Marketing: Stop Chasing Apps & Find Where Your Clients Dey

Today on the podcast, we're going to be looking at the best marketing platform to use. Again today on the podcast, what is the best marketing platform to use? Is there actually one platform that outperforms all the other platforms? And should we even be thinking about this thing like purely online? I mean, are they offline channels that could work? So these are the kind of questions that we're going to be tackling today on the podcast.

Now, if you like listening to these sorts of things, then this podcast is your jam. And make sure you subscribe on Spotify, Apple iTunes, any platform of your choice. And yeah, welcome to the show. My name is Tabishma Ayedi. I am your host. And this is what I do. I answer all these kinds of questions. All right, so let's head straight into it today. Oh, I forgot my phone number because I give my phone number at the beginning and the end of every single podcast episode.

So if you'd love to connect, then call, send me a text message or WhatsApp message on 08064662140. So let's get straight into it. What is the best marketing platform to use? Before we do that, I'd like to define marketing because it's the most important thing you can do in your business and you will see why. So marketing is that business function that tells people who you are, how you can help, what you do, and what they can do to get started.

So I repeat the function of the business that tells the whole world that this is me, I am here, this is what I do, This is why I'm the best, This is why I should work with me, and this is how we can get started. So the marketing function that answers all those questions, that is the marketing function. Now, the reason why that is the most important business function is because if you don't have any customers, you don't have a business.

Let me repeat, if you don't have any customers, you don't have a business. The reason why I'm stressing this is because a lot of people that get things twisted, especially people whose businesses have a technical component. Some people assume that the technical component is the best. So if you're an architect, you assume that the drawings, the architecture, the whatever is the most important thing. If you're a lawyer, you assume it is your degree and your school and your whatever.

That is the most important thing. If you're a photographer, you assume that it is the camera or is you're editing software or whatever. That is the most important thing. But I'm here to tell you today that yes, all those things are important, but those things are just entry stakes. Everybody is expected to have a good camera. Everybody is expected to have good editing software. Everybody is expected to have passed their bar exams to become a good lawyer and everybody is expected to be a talented architect.

What is going to set you apart from other people is the marketing function. How well can you reach out to people or how well can you draw people to you so that you guys can start doing business together? That is what is going to set you apart. So if you're listening to this podcast today, you are brand new, you're fresh baby lawyer, you just graduated or you just finished your master's degree in architecture. You know, I'm here to give you the bad news.

The fact that you graduated first class does not mean that you are going to be the best. You're going to be the brightest, you're going to be the shiniest, and the people are going to be rushing to come and do business with you. So please do not get heartbroken when you look back and you see that day your guy or that girl who was not serious with her studies and who graduated with a pass, not even third class. When you see that she's getting most of the business and you're not, even though you graduated first class, please do not be angry.

She is just good or much more better than you are at the marketing function. So we should always strive, well, you know, of course, we should always know the the fundamentals, the basics, because like Brian Tracy says, subject matter expertise is the beginning. So yes, be the best lawyer, be the best architect that you can be, be the best photographer that you can be, be the best engineer that you can be. But we should always be trying to improve on the marketing functions in the business.

I repeat, we should always be trying to improve on the marketing function in the business. That is what is going to separate the wheat from the chaff. Now for those of you who reach out to me and keep asking me these questions, you know what is the best marketing platform to use? You guys have a couple of assumptions and not all of them are correct. Number one, you guys happen to believe that there is a single platform that is like the main thing.

Now, for some reason, you guys seem to assume that the marketing platform that is going to be Obongi, that is going to be the main thing happens to be an online platform. That is also an assumption. And then you guys also seem to assume that once you find that platform that is the best or that is, you know the whatever, that it will solve all your problems. I repeat, for those of you who've been reaching out to me to ask me what's the best marketing, best marketing platform to use, you guys have a couple of assumptions #1 you know you're putting all your faith in a single platform.

Who said it cannot be a mixture of two? All of you are assuming that is in Gatsby online. Who said that I think cannot be offline? And then you also assume that the platform will solve your problems. I can tell you that you can find the best platform in the world for your industry, for your context, for your whatever, but it still won't solve your problems. Now let's take these assumptions one at a time. Now all these things about single platform, look, look,

it's it's contextual. What is your product? What is your service? The best platform for selling cars might not be the same plat, the best platform for selling fashion or for selling computer gadgets. So it's contextual. What is your product? What is your service? What is your industry? What are the what are the traditions that you guys have in your industry? I mean, I've spoken a lot about what was this company called?

John Deere, Yes, John Deere who makes tractors. You know, they're an American company, if I remember correctly, can't remember if they're American or Australian. Well, shall the tractor company, you know, so the, the traditions, you know, the, the buying behavior of people in that industry, it's kind of different, kind of different. So you want to buy fashion, you know, fashion buyers behave a certain way. People who buy tractors, tractor buyers, they kind of behave in a different way.

So all these things depends what is your price point. There's also nothing we have to consider. But ultimately, especially when we're talking about whether online or offline self, ultimately the biggest thing that I want us to be able to imbibe is that no matter your business, we should always start with the primary question. Our primary concern should be where do our customers hang out? That is what will determine the best place to market.

