As the world marks the Social Media Day
on Tuesday, Convener of the West African Bloggers Conference and a
digital marketing expert, Ayo Oyebade, has said that many Nigerian firms
have yet to recognise the enormous potential of digital communication.
Oyebade, in an interview, regrets that
many local companies still view social media as distractions despite the
fact that that their foreign counterparts have started harnessing the
gains to market their products to different parts of the world.
According to him, unemployed young
Nigerians can tap into the opportunities in the emerging digital
technology to create jobs for themselves, thus increasing the productive
capacity of the economy.
He
states, “Social media are platforms with enormous opportunities. There
are businesses in some climes that are 100 per cent driven by social
media – no physical office, no physical operational activities. All
operations are transmitted via social media.
“While Nigerian businesses are taking
advantage of the social media space, a lot of them have yet to start
using the platforms. Largely, we have yet to fully maximise the
potential. You may be surprised that there are still companies in
Nigeria that bar their members of staff from using the social media for
whatever reasons. Some cite distraction as a reason.”
He blames the situation on wrong
perception, saying many organisations and individuals still equate
social media to chatting platforms.
“I am not saying that Nigerian businesses
are not using social media but the adoption rate relative to their
potential is still very low,” he observes.
Oyebade argues that social media have the
capacity to deepen relationship between organisations and their
customers, thus increasing brand loyalty. According to him, the direct
impacts of networking sites can be used by smart business organisations
to their benefits.
“We need to understand that social media
imply direct communication with consumers. They enable people to ask
questions, including embarrassing ones that reveal the true perception
about your brand, while remaining anonymous. So, the innovation promotes
openness, more interaction and engagement,” he notes.
Oyebade says online is not just a
platform but “an interactive vehicle that is built into human nature.”
He adds that online platforms derive their strength from the fact that
they enable people to express themselves in the most natural form.
“Every Nigerian naturally wants to talk
directly to those in leadership positions; every Nigerian wants to
express an opinion about the state of the country. So, social media make
them to do that unhindered,” he adds.
He, however, warns organisations to be
wary of unintended consequences of online interventions, such as cloning
and identity theft, as these can smear the reputation of an
organisation if not well-managed.
“We have a challenge where fraudsters,
who may clone platforms, take advantage of unsuspecting customers. My
advice is that organisations should engage the services of digital
marketing agencies or employ in-house digital marketing professionals to
manage such issues,” Oyebade says.
Describing digital marketing as emerging, he urges local firms to explore it to reach the fast-growing online population.
He, however, admits that there is a huge
expertise gap in digital marketing that needs to be filled for the
country to enjoy its benefits.
On the future of the new media, he says,
“Of course, in five years’ time, there will be new form of evolution.
There will be smarter machines. I foresee a situation where machine
interaction will take online to a new level. It started with the web;
now, we have mobile devices that include digital watches.”
culled;ThePunch
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