Nigerians want natural remedies for everything. From minor issues to things that may need surgery, agbo or some well-packaged variation is all they need.
So if you’ve been wondering how to sell your latest herbal product, let Zikoko hook you up with a guide on how to market herbal medicine to Nigerians.
1. The packaging must be green
How else will people know that it was made with natural ingredients? Green signifies health and growth, Nigerians like things like that, just look at our national flag. Okay maybe not that flag, that’s a red flag.
2. It must be affordable
If your herbal medicine isn’t affordable, and by affordable, we mean ₦50-₦100, you’re deceiving yourself because who will buy it? Times are hard, dollar is rising and we’re saving for japa. If your medicine is not affordable, what is small sickness that we can’t manage?
3. It must cure Staphylococcus aureus
And all the aureuses [pronounced arus] in the world. You don’t even have to know what it means but it is guaranteed to make your advert stand out. Nigerians like to hear big words.
4. It must have an Interesting name
If you want to capture the hearts and pockets of your customers, make the name of your herbal medicine interesting. Think “Dr Kehinde’s fast relief”, “Blessed Miracle cleanser”, “Ajase-Ipo tonic super powder.” “Ojuelegba low sperm count destroyer.” “Professor Emmanuel’s womb cleanser’ ”. Be creative!
5. Your product must use buzz words
You have a lot of competition and people have short attention spans. You have to use words and illnesses that will quickly catch their attention. Words like “infection, rheumatism, waist pain, low sperm count, jedi jedi” The more the merrier.
Nigerians love it when one drug can cure many things, especially headaches and body pain because being a Nigerian is tiring.
6. It must be useful for people’s sex lives
Don’t overthink this and don’t ask why. Just make sure your herbal medicine can cure low sperm count, fix erectile dysfunction (which you MUST describe as ‘weak erection’), thicken watery sperm, etc. Nigerians can be hush-hush about sex, so when people rush your product you might think it’s because many people have headaches. That’s not what they’re buying it for. At all.
7. Have a funny jingle
Remember, there’s no need to pay for radio or TV advertisements. Just buy a big megaphone, place it in the middle of a major market and have someone market your herbal medicine wearing a blazer over a t-shirt no matter how hot the sun is. If little kids can’t recite your wildly inappropriate jingle unprovoked, you need to change it.
8. Make sure it contains ginseng and moringa
This guarantees that older Nigerians will buy your product. Ginseng is ginger that studied abroad and Nigerians believe that ginger can cure everything. Moringa helps lower your blood pressure. The lower it is, the less likely you are to fight people on the road for no reason.
9. Be incredibly graphic when describing the diseases that your medicine treats.
Who gives a shit that you’re in a public bus where people might be eating things like gala and yoghurt? You have medicine to sell, and you will scream at everybody in that danfo about the milky discharge that comes with staphylococcus aureus until they either buy what you’re selling or throw up in disgust. It’s their call, to be honest.
10. Now you’re ready to sell your own herbal medicine
Go forth and froth. Whatever your eye sees, we’re not there.
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