Are you in need of making a logo for your startup? Or is this your first time to have one but could not get any idea how to start it?
It is not an easy job to make a logo on the first try. You need inspiration and ideas. You have to make sure that it tells a story of the thing it represents. That’s why it is very important to make it with your heart and with your emotions. It is important to make it communicative to people who will see it for the very first time.
Some clients get so convinced upon seeing the logo itself. They will check on its originality from the design itself. This article will show you and help you to design a logo that is also catchy to people. Of course, your logo will tell everyone what kind of institution or business it represents and it will tell the brand that it brings. Here are some tips you need to take notes of to create a perfect logo for your startup.
What you first need to know is your target market. Do some research about it and see brands that suit your needs. Also, research your competitors and long-term goals.
2. Keep the Logo Simple
Complicated logo designs are not appealing and attractive. Do not use too many colours if possible. Sometimes, you do not need to put a caption in it as the logo is descriptive in itself.
3. Decide on the colour
The colour is very important. Colours have meanings and ideas. When you choose a colour for your logo, and make sure that it represents your company goals or identity. You can make it coloured or just plain black and white, depending on your need.
4. Make It Look Dynamic, Not Static
Logos that are appealing usually come with dynamic designs. It does not mean that you have to change it from time to time but try to make it flexible.
5. Make It Look Versatile
A versatile person can fit himself anywhere. Make your logo like that person. Anticipate that when you imprint your logo in other objects, it may still look appealing. You can assume that if you will imprint it in a brochure, it would still look attractive when printed in mugs, glasses or other stuff.
This is very important. A unique logo design will make your clients trust you. Remember, your logo represents your company. If you got a unique one, then that is a big plus for your company.
7. Your Logo Should Have a Story
Every company has its own story to tell. Make sure your logo has that story. Designs that will make the clients understand your company’s journey. Make your logo simple but appealing.
8. Create Smart Logo Design
If you prefer to have captions on your logo, make sure it coincides with the figure or object you use and bring the story you want to tell to light.
9. Create It With Your Heart
It is very important that when you create something artistically, it should be done with your heart. Your heart will lead you to create designs. Every curve and line you make can be best traced with the voice of your heart. After reading the tips above, you may say that it will really take a hard time making a logo.
For startups, it will not be an easy task. You have to create your story and know your goals. Do not rush. Rushing at it will never get you into something. Make it your own for it is really yours. Know what it means and share it.
Conclusion
Finally, it is not just the logo that you depend on for your business, but logos play a very important role to bring you more sales. Meet The Unique Startup Solving Our Common Problem – BoriyaBistar.in
FAQs
What makes a good startup logo?
Make sure your logo tells a story, it looks simple and is versatile.
How much does logo design cost?
If you are hiring a freelancer it will cost you around ₹1000 to ₹5000 but a professional will charge nearly ₹15,000 to ₹20,000.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Tumbledry.
Laundry is a daily need for people, regardless of their income levels. In the Western world, people have high-quality laundry service that makes their routine easier. Whereas, in India, people had no reliable options to outsource laundry.
Urban Indians only had maids and dhobis who never offered good quality service. Hence, people were either compromising on comfort by doing laundry themselves or they were compromising on quality.
To remove such laundry woes of urban India, TUMBLEDRY was started in 2019. The brand has already established itself as India’s largest laundry & dry clean chain. It is best known for making the Indian laundry industry organized and adding convenience to the lives of its customers.
To know more about how Tumbledry started and grow, keep reading.
Tumbledry was founded in 2019 with an aim of removing the laundry woes of urban Indians. Today, it is India’s largest laundry & dry clean chain with 250+ stores spread across more than 83 cities.
Their services include: laundry, dry cleaning & shoe cleaning.
With an approach of providing World-class laundry & dry clean services easily accessible to every Indian household, Tumbledry has revolutionized the laundry industry.
They use CRM software to ensure smooth operations and offer mobile apps for their users and delivery boys. This tech-oriented set-up makes their operations smooth. And their customers enjoy convenience with free home pick-up & delivery, easy order placement and tracking via app.
The brand uses high-end Swedish machinery and German eco-friendly chemicals to ensure high-quality laundry & dry clean service.
Tumbledry has also introduced live laundry stores in India which has made common people trust the laundry and dry clean processes.
By working rigorously on trust building, high-quality and customer convenience the brand has clearly acquired a huge customer base.
Now, Tumbledry has the vision to build a hyper-local presence in urban India by having a store within every 3 km radius and reaching every household. The purpose is to be as easily accessible as local dhobis or laundromats. And for this, they are aiming to have 1000 live stores by 2025.
Tumbledry – Industry
Laundry Industry Valuation
The laundry industry was valued at $35.83 billion in FY 2020. Tumbledry’s founders studied the potential of the laundry industry and found that this industry is bigger than the mainstream industries like Diagnostic Labs ($28.6BN), Beauty & Wellness ($9BN), and Fast Food Restaurants ($4.6BN), etc. Furthermore, the laundry industry is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 4.96% through FY2026.
Tumbledry – Founders and Team
Tumbledry has been founded by Naveen Chawla, Gaurav Nigam, Gaurav Teotia, Tarun Arora, and Anuj Gupta.
Mr Naveen Chawla is the Co-founder & Director of Tumbledry. He has 25+ years of experience across Consumer durables, Telecom and FMCG industries. He has served in various senior leadership profiles like COO, Product Head and Business Head across reputed organizations like Airtel, Britannia, Reliance and LAVA.
Mr Gaurav Nigam is the Co-founder & Director of Tumbledry. He is a business leader with 17+ years of experience across the Consumer Durables and Telecom industry. He has served as Product head and Customer Service Head in reputed organizations like LAVA & Airtel.
Mr Gaurav Teotia is the Co-founder & Business Head of Tumbledry. Rank holder at IIM Ahmedabad & Gold Medalist at IIT Dhanbad, Gaurav Teotia has 7+ years of experience across Strategy, Business Planning & Sales in reputed organizations like Airtel, LAVA & DRDO.
Mr Anuj Gupta is the Co-founder & Head of Brand & Digital. With 7+ years of experience across Telecom and IT, playing a significant role in Customer Service delivery and Franchisee Planning.
Tumbledry – The Idea and Startup Story
During their professional excursions to USA, Europe & South East Asia, Tumbledry’s co-founders realized that laundry services are evolving into a major industry and most of the populace were outsourcing these services. However, in India almost 96% of the laundry industry was unorganized, people were either doing laundry themselves or were dependent on others like maids, and dhobis.
Doing laundry at home is very time-consuming & additionally one has to go through the daily rigmarole of washing & ironing clothes with limited drying places. Whereas outsourcing it to unorganized channels is a considerable compromise on the wash quality & hygiene due to the low-quality water & detergents used & mixing of the clothes with others while washing, not to mention the heavy toll it takes on the costly fabric.
After realizing these issues, they both came to a thought of solving the laundry woes of Indians by introducing – Tumbledry, a chain of live laundry & dry cleaning stores.
