growth playbook · Nov 4, 2026

Intside growth playbook

Intside has a wide offer and a team across three West African countries, and recruits marketers, content and development staff. Its own site undercuts the pitch: theme filler testimonials, 12 demo portfolio pages, "No post Found", a visible technical warning, a phone link that does not dial, a slow mobile homepage and no new posts since 2023.

Replace the filler with real proof and clean the site first, then add prices, WhatsApp, local map profiles, case studies per country and a steady blog, and grow recurring revenue through retainers, white-label work for European agencies and courses.

Growth Score

Biggest Opportunity

Showing real work from 256 projects across three countries, so the agency's own site proves what it sells.

Biggest Risk

Buyers judge an agency by its own website; placeholder content and dated pages send them to competitors.

Start here

The three moves to make first. Each one is written up in full below.

Replace the theme's placeholder testimonials and demo portfolio with proof from your 256 projects
Ask three recent clients for a two-line quote and permission to name them.
High impact First result in 2 weeks
Make the phone numbers dialable and the details consistent
Fix the homepage phone link.
Medium impact First result in 1 week
Remove the technical warning above the hero and put latest work where "No post Found" shows
Disable on-page error display in WordPress settings.
Medium impact First result in 1 week

Your idea portfolio

21 ideas, grouped by when to run them. Open any idea for how to run it: the steps, who to approach, copy you can use, and how to measure it.

7 ideas are marked Unexpected: plays you are unlikely to have tried.

This week 6

Quick wins with a clear first action.

