1What Is It?
Digital Marketing in Plain English
Define digital marketing simply, using the market woman comparison
Think about a good market woman. She does not just sit quietly with her goods. She calls out to people walking past. She lets you taste a little. She remembers your face and gives you a fair price, so you come back. When you are ready, she makes buying easy.
Digital marketing is exactly the same thing, but online. It is using digital channels like social media, WhatsApp, email and search to help the right people notice a business, become interested, trust it, and take action.
In Lesson 19 you planned content. Today you learn how that content fits into a bigger picture, so every post has a job to do.
Digital marketing is exactly the same thing, but online. It is using digital channels like social media, WhatsApp, email and search to help the right people notice a business, become interested, trust it, and take action.
In Lesson 19 you planned content. Today you learn how that content fits into a bigger picture, so every post has a job to do.
2Why Do I Need It?
Good Products Still Need to Be Seen
Connect marketing to real needs for personal brands, small businesses and digital work
Many people have great products, services or skills, but nobody knows about them. Others post every day and still do not see results, because their content is not leading anyone anywhere.
Understanding basic digital marketing helps you in three ways. If you have a business or side hustle, you can promote it more clearly. If you want to support businesses with social media or digital work, marketing is one of the most requested skills. And even in everyday life, it helps you understand why certain posts and adverts make you stop and click.
The good news: the basics do not require a big budget. Many small businesses start with free tools they already have, like WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
Understanding basic digital marketing helps you in three ways. If you have a business or side hustle, you can promote it more clearly. If you want to support businesses with social media or digital work, marketing is one of the most requested skills. And even in everyday life, it helps you understand why certain posts and adverts make you stop and click.
The good news: the basics do not require a big budget. Many small businesses start with free tools they already have, like WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
Marketing is not shouting "buy now"
Most people need to see a business several times before they trust it enough to buy. Good marketing builds that trust step by step, instead of pushing for a sale on the first day.
3Show Me
The Customer Journey: Attention, Interest, Trust, Action
Walk through the 4 stages using Chop Chop Small Chops from Lesson 19
Every customer moves through four stages before they buy. Let us use Chop Chop Small Chops again, the Abuja small chops business from Lesson 19.
A
Attention
"Who is this?"
People notice you for the first time. Strong hooks, eye-catching visuals and shareable posts do this job.
Chop Chop: A short video of puff-puff being fried at 5am appears on someone's feed.
I
Interest
"This is useful to me."
They follow, save or watch more because your content solves a problem or speaks to their needs.
Chop Chop: They save the carousel on how many packs to order for a party.
T
Trust
"Can I rely on them?"
Reviews, real customer photos, behind-the-scenes content and quick, polite replies build confidence.
Chop Chop: They see customers' party photos and a review from an office admin.
A
Action
"Let me do it."
A clear offer and an easy next step: message, order, book, sign up or visit.
Chop Chop: They see the Friday party pack offer and send "PACK" on WhatsApp.
Link the journey back to the content mix
Notice something? Your 3-2-1-1 content mix from Lesson 19 already covers this journey. Educate and engage posts build attention and interest. Personal posts and customer stories build trust. Promote posts invite action. When you plan content, ask: which stage is this post for?
Marketing words you will hear everywhere
Offer
What you are inviting people to get, and on what terms.
"Order 50 packs before Thursday and get free delivery within Wuse."
Lead
A person who has shown interest and shared a way to contact them.
Someone who sends a WhatsApp message asking for prices.
Lead magnet
Something free and useful you give in exchange for contact details.
A free "Party Food Planning Checklist" sent on WhatsApp.
Call to action (CTA)
The exact next step you ask people to take.
"Send PACK to 0803 000 0000 to order."
Conversion
When someone takes the action you wanted, like buying or signing up.
10 people messaged; 4 ordered. That is 4 conversions.
Organic vs paid
Organic is free reach from your own posts. Paid is reach you pay for through adverts.
A normal post is organic; a boosted post is paid.
The main digital marketing channels
| Channel | What it is good for | Cost to start |
|---|---|---|
| Social media | Attention and interest through regular content on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and X | Free |
| Trust and action: personal conversations, Status updates, catalogues and broadcast lists | Free | |
| Google Business Profile | Being found when people search for a business near them on Google and Maps | Free |
| Staying in touch with people who signed up: updates, tips and offers | Free to start | |
| Paid ads | Reaching more people faster on Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google or TikTok | Paid |
This lesson focuses on free, beginner-friendly channels. Paid advertising is a specialist skill that is best learned after you understand the basics.