Laundry Business Opportunity Size
However, before actually coming up with a business model they analysed laundry as a business opportunity on six parameters:
They saw laundry has very low competition, high growth prospects. This industry had immense scope of uniqueness and financial prospects were good too. Along with this, they found that the laundry business can grow better and faster than traditional businesses due to huge unaddressed demand. At last, they found that operating a laundry business is easy too.
These findings made them sure about the future success of their business and they launched Tumbledry.
Tumbledry – Services
The brand provides World-class Laundry, Dry Clean, and Shoe Cleaning services.
Tumbledry uses high-end Swedish machines and German eco-friendly, bio-degradable chemicals for washing clothes and Italian equipment to steam iron them for a wrinkle-free crisp finish. Hygiene being the key focus, they wash each customer’s clothes separately and follow all Covid 19 guidelines prescribed by WHO and CDC.
Their laundry service is categorized into:
Wash & fold
Wash & Steam Iron
Premium laundry
They have adopted the latest Lagoon technology to provide high-quality dry cleaning service for bridal wear, haute couture, woollens, lehenga, suits, leather articles, soft toys, suitcases, blankets, curtains, carpets, etc.
Having expertise in cleaning & repairing suede, canvas, sports, leather, nubuck shoes, heels and all other types of footwear, they offer the best shoe cleaning & restoration services. They are pro at handling footwear from high-street brands including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Jimmy Choo, and Christian Louboutin.
Their USPs include:
100% garment care label adherence
Zero shrinkage
Colour restoration for old/faded garments
Colour bleeding proof process
99% stain removal
Whitex technology for three shades brighter whites
Innovation at Tumbledry
Opaque functionality to 100% Transparency – People didn’t know what happens to their clothes once they send them for laundry. They didn’t know what sort of chemicals, water and methods were used for cleaning and washing. Tumbledry launched live stores where the clothes and other items are washed in front of customers. This established trust among customers.
Labour-oriented to mechanism driven – Generally, even professional dry cleaners in India do not use advanced machines and the industry was majorly labour-oriented. It had massive growth prospects if only the approach could be changed. So, Tumbledry team made laundry a mechanism-driven industry. Instead of using age-old traditional methods and machinery, they imported the latest Swedish machines and Pro-Fabric chemicals from Germany. Having machinery from trusted brands like LG and Electrolux enhanced the quality of laundry and improved their credibility as a business as well. They saw great improvements in quality and productivity.
Pen-paper industry now runs on the web – Laundry was more like a “pen-paper industry”. From taking orders to billing, everything was done on paper. Tumbledry shifted to a sound digital infrastructure and made laundry a modern-day service. At Tumbledry, they offer web-based CRM for order management and mobile apps. The brand uses two different apps for consumers and runners to keep operations uncomplicated.
Tumbledry – Business Model and Revenue Model
They have a franchise business model where an area of 10000 relevant households is allocated to a franchise. Franchise set up costs 25 Lakhs which includes everything from franchise fees to purchase & installation of machines, store interiors, branding material etc. They provide all round support to their franchise partners in setting up and running the stores and collect 7.5% of revenue as royalty from its franchises.
The main revenue of the franchise is driven by Laundry, Dry Cleaning and Shoe cleaning services. Tumbledry focuses on high-quality, trust building and offering convenience. This works perfectly in their favour and they do great business in all cities (Tier 1, Tier2 & Tier 3). Their partners achieve operational break-even within just 3 months of launching their store. After that Tumbledry stores enjoy a monthly profit of 1.25 to 1.75 lakh depending on the city there are running in. Their partners enjoy up to 84% annual ROI and are able to recover their investment within just 24-30 months of launching their store.
After witnessing the high success rate of Tumbledry stores, 15% of their partners have opened their 2nd or more stores. Today, 35% of their total stores are owned by these partners alone.
Tumbledry Franchise
Tumbledry – Customer Acquisition
Tumbledry started with its first store in Noida. During that initial phase, they focused on offline marketing strategies because live laundry & dry clean stores were a new concept for people. Be it, people, from low-income levels, the middle class, or the richer sections of society, laundry was mostly done at home with the help of machines or maids. Dhobis were there, and the services were low cost too but they were unreliable. Tumbledry brought a paradigm shift to this scenario by making people realize that it is better to outsource laundry to a reliable organized brand like Tumbledry. They felt that they need to introduce this new concept at the ground level. And for this purpose, they focused on man-to-man marketing.
From putting canopies, banners and flyers to making door-to-door and society visits, they did everything. Tumbledry even made tie-ups with local grocery stores, parlours, salons and other places having high local walk-ins. They presented their service at kitty party venues and other such places. Because they wanted to convince people of the quality and convenience offered at Tumbledry stores, they gave first orders free or free trial orders. After the first free order, they provided two orders at a subsidized price so that the customers can get used to their services. Thereafter, the brand sold package memberships so that people can become their regular customers.
There are two factors that have always worked in their favour for both acquiring and retaining customers – Quality & Convenience. It worked for them as a double blessing. By offering world-class services and ensuring absolute convenience, Tumbledry won hearts and people referred their services to friends and family on a massive scale. While this made them gain new customers, high quality of services also made their old customers stick to them. And once the brand became a trusted name, they shifted to the next round of marketing which was Digital Marketing.
They have always focused on a “Customer-first” policy. It has helped them back in past and it is still making them grow. After seeing their clothes being treated well at live stores, customers got satisfied with us. Then, a majority of them bought their packages and became their regular customers.
Tumbledry – Challenges Faced
The prime challenge was matching the price of Tumbledry service to the cost of doing laundry at home. They knew they cannot make it big by ensuring convenience and quality alone because customers are cost-sensitive. So, they matched their prices to the cost of doing laundry at home.
Customers worry about the financial and emotional value of their clothes. A load of just 30 clothes might have a minimum cost of 10,000-15,000 to the customers. When people send their clothes to Tumbledry stores they trust the company with their belongings. And building this element of trust was another major challenge for the brand.
Tumbledry – Marketing Campaign
When their dry clean and laundry business took off, they introduced “shoe cleaning and restoration”. To spread awareness about this new service they ran “Refer a friend” campaign. Under this campaign, their customers were supposed to refer Tumbledry to their friends, on every new referral order, both the customers would get a free shoe cleaning service. This worked great in their favour as this campaign brought them new customers for two services: dry cleaning and shoe cleaning.
Tumbledry – Growth
Tumbledry Growth
Tumbledry has become India’s largest laundry chain and serves 2 lacs+ regular customers at their 250+ stores in 25 states and 83+ cities. They are growing exponentially in the metros as well as in Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities. At present, 51% of stores are successfully running in Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities.
Growing Number of Tumbledry Stores
They started in 2019. In FY 2020 Tumbledry’s revenue grew by 57%. Then in 2021, it grew by 138%. And owing to the current growth, they are projecting a 175% hike in its revenue in comparison to 2021.