Intside's homepage says 256+ projects and 49+ clients, and the agency is recruiting a Digital Marketer to "optimiser les parcours clients" for its clients. Yet on its own homepage the testimonials block, headed in English, still shows the theme's four mock filler quotes with invented names, the news block says "No post Found", and the 12 portfolio pages in the sitemap are the theme's 2021 demo entries ("Customer: Envato Market"). A prospect who checks the proof before asking for a quote finds none, and Google indexes the filler.
High impactLow effort First result in 2 weeks Head of Digital Marketing
First action
Ask three recent clients for a two-line quote and permission to name them.
How to measure it
Quote requests from the site
Now
–
Target
+50%
By
90 days
Steps
Collect quotes
Three clients, with permission.
Head of Digital Marketing 3 days
Swap the block
French quotes in place of the filler.
Technical Director 2 hours
Remove demo pages
12 portfolio pages, redirected.
Technical Director 2 hours
Pick five projects
One per main service.
Digital Project Manager 1 day
Write case studies
Problem, work, one number.
Content Manager 1 week
Link them
Homepage and service pages.
Technical Director 2 hours
Track
Quote requests by entry page.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
2 weeks
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Head of Digital Marketing
Smallest test
Replace the filler quotes today with one real client quote.
Why it works
Ready to use
ChecklistHomepage proof checklist
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The homepage phone link is written "tel:http://+229 ...", which phones cannot dial; the US number differs between two pages; the team page says "Depuis 2010" and the rest of the site says 2012; the footer copyright is 2022. Small mismatches make buyers doubt the rest.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 week Technical Director
First action
Fix the homepage phone link.
How to measure it
Click-to-call taps
Now
–
Target
+30%
By
30 days
Steps
Fix links
Correct tel: format.
Technical Director 30 minutes
Choose numbers
One per office.
Operations Director, Africa 1 day
Add WhatsApp
Links per office.
Technical Director 1 hour
Align dates
Founding year and footer.
Content Manager 30 minutes
Track taps
Tag Manager events.
Digital Marketer 1 hour
Check monthly
Contact details audit.
QA Lead monthly
First result
1 week
Cost
$0
Owner
Technical Director
Smallest test
Tap every phone link on a phone.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
A page-builder plugin prints a technical warning message above the homepage heading, and the news block below shows "No post Found". Both are the first things a visitor sees on a site selling web development.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 week Technical Director
First action
Disable on-page error display in WordPress settings.
How to measure it
Homepage bounce rate
Now
–
Target
-15%
By
30 days
Steps
Disable display
Log notices instead.
Technical Director 30 minutes
Fix the widget
Set the background image.
Technical Director 1 hour
Feed the block
Case studies or posts.
Technical Director 1 hour
Test
Desktop and phone.
QA Lead 1 hour
Add a check
Pre-release QA list.
QA Lead 1 day
Measure
Bounce rate.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
1 week
Cost
$0
Owner
Technical Director
Smallest test
Remove the warning today.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Google's phone test shows the hero after 7.5 seconds (score 59), with about 988 KB to save on images. Many visitors in Benin, Niger and Guinea browse on mobile data.
High impactMedium effort First result in 2 weeks Technical Director
First action
Convert the hero image to WebP.
How to measure it
Mobile score
Now
–
Target
85+
By
30 days
Steps
Audit images
Largest files.
Technical Director 2 hours
Convert
WebP and sizes.
Technical Director 1 day
Lazy-load
Below the fold.
Technical Director 2 hours
Trim scripts
Unused theme assets.
Technical Director 2 days
Cache
Page caching plugin.
Technical Director 2 hours
Re-test
PageSpeed.
QA Lead 1 hour
First result
2 weeks
Cost
$0
Owner
Technical Director
Smallest test
Optimise the hero image and re-test.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The homepage headline is about digital transformation, but the menu mixes 12 services, an incubator and talent supply, and the testimonials heading is in English on a French site. Buyers need to see in seconds what Intside does best.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Head of Digital Marketing
First action
Pick the three offers with most revenue.
How to measure it
Visit-to-quote rate
Now
–
Target
+25%
By
60 days
Steps
Pick offers
By revenue.
Managing Director 1 day
Rewrite hero
Three offers.
Content Manager 1 day
Translate headings
All French.
Content Manager 1 hour
Link case studies
One per offer.
Content Manager 1 hour
Resubmit sitemap
Search Console.
Digital Marketer 1 hour
Measure
Quote rate.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
$0
Owner
Head of Digital Marketing
Smallest test
Rewrite the hero this week.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
The Digital Marketer role measures ROI and KPIs for clients. Intside's own site has Tag Manager and Site Kit, but the quote form, phone and WhatsApp clicks need to be tracked as conversions.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 2 weeks Digital Marketer
First action
Add the quote form event.
How to measure it
Attributed leads
Now
–
Target
90%
By
30 days
Steps
Define events
Form, phone, WhatsApp.
Digital Marketer 1 hour
Implement
Tag Manager.
Digital Marketer 1 day
Tag links
UTM codes.
Digital Marketer 1 hour
Build report
Monthly by channel.
Digital Marketer 1 day
Review
With management.
Head of Digital Marketing monthly
Use as a demo
Show prospects.
Head of Digital Marketing ongoing
First result
2 weeks
Cost
$0
Owner
Digital Marketer
Smallest test
Track one month of quote requests.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

This quarter 10

The core plays for the next three months.