4Let's Do It
WhatsApp Marketing and the Simple Marketing Idea
Show the WhatsApp Business features and the respect rules
For many Nigerian businesses, WhatsApp is where the sale actually happens. WhatsApp Business is free and has four features that make marketing easier. Open WhatsApp Business on your phone and follow along.
⭕ Status
Short updates your contacts see for 24 hours. Great for daily offers, behind the scenes and customer photos.
Tip: post 2 to 4 status updates a day, not 20.
🛍️ Catalogue
A mini shop inside your profile with photos, prices and descriptions of what you sell.
Tip: send the catalogue link instead of typing prices every time.
📣 Broadcast lists
Send one message to many people at once. Each person receives it privately, like a normal chat.
Tip: only people who have saved your number receive broadcasts.
🏷️ Labels
Tag chats as New Customer, Paid, Follow Up and so on, so no lead is forgotten.
Tip: check your "Follow Up" label every morning.
The respect rules
Only message people who know you or asked to hear from you. Do not add people to groups without permission. Do not send the same offer every day. Always make it easy for people to say "please stop," and honour it. Respectful marketing builds trust; spam destroys it.
The 7 parts of a simple marketing idea
Introduce the marketing idea framework with a worked example
A marketing idea is a small, focused plan to get one result. It is not a huge campaign. It answers 7 questions: What is the goal? Who is it for? What is the offer? Which channel? What is the message? What action should people take? How will you measure it? Here is a complete example.
Example marketing idea
Chop Chop "Friday Office Treat"
Goal
Get 5 office orders in 2 weeks
Audience
Office admins and team leads in Wuse and Garki who organise Friday treats and staff birthdays
Offer
Office pack of 30, with free delivery for orders placed by Thursday 4pm
Channel
WhatsApp Status and broadcast list, plus 2 Instagram posts and a LinkedIn post
Message
"Make Friday the best day of the week for your team. Fresh small chops delivered to your office by 12 noon."
Action
Send "OFFICE" on WhatsApp to place an order
Measure
Number of "OFFICE" messages received and number of orders confirmed
5Now You Try
Build Your Own Marketing Idea
Have students use the builder for the same business they used in Lesson 19
Now it is your turn. Use the same business you planned a content calendar for in Lesson 19. Fill in the 7 parts below. Keep it small and realistic: one goal, one audience, one offer. When you are done, click "Create my marketing idea," then copy the result into your Google Drive.
Your answers are saved on this device.
6Your Task
Lesson 20 Assignment
This lesson's assignment
Create one simple marketing idea for your chosen business, map your content to the customer journey, and prepare the WhatsApp messages and posts you would use to share it.
- 1
Map the journey: In the workbook, write one example post for each stage: Attention, Interest, Trust and Action.
- 2
Create your marketing idea: Complete all 7 parts using the builder or the workbook. Use Prompt 1 and Prompt 2 to sharpen your idea and your offer.
- 3
Write the messages: Use Prompt 3 to write a WhatsApp Status sequence and one broadcast message for your idea.
- 4
Design one visual: Create one Canva design or short video that promotes your offer.
- 5
Save it: Save your marketing idea, messages and visual in a Google Drive folder called "Marketing Idea: [Business Name]." This is part of your final project.
7What Did You Create?
Your First Marketing Plan
Close by naming the output and pointing to Lesson 21
Today you went from "posting content" to thinking like a marketer. You now understand how people move from noticing a business to trusting it and taking action. You know the words that marketers use every day. You know how to use WhatsApp to market respectfully. And you have created your first complete marketing idea, with a goal, an offer, a message and a way to measure results.
Together with your content calendar from Lesson 19, you now have two key pieces of your final project ready.
In Lesson 21, we zoom out and look at what you can actually do with all the digital skills you have learned, from virtual assistance to customer service, content creation and marketing support.
Together with your content calendar from Lesson 19, you now have two key pieces of your final project ready.
In Lesson 21, we zoom out and look at what you can actually do with all the digital skills you have learned, from virtual assistance to customer service, content creation and marketing support.
- One example post written for each journey stage
- Complete marketing idea with all 7 parts
- WhatsApp Status sequence and broadcast message written
- One promotional visual or short video created
- Everything saved in my "Marketing Idea" Google Drive folder
WWorkbook
Lesson 20 Student Workbook
Instructions
Use the same business you chose in Lesson 19. Fill in each part before you start creating messages or designs.
