Society

To boost economic impact: CEPI drills entrepreneurs, others on digital marketing.

Screenshots of participants during webinar training

Some entrepreneurs and other professionals have been drilled on making the best out of digital marketing in order to boost the impact of their businesses.
The lectures were received at a one-day training programme. It was organised virtually by the Cameroon Economic Policy Institute, CEPI.

The webinar, organised last Friday September 8, was facilitated by CEPI’s founder and President, Henri Kouam. France-based international marketing expert, Mahery Zuffelato, was the main trainer.

According to CEPI President, the training was designed to equip entrepreneurs and professionals in Cameroon, Africa and beyond on the basics of digital marketing. Henri Kouam explained that the training came against a backdrop of high bankruptcies in Cameroon and beyond.

He said the report on the Second General Business Census published in 2019 by the National Institute of Statistics, NIS, revealed that some 2,316 businesses out of 6,458 closed down between 2009 and 2016, giving a bankruptcy rate of about 36% over the period.

“NIS mainly blamed this reality on the size of the company, the degree of the manager or owner, and the company’s legal form. According to the institute, compared with major companies, a medium-sized company is almost 20% more likely to go bankrupt,” he said.

He added that “the risk is 31% for small businesses and 39% for very small businesses”.

The training that brought together scores of participants from Cameroon and beyond, was marked by key presentations from the experts. In his presentation, Mahery Zuffelato recommended that entrepreneurs and big enterprises should invest in creating engaging content on digital platforms, which they can use sales promotions to encourage consumers to buy their products.

He also said the entrepreneurs must work with influencers and leverage new tools such as TikTok to drive traffic to their website while tailoring email marketing on informing and converting new customers into buyers.

The participants were also treated to the benefits organic content in generating real revenues for entrepreneurs who invest the time and effort to speak and reach out to their audience.

It is important to note that CEPI is a think tank of the Henri Kouam Foundation, seeking to improve the quality of economic policies through fact-based research, debates, and advocacy to reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods of nationals.