Ayeesha Omadibi, a mother of one and an avid reader, refers to herself as a foodie searching for the next best grilled chicken in Lagos. She is the founder of Hustle Africa and believes in her ability to tell unique stories. In this interview with YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE, the graduate of English Language and Comprehensive Writing, talks about content creation and strategies, the content industry, communication and challenges of content writing, among others.
What does Hustle Africa do and how does it affect businesses in Nigeria?
Hustle Africa is a content agency operating out of Lagos, Nigeria. We help businesses tell their unique stories so that they can build quality relationships with their customers and ultimately grow their revenue. Hustle Africa was born in July last year, and since then we have worked with about 50 businesses across Nigeria, Ghana and the United Kingdom. We’re looking to expand our client base across Africa in the coming years.
When and how did you get to be a content strategist?
I’ve worked as a writer for about a decade and a half, and this is my dream job. My experience began at Charly Boy’s New Wave Productions, after which I worked with a couple of Nigerian magazines at editorial capacity. I did a short stint freelancing before recently working with a foreign online publication as Senior Content Producer. In between, I worked at two marketing agencies as a Business Development Executive. My writing experience also proved very useful when I worked at these marketing agencies. Today, it’s safe to say that all my experiences put together have led me here, and it’s a journey I’m very proud of and grateful for.
Contemporarily, content is becoming a big industry, would you say that this is the case in Nigeria?
Absolutely! Even though content marketing has been around for centuries, the internet and social media has caused its influence to skyrocket across the world. And as more and more Nigerians embrace the internet and social media, the content marketing industry here will continue to experience surge after surge. As it stands, content marketing is arguably all the marketing that’s left. In Nigeria today, as of January 2021, Nigeria had approximately 33 million active social media users and about 100 million active internet users. A couple of years ago, we had about 90 million people shopping online, with 75 per cent of that number saying they trusted online reviews to help them decide to make a purchase. These are figures that are exploding with our population, so the only way to go is up from here, as a content marketer or strategist.
As a content strategist, what skills are needed in your industry?
Obviously, you need creative writing skills, social media, SEO knowledge, research and editing, data analysis and content promotion. You have to be more than a writer. Keep updating and reinventing yourself.
What you would say is your interesting writing quirk?
Unless the brief demands otherwise, I like to write like I speak: with a bit of slang, a bit of Yoruba or Igbo and a lot of storytelling. It helps me grab and hold the reader’s attention, because they immediately have a sense that we’ve probably met before.
Who are your target markets as a content writer?
Established personal and corporate brands who want to take advantage of social media and the internet to attain visibility, build relationships with their customers and scale up their revenue.
As a professional content strategist, how have you helped shape the content services industry in Nigeria?
My team and I have organised free training sessions to empower people with SEO and writing skills. We’re also currently putting an event together that will help budding content strategists to build profitable careers from social media and the internet using valuable content.
How will you assess the roles that content writers like you play in terms of marketing communications of your clients’ products and services?
Two of the biggest problems that people face regarding content marketing are: what to post consistently (how to communicate) and who will see the content when it’s shared. Our job is to craft communications that the online audience can relate to. The goal is to endear the brand to the reader, build the KLT (Know, Like, And Trust) factor, and sell their products/services without screaming SELL. It’s an invaluable position, really, because more people are buying online and they rely on the opinions of their friends to make a purchase decision. So we use carefully selected words to influence purchase decisions. You’ll agree it’s amazing. Content strategists hold the yam and the knife. We know how to get your audience to like you and eventually buy from you.
What challenges do content strategists face in line of your business?
The challenges that we face are all surmountable with time, experience and technology. You want to grab attention online? Know the audience intimately and consistently creates content that will address their problems. This is easier said than done, but you must know the audience’s problems probably more than they do. The only real challenge that’s a big deal is getting clients to understand that the benefits of content marketing outweigh traditional marketing and advertising, but content marketing takes time to yield results because the customer must go through all the stages of the customer journey. Where you want to expedite your results, have a robust advertising budget. Once your clients do away with unrealistic expectations, all is well.
What advice do you have for upcoming content writers in Nigeria?
Consistency is the best way to get rewards for skill. Keep improving; keep studying the latest industry trends and information. Keep yourself updated, stay creative. Let time and chance do the rest.
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