Explore how the global agency ITC partnered with GrowthBond to equip young freelancers with in-demand marketing skills and valuable experience.
Marketing agency creates a win-win program for freelancers and SMBs using a Messenger chatbot
Success story
applicants for freelance marketing program
370
sign up rate
61%
show up rate
57%
companies got interested in the program
130
The Gambia is a small country in West Africa with just over two million population. Three-quarters of those citizens rely on agriculture for their livelihood. So when unpredictable events like droughts impact that industry’s output, the country’s entire economy is at risk.
International organizations set up specific programs to help diversify the Gambian economy and build up other sectors. And one of them runs on chatbots.
International organizations set up specific programs to help diversify the Gambian economy and build up other sectors. And one of them runs on chatbots.
Messenger chatbot helps with education and training
COMPANY
GrowthBond, funded by the UN, provides SME online marketing financing assisted by certified experts. It aims to help 450M+ companies worldwide that cannot get traditional bank loans by automating credit assessment, reducing waiting times, and enabling real-time funds tracking.
INDUSTRIES
Fintech, IT, eCommerce, Sales & Marketing
Challenge: the Gambian economy needs diversification
The International Trade Centre (ITC) identified 2 critical problems in the Gambian business world:
The ITC's goal was to solve both issues at once.
- Most small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Gambia don’t have the resources to harness the power of modern digital marketing.
- Young people in Gambia lack opportunities to enter the digital marketing world. It’s nearly impossible to be competitive in the international freelance market without proper training, experience, and a strong portfolio.
The ITC's goal was to solve both issues at once.
Goal: empower Gambian young people and small businesses
The ITC and GrowthBond created a program to equip young Gambians with in-demand marketing skills:
→ GrowthBond granted ITC funding to SMBs in the country so they could afford to hire newly trained freelancers.
→ The businesses got free marketing, and the freelancers could gain experience.
→ GrowthBond used Messenger chatbots to promote the program at different stages, getting impressive results:
After training and gaining experience with SMBs, the students were ready to launch their careers as freelance marketers.
GrowthBond supported them for their first two months, helping them apply their knowledge.
→ GrowthBond granted ITC funding to SMBs in the country so they could afford to hire newly trained freelancers.
→ The businesses got free marketing, and the freelancers could gain experience.
→ GrowthBond used Messenger chatbots to promote the program at different stages, getting impressive results:
- 370 applicants for the freelance marketing program
- 61% sign up rate
- 57% show up rate
- 130 companies got interested in the program
After training and gaining experience with SMBs, the students were ready to launch their careers as freelance marketers.
GrowthBond supported them for their first two months, helping them apply their knowledge.
Results: chatbots promote the freelance marketing program and get 370 applicants and 130 companies interested
FEATURES USED
Click-to-Messenger ads
To generate leads and encourage students to apply for their freelance training program, GrowthBond ran a series of Facebook ads that directed users to a Messenger chatbot after clicking the call-to-action (CTA) button.
User attributes & Google Sheets integration
GrowthBond used chatbots to gather info about program applicants. The chatbot automatically qualified students based on their answers and saved the responses from qualified leads to a Google Sheet for easy access by the GrowthBond team.
Sequences
Once students were enrolled in the program, GrowthBond used a chatbot to keep them on track with their studies and upcoming live classes.
COUNTRY
Denmark
'We expect to continue receiving a constant flow of companies lined up to hire freelancers in the future.'
— Ferdinand Kjærulff, CEO of GrowthBond
To reach promising young Gambians, GrowthBond ran Facebook ads targeting this demographic to promote their digital marketing training program for aspiring freelancers. Clickers were redirected to Messenger, where a chatbot asked lead-qualification questions. Eligible candidates then received an in-depth questionnaire from GrowthBond.
Chatbots empower the freelance marketing program
Lead generation & qualification
The chatbot sent important information about the training courses, including reminders and helpful hints, to students who applied and were approved.
Course info & reminders
The students could go through some freelancer training at their own pace. For the rest, GrowthBond hired two local mentors to run live trainings on Facebook. They reminded students about the trainings via chatbot and email.
Online trainings
In today's globalized world, the demand for digital marketing tools and solutions is at an all-time high, especially for international businesses.
Chatfuel believes any resource that simplifies customer communications and support is a valuable addition to the market.
We're thrilled to offer an innovative tool tailor-made for this purpose: Fuely AI agent.
Unlock the full potential of automation across various platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and your website.
Join Chatfuel, and let's revolutionize the way you do business.
Chatfuel believes any resource that simplifies customer communications and support is a valuable addition to the market.
We're thrilled to offer an innovative tool tailor-made for this purpose: Fuely AI agent.
Unlock the full potential of automation across various platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and your website.
Join Chatfuel, and let's revolutionize the way you do business.
Train your AI assistant to handle customer communications