Tumbledry – Competitors
Some of the top competitors of Tumbledry are:
Guardini
Pressto
Dhobilite
My Cleaners
Ashoka
Westend
Liberty
Beekay
Tumbledry – Recognitions and Achievements
The Biggest achievement of Tumbledry is that they have become India’s largest laundry & dry clean with 250+ stores spread across 83+ cities. They have registered themselves with StartupIndia. Some other achievements of Tumbledry are listed below:
The Founder & Director of Tumbledry, Mr Gaurav Nigam was recently awarded the Centurion Achiever Award by DLAI (Drycleaners & Launderers Association of India).
It has been featured among the Top 10 most promising start-ups by Silicon India.
Tumbledry has been featured among the top 10 retail start-ups of 2021 by CEO Insights.
Tumbledry – Future Plans
They have planned to be a household name for laundry & dry cleaning in India by expanding their business.
By 2025: Aiming to open 1000 live stores across India.
FAQs
When was Tumbledry founded?
Tumbledry was founded in 2019 in Noida.
Who is the founder of Tumbledry?
Tumbledry was founded by Naveen Chawla, Gaurav Nigam, Gaurav Teotia, Tarun Arora, and Anuj Gupta.
B2B Web Design Projects, or any web project for that matter, can be daunting and intimidating if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.
You see, many different types of businesses and marketing needs are out there. From small startups to huge established companies, each has its own unique strategy and branding guidelines they use to market themselves.
This often opens up the door for opportunities and discounts when it comes to choosing your B2B Web Design firm.
The most important web design factor for B2B that differentiates it from your average e-commerce website is the effort and skill required by the designer. These people have to have an intimate knowledge of marketing, sales, and customer relationship management, and more than that they need to understand the business and product they are creating a website for.
Having said that, there are quite a few good reasons why an in-house team can do a better job at this than a freelancer. This article will go over all the specifics that are required by businesses in order to make sure they keep their current business, or try a new one, on their site without having to spend a dime on design costs.
You’ve got a client. They’re happy and they want you to design a website. But what happens when the project is over and you’re no longer responsible for their website?
It’s time to move on! But how do you do that without leaving them high and dry? You need to be prepared.
Before accepting your next B2B web design project, take some time to gather as much information as possible while keeping your client in the loop. This way, you’ll have all the information you need in order to make decisions about what will work best for them, how long it might take, and whether or not doing it at all is even worth it for your company.
You should also ask questions about things like:
What are their goals for this project?
What kind of website did they have before?
How long has it been since they updated their site?
What kind of content does the target audience see on their current site?
Do they have any specific ideas about how they’d like their new site to look or function?
Develop a Clear Plan
The next step in any project is setting clear goals for yourself and your client.
Why? Because without them, your job is much harder than it needs to be. You’ll want to know what kind of website you want to develop for your client so that you can make sure that it will meet their needs (and not just look pretty).
You’ll also want to make sure that the website makes sense from an SEO perspective—which means getting involved early on in the process so that you can work together with the team at your company on how best to optimize SEO-friendly content.
And last but not least, you’ll want to make sure that your client has a good idea of what they want their site’s design styles and layouts to look like so that they can communicate those ideas clearly during the development.
Understand the Goals and Objectives of the Business
When it comes to B2B web design projects, understanding the goals and objectives of the business will help you determine if it’s a good fit for your skills and experience level.
For example, if a company is looking for an experienced developer who specializes in eCommerce sites, but you haven’t done much with eCommerce sites before—it might not be worth your time to take on this project. However, if they’re looking for someone who has experience working with eCommerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce, then it might be worth your time to give that company a call.
In addition to understanding the specific needs of your client, you’ll want to consider their overall strategy for growing their business. Are they looking to build new customers? Are they focused on existing customers? Or do they just want an updated site?
Each approach requires different considerations when designing a website, so it’s important that you understand how your potential clients think about growth before starting work on your project.
Talk About What the Competition Is Doing
We are all familiar with the idea that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. But what if you could? What if there was a way to win your customers over by being different?
In our experience, this is not just possible but likely. By understanding what your competitors are doing and how they are doing it, you can find opportunities to differentiate yourself in ways that your competitors simply cannot match.
For example, if one of your competitors has a beautiful website with a premium look and feel, but its content is basic and not engaging, then there is an opportunity for you to provide something better.
If another competitor has a beautiful website with a premium look and feel but its content is not engaging or doesn’t provide enough value for its audience, then there might be an opportunity for you to upsell them or offer them some additional services.
Most Common Web Design Mistakes
Discussing Content Management System Preferences
Content management systems (CMS) are tools that allow you to manage the content on your website, blog, or app. They allow you to manage the look of your site and apply specific styles across your site as needed.
There are many different types of CMS available, but when it comes to B2B web design projects, a Content Management System is the best option for most businesses.
The main reason for this is that most B2B websites rely on content management systems for their design and functionality. So if you’re considering a B2B website project now, but don’t know which CMS would be best for you and your business, here are some things to consider:
How much does your business currently use WordPress? If so, WordPress is likely your best option for a content management system (CMS). However, if it’s not an option at all then take into consideration what kind of changes will need to be made so that WordPress can work alongside another software program.
What kind of changes do you want to be made? Is there something specific that needs to be done like adding an online store or creating a mobile app?
Identify Target Markets and Personas
The next step to creating a great B2B website is understanding who your target market and persona are.
Personas are the people you want to reach, and they represent real people with real needs. You can use your persona’s characteristics to help you make decisions about how to create content and design a site that will resonate with them.
Identifying a target market can be challenging because there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every company. Your best bet is to start by asking yourself questions like:
“How do I describe this person?”
“What do they care about?”
“What do they fear?”
Once you have identified your target audience, it will be easier for you to understand what kind of content will resonate with them and how best to present it on your website.
Start with a Master Design Template
Furthermore, let’s talk about what kind of design project you’re looking to do.
B2B web design projects can be tricky because they’re usually more complex than B2C projects. The features are different: there are more pages, more people involved in the process, and a lot more data that needs to be collected.
That being said, there are some common issues that need to be addressed when working with B2B clients.
First, you need to start with a master design template for your client. This will help you understand how their site looks and where they want it to go from there. You can start by using this template as a basis for everything else on their site—you can create versions that fit their expectations or customize them based on the needs of your client’s audience.
The user experience is the sum total of how a person interacts with your site and what they get out of it. It’s the sum total of everything they see, hear, feel, touch, and do—and it’s what makes them stay or leave.
A good user experience is like driving down a highway at night: You know there are other cars on the road ahead of you, but most of those cars aren’t flashing their headlights or honking their horns at each other. They’re just going about their business—and so are you.
So when you’re planning out your B2B website, think about how your users will feel when they’re on your site. Who is it for? What are they looking for? How do they want to be treated? What should be included in a navigation bar? How many different types of information should be available at any given time? And how can all this be done quickly and easily?
