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  • Patriotic Marketing – How Patriotism has Become the New Marketing Trend in India

    Patriotism is a political ideology. It means an emotion of devotion and a sense of attachment to the homeland. This feeling creates a sentiment of oneness among all the citizens of the country. This quality is quite omnipresent in the world. We love where we are born and that attachment can be seen throughout. We feel like a part of something big and the hope that it brings is immense. That feeling of being united with all other citizens who are sharing the same land and laws is what we call patriotism.

    However, as capitalism grows and more and more businesses are being set up, we can see how the world is changing. It is changing and the little elements are changing too. We see business and advertising penetrate into our daily lives. They are so omnipresent that if we don’t find them, we feel like something is missing. That kind of effect can be seen in every strata. Businesses have changed and manipulated the meaning of patriotism to its benefit. They have now begun using the term for promotions of their product. It truly makes a good combination. This article is just about that, no BS. read on to see how the marketing world innovatively uses patriotism as a promotion mechanism.

    What is Patriotic Marketing?
    Advantages Behind these Patriotic Adverts
    Examples of Patriotic Marketing
    FAQ

    What is Patriotic Marketing?

    The phrase patriotic marketing is that form of marketing when the theme of the marketing campaign aligns itself with the feeling of patriotism. There are slogans, images and catchphrases to lure people and convey a message of pride and honour for the country.

    This new form of advertisement uses that united and pride feeling of the citizens as their face of the marketing campaign. This helps in the wider reach of the campaign and that also ensures that people are connected to the advertisement (emotionally). The intentions are yet to be found but patriotism as a marketing technique works 9 out of 10 times in India.

    It can take many forms and types. It can be promoting the product that is “Made in India”, or the product being made with raw materials from India. It can also use colours to wake up the inner patriot in you. This happens every August when brands start campaigning about independence and freedom.

    Tata Tea Independence day ad
    Tata Tea Independence day ad

    Moreover, they tend to change colours too, to green and saffron and white. The change in colours happens to instil the feeling of patriotism in the citizens and to cash out on the opportunity of the big independence day.

    Advantages Behind these Patriotic Adverts

    There are countless benefits for colouring a brand campaign into the colours of the national flag. The benefits entail some said and some unsaid feelings, it also goes through people’s hearts. This type of marketing has to be very careful in its actions as it can make someone feel bad or offend someone in some way. If done right, it can become the recipe for success for your brand and the product that your brand offers. Let us see on what dynamics, this sort of advertisement helps and why.

    Unity and crowd

    This is the most basic example of why patriotic marketing works. It is the epitome of unity and connectedness in this digital world. Anything that has the ability to unite people will result in activating some sort of crowd work, which leads to more conversion of viewers into customers. Most Indians are patriots and thus most Indians will be moved by this type of marketing campaign.

    Emotional appeal

    There have been countless incidents that have proved that ‘marketing’ works mostly on principles of psychology. Humans are social animals and they love to live in clusters because it is safe and efficient. Emotions originated from being in constant company with others.

    When we see something emotional, our hormones go dancing and we remember that thing for a long time. This is what marketing with any emotional theme does to our brain, it brings the emotional hormones to life and it makes them dance.

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    Examples of Patriotic Marketing

    If you have read this article all this while, then you might be bored of explanations and more explanations. This chain needs to break to save the attention timeout of your brain. Let us now see a few examples to make the topic more clear.

    Tata tea

    This famous phrase “Jaago re” is the campaign aired by Tata tea. Tata is a brand that has a long history and strong goodwill. It has maintained to face the Indian business seas for many decades now. Its history and integrity are as old and strong as India itself. Jaago re is an attempt to wake up India and act in a positive direction.

    Chai or ‘tea’ is the perfect partner for this campaign because it is the most common drink Indians have after waking up in the morning. So, going by that theme, the Jaago re campaign kicked off. The campaign aims to change how people look at India. Their tagline goes like “Chai piyo, soch badlo” which means to look at things from a different perspective.

    As India faces many issues and problems, we cannot deny the fact that we have also done some good work in many areas. It is about perspective and the will to act in a positive direction. Jaago re which means ‘Wake up’ in English is a synonym for ‘Waking up to act’.

    Here’s the campaign. The video entails a protagonist or the lead person giving people chai to wake them up. He says that widely awake people are still sleeping. Upon asking why, He says “If you are not casting your vote on the day of voting and came to watch a film instead, then you’re not awake, you’re sleeping” then comes the tagline that says “Jaago Re” which inspires people to be more than just onlookers onto the development of the country India. The tagline inspires people to volunteer in the process of developing the nation.

    Amul

    There is a big chance that you have already heard that catchy jingle that goes like “Amul doodh peeta hai India”. That literally translates as ‘India drinks Amul milk’. The advertisement campaign shows various colours of India. It shows the various activities young people do, like dancing and playing and running furiously anywhere.

    The youthfulness of the advertisement resembles the youthfulness of the country. The reason is the fact that India is a young nation with an average age of about 28 years. This campaign celebrates the activeness of Indian youth with a catchy jingle that is sure to get on to your mind.

    There is another advertisement that propagates the brand value of Amul. It celebrates the ubiquitous nature of Amul products. The ad shows how Amul can be used everywhere where there is food. ‘The Taste of India’ is a wonderful example of boosting revenues with the promotion in the forms of hope and unitedness.

