Between July 22–24, 2025, the Oyo State Government hosted the second edition of its flagship international tourism investor summit — ITSOyoState2025.
Once again, Slvr Wlf Digitale was tasked with putting the summit together and driving visibility for billion-naira opportunities.
When you’re targeting High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs), every click, caption, and conversion matters.
Here are 5 practical marketing lessons we took away from managing this high-stakes, government-led investor summit.
Lessons from the Oyo State Tourism Investor Summit
1. Small Tweaks Drive Big Results
We ran several ad campaigns across Google and Meta, aiming to attract HNWIs to attend curated tours, the Governor’s Dinner, and the summit itself.
We learned fast: small tweaks make a big difference — especially when algorithms are involved.
AI-driven platforms are powerful, but they rely on cues. If your caption is vague or your CTA is generic, you’ll attract browsers — not buyers.
We had to run different ads for:
- Tour registrations (Oyo and Ibadan zones)
- Summit attendance
- Governor’s Dinner & Awards
- Call for exhibitors
- Call for award nominations
- Brochure advertising
🎯 Takeaways:
- Changing one ad caption doubled our click-through rate
- Microcopy matters — it’s not just the visuals that sell
2. People Judge Emails by the Subject Line, Not the Message
Every qualified lead received an email requesting further information. But the first batch — over 50 emails — went unanswered.
They were delivered. We even followed up by phone. The issue?
👉 The subject line.
Example:
- Subject: “Your Attendance Confirmation” — misread as “Your attendance has been confirmed”
- Revised: “Your attendance is not confirmed — reply by [date]” — created urgency and clarity
🎯 Takeaway:
- A poorly worded subject = 50 ignored invites
- A direct, emotional subject = 3× more responses
3. Facebook’s “Suggestions” Aren’t Gospel
Meta will tell you what’s “working” — but the algorithm doesn’t know your goals.
Yes, an ad might have high engagement. But if nobody registers, it’s not a good ad.
We were constantly prompted to:
- Collapse ads
- Use broad audiences
- Default to auto placements
But clicks ≠ conversions.
If you’re targeting HNWIs, you cannot leave targeting to chance.
🎯 Takeaway:
- Automatic placements = great for reach, terrible for precision
- Know your goal. Override default settings. Think like a strategist.
4. The Right Form Filters Out the Wrong People
Everyone wanted to attend — but not everyone should.
To pre-qualify attendees:
- We used Facebook and Google forms
- Asked high-intent questions (e.g., average deal size, website/portfolio link)
- Filtered based on relevance, not just interest
We started with 3 questions. Eventually moved to 5.
The goal was quality over quantity.
🎯 Takeaway:
- The right questions lead to the right audience
- 20 real investors > 100 casual browsers
5. Your Audience Can Be Reached — But Not With Lazy Strategy
We reached people in top business and investment circles. But not with generic content or templated funnels.
Premium buyers want three things:
- Clarity
- Confidence
- Relevance
That only happens when your positioning is intentional and your funnel is engineered — not guessed.
🎯 Takeaway:
- HNWIs don’t respond to “we’re the best”
- They respond to: “Here’s how this protects your time, money, or reputation”
📩 Ready to Stop Posting and Start Positioning?
We’ll help you build a visibility system that reaches the right people — and gets them to act.
Meet Abigail Anaba—your go-to expert for mastering digital strategy. With a postgraduate award in Creating Strategic Advantage from Warwick University, Abigail transforms complex digital challenges into clear, actionable insights. Her unique blend of storytelling and journalistic precision not only makes her strategies engaging and relatable but also drives real results.