Ensure There’s Feedback Built In For Future
If you’re looking for feedback on a web design project, or if you’re just getting started with B2B web design and want to know what to expect from your clients, there are a few things you can do to make sure you get the most out of your experience.
Make It Easy For Them To Provide Feedback:
It can be hard for a client to give feedback about their site if they don’t feel like it’s necessary. So make it easy for them. Give them a place where they can leave comments or submit ideas directly through the website. If you have an internal tool that allows users to submit feedback, be sure to include that as well.
Make It Easy For Them To Try Out Their Ideas:
If you ask your client to change something on the site, they’ll probably need some kind of trial period where they can test out their ideas without having to worry about losing access or anything like that—and if they can’t try out all their ideas during this time period, then it might not be worth doing at all. Make sure you offer plenty of time for testing so that people aren’t hesitant about trying new things out before committing or
Set Up Clear Expectations With Your Client Early
When you’re working with a B2B client, it’s important to set up clear expectations from the get-go. It may seem like a small thing, but it will help you to avoid the potential pitfalls down the road.
For example, when you ask your client what they want in a design, they might say “I want something that is clean and minimal.” This sounds great on paper! However, as soon as they see your designs and get excited about them, they’ll realize that their vision was too narrow—and then they’ll start to nitpick every little detail. So if your client says “I want this,” don’t take it literally—you have to understand what they mean by that first.
In order to avoid this kind of problem in the first place, make sure that you ask open-ended questions at the beginning of the project instead of ones that require a yes or no answer.”
These are the things you should think about before taking any B2B Web Design Project. Not only this there are also 3 important points which you also have to consider.
Do your research
If you’re going to be paid for your work, it’s important that you do your homework and know what to expect. You need to know the client’s industry and business goals, so you can build a site that will help them reach their objectives.
Don’t overlook the small details
You don’t want to spend all of your time on the big stuff—you should also think about the little things that make a website great, like user experience, responsiveness, and even branding (if it’s appropriate).
Be willing to compromise
Sometimes clients need something that isn’t quite right for their needs or budget—so don’t expect them to accept some changes instead of none at all. Instead, let them know what would make sense for them and why it would be beneficial for both of you as a team—and then find a way for them to give in without losing face or getting angry at each other over Skype calls all night long on holidays like Christmas Eve/Christmas Day/New Year’s Eve/etcetera.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article, and that it’s been helpful to you. If you’re a designer working on B2B websites, especially of the landing page persuasion, keep these tips in mind when designing your future landing pages for clients. By doing so, your clients will likely grow more excited about the experience!
FAQs
What do web designers need to know to design websites?
You should have a complete understanding of UI and UX. Web designers should also have basic knowledge of coding languages.
What do you need for a B2B website?
You need to have clear messaging, high-quality content, include a call to action, and a website should have a modern design.
How do you design for B2B?
Identify the user perspective, differentiate yourself from your competitors, take the help of your sales and marketing team, gather feedback, and come up with a buyer persona.
You must have seen emails landing in your inbox from the email addresses like “donotreply@company.com” or “no-reply@company.com”. These are the no-reply emails coming from the companies that only intend to update you about something.
Over the past couple of years, no-reply emails have become an essential part of online marketing. The no-reply email address is the best solution for a business to send out updates while saving themselves from the tons of replies they may receive in response to it.
The no-reply emails let you send the information to your current or potential customers, without giving them a chance to respond back. Mostly dummy accounts are used for sending such emails to the clients.
In such a case, even if the receivers respond to an email, it does not reach anywhere. This mostly ends up being caught by the spam filters leaving them a message “email was not sent”.
As a business, if you, too, are thinking of creating an email like this, then this blog is especially meant for you.
Today, we will provide you with all the details on how to create a no-reply email and why or why not to use it.
The no-reply email or do-not-reply email address is an address within the domain of businesses that can send messages but cannot receive any. Unlike regular email accounts, the messages will not be delivered to the recipient’s inbox but rather will get caught in spam filters. Hence, even if the receiver tries to send you a reply, they are stuck.
You can easily recognize the difference between normal emails and no-reply emails by looking at the email addresses they are coming from.
Businesses, companies, and corporations use them to convey their messages or send updates to their current or potential customers and clients.
No Reply Email Example
These are only meant to provide updates. This can be regarding a newly launched product or a limited-time offer, or other similar information that might seem important for the company to share with its customers. These are not intended for communication, which is usually dealt with under customer care services.
How to Create and Send a No-Reply Email?
Customers subscribe to a brand so the company can keep them updated with the new events that may be of their interest. Usually, this is one-way information and does not require the customer to respond.
For this purpose, a company has to create a no-reply email address and begin sending the emails to its customers through it.
If you are new to this, you might be wondering how to do that.
Here is the step-by-step guide for creating a no-reply email address and sending emails through it.
Step 1: The first step is to log in to the control panel of your hosting account of your email service provider.
Step 2: Now go to the domain management page and the section where you can create any email account.
Step 3: In your email program, set up the no-reply email address. For this, you will need a username and password.
Step 4: After this, verify the email address through a confirmation link that will be sent to the specified email address.
That’s it. Your no-reply email address is ready.
Now, when you have a no-reply email address, it’s time to send the emails to your customers.
Let’s see how to do that…
Step 1: You have to open the email program of your email address and then click on the “Compose” to create new messages. Now enter an exciting subject for the particular product or service in the email subject field.
Step 2: Write a message in the email body and include graphics for your business products and services. Make sure your readers notice that this email address is not for communication. You may also include the contact information or the other email address through which your customers can reach you with their queries and feedback.
Step 3: You can now send your message to the recipients of your choice. Now you may have understood the process of creating an email address and composing the no-reply email. So, if you too have been thinking of creating a no-reply email address, then you can go ahead and do it by following the above-mentioned simple steps.
Pros and Cons of Sending a No-Reply Email
Pros
No-reply email is directly sent to the customer’s inbox
Other than having an actual responder to reply to, a no-reply email has all the other features of a regular email. The messages are directly delivered to the recipient’s inbox.
Reduces the work of an already overloaded team:
The no-reply emails are a very effective solution from the business perspective. With just one click, team members can easily send the mail without worrying about the responses they will get in return and how to respond to each of them. Hence, these emails save time and extra effort for the marketing team.
Cons
Bad Experience with Customers and Legal Issues:
This is not exactly a drawback but a precaution to be used before sending no-reply emails to your customers.
While subscribing to your brand and allowing you to send them emails, people are actually putting their trust in you. Sometimes it can be frustrating to receive emails without a reply button.
The best way is to provide them with alternate email addresses for their queries and other contact information through which they can get their issues resolved. Giving them an option to communicate their trustworthy brand nourishes their trust in your company.
Best Practices for Using No-Reply Emails
Before you actually begin with the no-reply email, it is important to ensure that your strategy is to the point and does not make your customers feel ignored or unworthy.