    Patanjali –

    The brand needs no introduction, Patanjali is the brainchild of Baba Ramdev. Baba Ramdev is probably the most famous yoga guru in India. Also, he is by far the most notable advocate for natural living. With these touchpoints in mind and along with some Indian or patriotic marketing, he came up with the idea of Patanjali.

    Patanjali is now synonymous with every Indian household. It has products that range from hair shampoos to atta noodles and more. All this with the aim of “Swadeshi” or products that are made in India and made for India.

    Their marketing department knows a lot about India. They know the significance of a cow and how animals are mistreated in procuring milk or dairy products. They created a masterpiece campaign that talks about everything, from being made in India, to cow mistreatments, and safe and natural ghee.

    Kajaria Tiles –

    India is an under-construction country, there is always something that is under construction. The spirit of a constructing country propagates many brands that are in the construction business. One of the most iconic names is the “Kajaria Tiles”. They have a campaign named “Desh ki Mitti” which reflects the intentions and emotions of Kajaria.

    It was helmed by Repindia and they roped in Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador. They made the campaign reflect upon the value that the brand wanted to propose. The tagline went like “Dekh ki mitti se desh ko banate hain” which translates to “Let us build the country with its own soil”. It needs to be noted here that the campaign was highly successful among viewers.

    This advertisement shows how India has turned out to be a super nation and how everyone hopes for the country. It celebrates how we say namaste in an international gathering because we are connected to the roots of our country.

    The fact that Indians love their roots and it literally provides them energy to do more in life is the reason why this advertisement is quite successful. Be it in the field of sports, or war, or scientific advancements, India is not lacking behind in any sphere and we get that power from “Desh ki Mitti” that is “The soil of our homeland”.

    Coca-Cola

    Coca-Cola entered the second largest country on the globe with an advertisement that portrayed “Happiness”. They have constantly tried hard to get going in that direction. It is the most popular soft drink company in India.

    With its advertising around the game of cricket and uniting the different cultures of India, it has come to a point when everyone knows what coca-cola is. Thus, the company enjoys great revenues and nice goodwill. This video can be a good example to show what kind of hope and happiness this brand tries to reflect on its audience.

    The real deal that these guys pull off is the India-Pakistan relation. As we all know that India and Pakistan share a love-hate relationship, brands try to monetize on this too. Coca-Cola has a very famous TVC (TV Commercial) that tries to connect people from India and the people of Pakistan a little closer.

    What they did was that they install a machine in both countries. The vending machines were connected to each other through the internet or whatsoever and would only work when some actions were performed on both sides of the machines. ‘Work’ here means that it will give out free Coca-Cola to volunteers on both sides. So, people were dancing and singing and doodling shapes to get a free cola and meanwhile they felt that they were connected to the other countrymen.

    Paytm

    It would be safe to say that Paytm is the face of the beginning of cashless transactions in India. It is a startup but it does not feel any new, it feels like Paytm was an integral part of payments for years.

    After the demonetisation that happened in 2016, online payments were the most efficient refuge for people trying to transact on a daily basis. It has started a tough fight that is against the problem of payments in India. We face the issue of coins every other day and it is hard to keep a lot of coins (Small denominator notes).

    Paytm started a campaign that prompted people to pay digitally to make transactions a smooth flow. The Indian government also boosted and helped this campaign in its capacity. It was a wonderful and efficient way of translating for everyday essentials and it also struck a chord with citizens. It was titled “Aadat se Azadi”.

    Soon after that Paytm became also vocal for women participation in labour and changing and upgrading Indian payments scenes. They made some advertisements showcasing women’s roles in the economy too.

    Bajaj

    Here is a bonus clip for curious minds. Bajaj made a bike from the metal of INS Vikrant and made headlines along with real cash.

    Do you remember the Bajaj Vikrant motorcycle, the V15? It was marketed as a machine that is built with the metal INS Vikrant. INS Vikrant is the indigenous aircraft carrier that was also the first-ever that was built in India. That bike was and still is quite famous.

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    Conclusion

    Reading the above examples I can quite safely say that Anything can be a marketing campaign. Brands have not left any product that can be marketed in any permutation or combination of different themes. You mix some products with national colours and what you get is a wonderful marketing campaign. Brands do it every time.

    Patriotic marketing goes a long-long way in promoting national pride and the product. It is a topic that everyone is too careful about because it can hurt some sentiments too. However, if done correctly, it can lead to great revenues and good social scores.

    Some brands are too patriotic or they do that for the sake of marketing, we do not know for sure. One thing is sure that the sense of unity and pride or patriotism unites us like nothing else in the world.

    FAQ

    What is patriotism in marketing?

    Patriotic marketing is a marketing technique that involves the use of promotional strategies that convey a sense of national pride.

    How is patriotism used in advertising?

    Brands use patriotism in advertising by using patriotic imagery in their ads.

  • How to Start a Digital Marketing Company? – A Stepwise Guide

    ‌‌In reaching a wider audience, having a definite taste, companies are switching to the digital mode of marketing. Digital marketing is the modern approach to dealing with demand and supply.

