A decade ago, there were only a handful of digital marketing agencies in Lagos. But fast forward to 2021, it’s starting to look like there is a digital marketing agency on almost every street that you turn to.
Part of why this is happening is because of the fast pace at which the digital marketing industry is growing globally. Research shows that the industry was valued at around $290-310 billion in 2019 with future estimates looking much stronger owing to continual attraction on digital channels.
With industry projections like this, businesses and brands today now have golden opportunities to reach their customers across channels like email marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, online advertising, and many more.
But leveraging on digital marketing for your business isn’t always as easy as it sounds. That’s essentially why digital marketing agencies exist. Nevertheless, choosing the best digital marketing agency for your business presents a new set of challenges since there are so many agencies out there.
So in this article, I’ll cover my best recommendations and common traits of great agencies.
The 7 Top Digital Marketing Companies in Lagos Nigeria
Let’s be clear, there are lots of really good digital marketing agencies in Lagos. Since our own agency is based in Lagos, we’ve had the opportunity to thoroughly observe how the agencies on our list have evolved over the years.
Considering how broad digital marketing is, we’ve decided to list only the best agencies across all categories (or areas of specialization).
Check out the list below – and I hope you find it helpful to you.
I. TolaMasters Digital — Best Growth Marketing Agency in Lagos
TolaMasters Digital serves startups and brands by working closely with their team to make marketing a revenue center not a cost center. They work with teams in nearly all industries, from boostrapping startup founders to enterprise-sized brands.
TolaMasters was founded as a remote agency with team members in Lagos and London. They have an agile team of subject matter specialists across key growth channels like Paid Search Ads (Google Search & Bing Ads), Paid Social Ads (Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Linkedin Ads, and Youtube Ads), and SEO (Technical SEO, Link-building, & Content Marketing).
Others include Conversion Rate Optimization (conversion research, user research, A/B testing), Email Marketing, and Sales Funnels.
Sample case study: Low Carb Haven (LCH)
Past clients include: Rent Jiffy, Ethos Private Equity, Sam&Wright Consulting, APSIS, Mad Kicks, etc.
Verdict: If you’re not looking for a typical marketing agency but one which specializes in accelerating the growth of businesses using best-in-class growth strategies, tactics and creative ideas – then TolaMasters Digital is your go-to agency.
II. Wild Fusion – Best Enterprise-level Digital Marketing Agency in Lagos
Wild Fusion is one of the oldest digital marketing agencies not just in Lagos – but in Nigeria and West Africa. Since being founded in 2010, they’ve served local and international markets – with offices in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya.
Interestingly, they provide traditional and digital marketing services – and even have a digital marketing training center in Lagos.
Sample case study: Knorr Nigeria
Some past clients include: Unilever, Lafarge, Guinness, British Council, and Access Bank.
Verdict: If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency in Lagos that serves mid-market or enterprise-level companies, then Wild Fusion is your best pick. Based on their Clutch profile, their minimum project size is around $10,000 and could go up to as much as $200,000 depending on the size of the project.
III. Colture Management – Best Marketing & Communications Agency in Lagos
Colture Management was founded in 2016 as a full-service marketing, branding, and communications company based in Lagos.
Samuel Uchendu is the company’s founder and has a track record of helping businesses reach their business goals through brand marketing and PR related services.
But the company does more than branding and PR. They provide other services including video production, PR/brand communications, social media marketing, market research, content creation & storytelling, and advertising.
Sample case study: Live with Lynda
Some past clients include: Mallam Figo, Live with Lynda, Lagos Finest Realty LTD, and Chef Henitz.
Verdict: If you’re looking for a versatile brand marketing and communications company that serves both small and large businesses, then you should check out Colture Management. Plus, they have a really friendly and energetic team – which is an added bonus.
IV. The Y Brand – Best Brand Strategy Agency in Lagos
The Y Brand is a brand strategy and education company. They provide consulting and training services to entrepreneurs, startups and organizations looking to build strong and competitive brands.
The Y Brand was founded in 2020 by Toyosi Oduyale who has led teams working on nationwide campaigns for brands like Maltina during her time as a brand manager for the Heineken company.
Some past clients: Redbull, Global Harvest Church, and Imani Hair Collection.
Verdict: If you’re a business owner looking for a company that offers holistic branding services, then I recommend that you hire The Y Brand. They also have customized training sessions on brand strategy for individuals and teams.
V. Richee Media – Best Social Media Marketing Agency in Lagos
Richee Media is a social media marketing agency that helps businesses build awareness, drive interests, and generate sales. They leverage all major social channels including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and Youtube.