The customers only remain attached to a brand if they feel they are being valued and are able to trust you. This forms the essence of any marketing strategy. Therefore, a few simple practices should be followed to keep your customers strongly bonded with you.
Use no-reply email only when responses are not necessary
Before you send an email to your customers see if it raises questions that they might want to ask you. If this is so, do not send it through a no-reply email.
The no-reply emails should only deliver information that just updates the customers about products or services. These are not the mode of communication so should be used accordingly.
The best use of no-reply emails is in sending marketing emails, informative emails, confirmation, appointment notifications, and receipts.
Provide contact information for your customers
Your work is not over after a customer has placed an order with your brand. You want them to turn into your regular customers. You will have to win over their trust to achieve this.
So, even if you send the confirmation and receipt using a no-reply email, make sure your customers are provided with the contact information through which they can reach you in case of any trouble.
For this, you may include an alternate email address, or contact number, or even different social media links may work for it.
Put a link to your main email address:
Even after creating a no-reply email address, make it simple for customers by including a link to the primary email address in the signature block of your no-reply emails. If a business doesn’t have any option to contact, it can be really harmful to its reputation. Therefore, it is important to provide the necessary contact details.
Conclusion
Like any other strategy, no-reply email to has its own limitations. However, if utilized properly, it can be a great source of marketing. This service has the potential of spreading the word about your brand and engaging more customers.
Providing the relevant and required information to the customers at the right time can help build the trust and reputation of your brand amongst your customers.
Hope this step-by-step guide will help you create your own “no-reply email address thus helping your business to bloom.
FAQs
What is a no-reply email?
Large-scale businesses mostly use no-reply emails. These emails are designed to send the message but do not receive any response in return.
What happens if you send an email to a no-reply?
Your email might not reach the sender and will be caught in a spam folder.
Is sending a no-reply email good or bad for business?
Do-not-reply or no-reply email like any other strategy comes with both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is up to the brand to use the service wisely and make maximum use of it.
Why does a business need to use no-reply email?
Mostly, a thank you or confirmation mail is sent to the customers in return for their purchase from a particular brand. However, sometimes the customers drop their feedback or queries in return for those mails.
How to write a no-reply email?
The best way to write a no-reply email is to make sure that the receiver notices it is a no-reply email, so they do not try reverting to it. Moreover, it is always a good idea to include the alternate email address and other contact information for the convenience of the customers. This will help you with the marketing as well as make the customers feel valued.
How does a no-reply email affect the business?
No reply emails make the business more professional, effective, and comfortable. In addition, it reduces the workload of the marketing team and helps them work in an organized way.
The article is contributed by Mrs. Deepti Sharma, Managing Director, Thinker Place.
Investors are always on the lookout for ideas that are unique and can be of use in whatever sector they are being pitched in. Every idea, irrespective of what the idea contains, can be a great idea depending on the pitching method and the solutions/interactiveness that the idea has with its target audience. Ultimately, it all boils down to the product that you have and the potential – whether prominent or hidden, it contains.
From personal experience, investors always want a thorough breakdown of potential products they are going to invest in. The standard breakdown questions by investors include the following:
What is your idea/product? – A question to check what made you come up with the product and to know the root of development and the thinking process behind developing something.
How does it help? – Products are made for consumers. Investors look for your target audience and the functionality of your product through this question. Products/ideas that provide immediate solutions or benefits to the target audience are ranked higher for investors.
What does it do? – A trick question by investors to know the end-to-end process of a product. This is a critical question where investors check the development state of a product and make decisions on the amount to be invested.
Materials used in the product – Investors today are always on the lookout for sustainability. The materials used in a product give investors a judgment on the cost of making a raw product and can help them determine the selling price. As an entrepreneur, this is also a key moment to display hidden trinkets and other special features that your product may hold.
The “Units Sold” question – After the idea and the products have been pitched, investors ask about the market trend and public reaction to the product. This is a statistical question that is answered purely in numbers, raw data, and through a variety of content.
Additional cost questions – The “make or break” question while pitching. Cost questions by investors look at individual raw material costs, production costs, the team’s cost, and most importantly – sales and marketing costs.
PRODUCT IS KEY. There is no other way around it. Taking an idea and perfecting it to near-perfection is what all entrepreneurs and business owners strive for. On an added note, investors fall head-over-heels for PR activities and recognition that a product or entrepreneur has received. In short, the more recognition or “brand awareness” that you or your product has, the better.
As an entrepreneur, you are not only pitching for the idea and the product that you’ve worked so hard on, it is also a pitch for trust. Investors look at your convincing power, your confidence, your real-world knowledge, your market knowledge, and above all, how far you will go for your product.
Statistically, most investors have already decided whether or not to invest in your startup business based on the first 5-10 minute interaction you’ve had with them.
A quick guide to getting into the good books of investors:
Do your research – Knowing who you are pitching to, their background, their job profile and work history, what and who they’ve invested in previously, and any other details can help you in your pitch.
Dress to impress – There is no excuse for not looking professional. Think of it as a very important job interview. Though the new-found trend is to dress as one sees fit when attending business and pitch meetings, dressing in formal attire is a classic move that can never fail. Professional attire emits seriousness and intent and makes a lasting impression on investors.
Be confident – Pitch meetings can be nerve-wracking. Being anxious and nervous is a natural feeling for most anybody. Displaying what you’re feeling inside can leave a bad impression on your investors. From the moment you meet your investors, your confidence should be on full display. The way that you walk and the firmness of your handshake or head nod can assist you in showing confidence and seriousness.
Being organised – Before you start your pitch presentation, or before sharing your business module with investors, make sure to have all your documentation, gadgets, flashcards, products, and other necessary documents and items organised. One way investors know that you are not-so-serious about having them as investors is by being flimsy with documents and slow with setting up your presentation. For investors, time is of the essence, being organised always goes a long way in assisting your pitch presentation.
Portray yourself as the subject matter expert – The pitch for investment is all for you and your product, so it is only natural that you know thoroughly all about the origins of the product, where your product stands in the market, and the complete inside work of your business. Investors look for the devotion and near-obsession that entrepreneurs have when it comes to their products. This point answers the very important “Why should we invest in you?” question quite clearly.
Quick and logical thinking – Most of the time, based on data and other statistics that are provided to them, investors hunt to find defects or loopholes in your pitch. As such, they come up with scenarios or situations for the entrepreneur to answer. An entrepreneur should have quick and logical thinking based on real-world statistics about their product and should be able to answer all questions smoothly. Roleplaying different situations, and foreseeing or predicting the future of your product and the company is a sure way to answer most questions belonging to this category.
Negotiation skills – Lastly, but most importantly, entrepreneurs need to have a clear picture about what’s the purpose behind the investor pitch meeting. The skill to bargain and negotiate or “not settle” for something that’s outside the expected quotation is vital for success.
To conclude, getting an investment is like a game of chess. Playing the right move at the right time to pique the interest of your investors and to keep them always occupied with you and your product is the key to a perfect pitch. What really matters is convincing investors to trust you and your product and to see the vision that you have. With the right attitude and confidence, getting investors on board is easy.