    ‌‌Almost every business is trying to take advantage of digital marketing. But very few can understand that the digital world is not only for the supply of services but also to create the demand for them.

    ‌‌The field of marketing in the digital world is getting smarter. Along with dedication, you also need planning and proper execution. As the internet world is saturated with competitors, new ideas with appropriate promotional guidelines can only be helpful to survive in such situations. If you are among those who want to start and excel in digital marketing, then the below steps will be the best way to start the journey.

    Steps to Start a Digital Marketing Company
    Step 1. Decide The Niche- Your Strength
    Step 2. Competitive Research & Strategy: Know yourself
    Step 3. Website Launch: Set Your Brand
    Step 4. Build The Portfolio: Your Brand Image
    Step 5. Generating Leads: Interact and Grow
    Conclusion
    FAQs

    How to start a digital marketing company? – A Guide

    Step 1. Decide The Niche- Your Strength

    “Your competitors and the audience are factors that make the niche-finding process vital “. Simplifying the statement, it will be challenging for you to grow with a highly competitive niche. Along with that, if you have a niche, then it will be easier for you to get your target audience.

    ‌‌It would be best if you do healthy research over some topics, which are evergreen. But the niche must have less competition in the market. It will help you get easy growth and adequate visibility before the audience. You can still choose a niche with higher competition but need to adopt a unique approach to deal with the market and audience.

    ‌‌Once you get your niche for starting the digital marketing company, it will be easier to decide your target audience. You can plan accordingly to reach and provide the services to them. Target audience can help save time for generating leads and producing sales. It can be a cost effective approach to deal with the growth of the company.

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    Step 2. Competitive Research & Strategy: Know yourself

    Competitive research to start digital marketing company
    Competitive research to start digital marketing company

    ‌‌The niche you select can decide your establishment and the industry’s stability. Before starting your digital marketing company, you could observe more than hundreds and thousands of such industries leading with remarkable results. If you are planning to copy the strategy of a similar company, then it will be a difficult journey for you ahead. Do healthy research on similar marketing agencies, learn from their mistakes. Observe their skills, point out their loopholes and build your strategy with an improved and established base.

    ‌‌Believe in organic reach and avoid overnight success. Understand your audience, their needs and create the possibilities of demand and order.

    Some practical things, which you can keep in mind while forming your strategy:

    • Transparency: To create a trust factor
    • Keep the process smooth: Avoid confusion
    • Audience Reach: Create an opportunity to interact with your audience
    • Time Effective service
    • Cost-effective service

    How much money do companies spend on Market Research?
    Big companies spend nearly 5-10% of their annual revenue on market research as it provides a deeper understanding of their customer and competitors.
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    Step 3. Website Launch: Set Your Brand

    Launch your website for your digital marketing company
    Launch your website for your digital marketing company

    The web presence will create authentication of your brand and services. Building your professional website will be the first step you should take after setting the strategy. The brand website must ensure clients’ needs and how your services will be the best choice.

    ‌‌Never discuss who you are and what you do. Instead, show the client’s actual needs. Build an interface, which explains the benefits. Keep an organized website with easily accessible contact information. Present the legalization of your website by registering with government authorization.

    ‌‌Secure your brand name on every social media site to spread your presence. Clients will search all the high-profile social media sites to verify your authentication. Your brand on social media sites also increases your reach. And it is crucial to interconnect each other, which will help lead generation. Your most popular social media site can transfer audience to other sites and it will create a strong network of interested leads.

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    Step 4. Build The Portfolio: Your Brand Image

    Building a portfolio is not something you can get ready before a definite time. It will demand time, improvisation, and delivery. The portfolio consists of testimonials, positive reviews, recommendations, brand partnerships, and collaborations. If big brand names are connected and benefit from your services, they can build a great portfolio.

    ‌‌You can offer low-cost services to get your initial clients and collect positive reviews. Once the process is initiated, regulate the price accordingly, but the quality of services must be best to avoid negative feedback. Always respond to client reviews, try to reciprocate their feedback. Your quick action towards their feedback will make them reward positive reviews.

    ‌‌It is a time taking process. Collaborative with different companies and partners to build a strong portfolio. Learn different strategies from successful digital marketing agents. Interact with your satisfied clients and understand their expectations to improve.

    Step 5. Generating Leads: Interact and Grow

    Lead generation is the most crucial and most challenging step in establishing a successful digital marketing company. To achieve a trustworthy lead, it is essential to focus on collecting organic lead generation.

    ‌‌Connect with your initial leads to create the possibility of more reach. They can spread your services among their friends, family, and colleagues. The companies, in recent times, are using referral systems to operate successful organic lead generation.

    ‌‌You can judge the behavior and habits of your target audience. Accordingly, prepare collaboration meet, organize events, or do anything to reach the audience.

    Conclusion

    Starting a digital marketing company is not a big deal but succeeding in the business is always unpredictable. You might have a perfect blueprint for building a successful digital marketing company, but trust us, every niche and company needs different treatment. Planning is necessary before starting, or think of starting something like a digital marketing agency.

    ‌‌Competition is not the only thing always, it demands a lot of patience. If you are planning to build the company through complete organic leads, then you will be needing more patience. Understanding the interest of people and reaching them with a suitable approach is difficult, but important to excel in the digital marketing world. Observe your niche, and do competitive research over the topic. Try to come up with ideas, which are fresh and effective.

