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Dedicated To Digital makes impressive debut

By Rachael Abiriba
18 November 2017   |   4:15 am
Despite hindrances to the easy transition and acceptance of the digital era in Nigeria, some of which were terribly poor network reception, high cost of digital gadgets and data plans...

Despite hindrances to the easy transition and acceptance of the digital era in Nigeria, some of which were terribly poor network reception, high cost of digital gadgets and data plans, and the initial distrust that some had about the lifespan of digital, the speed at which individuals, even businesses and corporations have adjusted to making all the conveniences that technology and the digital age offer is beyond impressive.

This has created a shift, not just in the way people view things, but also in the expectations and impressions of ‘customers’ from the various businesses they patronise, giving birth to an environment where businesses, even individuals who have established themselves as marketable brands are on their feet, creating and adjusting to the ‘next big thing’ in the technology and digital space.

Customers now expect businesses to deliver quality services and digital mastery and the business put themselves under creative pressure to find innovative solutions to this and many other issues that the customers desire. Based on this, countless courses that promise to teach entrepreneurs the steps to the music of the digital world can be found with just one click of a button. So much so that it has almost become difficult to filter the noise of the fakers and copycats from the melody of the experts.

The Dedicated to Digital one-day Masterclass on Digital Marketing tagged, “Strategy in a Digital World”, perfectly shut out the noise and taught its attendees, which were made up of young graduates, owners of small and medium businesses, aspiring digital entrepreneurs and media managers within corporate bodies, to waltz to the ever-changing music of the digital ballroom.

The masterclass featured contemporary media mavens that were selected from various walks of life on the basis of their experience and success at growing their business platforms through the use of Digital to teach the attendees how to maximize the power of new media. Some topics were more platform-specific such as Yemisi Odusanya’s lesson on Building YouTube Content and Strategy and Dayo Ajayi’s lesson on The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing. While some topics were inspirational like Anita Adetoya’s lesson on ‘Staying Consistent and Motivated’ aimed to inspire the attendees.

Other speakers were Sonia Irabor who discussed the topic Embracing Digital: Starting Conversations, Akintunde Marinho who tackled ‘Content Monetisation’, Jite Ovueraye who spoke about ‘Developing an Authentic Voice for your Brand Online’ and Gbenga Ayo Dada talked about ‘Partnership and Collaboration with Influencers and Celebrities’. Other speakers included Bolanle Olukanni who spoke on ‘Maximizing Twitter” and Afua Osei who discussed the intricacies of “Building a Digital Team.”

Despite each speaker dealing with different issues surrounding different digital platforms, there were some common grounds that everyone touched on such as the importance of actually communicating with the audience that any user of digital platforms wants to reach, the importance of language, conversations, storytelling, and actually listening to feedback from the audience.

The issue of customer care by businesses, especially SMEs in this digital age was also expounded on as lots of businesses seem to have lost touch with the basics of customer service due to the lack of physical interface between the business owners and their customers.

Key points like time, commitment, consistency and strategy were the central point of Dayo Ajayi’s lesson on ‘The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing’ as it was stressed that no matter of investment into building an income-generating brand using digital can be successful without all of this key points.

It was a well-attended masterclass where the attendees listened with rapt attention to suck in every word of each speaker and were afterwards hosted to an intimate interactive workshop.

Despite the success that was the maiden edition of the Dedicated to Digital masterclass, some things cannot be underestimated. Like the endless opportunities that going digital has opened many businesses, especially SMEs, to learn, grow, and create opportunities for themselves. Making it possible for businesses and individuals all over the world to associate and explore limitless possibilities together.

But those limitless possibilities of digital that endear it to many could be a negative thing as some people have almost become addicts to the capabilities of digital and have lost themselves in the endless space that is the digital world. To avoid being one of such people, one has to create boundaries, maintain control of themselves and the things they use digital for, have a clear vision of what they want to use digital to achieve, and understand the message they want to pass across.

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