You have a product to sell. You have opened a business page on Instagram. You share pictures on WhatsApp, tell friends about your business and sometimes reduce your prices to attract buyers.
Yet, the number of people who actually place orders remains disappointing.
Some people view your products without asking questions. Others ask for the price and disappear. A few promise to return, but you never hear from them again.
Eventually, you begin to wonder whether you need more followers, paid advertisements, a bigger shop or a completely different business.
But there is another question worth asking:
Are the right people discovering your business, and are you giving them enough reasons to buy from you?
Getting customers is not simply about making more posts or advertising everywhere. It involves understanding who needs what you sell, making your offer easy to understand, building trust and creating a simple process that turns interest into purchases.
This matters especially for small businesses operating with limited marketing budgets.
A 2026 survey of 495 Nigerian small-business owners identified getting customers and improving business visibility as their biggest challenge. PwC's earlier MSME research also found that WhatsApp Business, Facebook and Instagram were among the digital channels used by Nigerian businesses. These findings point to an important opportunity: small businesses need to become better at using the channels where their potential customers already spend time.
1. Stop trying to sell to everybody
One of the easiest ways to waste marketing money is to advertise a product without knowing exactly who is most likely to buy it.
Imagine you sell affordable office furniture.
Your potential customers may include:
People setting up a new office.
Small companies replacing old furniture.
Freelancers creating home offices.
Schools and training centres.
Businesses opening additional branches.
These customers may need the same products, but they do not necessarily respond to the same message.
Someone furnishing a new office may be interested in a complete package. A freelancer may be looking for one affordable desk and chair.
If your marketing message is simply "We sell quality furniture," it may not give either person a strong reason to contact you.
Instead, make your message specific.
For example:
"Affordable office desks and chairs for small businesses, home offices and new workspaces. Delivery available in selected areas."
This tells people what you sell, who you serve and what they can expect.
Before spending money on advertising, be able to describe your ideal customer in one or two sentences.
2. Make it easy for customers to understand what you offer
A potential customer should not have to investigate your entire social media account before understanding your business.
Your business page, website or product catalogue should quickly answer four questions:
What do you sell?
Who is it for?
How much does it cost, or how can someone request a quotation?
How can a customer place an order?
Consider two different business descriptions.
The first says:
"Welcome to our page. We provide quality products and excellent services."
The second says:
"We sell affordable ready-to-wear clothing for men and women. View available designs, check prices and place orders through WhatsApp."
The second description is more useful because it tells customers what to expect.
You should also make sure your contact details are correct. If customers cannot easily find your phone number, location or ordering instructions, some will simply move to another seller.
A clear business presentation does not guarantee a sale, but it removes unnecessary confusion.
3. Use WhatsApp Business as more than a messaging app
Many small businesses in Nigeria already communicate with customers through WhatsApp. But there is a difference between using WhatsApp to chat and using it to manage a business.
The WhatsApp Business app provides features that can make customer interactions more organised.
Start with your business profile.
Add:
Your business name.
A clear description of what you offer.
Your operating hours.
Your business address or service area where appropriate.
Your contact information.
Your website or other relevant business links.
Next, organise your products or services using the catalogue feature where available.
Instead of repeatedly sending individual pictures whenever someone asks what you sell, customers can browse available items and view useful product information.
You can also use quick replies for common questions, such as delivery fees, payment methods, opening hours and ordering instructions.
Labels can help separate conversations involving new enquiries, pending payments, confirmed orders and completed purchases.
These features are provided by WhatsApp Business to help small businesses present their offers and manage customer communication. See the official WhatsApp Business features guide.
The important point is to make the buying process easier.
A customer who has to send five messages just to understand how to order may lose interest before completing the purchase.
4. Help people discover your business on Google
Social media is useful, but it should not be the only place where people can find your business.
Some customers do not begin their search on Instagram or Facebook. They open Google and search for a product or service in their area.