    FAQs

    Is Digital Marketing a good business to start?

    Yes, as the Digital Marketing industry is progressing at a high growth rate, it is great to start a Digital Marketing Company.

    Why Digital Marketing is growing?

    Digital marketing industry is growing as Digital Marketing is quite flexible to do and more engaging than traditional marketing methods.

    Which are the top 10 Digital Marketing Agencies in India?

    Some of the top Digital marketing Agencies in India are:

    • Uplers
    • Webchutney
    • IndeedSEO
    • WatConsult
    • Intellemo
    • Gozoop
    • EveryMedia
    • EZ Rankings
    • Social Wavelength
    • Phonethics

  • Interesting Facts about Spotify: Best Music Streaming Service Platform

    ‌‌When it comes to music, we all have been fans of Spotify! The extremely popular music streaming service provider, Spotify is counted among the largest service providers all across the world. Spotify has more than 382 million monthly users among which 172 million are paying subscribers. With Spotify, you can access a huge number of songs and albums, some specially designed for you. One of the major reasons for the success of Spotify is its free services. Although it does get interrupted by the advertisements, still there’s a vast amount of content that you can access for totally free!

    Spotify was founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon and launched in 2006. It has created a new emotion among the audience and has truly changed the music streaming service. Speaking of which, apart from Spotify’s success and fan following, it has some pretty interesting facts that we are going to discuss in this article. So, let’s get started!

    Interesting Facts about Spotify

    Conclusion
    FAQs

    Interesting facts about Spotify

    Interesting Facts about Spotify

    Story of Spotify

    People often confuse Spotify as an American company, but very few know that Spotify is actually a Swedish company. Yes, that’s right!

    Spotify was founded in Sweden in 2006. However, because for some reason, its official launch was held by the end of 2008. After running for a few years, Spotify went International and began its charm in the United States.

    Spotify gained a huge success and now, the company has reached almost every corner of this world. Its official headquarters is established in Stockholm, Sweden.

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    1/4th of Spotify songs have not been discovered

    It is very rare that around 25% of the total songs listened to on Spotify have not been discovered yet. These songs have not been played even once. These songs mainly belong to unknown artists and band covers.

    Intriguingly, Spotify does not ask the music artist to be famous for getting their songs be listened. However, this doesn’t imply that the listener would listen to them.

    Where did the “Spotify” name come from?

    Spotify Logo
    Spotify Logo

    In an interview with Daniel Ek mentioned that “Spotify” isn’t the name they chose for the company. The story behind this is, the Co-founder Martin Lorentzon had decided on some other name for the company but Daniel Ek misheard the name with something different. Then with the turns of events, the “Spotify” name was created with the combination of two words which are: ‘Spot’ and ‘Identify”. And that’s how the name “Spotify” came in!

    Criticism of Spotify from prominent celebrities

    Spotify criticised by Taylor Swift
    Spotify criticised by Taylor Swift

    Spotify has gained various criticism from some prominent artists like Taylor Swift and Thom Yorke. This is because the company, Spotify, shares 70% of the total revenue to the right-holders and this is nowhere appreciated by the artists.

    This even made Taylor Swift leave the platform and stop releasing her songs on Spotify. However, after some time, Taylor Swift did return to Spotify with her album “Bad Reputation”.

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    Artists gains very little from Spotify

    Spotify pays very little to its artists as compared to their talent and worth. For example, for every 1,000 plays on a song, the artists receive only $4.37. This is basically a downside of the company as all the work done by the artists doesn’t profit them in any way and Spotify makes all the profit over it.

    That’s why it’s always recommended that, if you want to support an artist, purchase their song’s CDs, vinyl or any other, for listening to their music.

    Spotify has acquired Echo Nest

    We all have encountered the amazing feature of Spotify, where it matches the songs with its artists in all the contexts it is used in. That came in 2014 when Spotify collaborated with the startup, Echo Nest. This helped Spotify in acquiring machine learning and music learning company The Echo Nest. Through this only, Spotify gained this amazing feature.

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    Conclusion

    In conclusion, we can say that Spotify is a truly amazing music streaming company with free as well as subscriptions songs and albums. It is even considered the most intriguing music streaming application for your phone. You can formulate your own playlists and gain preferences. In fact, you can listen to those songs which you wouldn’t find on any other platform. Spotify truly holds the potential to transform the music industry and in some ways, it already has.

    FAQs

    Who has founded Spotify?

    Spotify was founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in 2006.

    Who is the CEO of Spotify?

    Daniel Ek is the CEO of Spotify since 2006.

    What makes Spotify unique?

    Some of the unique things listeners can do on Spotify are:

    • Bring back deleted playlists
    • Exclude playing specific artists
    • Sorting your liked songs
    • Share music with Spotify codes
    • Add your MP3s
    • Listen with others
    • Link to your favorite part of the song with time markers

    Is Spotify free for artists?

    Uploading music on Spotify is free to all artists. Spotify doesn’t charge you any fees or commissions.

    When does an artist get paid on Spotify?

    An artist gets his payment depending upon how frequently their music is being streamed on Spotify.