The blog has 23 posts and nothing since August 9, 2023, when 13 went up in one evening. The Content Manager role is about editorial calendars and SEO writing.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Content Manager
First action
Write the first five titles.
How to measure it
Blog visits
Now
–
Target
2,000 a month
By
2 quarters
Steps
Research topics
Local searches.
Content Manager 1 week
Plan calendar
12 weeks.
Content Manager 2 days
Write weekly
One article.
Content Manager weekly
Update old posts
Top ten.
Content Manager 1 month
Share
LinkedIn and Facebook.
Digital Marketer weekly
Measure
Visits and quotes.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Content Manager
Smallest test
Publish one article this week.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Every service page ends in a quote request; there are no packages, prices or delivery times. Small businesses often leave rather than ask for a quote.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 month Managing Director
First action
Price the showcase website package.
How to measure it
Package orders
Now
–
Target
10 a month
By
2 quarters
Steps
Define packages
Three per service.
Managing Director 1 week
Set prices
FCFA ranges.
Managing Director 1 week
Build page
Packages page.
Technical Director 1 week
Link
From each service.
Technical Director 1 hour
Promote
Social ads.
Digital Marketer 1 month
Review
Margins and demand.
Managing Director quarterly
First result
1 month
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Managing Director
Smallest test
Publish one package.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Intside lists offices in Cotonou, Niamey and Conakry. Local searches like "agence digitale Cotonou" show map results first, where directories list other agencies.
High impactLow effort First result in 1 month Operations Director
First action
Create the Cotonou profile.
How to measure it
Profile actions
Now
–
Target
100 a month
By
2 quarters
Steps
Create profiles
Three offices.
Operations Director, Africa 1 day
Verify
Each address.
Operations Director, Africa 2 weeks
Add content
Photos and services.
Digital Marketer 1 day
Ask for reviews
After each project.
Digital Project Manager ongoing
Post updates
Monthly.
Digital Marketer monthly
Measure
Profile insights.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
$0
Owner
Operations Director, Africa
Smallest test
Create the Cotonou profile today.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
In Benin, Niger and Guinea, business owners message on WhatsApp more readily than they fill a long form. The site offers a form, email and phone numbers.
High impactLow effort First result in 1 month Head of Digital Marketing
First action
Set up WhatsApp Business with a catalogue.
How to measure it
New conversations
Now
–
Target
60 a month
By
60 days
Steps
Set up
Business account.
Head of Digital Marketing 1 day
Catalogue
Packages.
Digital Marketer 2 days
Quick replies
Top questions.
Digital Project Manager 1 day
Add button
Every page.
Technical Director 1 hour
Response rule
Within an hour.
Head of Digital Marketing ongoing
Track
Conversations to projects.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
$0
Owner
Head of Digital Marketing
Smallest test
Add the button and answer within an hour for two weeks.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Intside works for governments and organisations and sells monitoring ("Veille et tracking"). Public bodies and development programmes in the region regularly publish tenders for websites, platforms and communication campaigns.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Managing Director
First action
List the five tender sources to watch.
How to measure it
Tenders won
Now
–
Target
2
By
2 quarters
Steps
List sources
Portals per country.
Operations Director, Africa 1 week
Weekly watch
Alerts.
Digital Marketer weekly
Bid template
Case studies, CVs.
Digital Project Manager 2 weeks
Go/no-go
Fit and margin.
Managing Director weekly
Submit
Selected bids.
Digital Project Manager ongoing
Review
Win rate.
Managing Director quarterly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time
Owner
Managing Director
Smallest test
Bid on one suitable tender.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Intside has offices and directors in three West African countries. Buyers want proof from their own market and regulations.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Content Manager
First action
Pick one project per country.
How to measure it
Quote requests outside Benin
Now
–
Target
+50%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Pick projects
One per country.
Operations Director, Africa 1 week
Interview clients
Results.
Content Manager 2 weeks
Write
Three case studies.
Content Manager 2 weeks
Publish
Country pages.
Technical Director 1 week
Use
Local outreach.
Operations Director, Africa ongoing
Measure
Quotes by country.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Content Manager
Smallest test
Publish the Guinea case study first.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
The incubator page describes calls for applications, selection, mentoring and market testing, but there is no current call, cohort or alumni list. Incubated startups need websites, apps and marketing.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 2 quarters Digital Project Manager
First action
Draft the call for applications.
How to measure it
Applications per call
Now
–
Target
100
By
2 quarters
Steps
Define programme
Length and support.
Digital Project Manager 1 month
Find partners
Sponsors and mentors.
Managing Director 1 month
Publish call
Site and social.
Digital Marketer 1 week
Select
Interviews.
Digital Project Manager 1 month
Run cohort
Mentoring.
Digital Project Manager 1 quarter
Demo day
Press and partners.
Head of Digital Marketing 1 day
First result
2 quarters
Cost
Programme costs and sponsors
Owner
Digital Project Manager
Smallest test
Publish a call for five startups.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Intside's most recent posts teach freelancing, and its talent supply service places professionals with client companies. Readers who want freelance work are exactly the talent pool.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 quarter Content Manager
First action
Add the form to the two freelancing articles.
How to measure it
Sign-ups
Now
–
Target
200
By
2 quarters
Steps
Build form
Skills and availability.
Technical Director 1 day
Add to articles
Freelancing posts.
Content Manager 1 hour
Tag
By skill.
Digital Project Manager ongoing
Screen
Short test.
QA Lead ongoing
Use in proposals
Staff augmentation.
Operations Director, Africa ongoing
Measure
Placements.
Operations Director, Africa quarterly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
$0
Owner
Content Manager
Smallest test
Add the form this week.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Intside offers event planning, training and coaching. Owners of small businesses want practical help with social media and websites.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 month Head of Digital Marketing
First action
Schedule the first workshop.
How to measure it
Audits per workshop
Now
–
Target
8
By
1 quarter
Steps
Pick topics
Three months.
Head of Digital Marketing 1 week
Book venue
Or office.
Operations Director, Africa 1 week
Promote
Social and WhatsApp.
Digital Marketer 2 weeks
Run
Monthly.
Head of Digital Marketing monthly
Offer audits
After each session.
Digital Project Manager monthly
Measure
Audits to projects.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Venue and snacks
Owner
Head of Digital Marketing
Smallest test
Run one workshop.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Intside sells email marketing, collection and segmentation, but the site has no newsletter sign-up and no visible list. 49+ past clients are a source of repeat work.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 quarter Digital Marketer
First action
Export past clients into one list.
How to measure it
Repeat projects
Now
–
Target
3 a quarter
By
2 quarters
Steps
Build list
Past clients and leads.
Digital Project Manager 1 week
Set up tool
Email platform.
Digital Marketer 1 day
Authenticate
SPF, DKIM and DMARC with reporting.
Technical Director 1 day
Write
Monthly email.
Content Manager monthly
Add forms
Blog sign-up.
Technical Director 1 hour
Measure
Replies and projects.
Digital Marketer monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Email tool cost
Owner
Digital Marketer
Smallest test
Send the first email to past clients.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

