Senior Manager at MTN Business, Benedict Bentil has encouraged Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt deliberate and data-driven marketing strategies as a cornerstone for sustainable business growth and profitability.
Speaking during Week 3 of the #CitiBusinessFestival 2025 On-Air Series on the topic “Marketing for SMEs”, Bentil was of the view of that SMEs that align their offerings with specific customer needs stand a better chance of succeeding in today’s business world.
“Too often, entrepreneurs start with a product and then try to find customers,” he said. “But the winning formula is to identify a customer problem and design a product to solve it. That way, you’re creating real value for a ready market.”
He urged business owners to invest in market research, customer segmentation, and strategic targeting.
He cautioned against generic approaches, adding, “You don’t just spray and pray. You need to understand what your product offers, who it benefits, and what motivates your customers to buy.”
He also pointed to a critical gap in SME operations which is the absence of customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
According to him, many SMEs are unable to track basic customer data such as age, preferences, economic status, or even social media behaviour.
