The power of local knowledge
Arguably one of the most underrated and critical aspects of working successfully in any region is local knowledge. You need to have a thorough understanding of your clients, the industries and markets in which they operate, the customers with whom they work, and the social and cultural practices that govern every professional interaction. You need to speak the local language – literally and metaphorically. At SES, our senior marketing manager in West Africa, Oyoenisai Andrew-Essien, offers all of these traits.
Born and bred in Nigeria and currently based in Lagos, Oyoenisai has been with SES since 2016. She has almost a decade’s worth of experience in IT and ICT to her name and has worked with a variety of software and infrastructure companies, some of which are Fortune 500-listed. Although she has marketed IT security solutions across West Africa, East Africa and SADC over the years, Oyoenisai currently focuses her marketing skills and expertise on the region she knows best, her West African home.
At SES, Oyoenisai is responsible for making the company’s products and services available to new and existing clients in West Africa. SES is the world’s leading satellite provider and has been operating in Africa for over 20 years. Through Oyoenisai’s years of industry experience and detailed knowledge of the West African market, the company is generating unprecedented and deeply qualified leads in the region.
“Turning simple enquiries into prospective leads is a complex process,” says Oyoenisai. “There’s no quick-fix solution and no one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, effective lead generation requires an understanding of marketing that takes every aspect of our clients’ businesses into account, from the markets in which they operate to the customers they serve, and the products and services they need in order to do their work successfully.”
To secure new business, Oyoenisai draws on a wide spectrum of practices and tactics that are tailor-made to suit every client’s unique requirements. “SES has invested in Africa to make this possible,” she says. The company’s Satellite Monitor survey, for example, offers detailed, evidence-based insight and analysis on consumers’ TV infrastructure and behaviour. “It is through Satellite Monitor that we learnt that the number of Nigerian homes using SES’s services grew from 3 million in 2015 to 11 million in 2018,” she adds. “This in-depth knowledge is immensely useful for our clients.”
Satellite Monitor works hand-in-hand with SES’s targeted social media campaigns and high profile events. The website’s live chat functionality also gives prospective clients direct access to real, informed agents, not automated programmes or bots. This means that, on the off chance that you can’t reach Oyoenisai herself, you can speak to someone virtually who will be able to provide you with all the information you need.
As Oyoenisai goes about her work, she closely monitors shifts in the industry and the evolving needs of her clients. “You never know when business is going to strike,” she says, “which is why you’ve got to be prepared with flexible marketing tools founded on unparalleled market insight, valuable products and exceptional customer service.”
To find out how Oyoenisai Andrew-Essien and the rest of the SES team can help you with your satellite requirements, contact her by calling +234 1 277 6779 or emailing [email protected] today.