  • The Rise of the Global Counterfeit Industry and Its Impact on Original Brands (Case Study)

    Would you wear a counterfeited shoe, if nobody else around you can tell if that is fake or not? The answer may vary as it is a very subjective thing. However, we can note that most people will say yes. The reason is simple. Brands are super expensive and if you want to look trendy and all cool, then you might want to consider counterfeited stuff. A counterfeit good is relatively highly cheaper than the original. Not only this, but the fake product will also look exactly the same as the original product, making it more likely to be bought.

    I bet you have already seen counterfeits or fakes of originals, even for once in your life. They are quite everywhere. You can find ‘Air Jordans’ at a price of a cake, a ‘G-shock’ bad copy at about four dollars and Adidas apparel at a local market. All of these are obviously fake or counterfeited to look almost exactly the same. The quality? not at all the same. This article is about the unseen black market of counterfeits at the global level. Read on to know how and why their business is booming and how you can not fall for them.

    “Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble.”
    ― Samuel Johnson

    What are Counterfeit Products?
    Why Do People Buy Counterfeits?
    Types of Counterfeits
    The Market Size of the Counterfeit Industry
    What is the Effect of Counterfeiting Products on Luxury Brands?
    What’s in the Logo? (The logo game)
    After-Effects of Counterfeiting
    Brand’s Response to Counterfeiting
    FAQ

    What are Counterfeit Products?

    Replica and Authentic Louis Vuitton Bag
    Replica and Authentic Louis Vuitton Bag

    Counterfeited goods are goods that are not original. They look the same and has all the features but are fake. The hype for fashion brands is so much all around the world. This hype has led to people trying to tap into the market with copies of the original. The fakes look the same with no guarantee of quality.

    Not to mention, counterfeiting is a crime and has legal consequences. Most of the time, a counterfeit uses the very mechanism that a consumer uses to buy original brands. They use the brand name, logo or a phrase that only the real and original company uses to fool customers. For example, the famous “Just do it” phrase of the sportswear brand Nike is hugely counterfeited to lure people into buying fakes.

    Knock Off of Nike Airforce One
    Knock Off of Nike Airforce One

    Brands such as Adidas are also not lagged behind in this, they are copied too. Fake producers or manufacturers try to steal the very authenticity of a brand and in doing that deceive people with fakes.

    In Fact, the most copied brands are those brands whose market value is high. For instance, the most counterfeited brands are – Nike, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Rolex and Prada. All these brands have the best goodwill in this world.

    Counterfeiting, as mentioned before, is a fraudulent imitation (a forgery) of a trusted brand and product, and it is considered a serious crime. Under U.S. federal law, criminal counterfeiting offences can be punished for life (in the prison) and up to $30,000,000 can be asked to pay in fines. Counterfeiting can also be prosecuted as a felony (acquisition or concealment) in most states in the United States.

    Why Do People Buy Counterfeits?

    There can be many reasons why people buy counterfeits. However, there can be many common and obvious reasons for people buying counterfeited products, the list surprisingly does not end here only. Among all the reasons that are common let us discuss every reason why they do this. Let us dive into why this type of industry is booming without any sort of recessions,

    Cheaper in price

    This one is an obvious reason. People tend to turn towards products that are fake because they are much cheaper. They are much cheaper than the relative original products. For example, a counterfeit bag can be purchased for 12 dollars while the original branded bag may cost as much as $500 dollars. This huge price gap makes brand lovers move to a counterfeited product and thus this keeps the industry of fakes moving.

    We live in a world that is changing at a super rapid pace. Not only technology is becoming obsolete fast, but fashion also is not behind in this race. You jump on to one trend and voila! There is another trend waiting to happen. The fashion world has also turned into a hyper changing world. Everywhere you go you see fashion trends, be it on print media, social media and whatnot.

    Making a fashion statement every time you go outside can be hazardous to your pocket. This is not a bad trait or a bad thing. Everyone is just trying to look cool and stay on the trend that’s running elsewhere. Sometimes this pressure to stay in the trend can lead a person to buy first copy products. It is easier on the pocket and makes you the centre of attention instantly.

    Ignorance at work

    In this modern era, where we jump to a website for even small little things, it is normal to fall for fakes. Anybody can sell anything online, without much of a hassle. Sometimes what happens is that people buy products online believing that they are buying an original.

    Many times, they are sold counterfeited or knockoff products that can lead to a damaging effect on the original brand name. While people buy it in ignorance, the revenue generated by these deceptive businesses is often quite huge.

    A famous example can be taken off Amazon. Anyone can sell anything on Amazon without much pre-requisite. This has taken hostage the hopes of many online shoppers and now they only believe the brand’s original website.

    Types of Counterfeits

    Any product that steals the charisma of a reputed brand is a counterfeit. However, when it comes to the legal aspect of counterfeiting, the definition has many types and turns. We are trying to discuss some of them here.

    Piracy

    Piracy is the most common type of counterfeiting that involves people obtaining copies of the original work, and that is done without the maker’s permission. They copy it from the internet, or they download it from somewhere (If that is a digital asset).

    Piracy is a big problem for all artists in and around the globe. Music can be made freely available easily and that too without the artist’s permission. It is the same with sneakers, same with clothing and all sorts of accessories.

