Exploring the role of digital marketing strategies in enhancing halal brand visibility in Nigeria’s food, beverage, and cosmetics industries

Abstract

This study examines the role of digital marketing strategies in enhancing halal brand visibility in Nigeria. Despite the growing global demand for halal products and the increasing acceptance of halal branding as a mainstream phenomenon, halal businesses in Nigeria continue to face challenges in achieving visibility, competitiveness, and recognition in both Muslim and non-Muslim markets. Having adopted a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen halal business owners and managers in the cosmetics and food and beverage sectors. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo software, which revealed four major themes: digital marketing strategies for visibility, perceptions of effectiveness, impacts on visibility, recognition and reputation, and challenges in implementation. The findings show that businesses employ diverse digital tools, particularly Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Google Ads, to engage audiences and strengthen visibility. Business owners rated digital marketing as highly effective, with improvements noted in sales, customer engagement, and brand recognition. Digital marketing also enhanced competitiveness by showcasing halal certification and ethical values, thereby appealing to both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers. However, challenges such as limited resources, content creation demands, knowledge gaps in SEO and analytics, and the need to balance creativity with Shariah compliance were recurrent across businesses. The study concludes that digital marketing is central to the visibility and competitiveness of halal brands in Nigeria, offering opportunities to expand market reach and build consumer trust. It recommends capacity-building through training, financial support, and tailored digital resources that align with halal principles. By addressing these barriers, halal businesses can optimise digital platforms to consolidate their market presence and strengthen their role in the growing halal economy.