The article is contributed by Ms. Stuti Kothari and Mr Ankit Kothari, Co- founders, WishCare.
In this digital age, one of the most important aspects of growing your business is your eCommerce and D2C strategy. As much as choosing the right business approach is important; crafting the appropriate marketing strategies is equally essential. Successful marketing is a constantly moving, shifting, and changing machine. It should evolve with the changing dynamics of the industry and ecosystem.
The personal care market occupies a fair share in the booming D2C segment in India. One of the notable names in the sector is WishCare, an environmental-friendly and vegan brand built on the core principle of a sustainable tomorrow. Conceptualized in 2018, the brand has grown exponentially ever since then. Successfully completing and dispatching over 2000 products every day, they have a customer base of over a million now. Behind this successful D2C personal care brand lies the strong and effective marketing strategy based on community building and creating a customer feedback loop.
Co-Creating with Community
Co-creating with the community is the first step of launching any new product for WishCare which is based on extensive market research and community feedback, while ensuring that it is a hit amongst its existing consumers.
Although collecting customer feedback is standard practice, WishCare has stepped it up by innovating its product based on the collected feedback. Based on community suggestions, WishCare identifies the gaps and needs in the market, then their internal research team develops the product. The community also helps with sampling which allows the brand to leverage its feedback loop for research and development purposes. In fact, WishCare developed its Vitamin C+ Pure Glow Serum in complete collaboration with its community.
3C Sustainable Approach
The brand’s 3C approach – Clean (using products that are safe and natural and not harmful either to the humans or to the environment), Conscious (the brand undertakes conscious packaging. It uses packaging material that has either been recycled or can be recycled) and Caring (the brand academically adopts and educates underprivileged girl children) is its core philosophy based on the sustainability vision and this model resonates well with its customer base as well. Hence, every strategy that the brand devises, whether business-oriented or marketing focused centers around this 3C practice.
The brand has banned a list of 100 + ingredients which are chemicals and toxic substances from using it in the production of their products. Furthermore, the brand also identifies itself as a vegan and cruelty-free brand due to its clean approach that promotes using natural ingredients. This is what the brand promises to its customers and it is this ideology that has helped WishCare earn the trust of its customers.
WishCare even boasts of a strong customer care team. Contrary to what anyone would believe, this customer service team is not restricted to customer care executives. In fact, skincare and haircare experts are present to connect with the customers and have one-on-one conversations. Every time, the brand launches a new product, these experts are right there to resolve the customers’ queries. This has helped the brand to create a feedback loop wherein they have been able to persuade the customers to continue their loyalty towards the brand by using the products.
Product development based on community feedback – This team also helps us in identifying gaps in the current market and then the brand transforms it into the next product that could be launched in the market. This approach has helped the brand foster well-knit connections with the customers and also build long-lasting relationships with them.
Conclusion
These three strategies of creating the community feedback loop, adopting the 3C approach, and building a customer-first team have been the brand’s main pillar of success over the past 3 years since it has forayed into the personal care market that is highly fragmented and largely unorganized!
The article is contributed by Mr. Mahesh Choudhary, Founder & Chairman, Saraswati Global.
Selling a product is not an easier task. It is an art to convince people to buy their products. While selling the products the buyer has to face barriers, must know about the strategies to sell, and the most significant is to know the differences between selling a product in a rural market and in a global market.
What is the global market? The goods and services and labor can move freely across the globe. To establish good marketing in the global market a good knowledge of business must be the expertise of the person. Being a good business person we must know how to get consumers hooked with the products. Although it is difficult for all to sell their products and make it a well-known brand. But for villagers it is a demanding practice for them. There are a lot of barriers which they have to face before and during selling their products.
The Barriers Villagers Face in Selling Their Products
Reach/Access
Access is one of the major barriers for the Villagers. It is difficult for the small entrepreneur to reach the consumers, give the information and Sell their products. With the limited electricity and little access to mass media, it is a challenge to reach consumers.
Transportation
Rural business people face a lot of lags due to lack of support and services. One of them is transportation. Transportation helps in movement of goods and services which ensure access according to customers, and act as a link between the producers and consumers. Transportation challenge factors include, lack of road maintenance, hike in fuel prices and vehicle services.
Capital
Capital, the most mandatory for business, acts as a barrier. The investment, capital amount, and money are significant for the commencement of business. But for rural entrepreneurs, it is the first barrier that they have to face to execute any business idea. Insufficient profit to cover overhead expenses can result from a lack of capital.
Technology
Entrepreneurs in urban cities generally use technological methods two manufacture their goods, because it cuts cost and time and gives a complete finish to the goods. But lack of proper knowledge in rural entrepreneurs affects the growth of their entrepreneurship. So they are completely based on labour work and handmade products, which take a lot of time to manufacture.
Digitalisation
Along with the lack of technology knowledge, rural entrepreneurs also don’t have a proper understanding of digitalisation which is hitting the global market vigorously. But improper knowledge of digitalisation adversely affects their entrepreneurship development.
Competition
One of the key successes to be a good entrepreneur is to beat the competitors in the market. This is the toughest key for the rural entrepreneurs to face existing competitors for their establishment. The existing competitors have good quality of resources and rural competitors lack them.
Lack of knowledge creates excessive fuss for rural entrepreneurs. Selling their manufactured products is a challenging task for them. So how can they deal with these? To tackle them rural entrepreneurs need support from NGOs and government as they can help them to promote rural enterprise.
NGOs can help entrepreneurs by counselling them. By consulting rural entrepreneurs we can get to know resources and the requirements they need for the procedural activities. NGOs can help with their sources by providing them with enough resources to use for their activities.
Government can help by providing a capital amount to small rural entrepreneurs. So that they could afford the requirements they need. Rural consumers nor rural entrepreneurs are able to operate smartphones which ultimately affects rural entrepreneurs. A counselling program can help them to train in it. Government can also arrange a counselling program to train them in every aspect of entrepreneurship. This can also lead them to digital and technological literacy.
Lack of support and services can cause no profit in selling the products in the global market.
Let’s find out the different ways where we can sell the product made by the Villagers.
Ways to Sell Products Made by Villagers
Personal Selling
Face-to-face interaction selling is the best method for the rural marketer. Consumers search for reliable marketers. Here the customers can trust completely because they buy the products with their personal checks. This can lead to gaining trust and the buyers can also become regular consumers.
Fairs and Exhibitions
Fairs and exhibitions are like the part of the rural people. This is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to launch and sell their products. A Lot of people come for entertainment. Through the different entertainment selling methods, consumers can easily attract to watch. With this method sometimes they also get convinced to buy them.
E-COMMERCE
E-commerce is on the rise as the trend of online shopping has become a trend in the last few years. E-Commerce is the marketplace where anybody can sell and buy their products. The online platform is not restricted to urban or rural people. Amazon, Flipkart, Etsy, craftvilla, etc are one of the E-Commerce platforms for buying and selling goods and services.
