Dear BAMf Podcast: Episode 51 with Keji Mustapha

Dear BAMf // Episode 51: Keji Mustapha of Connect Ventures talks about how to delight your customers with meaningful gifts.

In this episode of the Dear BAMf podcast, we speak with Keji Mustapha, Head of Network, Brand & Culture Operations at Connect Ventures. Keji is a strategic, process-driven leader with project and event management, community building, and culture development expertise. In this episode, Keji answers tough marketing and PR questions from our listeners, including this one about how to delight your customers with gifts. 

Dear BAMf,

After 2020, I'm rethinking the way I connect with our customers from an authentic, real way. I am head of marketing for a health tech company that works for hospitals and our products are used by nurses. I know nurses have been praised a lot last year and this year, of course. So I'm looking for some ideas to be particularly thoughtful and not just, "here's a $10 Starbucks gift card." Any ideas?

Listen now to hear how Keji advises this writer to move forward.

Dear BAMf: Episode 51

Episode 51 highlights:

• (2:25) What is Connect Ventures?

  Founded in 2012, Keji describes Connect Ventures as, "A pan-European seed-stage Venture Capital fund." Keji explains Connect Ventures as a thesis-ran company whose thesis reads, "We back opinionated products crafted with love and loved by many."

• (03:57) What are you most proud of accomplishing in the last 12 months?

  Keji's sunny disposition was an accomplishment after a year of heavy transitions. One transition was Connect Venture's switch to an online focus, despite historically having an offline value add. The second accomplishment for Keji was on the brand side, as the firm launched its first-ever newsletter. Finally, Keji was proud of adjusting the onboarding process to a completely remote process.

• (05:40) Do you have a favorite way to tell a story?

  "I like multimodal ways of telling stories," explains Keji. "Anything from video, to audio, to writing." She believes that being fun and conversational is the most essential part of telling a good story.

• (07:38) How do you connect with customers through gift-giving post-pandemic. ?

  Keji is a fan of going straight to the horse's mouth and asking your customer and/or team what they want directly using a platform, like Typeform. She believes, "Human beings like to be appreciated and something small, like a care package or delight, shows that someone's actually thinking about you." In her own words, Keij wanted her team to, "Chill, reflect, and connect." With this intention, she focused on care packages that helped teammates pamper themselves. Keji also suggests reaching out to other brands to be a part of your care package. For more ideas on gifts, watch our AMA Recap on gift guides HERE.

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