AWEC Spotlight: Atinuke Babatunde on the Power of Self Efficacy & Solidifying Your Voice in the Digital Marketing Space
Technological advancement, digital marketing, and digital platforms and websites have fundamentally changed the entrepreneurial landscape in Africa, especially from a gender-based perspective. In developing and emerging economies, digital platforms enable entrepreneurs to expand their business capacity and services more quickly.
Providing new avenues for the economic empowerment of women, digital transformation can contribute to greater gender equality. The internet, digital platforms, mobile phones and digital financial services offer “leapfrog” opportunities for all and can help bridge the divide by giving women the possibility to earn additional income, increase their employment opportunities, and access knowledge and general information.
No one agrees more than AWEC Alumna, Atinuke Babatunde, who has embraced the industry’s fluidity and created a business and an academy that is largely geared toward supporting women entrepreneurs to build their brands and market their products better.
The founder of Brand Fusion and Marketing Solutions sat down with us to share how, at the age of 40, an unexpected request for her Instagram handle at an event in 2017 challenged her to learn all about the platform. With the help of eye-opening lessons learned during the AWEC program, Atinuke transformed both her business and online community from zero to now more than 45,000 members.
Brand Fusion helps business owners —women entrepreneurs in particular— define their brands and show them how to market their products and services.
Named, one of 50 Leading Ladies in Corporate Nigeria, Atinuke has more than 20 years of experience in the branding and marketing space, having worked with big corporations like MNet Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria. Owning a business alongside working in corporate, she is no stranger to hard work, determination and a resolve to succeed.
A Business Transformation Through AWEC Learning
Atinuke conducting a live branding and marketing session
When Atinuke joined the AWEC program, she already had an operational business, but what she learned in the program gave her clarity. She was offering her services on a one-to-one basis and consulting with clients individually, but AWEC curriculum topics on Business Strategy, Customer Insights and Building a Platform Businesses all pushed her to reinvent her business model.
“AWEC taught me so many things and it really challenged me to think outside the box about the way I was managing it. While I felt my coaching services were the most affordable in the market, not every small business owner could afford to pay. But it was lessons from AWEC that forced me to start asking how best I could serve my clients in a more efficient and profitable way.”
In a bold move, Atinuke leveraged Instagram Stories to poll her audience, a tactic she highly recommends to any business owner wanting to pivot their business, or offer a new product or service. She says that the core marketer in her would never launch a new product or service without testing.
“I always advise entrepreneurs to test the idea first. AWEC always talked about creating an MVP (minimum viable product) for your business or idea. Conduct a survey! These days, with access to digital marketing, it’s so much easier. On Instagram, your Story is your survey.”
Atinuke asked two main questions of her audience: if they’d be interested in group coaching sessions on Branding and Marketing for four Fridays in a month and what price point they were willing to invest.
With 98% of her community expressing a positive interest and a willingness to pay close to $100, Atinkue knew she was onto something. She immediately posted a flyer to confirm her start-date and within 8 days, ten women had signed up, almost doubling a few days later. She hosted the course every Friday and Saturday of that month.
That was the birth of Brand Fusion Women’s Academy. Now serving their 10th cohort, Brand Fusion has supported women entrepreneurs across 10 countries.
Atinuke in a training session with ladies of the British American Tobacco company
Women’s Biggest Digital Marketing Challenge
After consulting with hundreds of businesses, Atinuke says the majority of her clients have already done the hard job of validating their ventures. They have good products, some traction in the market, and once prompted, can describe their business and industry from start to finish.
The barrier to increasing sales is usually fear of positioning themselves as experts in whatever they are doing. Atinuke observed that over 80% of the women entrepreneurs she supports really struggle to show up for their businesses on social media. Studies have shown that women in general are less inclined to self-promote than men, even for a job, let alone for their own ventures.
“Women entrepreneurs need to confidently market and sell their businesses, especially in the digital space, but they are more comfortable in a brick and mortar shop. And because they don't want to talk about the business they don't even make the effort to at least ensure their websites or social media sites are beautifully designed; it’s literally self-sabotage.”
Atinuke is literally speaking from experience. At the start of her digital marketing journey, she refused to show her face online - for a whole year!
“I used to be THAT woman! I did not want to be seen online, just fearful that I’d come across as bragging. It got to the point where, because the audience did not know who I was, some would refer to me as ‘Sir’ whenever I received a DM*.” *Direct Message
The old adage ‘People buy from people’ still stands today. Marketing a product on its own without establishing a connection to the founder’s story will only take you so far.
To combat this challenge, Brandfusion Academy’s first module always focuses on developing a personal brand.
From Zero to 45k Followers: How She Did It and Her Advice to Others
While growing her social media following played a pivotal role in the expansion of her business, Atinuke is under no illusions that success comes without sacrifice. As a wife and a mother, making a decision to start learning a new skill in a space dominated by millennials was no easy feat.
“I was over 40 when I started this social media journey, so I didn't have time to waste. With people looking at me and saying all sorts of negative things, I wasn't about to disgrace myself…I had to go all out and learn absolutely everything! It is what I want that really drives what I do.”
Here are three strategies she implemented from the beginning;
She paid to learn and took as many courses as it required for her to understand how the platform works.
She committed to posting something on Instagram, everyday for a year. That’s 365 days, whether she felt like it or not! Even it meant creating graphics and writing copy in the backseat of a car on the way to work and back.
She practiced by running paid ads on the platform when she had nothing to sell.
Atinuke in her office set up as she prepares for a group-coaching session
Her advice to other African women entrepreneurs is clear;
Show Up for Your Business!
Commit to investing what is required to grow your company. You have the power to make or break it, so choose the former.
Always Add Value
Value is anything that is important to your ideal customer or the people you are targeting. You have to think beyond the sale of your products; deep dive into the products and services and start teaching about the benefits to buying those products.
Think ‘Lifestyle Before Sales’
Attitudes toward social media have drastically changed. It’s no longer about selling, selling, selling, or forcing information on the audience. It goes beyond that. Audiences want to see your normal day-to-day life so that they can feel like they are experiencing your journey with you.
What’s Next for Atinuke and Branfusion
At the start of 2022, Atinuke was appointed as the Academy Director, West Africa for The Multichoice Talent Factory to drive the development of Nigeria’s creative industry. And if there wasn't enough on her plate, she’s also taken up the challenge to complete a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (DBA) at Edinburgh Business School, UK. As for Brand Fusion, she’s planning to focus on supporting women entrepreneurs only.
Brand Fusion Women’s Academy’s next branding and marketing Cohort will run from the 6th of January 2023. Follow Atinuke on Instagram to get the latest news and updates. But if you can’t wait till then, check out her Linktree page to access branding and marketing insights and content.