🛤️ Part A: My Customer Journey
Business:
One example post for each stage:
Attention:
Interest:
Trust:
Action:
💡 Part B: My Marketing Idea
Idea name:
Goal:
Audience:
Offer:
Channel:
Message:
Action:
Measure:
📲 Part C: My WhatsApp Plan
Three Status updates I will post for this idea:
Status 1:
Status 2:
Status 3:
My broadcast message (who receives it, and what it says):
TTask
Create One Simple Marketing Idea
Time: about 60 to 75 minutes
Output: a 7-part marketing idea, a WhatsApp Status sequence, a broadcast message and one promotional visual, saved in your "Marketing Idea" Google Drive folder.
Part 1: Plan the Idea (25 minutes)
- 1
Fill in Part A of the workbook: one post idea for each journey stage.
- 2
Run Prompt 1 to brainstorm 5 marketing ideas for your business. Pick the one that is simplest and most realistic.
- 3
Use Prompt 2 to make your offer clearer and more attractive. Then complete all 7 parts in the builder or workbook.
Part 2: Prepare the Messages (25 minutes)
- 1
Run Prompt 3 to write 3 WhatsApp Status updates and one broadcast message for your idea.
- 2
Edit the AI's wording so it sounds like the business owner, and check every detail: prices, dates, locations and phone numbers.
- 3
Optional: run Prompt 4 to create a simple lead magnet idea, such as a free checklist or guide.
Part 3: Create and Check (20 minutes)
- 1
Design one visual in Canva (or record a short video) that clearly shows the offer and the call to action.
- 2
Check your idea against the list below, then save everything in your "Marketing Idea" folder.
- The goal is specific and measurable
- The audience is clear, not "everybody"
- The offer is easy to understand in one sentence
- The call to action tells people exactly what to do
- The messages respect people's time and permission
📣
Lesson 20 Complete!
You have created your first marketing idea. In Lesson 21, you will explore what you can do with your digital skills.
AIPrompts
Lesson 20 Prompt Library
Add to your Prompt Library Google Doc
Open your "My AI Prompt Library" document, add the heading "Lesson 20: Digital Marketing," and paste all five prompts below.
Digital Marketing Prompts
Prompt 1: Brainstorm simple marketing ideas
"Act as a digital marketing coach for small Nigerian businesses. My business is [business name], a [type of business] in [city] that serves [audience]. Give me 5 simple, low-cost marketing ideas I could run in the next 2 weeks using [WhatsApp / Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn]. For each idea, give: the goal, the audience, the offer, the channel, the main message, the call to action, and how to measure it. Keep each idea realistic for a small business with little or no ad budget."
Pick the simplest idea first. You can always run a bigger one later.
Prompt 2: Make my offer clearer and more attractive
"Here is my offer for [business name]: [describe offer]. My audience is [audience]. Rewrite it in 3 different ways that are clearer and more attractive, each in one sentence. Then suggest one small, low-cost bonus or deadline I could add to encourage people to act, without being pushy or misleading."
Never promise something the business cannot deliver. A clear, honest offer builds trust.
Prompt 3: Write WhatsApp marketing messages
"Write WhatsApp marketing messages for this idea: [paste your 7-part marketing idea]. Create: (1) 3 WhatsApp Status updates for 3 different days (each under 25 words: one to build interest, one to build trust, one to invite action), and (2) one friendly broadcast message under 80 words for existing customers, ending with the call to action and a polite line telling people they can reply STOP if they do not want offers."
Read every message on your phone before sending. If it feels like spam to you, it will feel like spam to them.
Prompt 4: Create a simple lead magnet
"Suggest 3 simple lead magnet ideas for [business name], which serves [audience]. A lead magnet is something free and useful I can share on WhatsApp in exchange for someone messaging me. For the best idea, write the full content (for example, a one-page checklist or short guide) in simple language, and write a short post inviting people to message me to receive it."
You can design the final lead magnet in Canva and share it as a PDF or image.
Prompt 5: Review my results
"I ran this marketing idea for [business name]: [paste idea]. Here are my results after [time period]: people reached or viewed [number], messages or enquiries [number], orders or sign-ups [number]. Explain in simple terms what these numbers suggest, which stage of the Attention, Interest, Trust, Action journey looks weakest, and give me 3 specific changes to try next time."
Every marketing idea teaches you something, even when results are small.