30/10/2025
iKing, please can I have your WhatsApp number?
“To do what, sir?”
“So I can be viewing your status, we can be chatting, you know…”
Hmm. Me that hasn’t even posted on WhatsApp status for 6 months now. 😂
Let me be honest with you
Having someone’s WhatsApp number doesn’t mean you’re close to them. You can even have my number and still feel like you don’t have it at all. Because even me, I can go two weeks without opening that green app.
But let me tell you why I stopped being active on WhatsApp.
It’s not pride. It’s pure business wisdom.
When I launched my bill platform (Otapay) few month ago,
the first place I posted it was my WhatsApp status.
And mind you
I have over 4,000 contacts on my phone.
Why?
Because back then I was very active in the music industry.
I had artists’ numbers, DJs, radio presenters, MCs, promoters, TV Stations - name them.
So I thought, “Ah! This one go blow.”
My team designed the graphics. Wrote a sweet caption. Posted it with confidence.
“Hey guys! I just launched a new data platform go register, test it, and enjoy cheap data!”
You won’t believe it…
Only 4 people registered.
And out of the 4, only 1 person bought data ₦5,000 worth.
😂 Imagine posting something to 4,000 people and selling just ₦5,000.
That day I realized something powerful:
People on WhatsApp love you, but they don’t always support you.
They’ll hype your picture, drop emojis, laugh at your jokes…
But when it’s time to buy or support your business, they disappear.
So I told myself:
“Ferry, this WhatsApp is not for business. It’s for vibes.”
I stopped posting there.
And I started using my brain instead of my WhatsApp status.
What did I do?
I used psychological marketing.
I did a press release that read:
“UNILAG Final Year Accounting Students launches Bill payment platform to make data cheaper for Nigerian students.”
I posted that article on student groups and blogs.
Boom!
First day, 500 new users.
Within weeks - 2,000+ users.
(Why? Because many people wants to know how a Final Year Students manage to build a Bill Payment Platform, and Accounting Student for that matter 😂).
Next, I started ranking the Website using my Search Engine Optimisations skills, utilizing Onpage, Off page and Technical SEO Strategy.
Boom!!
Within two months we hit 5k+ users.
No ads. No influencer. Just strategy and positioning.
So what’s the lesson?
1: Don’t market emotionally. Market strategically.
Your WhatsApp friends are not your customers, they are your spectators.
2: Stop begging for support.
Build systems that attract strangers who need what you sell.
3: Learn positioning.
Rich people don’t sell to people who “know” them. They sell to people who trust them.
4: if your business depends only on who knows you, you’ll die broke.
Let your business depend on who needs you.
So when people say,
“iKing, please can I have your WhatsApp number so I can view your status?”
I just smile.
Because I know
If my WhatsApp could not give me ₦5,000 profit,
but my press release and SEO gave me millions,
then I already know where to invest my energy.
Lastly: Stop seeking attention. Start seeking conversion.
Don’t chase audience, build systems that make people chase you.
My name is Iking Ferry, a Financial Literacy Advocate on a mission to build a billion-naira Company from Zero Capital.