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What are some SME Marketing principles that should guide every small business owner? Are you an entrepreneur, small business owner, or startup founder in Ghana, Nigéria, Afrique du Sud, Libéria, India, the UK, the US, or anywhere else in the world, trying to get your product or service noticed in a crowded marketplace? Do you feel like you’re doing everything right but not getting enough customers?
Or maybe you’re relying on word-of-mouth, médias sociaux posts, and prayer, but sales still aren’t meeting your expectations? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, then this article is exactly for you.
At EnspireFX Websites, we’ve worked with hundreds of Ghanaian PME, and we’ve learned that a flashy or beautiful website is only one part of the success equation. Without strategic marketing, even the best businesses get lost in the noise. This is why we’re sharing key insights from Benedict Bentil, Senior Manager at MTN Business, who recently broke down everything an SME must know about marketing during the 2025 Citi Business Festival’s Honour Series.
What follows isn’t theory, it’s practical, relevant advice tailored to the Ghanaian SME environment, and every other emerging market.
By the time you finish this article, you’ll understand the difference between marketing and sales, learn how to build a brand that attracts, discover affordable ways to promote your business, and see how to turn happy customers into your loudest cheerleaders.
You’ll also learn how to optimise your efforts on social media — and how to know when they’re in fact working. Most importantly, we’ll show you why marketing is an investment, not an expense.
Where Many SMEs Go Wrong: Marketing Isn’t Sales
Let’s get this straight: sales and marketing are not the same thing. If you’re focused only on selling your product to the next person who walks by or clicks your post, you’re doing sales. But marketing is what gets that person to notice you in the first place.
Marketing leads to sales, but it is not the same as sales.
Marketing is how you identify and reach your ideal customers. It’s how you create visibility, build trust, and make people choose you before they even need your product. Most SMEs in Ghana and Nigeria today skip this step and go straight to selling, and that’s why they stay stuck.
Branding Is The Foundation of Everything
Before you even think about advertising, you need to know what your business looks, sounds, and feels like. Branding is not just your logo or colours, it’s your business personality. What problems are you solving? Who are you solving them for? How do you want people to feel when they encounter your brand?
If your business still uses a default WhatsApp profile picture or inconsistent fonts and colours across platforms, it’s time for a reset. Branding comes first because without it, your marketing has no direction.
When we at EnspireFX Websites get a new client, the first issue we deal with is the branding question.
Why Strategic Planning Matters
Far too many entrepreneurs create a product and then scramble to find people to buy it. But the right way is the reverse: find the people first. Understand their pain points, their habits, and their favourite social media platforms. Then design a product or service that speaks directly to them.
Marketing is not about broadcasting to the entire world. It’s about identifying your ideal customers and speaking directly to their needs, whether they’re teenagers scrolling TikTok or middle-aged professionals listening to the radio.
That’s why segmentation is so crucial. It tells you where to be, what to say, and how to say it.
Can You Afford Marketing?
Many small businesses wait until “they have money” before they start marketing. But it is the marketing that will drive the sales, and that’s how you get more money.
Even if you’re cash-strapped, you can still market creatively. Start with your personal network. Use WhatsApp (with permission of your users, though). Engage in trending conversations online. Post behind-the-scenes content. You can use tools like MTN Business Messenger to send customised bulk SMS. You don’t need to run a billboard campaign in Osu before you can make a buzz; you just need to start with what you have.
How To know If It’s Working
Every cedi you spend on marketing should give you something back, but how do you measure that? Look at metrics like Cost Per Acquisition (how much it costs to get one customer) and Conversion Rates (how many people actually buy after seeing your ad). These numbers tell you which channels are worth your time and which are draining your budget.
Tracking performance isn’t just for big brands. If you have a Facebook or Instagram business page, you already have access to powerful analytics. Use them to test, learn, and improve.
If you run any type of campaign on your website, you should have a means of tracking your conversions. Your website should be properly integrated with proper Analytics tools for this purpose. This is non-negotiable, especially if you’re running paid ad campaigns to drive traffic to your website.
The Free Marketing Channel Most SMEs Ignore
Think back to the last time you had a really great experience with a business. Did you tell someone? Probably. Now think about the last bad experience. Did you post about it, tweet, or rant in your group chat? Almost definitely.
Customer experience is your silent brand ambassador. Deliver excellent service, and your customers will promote you for free. Deliver poor service, and they’ll damage your reputation faster than any competitor could. That’s why feedback is gold, and why businesses should actively collect it through digital surveys, direct engagement, or even simple follow-up calls.
This can also be simply automated on your website.
Not All Social Media Is Equal
Not every platform works the same way, and not every product belongs everywhere.
Facebook is great for referrals and product discovery, think shoes, salons, food delivery, and consumables.
Instagram and TikTok are the kings of video, perfect for showcasing products and experiences with influencers.
X (formerly Twitter) is good for engagement and feedback, but beware, it’s also where brands can be crucified for poor service.
If you don’t know where your audience is hanging out, you’re wasting your content. And if you’re just posting for posting sake, you’re not marketing, you’re broadcasting into the void.
Influencers Aren’t Just for Coca-Cola
Influencer marketing doesn’t have to mean hiring a celebrity. Start with the most popular person in your area, class, or family. They can help you build trust and visibility early on. As your business grows, you can scale to more targeted or super influencers, whose audiences match your niche.
The key is authenticity. People follow influencers because they trust them. So choose someone whose credibility will transfer to your brand.
Consistency Is the Game
Marketing isn’t something you do once and then stop. The market changes. Your customers evolve. Competitors come and go. That’s why your strategy must always be moving. Try A/B testing. Test ad colours, headlines, and posting times. Learn. Adapt. Improve.
What was popular yesterday is no longer popular today, and you know that.
Selling Services? Create the Experience
Marketing products is one thing. But when you sell services, like hairdressing, accounting, coaching, or catering, customers often need to feel the value before they buy. That’s where experiential marketing shines. Use influencers. Capture videos. Share stories. Don’t just talk about your service, show what it feels like to experience it.
Let EnspireFX Websites Help You Win Online
Marketing without a solid online presence is like shouting in a crowded market with no stall to show your goods. At EnspireFX Websites, we build powerful, conversion-ready websites for SMEs who are ready to grow. But we don’t stop at web design, we offer full digital marketing services to help you attract, engage, and convert your ideal customers.
Are you a fashion brand, food vendor, consultant, construction company, logistics provider, law firm, healthcare provider, or government institution? We’ll help you build your brand, reach your audience, and grow your business, without wasting time or money. See the industries we serve.
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