According to their website, they’ve completed over 75 social media campaigns for clients – from solo entrepreneurs and startups to NGOs and religious institutions.
The company was founded in 2019 by Richard Juwah.
Sample Case Study: OctaFX
Some past clients: KoraPay, Get Contact, OctaFX, Christ Embassy, and Leading Ladies Africa.
Verdict: If you’re need a reliable social media marketing company to handle all your social media needs, including planning, posting, marketing and measuring your content effectiveness across your social channels, then you should reach out to Richee Media.
VI. CK Digital – Best Web Design Agency in Lagos
Founded in 2011 by Charles Dairo, CK Digital is a digital agency with a particular focus on website design and branding. The company boasts of growing team of 12 employees and have completed 450+ projects.
Sample Case Study: Red Star Express
Some past clients: Red Star Express, Vitafoam, SIFAX Group, Chams, and Alternative Finance.
VII. Utiva – Best Digital Marketing Training Agency in Lagos
Utiva isn’t exactly a marketing agency, but several agency founders have cut their teeth in digital marketing through their intensive marketing school. Founded in 2017, Utiva has leveraged technology to provide high-demand skill training to 9000+ learners in over 15 countries.
The company is led by Eyitayo Ogunmola who created Utiva with the vision of training talents that global companies can hire with confidence.
Verdict: If you’re a business owner looking to create an in-house team of thoroughly trained digital marketers, you should look to hire from the pool of marketing talents at Utiva.
5 Common Attributes of Top Performing Digital Marketing Agencies in Lagos
I’ve shared my recommendations regarding the top marketing agencies in Lagos based on areas of specialization. Now let’s go on to assess what makes these agencies the best in their field. This will give you some ideas on how to select your next agency.
Having researched on the founders of each of the agencies on my list, here are 5 traits common to each of their agencies.
I. Obsessed about driving results.
For top agencies, driving results isn’t a KPI. It is THE KPI. Quite frankly, I have noticed that the best agencies have an obssessive relationship with driving best-in-class results.
So, before choosing to work with an agency, look through their library of case studies. Ask questions. Understand how they plan to drive results for your business, how long it will take, how will results be measured, etc.
Only work with agencies that are obsessed about getting you results.
II. Extremely picky when hiring talents.
Let’s face it, an agency is ONLY as great as the quality of talent it hires. More employees doesn’t mean better quality for top marketing agencies. These agencies focus on finding, hiring, and retaining A-players only.
So don’t be fooled by the team size of an agency. Often times, it’s the agencies with lean but high-quality workforce that pull the most weight for their clients.
III. Optimizing for Subject Matter Expertise.
Quite simply, the best agencies don’t run in a million directions. They define their subject matter expertise and relentlessly optimize for it.
From observation, top agencies are focused on positioning themselves to be perceived as the best agency on the market for X – with X being their subject matter expertise.
So when looking to hire an agency, focus on the ones that are super clear on what they are subject matter experts at.
IV. Precise about their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
Here’s a little secret – the best agencies are also (by far) the most profitable agencies out there. And the little secret on how they achieve this is by defining and serving only clients that fit their Ideal Customer Profile.
It’s tempting to think that agencies that serve any/every type of client must be bringing in more income than those that filter clients based on their ICP. But nothing could be farther from the truth.
The most profitable agencies are also the most picky about who they agree to work with. So here’s a little tip for you when hiring your next agency – ask them what kind of client is a good fit/bad fit for them.
If they aren’t clear with their answer – that’s a red flag right there.
V. Bullish about ongoing learning & education
The world of Digital marketing is always evolving. There are new trends. New updates. New algorithm. It’s hard keeping tabs on all these changes.
But top agencies don’t compromise on ongoing learning and education – in fact, it’s primal to how they build a competitive moat around their brand.
How do you know if an agency is constantly learning?
Simple – check their blog page and check their social channels.
If they aren’t constantly updating these pages with new information stemming from what they are learning and implementing – then chances are they aren’t really bullish about ongoing education.
Bottom line
Hiring a great digital marketing company is worth it especially if you’d like to save time, get better results, and even learn directly from experts.
But not every agency hanging up their shingle is worth trying out.
So whether you’re looking to work with an agency for a one-time project or you need continous help, use these recommendations and tips in coming to a decision on the right agency to hire.
Over to you – have you vetted and hired a digital marketing agency in the past? What qualities did you look out for before making a decision?