    There are many laws to protect it like one that says – Making unauthorised copies of copyrighted music recordings is against the law and may subject you to civil and criminal liability. A civil lawsuit could hold you responsible for thousands of dollars in damages. Criminal charges may leave you with a felony record, accompanied by up to five years of jail time and fines up to $250,000 (Title 17, United States Code, Sections 501 and 506).

    Trade Secret Infringement

    A trade secret, as the name suggests is a set of rules or checkmarks that a company follows internally for its products. The secret formula for Coca-Cola, which is locked in a vault, is an example of a trade secret that is a formula or recipe.

    Coca-Cola secret vault
    Coca-Cola secret vault

    Usually, patent infringement and trade secret infringement go hand in hand and they happen together. If that secret of a brand is made public then, it will have a catastrophic impact on the brand value of that corporation.

    Patent Infringement

    This law is broken when someone breaks the rules of someone’s patent. A patent can be defined as a contract that excludes or stops others from making, using, or selling an original invention by the patent holder for some years. If someone does anything against that patent, that is known as patent infringement and is liable for punishment or penalty as the law suggests. However, it is to be noted that patents are territorial in nature.

    So that means, if a patent is registered in the United States, then anyone in the United States is prohibited from disobeying the patent. However, elsewhere in the whole world, the invention can be exploited to any extent in their country where the patent is not registered.

    The Market Size of the Counterfeit Industry

    The industry’s scale of counterfeited goods is as big as the fashion industry itself, if not bigger than that. The hype of fashion and trendy wear is so much and thus they invite fakes from every nook and corner of industries.

    According to the International Anti Counterfeiting Collision (IACC), the total market value of all the counterfeiting sold products all over the world, was 1.5 trillion dollars in the year 2015. This is a huge old number and we can only assume how much in magnitude it is growing and at what pace.

    If we talk about scaling the counterfeit industry at the global level, the numbers will be shocking. The global counterfeiting industry is literally expected to hit the $4.2 trillion mark by 2022. Moreover, with these skyrocketing numbers, fashion industry losses are also skyrocketing.

    The fashion industry according to reports lost about 50 billion in 2020 alone, due to the sale of fake products. Clothing, as we note later on in this article, appears to be the most counterfeited product in the market. They are followed by the products in the cosmetic industry, personal care, watches and jewellery, luggage and luxury handbags.

    The growing importance of intellectual property rights in knowledge-based economies has generated concerns about the potential adverse effects of counterfeiting and piracy on governments, rights holders and consumers. Footwear is the most counterfeited category amongst all.

    A recent OECD study on counterfeiting and piracy (in 2008) attempted to quantify the scale of the effects due to these illicit activities. This study focused on the infringement, through counterfeiting and piracy, of trademarks, copyrights, patents and design rights, to the extent that they involved physical products.

    Counterfeiting is not a small business but is a very big and scalable business. It can be stretched to any point if not checked and regulated. In the Fiscal Year 2020, the Department of Homeland Security seized over 26,000 shipments of counterfeit goods valued at over $1.3 billion at U.S. borders. This is just random news of one locality but globally the counterfeiting industry is so huge. Not just on the producing side but as well on the consumption side. The trends of growth in the global counterfeit market are led by consumer demand and then an equivalent supply comes out of the blue.

    Total Value of Seized Counterfeit in 2016 by Industry
    Total Value of Seized Counterfeit in 2016 by Industry

    What is the Effect of Counterfeiting Products on Luxury Brands?

    This is obvious to note that when a counterfeit is sold in the market and someone purchases it, the loss is borne by the original brand. The original brand whose products are being counterfeited has to bear the loss of revenue due to the fake product. Each and every sale of this type further and further decreases the profitability of brands.

    Sales Losses due to Counterfeit Goods
    Sales Losses due to Counterfeit Goods

    We can easily see from the above graph that the most counterfeited products are in the clothing industry. The reason can be easily ascertained in a manner that “clothing” is the most visible item of attire. So people love to buy these products that are noticed easily without further (and forceful) flaunting. The second most counterfeited item lies on the face of pharmaceuticals all over the world. All these cause losses of real cash for globally reputed brands.

    What’s in the Logo? (The logo game)

    Fake vs Original Nike
    Fake vs Original Nike

    A logo is the main point of identification, it is the first thing that people notice. It also works as a differentiating factor from other products. Thus, it acts as a quality stamp for a product or service or even experience.

    Honestly, it’s all about the logo. A famous logo helps connect instantly with the values that the brand follows. It is a super important thing to be working at because it is the first impression. It is literally the first impression that customers get of the brand. If it is bad, it will lead to a bad impression and if it is thoughtfully made then it will lead to a good first impression.

    A first good impression then can lead to a customer walking in your store and then most probably buying something from you. It’s memorable, acts as a separator, and even customers expect it.

    Business people or entrepreneurs spend a good amount of time and money on making designs for their brands. They know how crucial they are in building a brand image out there in the public. All the things have to be taken care of while making a brand logo, be it the size of the logo, the story it tells, the colour it wears and much more.

    Speaking of counterfeited goods, a logo is their main attraction. The quality might not match with the real original product but the logo is mostly a work of fine art. People buy it for that specific purpose only, they just want to look good from a distance. No one checks the quality of a product, the logo is the only thing that shines and can communicate fashion trends.

