Leverage the power of the Internet to boost your start-up

For a start, let us review some mind boggling statistics relating to internet – desktop and mobile – penetration in Nigeria.

As we speak, the country has over 43 million internet users, about the largest internet penetration in Africa. Nigeria is among the top three countries that uses opera mini in Africa and about 80% of all adults have mobile phones today. In conservative terms, it means you can cast a very wide net to target your products and services at over 50 million Nigerians, especially if your product appeals to the mass market.

By utilizing this internet power within Nigeria and across Africa, you can move your business to the next level.

Be in the face of potential customers by having an online presence

The very first step to building an online presence is to create a good website for your business. Free resources for websites include gnbo.com.ng and yola.com among others. These sites offer you ready made templates that can help you create a professional looking website within minutes. With as little as NGN 2,000, you can get customized domain names and up to 10 e-mail addresses on that domain.

The next step is to ensure that you keep your site alive, interesting and engaging. Infuse your site with new content related to your products and services at least twice a month. You must understand that customers will always remember a dynamic website that offers new things at every visit. Create a newsletter for your products and integrate links to social networks into your website. There is so much you can do to keep your website engaging, and we have mentioned just a few here.

Two 9japreneur run businesses that have greatly fascinated me within the internet space in 2011 are Dealdey and Wakanow. These start-ups are currently changing the face of e-commerce in Nigeria. Hopefully, I might run the profiles of the faces behind these businesses sometime in 2012. Apart from the exposure these companies gain from the internet, they have positioned themselves strategically as the link between buyers and sellers of products and services at unbelievable good prices.

Every 9japreneur must understand that creating a great product is very important and non-negotiable. Convince yourself that you will always buy that product and refer it to others. After this is done, then the power of the internet can take your product/service across the world without much stress. Top tips for keeping customers happy with a great product can be found here.

Apply these tips above for a start and see how it works for you. Visit back for more great tips next week.