Nigerian Firms yet to Recognise Potential of Social Media.-Oyebade.

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.

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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