Brand Bible: The Top 5 Things Every Nigerian Startup Gets Wrong About Marketing

Let’s not lie—

Nigerian startups are building amazing things:
Logistics apps, savings platforms, edtechs, agrotechs, everything-tech.

But when it’s time for marketing?
Most of them behave like:

“Just open social media, do one fine flier, and run small ads. We go blow.”

Spoiler: That’s not marketing. That’s guesswork with a Canva account.

Here are 5 things Nigerian startups consistently get wrong about marketing—plus what to do instead.

1. They Think Marketing = Social Media

If the only “marketing” you’re doing is opening Instagram and tweeting once a week, you’re not marketing. You’re playing.

Marketing is not just “posting.”
It’s how people find you, remember you, trust you, and buy from you—consistently.

Real marketing =

• Positioning

• Messaging

• Campaigns

• SEO

• Ads

• Content

• Partnerships

• Funnel building

• Retention

But no—your startup has vibes, so you hired one Gen Z social media intern and told them to “go viral.”

2. They Hire Too Late (or Too Wrong)

Startups be like:

“Let’s build the tech first. Then when we launch, we’ll find one marketing person.”

Wrong.
By that time, you’ve:

• Burned your runway

• Built something no one understands

• Missed early user traction

Worse? You finally hire one “marketing lead” who’s really just a graphics designer with data trauma.

Hire for strategy early. Not just execution.

3. They Want Sales, But Hate Spending

You say you want leads and customers. But when the agency says ₦500k/month, you start adjusting your agbada.

You can’t stingy your way to visibility in a saturated market.

Marketing requires:

• Budget

• Patience

• Experiments

• Data

If your idea of “campaign” is boosting posts with ₦2,000 for 2 days, please face your WhatsApp status.

4. They Copy Foreign Startups Blindly

You’re in Ikeja, but you’re copying branding from San Francisco.
You’re building for Nigerians, but your tone sounds like ChatGPT met Duolingo.

Where is the cultural context? Where’s the local insight?

Do you think the average Nigerian user connects with phrases like:

“We empower solopreneurs to unlock growth at scale.”

Just say:

“We help small business owners make more money online.”
Simple. Clear. Human.

5. They Want Overnight Growth, But No Strategy

Startups want 10,000 users in 3 months, but no funnel, no lead magnet, no storytelling, and no follow-up.

They launch and hope people will “just find them.”

Here’s the truth:
Hope is not a marketing plan.
You need:

• A clear value proposition

• A go-to-market strategy

• Retargeting

• CRM or email follow-up

• Community or customer base

Even miracle churches don’t operate without a flyer.

TL;DR?

Marketing is not the finishing touch. It’s the engine room.
And if you get it wrong, your startup won’t fail because the product was bad—it’ll fail because nobody knew about it.

The SoroSoke Tip:

Stop treating marketing like one last-minute garnish. It’s not pepper on jollof. It’s the pot, the firewood, and the Maggi.

🧠Over to you:
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen a Nigerian startup do in the name of “marketing”?

Drop your gist in the comments or tweet us @SoroSokeBrands.
No judgement—only deliverance