For example:
"Phone repair shop in Ikeja"
"Laundry service in Abuja"
"Furniture shop in Port Harcourt"
"Catering services in Lagos"
If you operate an eligible business that serves customers at a physical location or meets Google's service-area business requirements, a Google Business Profile can help people discover your business through Google Search and Maps.
You can add your business information, operating hours, photographs and other relevant details.
Keep the information accurate and respond professionally to customer reviews.
Google explains that local search visibility is influenced by relevance, distance and prominence. Completing your profile does not guarantee a particular ranking, but accurate information helps Google understand your business and match it with relevant searches.
You can learn more through Google's official Business Profile setup guide and local ranking guidance.
Do not create a misleading location or use an address where your business is not eligible to operate a Business Profile.
5. Show customers evidence instead of making endless promises
Almost every business claims to offer quality products, excellent service and affordable prices.
The problem is that customers see these claims everywhere.
What makes your business different is the evidence you provide.
If you sell products, show clear photographs of the actual items. Include important details such as size, colour, material, available options and condition.
If you provide a service, show examples of completed work, explain your process and describe what customers should expect.
Where you have genuine customer reviews, ask permission before sharing them.
You can also demonstrate how a product works through short videos.
For example, a business selling rechargeable lamps could publish a video showing the lamp's brightness, charging method and different settings.
A cleaning company could show a genuine before-and-after result, provided the images accurately represent its work.
Do not manufacture testimonials, invent customer experiences or use images that misrepresent what you sell.
Trust is difficult to build and easy to damage.
6. Give people a reason to choose your business
Price matters, but it is not the only reason people buy.
A customer may choose one seller because the product is available immediately. Another may prefer a business that offers reliable delivery. Someone else may value after-sales support or the convenience of ordering online.
Your job is to understand what customers value and make that benefit clear.
For example, imagine two businesses selling similar household appliances.
Business A advertises:
"Quality appliances at affordable prices."
Business B explains:
"Available refrigerators and washing machines, with product specifications, delivery arrangements and support with installation where offered."
Business B gives potential customers more useful information.
You should identify what genuinely makes your business attractive.
It could be:
Faster delivery within your service area.
Convenient ordering.
Reliable product information.
Flexible appointment arrangements.
Clear pricing.
Helpful after-sales support.
Specialisation in a particular customer group.
Do not promise benefits you cannot consistently deliver. A business grows more sustainably when its marketing matches the actual customer experience.
7. Do not allow interested customers to disappear without follow-up
Not everyone who contacts your business will buy immediately.
Some people are comparing prices. Others need approval from a partner or employer. Some are waiting for their salaries or simply need more information.
If you treat every unanswered enquiry as a lost customer, you may miss opportunities.
A simple follow-up process can help.
For example, if someone asks about a product but does not place an order, you could send a polite message later:
"Hello, thank you for your enquiry about our office chairs. I wanted to check whether you still need the product or would like any additional information. I'm happy to help."
The purpose is to be helpful, not to pressure the person.
Keep track of enquiries so that you know who has received a quotation, who is waiting for more information and who has completed an order.
Respect customers who decline or do not want further messages. Avoid repeatedly sending unsolicited promotional messages.
Good follow-up is about maintaining a professional relationship.
8. Turn existing customers into a source of new business
A customer who has already bought from you understands what your business offers.
If the experience was positive, that customer may recommend you to someone else.
However, referrals should not be left entirely to chance.
You can encourage them naturally by:
Asking satisfied customers to recommend your business.
Providing a simple link to your business page.
Sharing useful updates that customers can forward.
Offering a referral benefit when it makes financial sense.
Maintaining good service after the sale.
For example, a catering business could encourage customers who enjoyed an event order to recommend its services to friends planning weddings, birthdays or corporate functions.
A phone repair business could give customers a digital contact card to share with people who need similar services.
The key is to give customers a reason to remember your business and an easy way to recommend it.
Do not assume that every satisfied customer will automatically advertise for you. Make the process simple.
