Working with Catalyst is easy. Tell us a little about your organization below. One of our strategists will get back to you shortly to learn more about your goals.
Working with Catalyst is easy. Tell us a little about your organization below. One of our strategists will get back to you shortly to learn more about your goals.
See how our team used integrated marketing strategies to help a growing IT skills platform build a toehold in the US
Over the last decade, higher education has struggled to keep pace with the need for highly-skilled IT professionals including software engineers, machine learning, and AI specialists. The vacuum has meant that both learners and organizations have leaned into third-party certification mills to fill in the gaps. Many drive enrollment with promises of high-paying tech jobs, but completion rates for these programs often falls well below industry benchmarks while doing little to ensure graduates’ practical experience.
SkillUp Online’s smart learning platform was designed to break this cycle. The company has successfully used hybrid instruction, mentor support, and AI-based personalization to not only improve benchmark testing and performance, but support post-graduation success. To scale, it needed to grow its user based, though. That meant convincing potential learners that investing in a different kind of platform would lead to much better long-term results.
The brand needed to reach its target audience earlier in their journey and quickly differentiate itself from low-cost certificate mills. That meant filling in the top its funnel with content that could help shape a better understanding of what made the platform unique as well as the benefits of its hybrid approach. To do it, the company’s leaders wanted a full-stack marketing partner that would allow it to stay light and flexible while continuing to grow.
BrandingOver five years, we worked with the company to establish and mature its brand. Early in the relationship we built its starter assets into a style guide. As the company grew, we fleshed out a full set of brand standards, including the brand profile, visual style, and editorial guidelines used to ensure consistency across teams.
ContentOur content strategy was designed to establish the company's subject matter expertise with learners exploring the technology ecosystem. It included ongoing blogs, info/motion graphics, and informational video. Our process included both the strategy as well as the operational workflows needed to bring content to market.
DigitalWe provided a wide array of digital marketing support. Services included website design and development, search engine optimization, and marketing automation. They also included strategic consulting around services implementation and management.
CommunicationsOur team helped the company reach potential learners through social media and email. Work included It including scheduling, distribution, and mangement of owned and earned media, as well as engaging with fans in real time about its products across various platforms.
Catalyst worked with SkillUp Online throughout its organizational journey, from newly-founded startup to emerging global brand. Along the way, we acted as both a managed and tactical services partner, embedding with the company's internal teams to deliver ongoing strategy and support. Our work allowed the company’s leaders to focus on mission-critical tasks that drove the quality and impact of its learning tools, creating more value for users and amplifying the value of every marketing dollar.
"Catalyst has been a great business partner. They've embedded particularly well into our team and helped us build a strong marketing strategy without having to divert focus. As a startup business, this has been incredibly valuable and allowed us to compete at a whole other level."
SkillUp Online has grown into a global competitor in the education technology educations space, forging partnerships with IBM, Microsoft, Google, and others, as well as millions of monthly active users.
Unique online communications helping to shape the brand
Increase in growth of the company's shared media channels
Engagements with the company's content marketing collateral