Along with e-commerce social media such as Instagram and Facebook are the best marketplace to create, sell and grow a brand. People mostly spend their time on social media. Since these platforms would have a wider reach to consumers.
Channel Sales
By channel sales, we know that it is the process of distribution of products to the market. It means the person can sell the product through the collaboration of another company.
The article is contributed by Mr. Charanjeev Singh, Co-Founder, Singh Styled.
Millennials have been witnesses to the times when the term men’s grooming was unheard of. It was limited to a haircut, sometimes a head massage at a nearby hajam ki dukan (neighbourhood salon). As far as the grooming goes, if anything at all the men did, was use grooming products meant for women, for eg. the famous fairness cream or the latest cleansing facewash. As we embark into a decade where the talk about equality is rife, a men’s grooming regime is considered equally important as a woman’s. With the rise of a metrosexual man, looking impeccable has become a non-negotiable.
From being completely unheard of to a multi-billion-dollar market, the male grooming sector has gained worldwide acceptance. The first exclusive product for men was launched in India in 2005 by an FMGC giant, which introduced the first fairness cream for men. This was the cue for other Indian players to wake up to the potential of the men’s grooming needs. What started as a monthly indulgence of a head massage at a neighbourhood barber shop is today a full-grown industry comprising categories of grooming and styling products, national and international upmarket chains of styling salons, innovations, and launches of the latest gadgets and tools that are used by men in their daily grooming regime.
Focusing on India, the men’s grooming industry is estimated to reach $1.2 billion by 2024. A report also states that there will be growth in e-commerce sales owing to the post-pandemic culture. Currently, the men’s grooming industry in India is led by some of the major FMCG players. However, the past few years have seen a few D2C start-ups slowly making their mark by creating offerings that are niche and address specific pain points as far as the men’s grooming needs go. Let’s put a spotlight on one such start-up that has marked its consumer territory like a lion – Singh Styled, a brand that’s focused on preserving the Sikh identity.
Birth of Singh Styled
Charanjeev Singh, a digital evangelist from Mumbai with over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience is the brain behind Singh Styled. As a Sikh himself, he realised that there is a dearth of quality grooming essentials exclusively for the Sikh gentlemen. Also, he noticed a decline in the new generation of Sikh men not very keen on following their tradition of wearing a turban and maintaining a beard. Upon research, Charanjeev found out that the absence of bespoke grooming products was the reason preventing the grooming-conscious Sikh men to embrace their identity.
In 2015, was born Singh Styled, a men’s grooming company exclusively for the Sikh by a Sikhs. Singh Styled is the first brand across the globe, to cater especially to the needs of Sikh men.
‘Singh Styled’ is dedicated to two very basic aspects of grooming for Sikh gentlemen. One being the practical aspect and the other is spiritual. A Dastaar, which is considered to be the crown, and a neatly maintained beard; the first visual of a Sikh gentleman.
The Niche Offering
Singh Styled is the house of high-quality turbans, beard and hair care products, and accessories. The grooming products are designed to support keeping the Sikh hair, beard, and moustache in mind.
To keep their customers’ long hair and beard looking soft and manageable at all times, the Singh Styled team has developed its own formula for hair oil, beard oil, beard fixer, and other personal hygiene products that help Sikh men to be at their individualistic best.
The brand’s hair care products are the outcome of their in-house research and development wing. Considering the needs of men with long hair and beard, each of the brand’s products takes around 8-12 months in formulation, testing, sampling, and re-sampling, before they are launched. The brand boasts of its rigid testing process, as it believes the amount of time and resources spent in convincing a consumer to buy a product is not worth risking if the product isn’t 100% satisfactory. Hence, they test their products across skin and beard types, cities, countries for weather, and water conditions. Products developed on this data help them bring their products to market with confidence.
The company has invested in German cotton yarn machines to spin out premium Sikh turban fabrics that preserve colour, while being light and soft at the same time. Its aim is to t spoil its clients with choices. Recently the brand launched unique summer turban shades to bring out the cool quotient of every Singh this sunny season. The fresh new range of soothing shades included an array of pastel colours such as Flamingo, Coral Blue, Supreme Green, La Crème, Citron Green, Summer Yellow, Powdered Coffee, Grass is Greener, and Ice Grey. Additionally, the brand also boasts of launching a one-of-its-kind beard freshener – ‘Attraction’, an aqua-based unique product specifically curated for beardsmen to ensure they smell fresh and fragrant throughout the day.
Additionally, the brand also offers carefully curated grooming kits with scientifically tested products for each step of the grooming process. These products not only speed up the regime but also ensure that kesh, beard, and skin, are all, well looked after.
The founders believed that just having the right products wasn’t enough. To fulfil the brand purpose, building a community that shares the same value that the brand carries was of paramount importance. It sets itself apart from other D2C brands, as it does not worry about launching a new range every week to compete. Today the brand’s D2C platform offers products pre-filtered as per the focused needs of its target market, thus, making the shopping process quick and convenient.
Simultaneously, Singh Styled products are also available across all major e-commerce stores from Amazon, Nykaa, Flipkart, Bigbasket, Netmeds, and many more. This is in tandem with the founders’ policy of tapping the ever-growing online shopping market.
Global Presence
Singh Styled aims at being accessible to all 30 million Sikhs across the globe. It has already spread its wings across the globe and currently, it supplies to 133 worldwide destinations which include Canada, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Far & Middle East, and Africa.
The latest feather in their cap is their first international store in the ‘Lion City’ of the world- Singapore. Through the Singapore store, the brand caters to the Sikhs of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia.
Conclusion
The Sikh Gentlemen have been a part of the elite beardsmen club, thanks to the Guru-gifted identity. For beardsmen, their beards are a mark of honour and an important part of their identity, and not something that is just ‘in’ fashion. With Singh Styled, the mission is to build products and solutions that can help turbaned and bearded men maintain their identity with ease, and build their own style within the purview of the faith.
The article is contributed By Prateek Ruhail, CEO and Co-Founder of Vanity Wagon.
In the recent past, a lot of businesses have gone digital incalculably. This was accelerated by the pandemic which curtailed individuals’ ability to visit physical marketplaces, and they were instead forced to shop from e-commerce websites. And now, the shoppers include individuals from all walks of life, a medley of cities and different income statuses. A report revealed that from April-May 2020, there was an 11% increase in first-time online shoppers. The e-commerce market in the country is exploding and is set to grow at a 30% compound annual growth rate in the next 5 years, serving 300-350 million shoppers in the next 3 years. This growth in e-commerce businesses has warranted a deeper understanding of how to fund and grow such a platform.
ECommerce Funding
Financials and cash-flow is the toughest problem to navigate when starting your own e-commerce business. It’s extremely pertinent to clearly chalk out a plan and figure out exactly what you need the funds for. This money is usually used to grow, cover expenses (marketing and operational) and for inventory costs.
How to Get Funds for Your ECommerce Business?
