2024 at Smarketers Hub: The year of many firsts
When I first joined Smarketers Hub in 2022, I could never have imagined how far we would come—not just in numbers, but in the lives we’ve touched, the opportunities we’ve created, and the dreams we’ve helped ignite. This year has been nothing short of transformative—a year of many firsts.
With a small but mighty team, we not only aspired but achieved most of our goals, setting the stage for even greater milestones in 2025.
As the hub continues to evolve, this piece marks a bittersweet moment for me, as it is my final article as a core team member at Smarketers Hub. My heart is full of gratitude for every milestone we’ve reached, every challenge we’ve overcome, and every person who has made this journey unforgettable.
This community has been my anchor, giving me the energy and inspiration to accelerate my career and the foundation to build a global marketing journey. But more than that, it has been a space where we’ve extended opportunities beyond our core team, transforming the lives of countless marketers. In this piece, I’ll reflect on how this year has been a turning point, the lessons we’ve learned, and the bright future for Smarketers Hub.
What to expect as you follow along:
Launching our Slack community and celebrating growth across all our platforms.
How our first-ever volunteer program created a ripple effect of impact and what’s next.
Lessons and highlights from our first-ever physical event.
The relaunch of our Contributor Writing program and the stories shaping our community.
A fresh approach to collaborations and the value it’s brought to our Hub.
Uniting junior and senior marketers through initiatives that inspire and educate.
Looking ahead: Our exciting plans for 2025 and beyond.
Building stronger connections: The year of our Slack channel
This was how we signed off last year...
And true to our promise, the launch happened. We created Marketers Room a Slack community designed as a safe space for African marketers to find support, share knowledge, and navigate their journey toward building global marketing careers. What started as a small initiative has quickly grown into a thriving community of over 400 members—a place where careers are being built, friendships are forming, and marketers are leveling up, landing new roles, and finding real solutions to challenges with the help of peers.
For me, this has been deeply personal. One of my biggest mistakes early in my career was trying to build it all on my own, but seeing marketers like me create spaces for themselves, strategically connect with others, and continuously learn has been transformative for my mindset.
We have several channels in the community, and my personal favorites are #marketing-talk, #career-talk, and #break-room, where marketers share unfiltered notes on their journeys, and everyone jumps in with their encouragement and insights. Check out some of our interactions below.
We’ve seen this engagement and impact extend beyond Slack and into all our platforms. Since last year, our website traffic has doubled. Our newsletter community has grown by 45%. Instagram? Up 25%. LinkedIn? A remarkable 40%. Even X—despite its challenges—has seen a 10% increase. These aren’t just numbers; they’re stories of the lives we’ve touched and proof that consistent effort creates real, lasting growth.
One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey has been listening to our community. From conversations in Slack to direct feedback, we’ve gained priceless insights into what marketers on the continent need. This understanding has helped us map out plans to meet those needs head-on, and we’re only getting started.
Marketers Room has become a space where dreams are nurtured, challenges are shared, wins are celebrated, and stories are told. If you’re ready to be part of a community that uplifts, supports, and inspires, join us today. Who knows—you might just help us hit the next milestone of our 1000th member!
Empowering through action: The Volunteer Program
If launching our Slack community showed us the power of connection, creating the Smarketers Hub Volunteer Program proved the power of action.
When we announced our plans to start this program, the response was overwhelming. Applications poured in from every corner, filled with stories of ambition and drive. Selecting a handful of volunteers from such a talented pool was no easy feat, but it was a testament to the incredible potential within our community and the marketing industry as a whole.
I won’t dive into all the details of how we built this program—our Community Lead, Etashe, has done an amazing job capturing that in this piece. But I will say this: taking 11 people under our wing and crafting a tailored program to help them grow their careers wasn’t easy. Yet, it was necessary, and we did it.
We were intentional about helping people take the steps toward building global careers, and the results have been phenomenal. Many volunteers have secured amazing opportunities, and some, like Anthonia, our new content manager, and Blessing, who’s thriving as our community manager, are now integral parts of our team.