Big bets 3

Larger plays that can change the trajectory.

Intside has a European expansion director, a full development team (front-end, back-end, DevOps, QA) and French as a working language. European agencies need reliable French-speaking development capacity at lower cost.
High impactHigh effort First result in 3 quarters European Expansion Director
First action
List 50 small agencies in France and Belgium.
How to measure it
European retainers
Now
–
Target
5
By
4 quarters
Steps
Define offer
Roles and rates.
European Expansion Director 1 month
Build page
For agencies.
Content Manager 2 weeks
Prepare proof
Code samples, QA process.
Technical Director 2 weeks
Outreach
100 agencies.
European Expansion Director 1 quarter
Run trials
Two weeks paid.
Technical Director ongoing
Convert
Monthly contracts.
European Expansion Director ongoing
First result
3 quarters
Cost
Sales time and travel
Owner
European Expansion Director
Smallest test
Run one paid trial.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Intside offers campaigns, content, SEO, email and analytics separately. Many local businesses cannot hire a marketing team but would pay a monthly fee for one.
High impactMedium effort First result in 3 quarters Head of Digital Marketing
First action
Offer the retainer to five current clients.
How to measure it
Retainer clients
Now
–
Target
15
By
4 quarters
Steps
Define bundle
Tasks and hours.
Head of Digital Marketing 2 weeks
Price
Monthly in FCFA.
Managing Director 1 week
Report template
Monthly results.
Digital Marketer 1 week
Pilot
Five clients.
Head of Digital Marketing 1 quarter
Refine
Scope and price.
Managing Director 1 month
Scale
New clients.
Head of Digital Marketing ongoing
First result
3 quarters
Cost
Staff time
Owner
Head of Digital Marketing
Smallest test
Sign one retainer client.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Intside trains through its incubator and programmes and has 23 posts on community management, email marketing and freelancing. Demand for digital skills training in the region is high.
Medium impactHigh effort First result in 3 quarters Digital Project Manager
First action
Outline one community management course.
How to measure it
Paid enrolments
Now
–
Target
200
By
4 quarters
Steps
Pick topics
From blog topics.
Digital Project Manager 1 week
Build course
Videos and exercises.
Content Manager 2 months
Set price
With Mobile Money.
Managing Director 1 week
Launch
Social and email.
Digital Marketer 1 month
Certify
Final project.
Digital Project Manager ongoing
Recruit
Best students.
Operations Director, Africa ongoing
First result
3 quarters
Cost
Production time
Owner
Digital Project Manager
Smallest test
Run one pilot class.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

