Collins Oforgu is a business consultant and marketing professional with extensive experience helping Nigerian SMEs build sustainable structures for growth and profitability. As the CEO of Evaluate Media, a leading marketing technology and public relations company in Nigeria, he has worked with over 200 businesses across various sectors, providing strategic marketing solutions tailored to the unique challenges of the African market.

In Nigeria’s increasingly competitive business environment, marketing is no longer a luxury — it is a necessity. Yet, many business owners continue to view marketing as an expense rather than a revenue-generating tool. This mindset, which often prioritises vanity metrics over real outcomes, has contributed to a widening disconnect between marketing campaigns and tangible business results.

Across industries, there is a growing trend of businesses investing heavily in advertising, branding, and influencer partnerships, yet failing to track how these efforts impact lead generation, sales, or customer retention. Far too often, campaign success is measured in likes, shares, and follower counts — numbers that may feel reassuring but rarely translate into revenue without a structured path to conversion.

The heart of the issue lies in the absence of a clear marketing-to-sales pipeline. Businesses launch campaigns without defining conversion goals. They generate leads without nurturing systems. They attract traffic without functional landing pages or sales funnels. As a result, the return on marketing investment (ROI) remains low, despite increasing ad spend.

According to a 2023 survey by Statista, global digital advertising spend surpassed $600 billion, yet only a fraction of SMEs could accurately tie their marketing efforts to revenue. In Nigeria, the picture is no different. Many companies pour significant resources into Facebook and Instagram ads, for example, without tracking cost per lead, conversion rate, or customer acquisition cost.

Part of the challenge is structural. Most Nigerian businesses do not have dedicated marketing operations or performance tracking systems. Even where teams exist, there is often a gap in aligning marketing efforts with broader business objectives. It is not uncommon to find businesses running awareness campaigns without any mechanism to capture or follow up with prospects.

To change this trajectory, businesses must begin to treat marketing as an integrated part of their sales infrastructure. This means moving beyond surface-level campaigns to build systems that guide prospects from first contact to final conversion — and beyond.

What does this look like in practice?

First, every campaign must begin with a clear outcome. Is the goal to generate leads, increase subscriptions, drive walk-ins, or close sales? Once defined, the entire campaign — from messaging to media placement — must be optimised to achieve that objective.

Second, businesses must invest in tools that support conversion tracking. This could be a simple CRM system, a WhatsApp sales flow, or even a landing page with lead capture. The important thing is to monitor who is coming in, where they’re coming from, and whether they’re converting.

Third, there must be alignment between the marketing and sales teams. It is not enough to generate leads; someone must be responsible for following up, qualifying, and closing those leads. Without this connection, even the most creative campaigns will struggle to deliver value.

Finally, businesses must be patient enough to iterate. Not every campaign will perform immediately, but with proper data and insight, future campaigns can be refined for better results.

At Evaluate Media, we’ve seen first-hand how businesses that focus on conversion-driven marketing experience more sustainable growth. These are the businesses that invest in customer journeys, optimise user experience, and ensure their messaging aligns with buyer intent.

Marketing that doesn’t drive action is simply noise. To truly see returns, Nigerian businesses must adopt a more structured, data-driven, and outcome-oriented approach. The time has come to move from campaigns to conversions — not just for visibility, but for viability.