco?v=feed&_mn_=11&refid=17 Your Turn: Did this couple take the matter too far? Would you buy from such a restaurant after readong their Facebook updates? Your thoughts.
Will Chat Apps Like Whatsapp, BBM & 2GO Kill SMS In Nigeria?
Recently on BBC news, I saw the statistics on American mobile users’ preference for instant messaging chat apps like Whatsapp, Apple iMessage over traditional text messaging. According to BBC News’ report, it was estimated that in 2012: • 19 billion instant messages were sent via Whatsapp, Apple iMessage, blackberry messenger etc. • 17.6 billion SMS/text messages via bulk SMS gateway providers and GSM networks. • $23 billion dollars worth of SMS revenue was lost by SMS and/or text message providers. This got me thinking about the latest trend in Nigeria. I noticed that Whatsapp, Blackberry messenger, 2GO chat, has gained…
5 Mobile Responsive WordPress Themes for Nigerian Websites
A digital marketing guru once stated that “more people now own smartphones than they own toothbrushes.” This means that millions of Nigerians carry mini-computers about (i.e. Blackberry, Ipad, Samsung Galaxy, Nokia, Iphone, Techno) to keep up with their friends, news, conduct business and purchase via their smartphones. [Tweet “Looking for great mobile responsive #WordPress themes for #Nigerian websites? Try these”] What Is A Mobile Responsive WordPress Site? These are wordpress websites that automatically changes to fit any device you are reading it on. Be it a desktop (computer or laptop), tablet (iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab) or any mobile phone with…
Pinterest Analytics Tool and Other Marketing Stories of the Week
In this week’s round-up, we’ll give you the juicy details on what you need to know about the big news from the social media giants we all know and love, as well as some other news that will help you stay on-point and up to date. Read on to learn what you need to know! Pinterest Launches A Free Analytics Tool: Pinterest has started rolling out Pinterest Web Analytics, a tool that will allow businesses to see how many visitors the content-sharing service is referring to their sites. The first feature, which shows data on how many people have pinned…
Facebook Graph Search For Nigerians: A Great Tool (Gallery)
In my last post, I wrote about a new feature that Facebook launched earlier in 2013 to make social search a breeze for all Facebook users. It’s called the “Facebook Graph Search.” With this tool, you can search for favorite restaurants, friend photos or music, friends living in Lagos, etc. A few days ago, I joined the waiting list for the Facebook Graph Search, which was only available to those living in the US. Today, I discovered to my greatest delight that I’ve been taken off the waiting list and ready to start using the Graph Search tool. Check out…
Social Media Week Lagos Begins and Other Marketing Stories of the Week
From Kim Kardashian’s ‘flash’ visit to Nigeria to the much hyped about ‘Social Media Week’ happening right now in Lagos, Nigeria. There have been a number of major developments happening in the world of Nigerian online marketing. Get all the latest scoop here. Social Media Week in Lagos Begins: Yes, the first ever social media week has just been born in Africa, right in the heart of Lagos city. This event started on the 18th of February 2013 and will end on Saturday, the 23rd of February, 2013. If you are social-savvy and live in Lagos, then you don’t want…
Top 10 Digital Media Blog Posts of 2012 from @CarolineWabara
This post includes the top 10 posts on the “CarolineWabara” blog of 2012. I hope you can learn from it to improve your content marketing, seo, social media and blogging results in 2013. Move forward into 2013 maximizing what you do know, accepting what you don’t know and focusing on the key areas you need to learn to grow your business. As I always say, the only guarantee in digital marketing, business and life is change. Don’t focus only on the tools. Set clear goals and objectives and implement a system of balancing both art and science as you make…
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Want to See How Caroline Wabara Can Help Your Business With Digital Marketing?
Right now I have some openings and are able to take on new clients. Book a Free Discovery Call with me, let’s discuss your business goals and see which of my digital marketing services is the right fit for you.