CDME strategic branding.
Overview of the Organisation
Campus du Monde Education (CDME) is an organization committed to the development of higher education in sub-Saharan Africa. Its mission is to promote access to quality education by facilitating international student mobility. CDME provides essential information on study destinations, programs, scholarships, and exchange opportunities, while offering promotional support to international institutions looking to recruit students from Central Africa. CDME also promotes both south-south and north-south academic cooperation and aligns local educational standards with global benchmarks.
Brief
CDME tasked me with developing its brand identity and creating a comprehensive communication strategy to position the organization as a leader in international education. I was responsible for organizing and promoting four education fairs in Douala and Yaoundé, attracting both local and international universities, while enhancing visibility through digital and traditional media channels.
Process & Solution
We implemented a strategic, multi-layered approach to achieve CDME’s goals:
Brand Identity & Consistency:
Developed and maintained CDME’s brand across digital and print platforms, ensuring consistent communication through web, email, social media, and promotional materials. Adherence to brand guidelines strengthened CDME’s public image and helped position the organization as a trusted source of education opportunities.
Digital Strategy:
Led the creation of a dedicated event website that served as a hub for potential visitors to register, explore international study destinations, and connect with exhibitors. I worked closely with the web development team to ensure smooth user experience and functionality, which facilitated traffic generation from multiple sources.
Social Media & Google Ads Campaign:
Orchestrated a comprehensive social media campaign under the “Study Where You Want” theme on Facebook, complemented by targeted and remarketing Google Ads campaigns. These campaigns helped raise awareness and drive traffic to the website’s registration page.
Partnership Development:
Established collaborations with over 100 universities across five continents, significantly enhancing CDME’s reputation. I worked closely with international universities to encourage their participation, with 7 sending representatives and nine others represented by trained CDME staff during the fairs.
High School Engagement:
Initiated partnerships with 17 major high schools across Cameroon, providing targeted outreach to final-year students. Eight of these schools hosted foreign university representatives for presentations, directly engaging students and boosting event attendance.
Email & WhatsApp Marketing:
Launched email marketing campaigns targeting both potential visitors and international exhibitors. To complement the email outreach, we implemented a WhatsApp bulk messaging strategy, which proved highly effective for quick communication with students and potential fair attendees.
Challenges & Responses
Limited Internet Access Among Students:
Email campaigns aimed at students faced low open rates due to limited internet access among the target audience.
Response: I diversified communication methods by utilizing WhatsApp bulk messaging and organizing school visits, ensuring more direct and immediate engagement with students.
Securing Foreign University Participation:
Persuading international universities to attend in-person events in Cameroon posed logistical and financial challenges.
Response: I tailored the offer to include strong promotional support and local representation by CDME staff, making participation more accessible and attractive.
Managing High Lead Volumes:
The large number of leads generated through digital campaigns required efficient management to avoid overwhelming the team.
Response: I implemented a streamlined lead management system and worked with a CRM tool to optimize the registration and follow-up process, ensuring timely engagement with all leads.
Result.
The strategic efforts produced remarkable results:
- The website attracted close to 1,000 weekly visitors over two months from social media, Google Ads, and organic search.
- The Study Where You Want Facebook campaign generated 8,600 leads, while the Google Ads campaign drove an additional 4,400 leads.
- Over 25,000 visitors attended the four education fairs, marking CDME as a key player in student mobility in Cameroon.
- Partnerships with 7 foreign universities led to direct representation at the fairs, with 9 additional universities represented by CDME staff.
- The email campaigns for exhibitors achieved a 31% open rate and a 54% click-through rate, securing nearly 100 university partnerships.
- Email campaigns for students reached an open rate of 9% and a click-through rate of 4.5%, with WhatsApp proving more effective in reaching the target audience.
- Engagement with 17 high schools led to high attendance by final-year students, with foreign universities conducting in-person presentations at 8 schools.