EdTech Marketing Case Study

The Client

Closing the Skills Gap with 'Smart Learning'

The SkillUp Online platform was built to resolve a widening gap between the global labor pool’s tech literacy and the “future skills” powering tomorrow’s most in-demand roles. While a glut of existing programs teach sponsored curriculum (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, IBM, et al) in topics ranging from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency, their completion rates often fall well below industry benchmarks. Traditional online learning models were failing learners and the companies that needed them. The platform’s hybrid learning approach, refined through its parent company’s partnerships with industry tech leaders, blended the best of online learning with the human support they need to be successful.
The Pain Point

Marketing A Different Kind of Platform

With so many “turn and burn” style educational experiences in the technology space and workers willing to pay good money for them, the challenge began driving a global skills gap. To stand out as the best solution, SkillUp Online needed to establish, legitimize, and differentiate its platform, showing how its unique methodology drove better results for both the learner and the organizations hiring them.
Building a successful marketing department is daunting for any business; it can be an expensive and lengthy process to get the right talent in place. Building a globally fluent one capable of challenging enterprise competitors in the edtech space could have derailed the organization from its primary objective. The company needed a way to communicate, implement, and measure the value of its solution with customers.
The Strategy

An Integrated Marketing Strategy

Our strategy has always been rooted in recognition, trust, and advocacy as the benchmark solution for technology learning. By using communications, we can drive reputation. In a brand that was capable of inspiring confidence in learners looking to make the jump to the new digital economy.
1

Branding

Develop the company’s logo and color palette into a full visual identity and work with marketing stakeholders to define its brand strategy, profile, editorial identity. Combine them into brand standards that can be used to ensure consistency across teams

3

Digital

Provide a wide array of digital marketing support from website design and dev to search engine optimization, to marketing automation. Ongoing work includes strategic and technical support including CRM, MAS, and Email/SMS marketing integration.

2

Content

Build the organization’s subject matter authority through thought leadership materials, sales and marketing collateral, multimedia content et al. Use it to legitimize the brand and drive word of mouth among fans.

4

Communications

Manage the company’s editorial calendar, including social media, email marketing, and messaging. Engage in daily conversations with learners using the platform to develop long standing relationships

THE PARTNERSHIP

Keeping the Team Focused on Growth

Over the course of five years, Catalyst has worked with SkillUp Online throughout the course of its organizational journey, from local startup to emerging global brand. Along the way, the project team has provided embedded, agency of record, and consulting support and worked directly with both internal and secondary agency partners in a way that’s driven global growth.

“The team at Catalyst are second to none. They’re informed, thoughtful, and easy to work with. They've done an incredible job getting us found by the right people.”

5/5
THE OUTCOME

A Model for EdTech Marketing that Works

The company’s platform now offers approximately sixty future skills and IT industry related courses ranging the gamut from technical qualifications to interpersonal skills to workplace standards training. Marketing work helped contribute to partnerships with global leaders in the technology space and technology trade groups alike. The company continues to evolve its platform, growing advocacy among its target audiences and has begun competing directly with global leaders in the space.

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