    After-Effects of Counterfeiting

    Once you buy a fake product and show it off to your circle of friends, the story doesn’t end here. There are many after-effects to it. The most common and easily seen effects that can affect you are listed here –

    Stealing taxes

    The counterfeit product not only costs some bucks to the company or to you, but it also costs the city where you reside. Why do you ask? Because counterfeiting people don’t pay taxes. Tax comes from products that are rightfully made and supplied, it comes from legit sources and legit manufacturing. All these aspects are not present in the fake market, so it is clear stealing of taxes.

    It’s Illegal

    This point has been seen over and over again in previous paragraphs, that it is illegal to manufacture fake products and it is also illegal to buy and promote fake products. It hurts the company that puts in all the original efforts to make and market the products. This hurts the creative process and literally every process (Unique to itself) that the company goes through to get the product on to customers.

    Health Hazardous

    Again, any fake good or product of any sort can be hazardous to your health. As we saw in the above graph, the pharmaceutical industry is the second most counterfeited industry. This raises concerns about which medicines are real and what are fakes. If chosen wrong, they can be bad for your health. So, a small discount can go a long way in deteriorating your health.

    Brand’s Response to Counterfeiting

    In the year 2017, top sportswear brand Nike thought of selling its products (shoes and clothing mostly) via Amazon. They were determined to cut off the fake products being peddled over Amazon. Soon after, they had to cut off the strategy and they began to pull out all their ties with Amazon. The reason was again “fake counterfeits”.

    Amazon even tried to filter out all the fake names but it didn’t work. Even after delisting, the fake stores popped up again on the website with another name. Due to the high magnitude of fakes in the Amazon market, Nike’s originals were even badly rated.

    Since then, Nike has been investing in customer relationships with direct connection to them and thus on brick and mortar stores. Nike has been investing in creating new store formats, such as a 68,000 square foot flagship store in New York.

    Nike Store
    Nike Store

    Nike’s response denotes what the brands are doing in this regard. While they can’t shut each and every counterfeit producing entity, what they can do is educate their customers. That is what brands are doing, they are trying to reach out to customers directly. They are investing in brick and mortar stores, maintaining their websites like there is no tomorrow etcetera.

    All these tricks are working too, they are able to capture quality customers. Now, people who want to buy originals know where to get them. The most trusted way to buy any genuine product still remains the brand’s website and its brick and mortar stores. This is the way out, to educate customers.

    Another way is to track every item the brand produces, all its appearances and where they live at the moment. To note everything also includes leveraging new solutions, like the blockchain. Louis Vuitton is working closely with Microsoft and ConsenSys to create the Aura Ledger, which will closely trace the origins of their luxury products.

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    Conclusion

    The industry’s size of counterfeited or first copy products is as big as the fashion industry itself, if not bigger than that. The hype of fashion and trendy wear is so much and thus they invite fakes from every nook and corner of industries.

    The game of counterfeits is run by the fashion trends and the people who will go to any length to hop on every trend wave. Any fashion that changes rapidly is known as fast fashion. In this ever-changing world, fast fashion is the keyword in any fashion industry across the globe.

    The hype around these topics and the urge to look good at any cost are setting the fuel for counterfeit markets. The price of these fakes have eventually to be paid by originals and the middlemen who manufacture these products get to earn some real quick cash. However, some believe that these counterfeits are free marketing for the originals but the big picture tells a different story.

    Nike’s are the most copied brand and this establishes some curiosity to try out the real originals. Whatever is the conclusion on the counterfeiting industry, we know that it is fishy in quite every sense. Henceforth, when you want to buy some trend-setting products, go to the store directly or shop from their official website.

    FAQ

    How big is the counterfeit industry?

    The counterfeit industry is worth more than $500 billion.

    Which country imports the most counterfeit goods?

    China is the biggest exporter of counterfeit goods with on the top with estimated half-a-trillion dollar worldwide imports of counterfeit and pirated goods.

    What is the most counterfeited brand?

    Rolex is one of the most counterfeited brands in the world.

  • Google Pay – Money Made Simple

    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 Google Pay.

    Do you want a single platform for managing UPI money transfer, phone recharge, QR code payments, bill payments, and other cashless transactions? Your search ends with Google Pay. A robust platform that enables you to go cashless, Google Pay has established itself as one of the top names in the digital payments segment. Bank transfers, sending and receiving money, online shopping, and several other services have become as easy as cracking an egg with Google Pay.

    Millions of Indians now rely on this Google offering for all their payment-related needs. And the number continues to increase with each passing day. StartupTalky covers the Google Pay success story in this post. So, dive into it below:

    Google Pay – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Google Pay
    Headquarters Google, US
    Sector Fintech
    Founders Sujith Narayanan and Sumit Gwalani
    Founded September 11, 2015, and then renewed on January 8, 2018
    Website pay.google.com

    Google Pay – Latest News

    December 21, 2021 – Google Pay and Mastercard ties up to enable the GPay users to transact with their Mastercards via token, without having to use their debit card details.