So if our customers hang out online, then stop stressing yourself with offline activity the other way. Looking at it the other way, if all your customers hang out in offline places, if they're in Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Abuja International Trade Fair, you know, if they hang out in those sorts of places, if that's where we find them, then please stop stressing yourself with all this online activity.

Ask yourself where do your customers hang out? So it would involve some research, it'll involve some experimentation, of course, you know, during whatever professional associations you're supposed to join, you know, So join the MBA. That's for those of you who are lawyers. I don't know if there's any architects association for, you know, Nigerian architects. Then there are different, you know, mushroom associations coming up here and there.

Like, I know that, well, at least back when I was in Lagos, there was a thing about Lagos photographers. I don't know if there's any Abuja association going on, but you know, join all these things because from there you can be asking your peers, like what are you doing? What are you up to? You know, just from asking people all these questions that we can get a sense of where our customers hang out. So that's a good bit of bit of research, asking our contemporaries, asking our seniors in the trade, then of course, doing some experimentation by ourselves.

You know, you try out one or two things and you kind of figure out you know where the sweet spot is. But the main thing we should be thinking is where do your customers hang out? Stop this thing of what is the best platform? Don't wake up and start thinking which is better Instagram or TikTok or which is better Google or Facebook and Meta advertisements. Sorry, 1 moment. OK, I thought the call was coming in on my phone because I

make the podcast recordings on my phone. Well, in fact, I'm making today's recording in church. Kids are having catechism, so that's why there's noise in the background. So these are the questions that we should be asking ourselves. Where are our customers and wherever they are, that is where we should be. It's the same thing in relationships. You want to find a girlfriend. The first question is where are all the babes?

And then you go to the place where all the babes are. Same thing in business or let's not be sexist, you're looking for your husband. The first question is where are all the good guys? And then you go to where the good guys are. So anyway, let me move on before I say something, something of colour. So that's the primary concern. Our customers, where can we find them? I know that we have to do quite a bit of research, quite a bit of experimentation.

Now the assumption about this whole online thing, because it is online, it is easy to do online stuff, you know, just create an account to get a mobile phone, get a computer. Lots of people rush to online, online, online. Oh, by the way, sorry about that. You know, they just finished the celebration in church. And so because of that, you know, some people are just healing themselves, greeting themselves. So that is all the noise in the background.

So because online is easy to do, you know, just by device, you know, lots of people default to online. But that is not the case, Excuse me, because there are situations where offline might be more effective. I mean, you never know. In fact, I'm currently doing one of those experiments where I'm using radio, traditional radio as a means of, of, of trying to drum up more business. In fact, apart from this podcast, I have a radio show that is a business booster show on Radio Marriott 91.3 FM.

And I'm running an experiment to see if I can use that to boost my speaking and my consulting practice. So you never know the example that I gave John Deere, you know, so John Deere, they tried a bunch of online stuff, but maybe because it's tractors, I have no idea. But for some reason, it is the offline stuff that seems to work well for them. Trade show, printing magazine, you know, blah, blah, blah. So it depends if you keep trying to hit online, online, online,

but you're in an industry like John Deere who sells tractors and it looks like the thing that makes the market movies offline, offline, offline, then go and do offline. But it all depends on what is most effective for your industry. Then there's also this thing that people assume that the platform is going to solve the problem. No, the platform is not going to solve your problem because let's say like John Deere, it is face to face.

It is magazines and it is, you know, international trade fairs and these sorts of things that grow your business. The fact that you buy a booth in the international trade fair does not mean that you will hammer or that you will make plenty of money. Now let's assume that online is the main the main thing for your own business and let's say it's a Facebook meta ads that are working for your industry. The fact that you buy a ton of Facebook or Meta advertisements does not mean that you're going to make a ton of money.

Yes, we have to be at the right platform, but the thing that actually solve our problem is another skill that is called conversion. I repeat, the thing that is going to solve our problems is actually a skill that is called conversion. Now, conversion just means when you're having a conversation with someone, a potential customer, a potential client, how good are you at getting them to take the next step? So let's go back to this tractor example.

Well, by the way, I'm sticking on this tractor example because someone reached out to me earlier. What's the guy's name again? I think it's Abdul. Abdul from Show Trucks said he discovered the podcast on on Apple. Yeah, on Apple Podcasts. So shout out to Abdul from Show Trucks and those of you who are Apple listeners. In fact, to be honest, I've been trying my best to attract you guys on Apple because most of the growth that I've experienced on the podcast has been through Spotify.

So currently I have 3000, almost 3500 subscribers on Spotify and that represents about 60 something percent of the growth. And Apple used to be very, very low, but now it's growing. So I think I have 90% of my listeners also be listening to the podcast. So currently those of you from Apple are almost like 19%. And I want to see that grow and grow and grow because Apple is the world's, you know, biggest podcasting platform.