Here’s what a few of them had to say about the program:
Building a career in marketing—or any field—is never easy.
That’s exactly why this program—and this community—exist: to ensure no one has to walk this path alone. Whether it’s through our core team, the volunteer program, or simply being an active member of the Marketers Room, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
And because so many of you have asked...
Drum roll, please…
We’re thrilled to announce a 2025 cohort of our volunteer program! 🎉
Application review starts in February, and you can join the waitlist right now here. This time, we’re making the team smaller and extending the program’s duration, incorporating feedback from our first cohort. It’s going to be incredible, and we can’t wait to meet the next group of changemakers ready to scale their careers!
Engaging our community in real life: Connect & Converse
Starting a community online is one thing. Sustaining it, growing it, and inspiring people to step away from their busy lives—especially in Lagos, where traffic is practically a beast of its own—is something else entirely. So when we first decided to organize an in-person event, Connect & Converse, I’ll admit I had my doubts.
We weren’t just asking people to show up—we asked them to pay, navigate hectic schedules, and trust us to make it worth their time. It was a bold move, but one thing I’ve learned from working with Aisha is that dreaming big pays off. She encouraged us to elevate our vision, supported us at every step, and helped us bring Connect & Converse to life.
And not only did it happen—it was an undeniable success.
The energy in that room was nothing short of electric. True to the Smarketers Hub spirit, this wasn’t just another event. We created an intimate, engaging space where attendees were part of the experience. One of the highlights? A quiet circle reading of Inside the Marketers Room (ITMR), our first-ever book, with each attendee receiving an exclusive physical copy to take home.
We received glowing feedback from attendees, and the stats backed it up—every seat filled, every moment cherished. For the first time, our online community felt truly tangible. We saw the power of the connections we cultivated over the years come alive in real time.
Reflecting on this moment, I’d be remiss not to highlight Etashe, our brilliant community lead and close friend. During one of our catch-ups, she shared something that’s stuck with me: community isn’t just a buzzword for her; it’s a mission. In a world increasingly dominated by social media and AI, the simple act of gathering—breaking bread, sharing stories, and connecting as humans—is becoming a lost art. And we can’t let that happen.
As you’ve likely noticed, this thread of meaningful connection runs through everything we’ve done this year. So, what’s next for physical events? In 2025, we’re doubling down on building real-life connections. Even as I step away from the core team, this isn’t goodbye—it’s “see you soon” in a city near you.
Stay tuned.
Amplifying community voices: Reopening the Writers’ Contribution Program
When we launched the Writers’ Contribution Program, our goal was simple: to amplify the voices of our community members in a fresh and impactful way. This program provides a platform for marketers to share their thought leadership, reach larger audiences, and build a portfolio that supports their global marketing aspirations.
Take Sandra, for instance, one of our standout contributors this year. Her article didn’t just rank high on Google—demonstrating the incredible SEO potential of writing for us—it garnered significant clicks, directly supporting the businesses she highlighted.
As we prepare for 2025, we’re excited to share that there’s already a lineup of incredible contributions on the way. For example, Oyinkansola, a content marketing manager and freelance writer, recently published a piece on sourcing expert quotes for SME content without conducting interviews. Her work has already made an impressive impact and perfectly illustrates the talent and insights our contributors bring to the table.
With Anthonia joining our core team this year, we’re expanding this program in 2025. If you’re looking to:
Build a portfolio that stands out
Contribute to a platform where your piece can rank within days
Position yourself as a thought leader in marketing
…this is your chance. Many marketers have declared 2025 their year for positioning—and we couldn’t agree more. If you’ve got a topic close to your heart, we want to hear it.
Ready to get started? Fill out the form below, and Anthonia will reach out to you in 2025.
Partnerships that matter
This year, we took our partnerships to the next level—not just to expand our reach but to deepen our impact directly within our community. Collaborations with Treford, Cleva, Earna, and others have opened new doors and created meaningful opportunities for our members.
While last year’s partnerships primarily addressed job placements—a critical need we’re proud to continue supporting—this year, we wanted to broaden the value we offer by addressing other areas marketers care deeply about.
