New age marketing
Online marketing has been growing owing to internet penetration and increasing user-base of various social-media sites.
Features
Image credits: Business 2 Community
Akash Umesh Khandke
Bengaluru: Social-media platforms have been gaining popularity and increasing their user base owing to a constant surge in internet penetration and an increase in the number of mobile phone users. Many small businesses across the country are availing the benefits of social media platforms by marketing their products to increase their customer base on various sites and applications. The advertisement cost here is marginally low compared to television and newspapers.
To meet the demand of social-media marketers, institutes across the country have come up with social-media marketing courses running online and offline. Businesses either approach an agency for the production and promotion of online content in the form of posters, memes and photos or they hire a freelance professional to do the same.
Digital marketing is beneficial to local businesses such as furniture shops, hotels, etc as they can stay in touch with their customers and keep them updated with new offers.
"Our courses equip students to produce content using software such as Adobe Photoshop, Canva, and Adobe Illustrator. Every business requires a different marketing strategy and a media platform depending on the product and target audience. Instagram is ideal for advertising shoes, jewellery, and fashion accessories as millennials are attracted to these products and they have a strong presence on the application. Facebook is popular among middle-aged people; hence the products of their interest are promoted here," says Suhas Rajput, owner of Proficient Minds, Belgaum, Karnataka.
According to Akshata Patil, a freelance marketer, digital marketing is different from traditional marketing. Well-designed virtual marketing helps in building a brand's strong online presence and attract customers. "We produce content such as Instagram reels, memes, and videos which promote the product in a unique way. These online contents are featured on various social media pages to attract the potential customers," says Anagha Bhise, Content Creator at Ad Parody.
Apart from product-oriented businesses, online marketing has been useful to educational institutions as well. Many of them have an online presence in the form of Instagram pages through which the institutions keep updating posts related to courses and new developments.
"Nowadays, everyone has become tech-savvy. My target audience are students who are active on various social media platforms. Owing to this, I have opted for the online promotion of my business. I believe online marketing is better than traditional marketing as it is more effective and cost-efficient. Earlier, I was totally dependent on newspaper advertisements and hoardings for my company’s promotion. But in the last six months, I have shifted to digital marketing and it is benefitting my business," says Vinod Bamane, Managing Director, Aptech Aviation Academy, Belgaum, Karnataka.
While most businesses hire freelance professionals or media agencies for content promotion, a few entrepreneurs advertise their products by posting photos and videos without any professional aid. This promotion technique has been popular among part-time entrepreneurs.
"I love baking cakes. I converted my hobby into a part-time profession during the lockdown. I posted photos of home-made cakes on Instagram. The response from people was overwhelming. I received 70 orders in two months and gained many followers for my Instagram page. In future, I am planning to hire professionals to promote my content as it will help me concentrate on baking entirely," says Kajal Hinduja, a baker from Nashik, Maharashtra.
