Digital marketing has become increasingly important because of the sheer scale of internet users globally and the potential to reach much bigger audiences. As of January 2023, there were 5.16 billion internet users globally.
And in Africa, where innovation in digital technology and cell phone applications have given millions of users access to products and services they never had access to before, digital marketing can help ecommerce platforms tap into the continent’s potential.
In this interview with digital marketing expert, Oladapo Adeniyi, speaks on how young Nigerians can become digital marketing experts that can drive business goals.
Tell us some background about yourself and your journey so far.
My name is Oladayo Adeniyi, I am a digital marketer. I call myself a “self taught” digital marketer. I was previously a content writer but decided to learn digital marketing to help businesses-whether digital, enterprise, or startups-achieve their goals of acquiring customers and driving business revenue.
I have worked across different industries including printing services, insurance, banking, investment, fintech, and telecoms, where i currently work for the biggest Telco in Nigeria.
My experience across these industries has allowed me to teach digital marketing to aspiring tech prospects, and I can proudly say I have students who have become digital marketers in the tech ecosystem today.
What do you like most about digital marketing?
First, the growth prospects are unlimited, as the skills are transferable across different industries. Most industries have digitized or are undergoing digital transformation. For example, my first tech role was for an insurance company undergoing digital transformation and my current role is in Telecoms, with the organization’s Digital Services unit, a critical part of the company’s transition to a Technology company.
Secondly, digital marketing allows you to measure your performance and attribute growth to the right channels.
Essentially, attribution is a big reason to love digital marketing, unlike traditional marketing where you may struggle to attribute the channels or actions driving performance.
This allows a digital marketer to measure their contribution to the business’s revenue and profitability.
What do you think has been your biggest accomplishment?
Apart from seeing my digital marketing tactics drive revenue growth and customer acquisition for the Tech companies & Digital Businesses I have worked for, mentoring Nigerians on Udacity for the Edo Tech Scholarship programme was a big accomplishment. Also, teaching is a big deal for me, so every opportunity to teach digital marketing is an accomplishment for me.
This year, I created a digital marketing course for a leading Edtech in Nigeria, Utiva, and currently lecture digital marketing at Rome Business School. It shows I have merged industry expertise and experience with academic excellence.
A culmination of my biggest accomplishment is being recognised by Techeconomy as one of the top 25 Digital Strategists in Nigeria. I am happy to contribute more to the tech ecosystem through speaking and mentoring opportunities.
How significant is digital marketing for business development?
Since business development is about identifying and acquiring customers for business growth and revenue, digital marketing is critical for those purposes also. Businesses have turned to digital marketers to deliver on their growth ambitions.
There are several digital channels that startups and digital enterprises need to drive customer acquisition, retention, communications, lead generation, and revenue generation.
What are the biggest challenges facing Digital Marketing teams in today’s business environment?
There are many, as with many other jobs today. First, digital marketing is not a magic wand; it takes time to see results.
Companies need to understand that and define SMART goals for the team. The company culture can affect the digital marketing team. It is tougher to be creative in a conservative industry or brand.
Then, digital marketing teams want to focus on ephemeral metrics, instead of KPIs that contribute meaningful growth to the business.
Digital marketing is not only for awareness or branding purposes, but the core is also really to drive conversions and revenue. How many customers did the 2 million clicks generate?
Lastly, digital marketing teams need to set up attribution and conversions so they can truly measure the impact on the business in terms of customer acquisition, channel performance, and revenue generation. This is tough work but necessary.
What are the different types of digital marketing?
Maybe different types of digital marketing are not the right question. Let’s change the question to, what are the different strategies/channels under digital marketing?
We have about 8 core areas of digital marketing, which are social media, email, content, search marketing, campaign management, web analytics, search engine optimization, and mobile marketing. You can either be a specialist focusing on any strategy of choice or a generalist with an understanding of all the channels.
However, there are many other nomenclatures for digital marketing, and this includes performance marketing, growth marketing, etc.
Is there a difference between digital marketing, growth marketing and performance marketing?
From my point of view, no. The goal of marketing is to drive growth and performance for the business anyway. So, a change of name is merely to drive emphasis. As a digital marketer, ensure your focus is on driving the core business results – customer acquisition, retention, and revenue.
How can digital marketers attribute and measure performance?
By learning and implementing web analytics to collect and measure performance from their marketing strategies.
The biggest differentiator of digital marketing is the measurement; hence, to be an expert digital marketer, you must attribute your performance accurately. This is called data-driven digital marketing, and it is what differentiates experts. Base your strategies on measurable data. My Chief Digital Officers are big on “why” proven by measurable metrics.
How can people learn digital marketing and start their career journey?
Remember I said I am a self-taught digital marketer. I learned digital marketing by reading and training on many Edtech platforms and digital marketing blogs. I am still learning. For any aspiring digital marketer, my advice is to start learning by yourself before seeking a mentor. Commit to 6 to 12 months of learning digital marketing from multiple sources and reading case studies of successful & failed strategies.
Sign up for a school where you can learn, ask questions on digital marketing, watch videos, and read blogs. Acquiring knowledge gives you confidence. You can then start your career with an internship to practice.
What is your advice to new digital marketers or aspiring digital marketers?
Be a T-shaped digital marketer. You can easily transition to either a generalist or a specialist. A T-shaped digital marketer understands all the core strategies of digital marketing but with deep expertise in one or two strategies.
A good example of a T-shaped marketer is someone with specialist skills in content marketing and SEO, who also understands web analytics, social media marketing, email marketing, influencer marketing, etc. This allows him to create a cohesive marketing strategy.
The ability to create a cohesive digital marketing strategy and implement same will set you apart and help you drive critical business goals.
Then, be a data-driven digital marketer by learning web analytics to collect and measure performance from your marketing strategies.
Conclusively, don’t give up, it’s a marathon. Keep going!