Here’s how that took shape:
Cleva provided scholarship opportunities for our members, along with a generous waiver fee for first-time users.
Winners of our Cleva scholarship program on Treford
Treford continued to support our community with significant discounts on their programs, ensuring accessible professional development opportunities.
Earna extended employment benefits like health and retirement plans to freelancers—who make up more than half of our community.
Propel delivered a tailored job board connecting members to international roles suited to their skills and aspirations.
These partnerships have been pivotal in addressing diverse needs, from education and career growth to health and financial security. Their success is a testament to the incredible efforts of our team, led by Etashe, whose focus on relationship-building has been the backbone of this year’s achievements.
This leads me to an important takeaway: collaboration is key.
At the hub, we’ve built a dynamic team where each member plays to their strengths, supporting one another to achieve what none of us could accomplish alone. As passionate marketers, it’s tempting to try handling every aspect of a business yourself. But the truth is, no one can excel at everything—and trying to do so often leads to burnout.
As we look ahead to 2025, I encourage you to embrace the power of collaboration. Partner with colleagues, peers, and even competitors in the industry. It’s the secret sauce that has enabled us to achieve so much—as a team of just four members and as a thriving community—and it’s a mindset that will undoubtedly help you grow and succeed in the year ahead.
Learning together: Expert Feature Series
This year’s Expert Feature Series was a standout highlight, bringing valuable insights from incredible marketers like Tofunmi, Lade, Ama, and Efe. These conversations have provided our members with practical guidance for their career journeys.
In this series, we get deep with the stories of these expert marketers who’ve defied the odds to build global careers—taking lessons from their humble beginnings to inspire our paths.
During our Connect and Converse event, one of our social media volunteers shared how hearing our founder, Aisha Owolabi, recount her journey was a game-changer. From Aisha’s intern days at agencies in Nigeria to landing her first international job in Mexico, securing a global talent visa, and transitioning to her current role in Paris, Aisha’s story supercharged this volunteer's belief that they could also build a global marketing career.
Stories like these matter because, while some of us can dream the impossible and fight for it, those dreams often feel more achievable when we see someone who looks like us, with a similar journey, make it happen. Proximity to stories like Aisha’s gave me the confidence to pursue roles that have quintupled my income in under two years.
Each session in this series has been a masterclass in its own right:
Efe opened my eyes to master’s degree options as a marketer, helping me think strategically about my academic growth and path with a marketing career.
Tofunmi taught me how to maximize growth opportunities within my current role.
Ama proved that even the roughest beginnings can lead to remarkable success.
Lade showed the power of obsessing over excellence and going above and beyond to stand out.
Coordinating the interview and writing about these stories has been one of my proudest accomplishments this year. I’ve been profoundly impacted by the wisdom, vulnerability, and actionable advice shared by these marketers, and I know many in our community feel the same.
As we close out the year, I encourage you to revisit these stories and let them inspire you as you chart your career path for 2025.
Bridging generations: Marketers on Marketers
Our end-of-year event marked the debut of Marketers on Marketers, a new initiative where we paired junior and senior marketers in interview-style conversations. Inspired by Variety’s Actors on Actors series, this format reflected the essence of what the hub stands for: connection and learning.
The session brought together senior marketers with over seven years of experience and junior marketers with three to six years in the industry. Together, they shared stories of navigating challenges like landing a tech role in 2024, staying relevant amidst the rise of AI, and overcoming workplace barriers in Africa and beyond. These conversations served as a powerful reminder that every marketer, regardless of experience, has unique insights to offer.
Check out the entire event here 👇
The results were nothing short of amazing. Don’t just take our word for it—here are some comments from attendees:
What made this initiative truly special was how it bridged gaps between generations, fostering understanding and inspiring attendees to see the industry through fresh perspectives. It was a massive win, and we’re already planning to ramp up this format for next year.
To everyone who registered for Marketers on Marketers, you must have gotten your mail already with your free career planner. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure to check your promotions in your mail or let us know at hello@smarketers.com.
