Access Bank offers SMEs discounted creator campaigns
Getting attention on social media is becoming part of running a small business. For some businesses, the owner is the person taking the photos,
Access Bank
A business owner trying to sell online has plenty of ways to advertise. The harder part is deciding where to put the money. Access Bank is giving its SME customers another option through a new partnership with Aktivate, a creator commerce platform.
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A business owner trying to sell online has plenty of ways to advertise. The harder part is deciding where to put the money. Access Bank is giving its SME customers another option through a new partnership with Aktivate, a creator commerce platform. Under the deal, eligible Access Bank SME customers can access Aktivate's creator campaign service for ₦5,000, which is a 67% discount. Aktivate says it has more than 50,000 verified creators on its platform.
The service is aimed at businesses that want creators to promote their products or services to their own audiences. That does not necessarily mean working with celebrities or accounts with millions of followers. Aktivate's network includes nano and micro creators, which can be useful for businesses looking for a more specific audience. A small clothing business, for example, may be more interested in reaching people who already follow fashion content than simply getting its product in front of the largest possible audience.
What the business gets
“A creator can bring attention to a product, but the business still has to turn that attention into a sale.”
Aktivate helps businesses find creators and organise campaigns through its platform. That removes some of the searching and back and forth that normally comes with approaching creators directly. The ₦5,000 price also gives Access Bank customers a relatively inexpensive way to try the service.
Whether the campaign works is another matter. A post can get plenty of views without producing a single sale. For an SME, the useful result is likely to be an enquiry, an order, a new customer or some other action that can be traced back to the campaign. That makes the offer more interesting as a test than as a guaranteed marketing solution.
A creator can bring attention to a product, but the business still has to turn that attention into a sale.
Why Access Bank is offering it
Access Bank says its SME customers need support beyond banking services. Abiodun Olubitan, Group Head of SME Banking Products at Access Bank, said the bank wants to give SMEs access to tools that can help them find customers and build their brands. For Aktivate, the deal puts its platform in front of a large group of businesses that may not have used creator marketing before.
Akinbola Asalu, CEO of Aktivate, said smaller businesses have historically found creator marketing difficult to access at scale. The partnership is therefore less about giving SMEs another advertising platform and more about making it easier for them to try a type of marketing that has usually required more time and money.
The offer is limited to Access Bank customers
The discounted campaign is available only to Access Bank SME customers. Eligible businesses can access Aktivate's service for ₦5,000 and work with creators from its network of more than 50,000 verified creators. For a business already spending money on social media marketing, the offer gives it another channel to test. The real measure will be what happens after the creator posts whether people actually contact the business, visit the store or place an order.