So of course, you know, I'd like to have a significant presence there. So Abdul from Show Trucks, thank you very much for listening. Excuse me, I hope you keep getting value from the podcast. Sorry about that. So I hope you keep getting value from the podcast and also please talk to other iPhone users as well and, you know, get them to subscribe to the podcast as well. I want more iPhone users here. You know, of course, I cracked that joke that, you know, iPhone users have more money.

And you know, the guy just laughed. You know, boy, you never know. Let's try it. Let's see. Let's see if that's the case that iPhone users have more money than Spotify users. Let's see where I was like so conversions yes. So conversions are the skill is the skill that is actually going to help you to hammer to make more money. So the example, so John Deere, that's the example that I I gave now and the reason why I'm sticking with this example is because there have been people who reach out like show trucks,

Abdul from show trucks who are in the business of selling tippers selling, tractors selling, you know, tankers selling, you know, things like that. So let's say you get your space now, Abuja International Trade Fair, you go and buy space, you get there, you have to learn how to walk the floor and be talking to people. Now the first conversion is when you're talking to people, you have to, you guys bring one or two people back to your stand back to your booth.

That is a conversion. They take one step. Then when they hit your booth now and you guys are talking and looking at samples, you want to get a few of them to write down their phone number. That is another conversion. You have gotten them to take the next step. Then for the people who have dropped their phone number, you want to be able to call them later on to say what's up now, how you doing? You know your guy Abdul, you know, we spoke at Abuja 3 weeks ago, you know, blah, blah, blah,

blah, blah. I'm going to be your part of the city. You know, let me come by office, let's let's have a meeting. And there's some people who say yes, some people who say no. For the people who say yes, that is another conversion. You're taking the next step. Then when you sit down in somebody else's office and you chat a bit, you figure out, you know what they're on about and you say, OK, can I send you a proposal? You know, you agreed with that,

You agreed with the specs. And then, excuse me, you send them a proposal. You know, that is also another conversion. So you see how it is all one step after another step after another step after another step. So while you are also looking for the best marketing platform to use, you also should be doing some research about how to increase conversions in your industry. And now we have tools that can help you with that. So take your ChatGPT, take your Google Gemini and you can make that a prompt.

I'm a Nigerian in the heavy equipment space. I sell tractors, tipper heads, dump trucks, water tankers, oil tankers, and I'm looking for conversion strategies that should work well in the Nigerian market. You know, what would you recommend the best conversion strategies are? You know, something like that? Make that as a prompt and then send now charge. EPT is going to give you a bunch of things. Some things will make sense,

some things won't. For the things that make sense, you know, apply them, try them out. For the things that don't make sense, you know, just delete them, ignore them. But you can see that we can start researching some of the things that are going to help us. So it's not just marketing platform, marketing platform conversions as well. Conversions, conversions. How can I improve my conversions? What kind of skills, what kind of tactics, what kind of strategies do I need to improve my conversions when I am talking with people?

So is A2 legged something? Marketing platform on one hand and then conversions on the other hand. When you marry those two together, that is where you will now see the best results. Excuse me now, frankly, here's one more thing. Your aptitude or your skill set or your interests or the things that you like to do are also important. There are some people who will say that for what I do, you know, which is consulting, that it is best for me to go online and you know, do marketing funnels and you know, blah,

blah, blah, drip campaigns and all those things. Yes. So technically speaking here, yes, that is the best for now in 2025 for people who are in my own industry. But for me, I like audio and I think I do audio pretty good. So I happen to do audio whether it is the best or not, precisely because it is something that I have aptitude in, I have skills in. It's easy for me to do and I know that I can do it consistently over time because there is also the consistency element when it comes to marketing somebody who has the best platforms and who has the best conversion rate, but the person is doing on and off, you know, you market in January,

February and March, you go and sleep then you market in March and then you sleep in, you know, you sleep on to August and then you come and do some small, you know, moves again in November, December and then go and sleep again. That kind of person, you know, your progress should be up and down, but the kind of person who might be average but is doing it consistently, January, February, March, April, May all the way to December, that kind of person can come on.

It keeps you in progress. I'll be making more money and people will know his name, know her name more than they know yours. So because consistency is also important, the aptitude is also something you have to take into account. So for me I do audio good therefore. I do audio, I podcast, and I'm on the radio because I know I can do it consistently. So that's also another question that you need to ask yourself. So sorry, I was just checking the time.

So these are some of the things that we should be considering. Don't assume it's just one platform. Don't just assume it all has to be online and make sure you get good at your conversions. Then also ask yourself what do you do quite well using all these factors you should be able to figure out what is the best thing that's for you to do in your business. But summary or the most important thing that I wanted to to cash out today is this is not as simple as some of you make it out to be.

We have to look at this thing on the case by case basis. And yeah, if you reach out to me, we will try and figure it out on a case by case basis. But like many things in business, there is no silver bullet. So that's it. And that's all for today. I hope that whoever you are, regardless of where you found me from, I hope you've been able to find some useful Nuggets there to improve to help you along on your business journey.

And for those of you who would like to connect with me, remember you can call, send me a text message or send me a WhatsApp message on 0806466 2140, just like Abdul from show Trucks did. So yeah, that's it. Thanks for your time and attention. I will catch you guys some other time.