The career planner is packed with tools to help you prepare your goals and stay on track in the new year, including:
Notion pages + a downloadable PDF file
A simple goal-setting guide to help you define your goals
Skill-building hacks — with recommended skills for different career stages
Honest guides for building professional relationships and your personal brand
A practical job search guide for success
Worksheets for noting your goals and thoughts
Multiple educational resources, from learning platforms to marketing tools
And yes—it’s completely free for anyone who attended the event! 😉
If you didn’t attend our event, you can still get your hands on it here for a small fee, it is the perfect gift for your marketing friends this holiday season and will position them for a wonderful new year.
Looking ahead, we’d love to hear your thoughts: Which marketers would you like to see featured in next year’s recurring Marketers on Marketers episodes? We’re always searching for fresh voices to share their stories.
This initiative was one of my personal favorites this year, and I’m excited to see where it leads next. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the session replay and start planning your career path for 2025 with the tools we’ve shared.
Looking ahead to 2025
The possibilities for 2025 are endless, and the future of Smarketers Hub has never been brighter. To put things in perspective: just two years ago, we relaunched this community with a tiny team of four. Since then, we’ve accomplished so much together. With continued growth, time, and support, the question becomes—how much more can we achieve?
Here’s a glimpse of what’s on the horizon:
More community engagement: We’ll spotlight our members through our Writers Program, Slack coffee chats, and the Marketers on Marketers series, which will now be a regular feature.
Exciting partnership perks: We’re working on expanding collaborations to bring you even more value.
Bigger and better events: From monthly roundtable sessions and live AMAs to in-person meetups, we’re leveling up every aspect of what made 2024 special.
A stronger Volunteer Program: Building on this year’s success, the next cohort promises to be even more impactful, offering opportunities for growth and connection.
This year has shown us the power of a good community, and as we level up in 2025, we hope you’ll be right there with us, growing alongside the Hub.
A personal farewell and thank you
As I’ve shared throughout this piece, this marks my final article as a core member of the Smarketers Hub team. Writing this is bittersweet—it’s the end of one chapter for me and the start of exciting new challenges.
This community has been life-changing. It’s given me courage, growth, and a deep sense of purpose. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with a team that constantly pushes for excellence.
Aisha, thank you for being a kind and inspiring mentor, always leading with grace.
Etashe, your meticulous planning and attention to detail have helped me grow in ways I didn’t know I needed.
Anthonia, your ownership of our content programs has been nothing short of remarkable.
To this year’s incredible volunteers—thank you for trusting me and the team to guide you. Watching you complete your program with so much grace has been one of my greatest joys.
And to the entire Smarketers Hub community: thank you for pouring into me and allowing me to pour into you. This journey has been unforgettable, and I’m confident that the Hub’s best days are still ahead.
Let me leave you with a short story.
Recently, I took a trip to Accra. While I was away, my younger sister, a computer science student, was struggling with a school project—designing the UI for a food delivery app. Normally, she’d come to me for advice, but with limited access, because I was away from home, she tried to figure it out alone for two weeks. When I returned, I asked her what was holding her back, because I caught her looking at her laptop with so much exasperation. She explained the problem and when I asked why she hadn’t sought help from other engineers, she said she didn’t know how to proceed and didn’t want to “bother” her mentors and she didn’t know which friend could solve that exact problem.
So I suggested she share her problem on WhatsApp. Within minutes, a contact offered to help, and in just over an hour, they solved a problem she’d struggled with for weeks.
The moral of this story? Don’t try to solve everything alone. Help often comes from unexpected places. There’s so much good in the world, even when it feels overshadowed by the bad. In 2025, lean into your community. Seek counsel from peers, juniors, seniors, and even strangers. Together, we can overcome any hurdle.
Thank you for sticking with me through this piece—it means you’re part of our journey and its success. Write this down: 2025 is going to be life-changing in the most positive way - for my career and beyond. Make sure it’s on your vision board because it’s happening.
Until next time—when I’ll write as an independent contributor—stay connected with me on LinkedIn.
Let’s make 2025 extraordinary.
