The verdict in three sentences
If your business in Thiès runs on word of mouth, with a dormant Facebook page and no Google listing, Kolonell Academy's level 2 Beginner course (50,000 FCFA, 12 hours) sets up a digital marketing system you can sustain in three hours a week. The most profitable levers are free: replying fast on WhatsApp Business, following up silent quotes and asking every client for a review; Meta advertising comes later, at 3,000 FCFA a day, and only if your numbers justify it. For a service business with a 35,000 FCFA average ticket, the syllabus typically cites 2 to 6 extra clients a month, with no guarantee.
Who it is for, and the prerequisites
The course targets owners and managers of local service businesses: clinics, schools, firms, restaurants, hotels, real estate agencies, craftspeople, service providers. In Thiès, that could be a carpentry workshop on the Dakar road, a training center in Médina Fall or a health practice near the station.
The prerequisites fit in three lines: a running business with at least a few clients, a smartphone with WhatsApp and access to Facebook. No technical skills, no website required and no prior ad budget. If you mainly sell and ship products, the E-commerce course in the same catalog fits better; this one is about being found, contacted and recommended for a service.
The syllabus, module by module
The SME digital marketing course with WhatsApp, Google and social media has six modules and is taught in French. Format: text lessons, an exercise applied to your business at the end of each lesson with its answer key online, one PDF handout and one quiz per module. The examples follow two fictional businesses, a dental clinic in Dakar and an accounting firm in Abidjan, with FCFA amounts you redo with your own figures.
| Module | What you set up | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Your message and priority client (free preview) | The client who pays, returns and refers; proof to gather | A 15 to 25 word promise, with a number and a city |
| 2. Getting found: Google, Google Maps and AI assistants | Google Business profile, service plus city keywords | Full profile: category, hours, 20 photos, prices, review link |
| 3. WhatsApp Business as an organized sales channel | Catalog, quick replies, follow-ups at D+1, D+3, D+7 | Project to submit: your WhatsApp Business system ready |
| 4. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok without losing your evenings | Six formats that bring inquiries, Canva | 4-week calendar, 12 posts |
| 5. Meta advertising on a small budget | WhatsApp messages campaign, cost per client | Campaign set at 3,000 FCFA a day and a 7-day review sheet |
| 6. Measure, decide and keep the pace | Contacts, appointments, sales, cost, source | Final project: your 90-day marketing plan |
Plan about ten to twelve hours in total, including roughly 7.5 hours of lessons. At 2 or 3 hours a week, you finish in four to five weeks. Lessons can be read on a phone, even over 3G, with no app to install.
2026 price: the course versus other options in Thiès
| Option | 2026 price (order of magnitude) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Kolonell Academy, level 2 Beginner | 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR), one-off, 12 hours | Lifetime access, two projects, verifiable certificate |
| In-person digital marketing seminar (Thiès or Dakar) | 75,000 to 200,000 FCFA | One or two days, travel to plan |
| Page management outsourced to a provider | 50,000 to 150,000 FCFA a month | Posts done for you, no skills transferred |
| Free online tutorials | 0 FCFA, excluding data | Scattered tips, rarely adapted to a Senegalese SME |
| Full Digital marketing and social media track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 | Progression up to the advanced levels |
The Digital marketing and social media track lets you continue after level 2 if you want to go further, for instance to make it your job.
On ad spend, nothing is needed for modules 1 to 4 and 6. Module 5 requires a bank card and a 21,000 FCFA test budget (3,000 FCFA a day for seven days), only if your numbers justify the campaign.
| Lever covered in the course | Cost | Effect cited by the syllabus |
|---|---|---|
| Replying within an hour with scripts | 0 FCFA | Fewer lost inquiries |
| Following up silent quotes (D+1, D+3, D+7) | 0 FCFA | Typically 20 to 30% of quotes recovered |
| Asking every client for a review | 0 FCFA | A more visible Google listing |
| Meta WhatsApp messages campaign | 21,000 FCFA over 7 days | Decision at day 7 based on cost per client |
| All free levers combined, 35,000 FCFA ticket | 0 FCFA | 2 to 6 extra clients a month, i.e. 70,000 to 210,000 FCFA, no guarantee |
These are 2026 orders of magnitude: they depend on your business, your consistency and local competition.
Mini case study
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
Consider a hypothetical learner: Aminata, 36, runs a tutoring center in Thiès, with an average fee of 35,000 FCFA per pupil per month. Almost all her enrollments come from word of mouth, and several parents who asked for prices on WhatsApp never came back.
Her investment: 50,000 FCFA for the course, then possibly 21,000 FCFA of ad testing, so 71,000 FCFA at most. Illustrative calculation: if follow-ups and the Google listing brought her two more pupils, that would add 70,000 FCFA of monthly revenue, and the spend would be covered in about a month. This is a textbook scenario, not an achieved result: profitability depends on service quality and the local market.
FAQ
Do I need an ad budget to take the course?
No. Modules 1 to 4 and 6 require no budget. Module 5 offers a 21,000 FCFA test (3,000 FCFA a day for 7 days), to launch only if your numbers justify it.
How much time should I plan?
About ten hours, including roughly 7.5 hours of lessons, plus the two projects. At 2 or 3 hours a week, you finish in four to five weeks, after which the system runs on three hours a week.
I don't have a website. Is that a problem?
No. A Google Business profile, WhatsApp Business and social media are enough to start. Module 2 explains which website page will matter the day you have one.
How do I pay from Thiès?
With Wave or Orange Money to +221 77 596 93 33, after receiving a 50,000 FCFA pro forma invoice. Access is activated within 24 working hours and lasts for life. It is no longer refundable once activated, so read the free module 1 first.
Is there a certificate?
Yes, a numbered Kolonell Academy certificate, verifiable online with a QR code, which you can add to LinkedIn. You earn it by passing the six quizzes with at least 70%. It certifies a completed course; it is not a diploma.
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Take the next step. Enroll in Digital marketing for SMEs: finding clients with WhatsApp, Google and social media: 12 hours, 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR), Kolonell Academy certificate verifiable online. Pay with Wave or Orange Money. Questions? WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
