How to develop a good digital marketing strategy and what impact on the performance of Cameroonian SMEs? a Master class organized by MTN Cameroon in Douala made it possible to deliver the tricks and challenges of such a revolution to Cameroonian entrepreneurs.

They were more than a hundred present at the headquarters of Gicam and connected to digital platforms on February 23. The challenge is to better understand the digital ecosystem of Cameroonian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The meeting initiated by MTN Cameroon through its Business department was focused on SMEs for obvious reasons. “The SME represents 90% of the economic fabric of Cameroon and has a contribution of at least 30% to the GDP. So the SME is identified in the Cameroonian context as a vector of wealth creation and a vector of job creation. The phenomenon of digitization that we observe is taken into account in the 2060 agenda of the African Union. “, explains Dr. Thierry Mindjoss moderator of the debate.

Internal and external digitization

The discussion focused in particular on how digitalization can contribute to the performance of a company. The case of Naomi Mbakam, CEO of Leelou Baby Foods, specializing in the marketing of baby food, attracted the curiosity of the entrepreneurs present who were selected via digital platforms. This young lady whose company was born suddenly thanks to her strong presence on the networks, and from where she draws most of her clientele, suggests a mix of two strategies to conquer digital. Internal and external. For her, a company that wishes to deploy via digital must proceed from an internal point of view through digital management tools for its staff, digital management of its customer service, etc. According to her, this digitization will relate to the management of orders, the follow-up of deliveries, the management of tasks, the improvement of a certain number of procedures, etc. External digitization should concern all commercial and marketing actions, approaches to the company’s customers, etc. For Naomi Mbakam, digitalization, beyond improving the experience of customers and employees, has the advantage of “increasing the visibility of the company at a lower cost and in the same way, making yourself known.”

Unique Value Propositions

Before arriving at marketing optimization and personal branding of the entrepreneur, according to Professor Isidore Bikoko, it is necessary to offer a unique product. He invokes the concept of Unique Value Proposition (UVP) which, he clarifies, does not mean developing a product that does not yet exist. Rather, it is about adding value. “The three of us can sell water but I decide that at home this water will be in a small format for example and I will carbonate it a little and it will address a specific segment of the market. It will therefore be necessary to see who your partners will be. So the first element is questioning your immediate environment. This environment can be used to test your prototype. Assess their reviews to improve your product,” says the senior leadership and management consultant.

A winning mindset

According to participants in the debate, Cameroonian entrepreneurs are held back by fear. It is sometimes the fear of failure or the fear of not satisfying customer demand. The choice of Digital, according to the General Manager of MTN Business must be based on a winning mindset. Because, underlines Franck Gérard Kom, digitization makes it possible to go 10 times faster if the business model is adapted.