Wildcards 2

Unexpected experiments, each with a cheap way to test it.

Packages need a quick way to commit. In Benin and the region, Mobile Money is common for business payments.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Technical Director
First action
Choose a payment provider.
How to measure it
Online deposits
Now
–
Target
10 a month
By
2 quarters
Steps
Pick provider
Mobile Money and card.
Technical Director 1 week
Integrate
Package page.
Technical Director 2 weeks
Terms
Deposit and refunds.
Managing Director 1 week
Confirmation
Email and booking.
Technical Director 1 week
Promote
In WhatsApp replies.
Digital Marketer ongoing
Measure
Deposits.
Managing Director monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Provider fees
Owner
Technical Director
Smallest test
Take one deposit by Mobile Money link.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Intside works across Benin, Niger and Guinea with companies, organisations and governments. Few sources publish data on how local businesses use websites, social media and online payments.
High impactMedium effort First result in 2 quarters Head of Digital Marketing
First action
Write ten survey questions.
How to measure it
Downloads
Now
–
Target
1,000
By
1 year
Steps
Write survey
Ten questions.
Head of Digital Marketing 1 week
Collect answers
Three countries.
Operations Director, Africa 2 months
Analyse
Charts.
Digital Marketer 1 month
Write report
In French.
Content Manager 1 month
Launch
Event and press.
Head of Digital Marketing 1 day
Follow up
Respondents.
Digital Project Manager ongoing
First result
2 quarters
Cost
Staff time
Owner
Head of Digital Marketing
Smallest test
Survey 50 Cotonou businesses.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

How Programmable can help

Where an idea in this playbook is something Programmable builds or runs, it's listed here with what we'd do. Everything else is yours to run.

Talk

Fill the events in this plan

These ideas are events. Talk gets registrants for them and tells you who's coming and what their company does before the day.

Plan an event

Other companies we have researched, each read from what they are hiring for.

See every playbook and website review

30/60/90 roadmap

What to focus on in each month, and the ideas that carry it.

Days 1 to 306 ideas
Real proof, working phone links, a clean hero, speed, focus on three offers and lead tracking.
Days 31 to 6010 ideas
Blog, packages, map profiles, WhatsApp, tenders, country case studies, incubator, talent network, workshops and email.
Days 61 to 905 ideas
White-label development, growth retainers, courses, Mobile Money deposits and the annual survey.

Intside growth playbook

Diagnosis

Replace the theme's placeholder testimonials and demo portfolio with proof from your 256 projects

Make the phone numbers dialable and the details consistent

Remove the technical warning above the hero and put latest work where "No post Found" shows

This week 6

How to run it: Replace the theme's placeholder testimonials and demo portfolio with proof from your 256 projects

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Ready to use

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Make the phone numbers dialable and the details consistent

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Remove the technical warning above the hero and put latest work where "No post Found" shows

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Bring the homepage under three seconds on phones

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Write the homepage and sitemap for the services Intside actually sells today

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Builds on

Builds on

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Track quote requests by source in Google Analytics

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

This quarter 10

How to run it: Restart the blog: one useful article a week for West African business owners

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Publish starter packages with prices in FCFA

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Google Business Profiles for Cotonou, Niamey and Conakry

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them