Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr, popularly known as CFA, started out in the world of digital marketing in 2009 and this has been on to this day with ICTwithCFA.com. He speaks on how digital marketing can boost any business whether small or big in this interview with OLUYINKA ALAWODE. Excerpt:
ICT
Today’s entrepreneurs need to embrace ICT and apply it in all aspects of their business entities. Technology has over the years, changed the way we do things and this is more pronounced in the ways we do business. E-Commerce is fast taking over from the traditional businesses that we knew before now.
Therefore, entrepreneurs that want to remain in business and be relevant in their industry as well as project their products and brands need to acquire the secrets of digital culture. This knowledge can help them remain in business and grow it, as well as improve returns on investment.
Business
I started my ICT business in 2009 with only my laptop and a little money for Internet connection that enabled me to start with blogging. I learnt a lot on the internet and earned a certificate from the Inbound Marketing University which is an online university to improve myself online. I am also studying for a diploma in digital marketing with the Oxford College of Marketing, UK.
I eventually ventured into website design and development, SEO, social media marketing and management, etc.
Networks
Today, in addition to the above tasks, I attend a lot of speaking engagements on ICT, write the ICT columns for a newspaper and also present the ICT Radio show on Nigeria Info 99.3 FM as well as Tech Trends on Channels TV.
Training programme
As the lead facilitator at ICTwithCFA.com, I conduct a monthly digital culture workshop which is tailored to empower participants with the required skills and competence in social/digital media applications for superior marketing performance, increased sales, profitability, improved client interaction, retention and referral.
We also organise in-house digital culture as well as other ICT-related topics and themes for the staff of companies and other organisations.
Target clients
The target clients are business owners, marketing managers and executives, sales managers and executives, business development managers, customer care personnel, and so on.
Our digital culture workshop is structured to reflect a mixture of theoretical insights, applicable practical case studies using slides and interactive sessions as well as questions and answer sessions.
We do not just leave our clients to figure out on how to proceed after the sessions. We, therefore, agree with the participants on the various take out points from the workshop sessions which our clients should implement in order to achieve the stated objectives.
We also advice our clients on the social media platforms that will be most suited for each line of business they are engaged in so their staff would not waste valuable time on the ones not suited for a particular line of business.
Challenges
Some of the challenges that we encounter as a business are the high cost of generating power to be online for a very long time. The instability in the power distribution entails that one seeks more expensive alternative power sources to meet the deadlines that the job requires. By the nature of our job, we have to monitor updates all the time and access knowledge online.
Other challenges are the high cost of internet service provision and the relatively slow internet connectivity in Nigeria compared to that of Europe and America.
Background
I am a graduate of Sociology from the University of Ado Ekiti. I regularly blog at CFA.ng and ICTwithCFA.com. I have earned the Platinum Author Status of Ezinearticles.com and also of the Inbound Certificate of Excellence from the Inbound Marketing University.
Inspiration
I have always had a passion for making an impact in the lives of as many people as possible. One might not easily achieve that working as an employee in one establishment or the other because one would always have to work within a regulated framework and ideas outside the norm that might attract sanctions. But when you own your own business, however, you have the latitude to express yourself in any way to touch the lives of people anyhow you desire.
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