9. Do not spend money on advertisements before fixing the basics
Paid advertising can introduce your business to people who may not have discovered it otherwise.
But advertising cannot automatically correct a confusing product offer, poor customer service or an unreliable ordering process.
Imagine spending ₦30,000 promoting a product.
Many people see the advert. Some click through to your page, but the price is missing, the photographs are unclear and there is no obvious way to order.
You may receive attention without receiving enough useful enquiries or completed sales.
Before paying for an advertisement, check that:
The product or service is clearly presented.
Your target customers are identified.
The price or quotation process is understandable.
Your contact details work.
Someone can respond to enquiries promptly.
You can fulfil the orders you hope to receive.
When you eventually advertise, start with a controlled budget and measure the outcome.
Do not judge an advert only by likes, views or followers. Pay attention to enquiries, completed orders, revenue and the cost of acquiring customers.
10. Understand which marketing activity is actually bringing customers
A business can spend time posting on several platforms without knowing which one contributes to sales.
That makes it difficult to decide where to focus.
Start recording where each new customer discovered your business.
You can ask a simple question:
"How did you hear about us?"
Possible answers include:
WhatsApp.
Instagram.
Facebook.
Google Search or Maps.
A friend's recommendation.
A previous customer.
A physical signboard.
An online advertisement.
At the end of each month, compare the number of enquiries and actual purchases from each source.
Consider this illustrative example:
| Marketing source | Enquiries | Completed orders |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 12 | |
| 55 | 8 | |
| Customer referrals | 15 | 10 |
| 20 | 7 |
In this example, Instagram generated the most enquiries, but referrals produced a higher number of orders relative to the enquiries received.
That does not mean Instagram is useless. It means the business should investigate why some enquiries do not become sales and understand what makes referred customers more likely to buy.
The numbers are illustrative, not industry benchmarks.
The purpose of tracking is to replace guesswork with evidence.
11. A practical 30-day customer acquisition plan
You do not need to change everything about your business at once.
A focused month of improvements can help you identify what works.
Week 1: Make your business easier to understand
Review your business description, product photographs, prices, contact details and ordering instructions. Remove confusing information and make your main offer clear.
Week 2: Improve your online presence
Set up or improve your WhatsApp Business profile. Organise your catalogue if relevant. If your business qualifies, create or update your Google Business Profile.
Week 3: Build trust and follow up
Publish useful product information, genuine demonstrations and customer feedback with permission. Review unanswered enquiries and follow up professionally.
Week 4: Measure the results
Count your enquiries, completed sales and customer sources. Identify which activities brought serious buyers and which ones consumed time without producing meaningful results.
At the end of the month, decide what to improve next.
You may discover that your business needs better product photographs rather than more advertisements. Another business may discover that it needs faster responses or clearer pricing.
The right solution depends on what your own results reveal.
Final Thoughts: More Visibility Is Useful, but More Trust Is What Converts
Getting customers is one of the most important responsibilities of running a small business.
But attracting attention is only the beginning.
People need to understand what you offer, believe that your business can deliver and know exactly how to make a purchase.
That is why successful customer acquisition requires more than posting regularly or reducing prices.
Start with the people who are most likely to need your product or service. Make your business easy to find. Present your offer clearly. Build trust through genuine evidence. Follow up professionally and measure the results.
You do not need to be everywhere online.
You need to be visible in the right places, useful to the right people and reliable when customers are ready to buy.
References and Further Reading
The State of Nigerian Social Commerce 2026 – Mola — Survey of 495 Nigerian small-business owners and their reported customer acquisition challenges.
PwC Nigeria MSME Survey 2024 — Research on Nigerian MSME operations, technology and digital customer engagement.
WhatsApp Business – Business App Features — Official information on business profiles, catalogues, quick replies and customer communication.
Google Business Profile – Add or Claim Your Business — Official guidance on business listing and verification.
Google Business Profile – Improve Local Ranking — Guidance on local search visibility and business profile quality.
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