There are numerous ways to fund your business. The most common of these are using your personal savings, bootstrapping- asking family and friends for help, and crowdfunding – collecting funds from the public. There are also grants- obtaining money from a public body, equity financing- giving up equity for a cash investment, debt financing- selling debt instruments like bonds to investors, revenue-share financing- in the form of royalties, and bank loans. Each company has its own unique business model due to which some of these methods might work better as compared to others. Even at different stages of the business’ growth- different methods might be appropriate.
Investors’ Alignment to Your Business Objectives
Not every investor fits perfectly into the puzzle. If you have an investor that doesn’t understand the overall vision of the company, and does not agree on a strategy, it can actually be counterproductive to have them on board. Thus, it is extremely important that you and your investors align on the objectives and plans of action for the company.
After starting the business and getting the infrastructure in place, the funds are used to grow the company. There are several growth strategies that can be implemented to maximise profits-
Affiliate marketing – Affiliate marketing is a business strategy whereby you can increase your business reach by allowing social media accounts and websites to market your products and show advertisements for a specific percentage of your sales. This exposes your brand to a larger audience, thereby growing it.
Target audience – Identifying your target audience is pertinent to understanding the demographics and trends among those you are selling to and modify your marketing and operational strategy accordingly. If your product or marketing is irrelevant to your target, there is no point.
Repeated business – Usually, the customer acquisition cost is extremely high, but converting an existing customer into a repeated buyer is easier and also increases sales. Luring customers back in using tactics like offers, discounts, bundles, customised coupons, and maintaining a good relationship with them is likely to grow your business.
Market basket analysis – Enticing customers to purchase commodities that are linked to one another through market basket analysis is an excellent way to grow your business. For example, if a customer is buying clothes, there can be options of accessories that go with the whole look. Or, if a customer is buying chips, there should be a bundled with different recommended dips etc.
Creating awareness – If your e-commerce business can solve problems, then it is extremely important to create awareness and use appropriate marketing tools to do so. In today’s day and age, customers do extensive research before settling on a purchase hence, it is important that they are aware of the product you have and the problem you solve with the product.
Influencers – A good way to create awareness in the present day is through influencers. These influencers usually have thousands of followers who look up to them for advice and recommendations. The sales you get from these influencers should make up for the fee you pay them.
Thus, adopting the right strategies for funding and growing your e-commerce platform is key to having a profitable business.
The article is contributed by Vatsal Rajgor, Co-Founder & CEO, DigiMaze.
Every brand today wants to establish a strong digital presence and engage with viewers. Given the fact that viewers today are spending more time than ever on social media, there is a very strong business case for brands to use the digital arena as a powerful marketing tool. Even those brands that have a decent digital presence are always aiming to extend their reach and be in contact with their target base.
The important thing to note is that the digital medium is democratic. It offers a level playing field and is extremely effective once the correct strategies are applied. Appropriate and effective digital strategies, when used, are known to impact the behaviours of the consumers and the purchase decisions they finally make. In our day and age, performance marketing is the perfect digital strategy that can enable this.
According to the IAMAI- Kantar ICUBE 2020 report, there will be an increase of 45% in active internet users by 2025, i.e., from 622 million in 2020 to 900 million in 2025. These numbers act as an indication of the scope of the profits that can be reaped by brands that have a strong online presence. Here is where performance marketing comes to the rescue. It’s not just a popular buzzword. Performance marketing is on the rise and it allows marketers to measure and optimize key performance indicators. It points out the areas where the marketing effort is lacking and closes those loopholes to help craft an effective digital marketing strategy.
Performance marketing, powered by data, is inherently goal-driven so brands can measure their ROI. With performance marketing, Once a brand has a clear set of goals that they want its campaign to achieve, can use performance marketing to not just achieve these goals but also measure the probability of success. This is not magic. It’s pure data science. A lot of the decisions made are based on the nuggets of insights from the customer journey and the behaviours displayed by the consumers to create a final plan for the brand.
Performance marketing gives marketers the advantage of collecting and analysing real-time data to curate a framework to target the intended customers and get the desired results. Insights derived from data become critical because they lay the foundation for a brand’s campaign. This marketing approach is a win-win for both the business owner and the publisher as it allows them to focus and build up their campaigns in order to garner a high ROI that is calculable to an accurate degree.
Forms of Performance Marketing
Performance marketing uses various channels to produce the results, and they are:
Native Advertising
Native advertising is a channel of advertising which camouflages itself as regular content. Viewers don’t even get to know that it is a paid form of advertisement. It is usually opted for when one wants to combat the issue of advertisement blocking and banner blindness. As per the reports, 42.7% of the internet users in the world use an ad blocker. In such situations, native advertisements come to the rescue as consumers look at native ads 53% more than display ads and have purchase intent is 18% more for a native ad.
Sponsored Advertising
Sponsored advertising is a type of native advertising. The difference between the two is that sponsored advertising is not an ad but is a piece of content that is usually long-form and is about a brand. It can be an article or a video on a media publisher’s site. Sponsored content aims to engage the audience by either entertaining them or educating them. The content needs to mention that it is sponsored or promoted so that people are aware and don’t think otherwise. Sponsored ads help brands reach new customers, grow their following, and increase their conversion rate among other things.
Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is the bread and butter as some brands mainly use this form of advertising over others. In this form of advertising, paid ad campaigns are launched on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and others to reach the intended audience. According to the CMO survey, brands will double their budgets for social media advertising by 2023. This is an important form of advertising because, as of January 2022, there were 467 million social media users in India. These numbers show us what kind of reach a brand can have if they were to use this form of marketing.
Search engine marketing is paid marketing, also known as pay-per-click (PPC). This strategy is majorly used to increase the visibility of a website on the search engine results page (SERP). In this, the advertisers only pay for impressions that result in visitors. This is an efficient form as one only pays for the results. The results are quicker with SEM, and it is non-intrusive in nature.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a subset of performance marketing and includes techniques like email marketing, influencer marketing, and many more. In this form of marketing, the affiliate makes a commission when they promote another person’s products or a company’s products. Performance marketing is affiliate marketing with other additions in its mix at a larger scale.
Conclusion
Like any other form of marketing activity, performance marketing also has its pros and cons. Hence, brands need to have flexible targets as a business, because setting rigid goals could hamper outcomes. While performance marketing is undertaken to achieve desired goals and paying only when results are achieved, companies need to have a margin of error. If anything unexpected were to happen, it is all accounted for. Performance marketing can be an effective tool in the arsenal of brands and, if used to its full potential, it can do wonders. It is a cost-efficient marketing strategy, where the performance of a marketing campaign, on any digital platform, can be tracked. Performance marketing is transparent in nature, and this essential feature is not found in other forms of marketing.
For any company, big, mid-sized or small, performance marketing is essential when you look at the digital frontier. It’s here to stay, and if used correctly, it can show results that are calculable, hence is a boon for any brand to make it a part of their digital strategy.
Ashwini