    Google Pay – About
    Google Pay – Startup Story
    Google Pay – Founders And Team
    Google Pay – Name, Tagline And Logo
    Google Pay – Business and Revenue Model
    Google Pay – Challenges Faced
    Google Pay – Growth
    Google Pay – Partnerships
    Google Pay – Competitors
    Google Pay – Future Plans
    Google Pay – FAQs

    Google Pay – About

    Google Pay, often referred as G Pay is founded on May 26, 2011. Starting initially as Google Wallet, the digital payments platform has changed its name to Android Pay later on September 11, 2015. The app was then launched as Tez before finally settling on the name Google Pay on August 28, 2018.  

    Google Pay serves as a digital wallet-cum-online payment system developed by Google. The Google-powered digital payments platform enables the users to make contactless payments and purchases online via android phones, watches and tablets. iOS is another platform that supports G Pay for the users of India and the United States but with some restrictions. Google Pay works with Android Lollipop 5.0 and above.

    The second most popular UPI platform in India helps the users to pay other merchants and individual users via the Tez mode, using QR codes, and through phone numbers.

    The app is currently available for the users of 42 countries, as of 2021.  

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    Google Pay – Startup Story

    Google Pay was originally developed as Android Pay and was first released at Google I/O in 2015. This application was primarily modeled on Google Wallet that was released back in 2011. The technology of Android Pay was influenced by Softcard’s technology. Google then launched the payments app, Tez on September 18, 2017, pivoting the UPI system. Tez was later rebranded to Google Pay on August 28, 2018.

    According to Sujith Narayanan, the Co-founder of Google Pay, it was while working on Google Tez (another offering by Google), he and his team realized that a consumer’s financial journey extends beyond digital payments. Moreover, there was a need to concentrate on the millennials in India and give them a new, fast and efficient way to handle their finances.

    The founding duo finally decided on a product called ‘Google Pay’, which would redefine financial services for the millennials. Google Tez, a mobile payment service by Google that targeted users in India, laid the framework for Google Pay. Think of Google Pay as a superior version of Google Tez coupled with a plethora of offerings.

    Google Pay – Founders And Team

    Sujith Narayanan and Sumit Gwalani are the brains behind Google Pay.

    Sumit Gwalani (left) and Sujith Narayanan (right)

    Sujith Narayanan

    Sujith Narayanan is the co-creator of Google Tez along with Sumit. Sujith is a veteran payments executive and has an enviable experience in the domain of financial services. He is also known as the co-founder of the neo-banking startup EpiFi. Sujith is an alumnus of the University of Calibut and Mahatma Gandhi University. Starting his career with Standard Chartered Bank, Sujith eventually resigned after 7 years as a National Sales Manager of the organization. He then joined Religare Macquarie Private Wealth as the Vice-President – Marketing and Channel Development before moving on to join Google.

    Sumit Gwalani

    Along with co-founding G Pay, Sumit Gwalani played an instrumental role alongside Sujith in starting EpiFi. He handled Google Tez’s operations in India. Sumit spent 12+ years at Google where he donned multiple hats. Sumit was a Research Assistant at the University of Columbia, Santa Barbara, before joining Trlokom as a Software Architect and eventually joining Google. Gwalani was a Computer Engineering student at the University of Mumbai from where he completed his Btech degree before pursuing a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Santa Barbara.  

    Google Pay is styled as G Pay. The logo of G Pay is cleverly crafted with the Google logo on one side and “Pay” on the other.

    Google Pay’s tagline is “Money made simple”. A meaningful and interesting tagline, isn’t it? With Google Pay, handling money has become easier than ever.

    Google Pay Logo

    Google Pay – Business and Revenue Model

    Google Pay does not charge its users for their access to Google Wallet. GPay allows its users to send money to bank accounts directly and for free. Previously, the company had an agenda of adding a 2.9% fee upon topping up wallets via debit card, which has been taken off.

    Being a digital payments platform, Google Pay mainly collects its revenues via transaction-based fees that it collects from the online and in-app payments of the banks and merchants. Advertisements and product offers within the Google Pay app are some other revenue streams of the company. It also earns considerably by using the users’ data that it collects.

    In 2017 Google Pay had earlier witnessed a growth of its monthly active users, which was recorded at 67 million. The same has presently estimated at 150 million, as of 2021.

    The app has enabled more than 2.5 billion transactions and currently has got a running rate of US $110+ billion in transaction value. Moreover, it is also important to note that now Google Pay also gives the users the privilege of paying over 200,000 stores that are based in more than 3500 cities and towns, and to 2700+ online merchants.

    Google Pay – Challenges Faced

    With the backing from Google, one of the largest organizations in the world, Google Pay wasn’t subjected to the problems that small-scale businesses and startups face while starting out. Neither was there any dearth of resources. Though not exactly a challenge, a technical glitch on Google Pay’s app in 2020 did become a trending topic for some time.

    Several users reported the app saying that their bank accounts were removed from Google Pay without any notice. Complaints on the matter were frequently posted on social media platforms. However, the issue did not bring about any serious consequences. The Google Pay team suggested that it might have been an unintentional action on the users’ part that delinked the app and bank accounts. A fix was implemented by the team and the situation was restored to normalcy. Google India issued a statement when it was asked by NDTV Gadgets 360 regarding the glitch.

    Ambarish Kenghe, the Director of Product Management at Google Pay said, “We are aware that some users faced difficulties with linking their bank accounts on Google Pay today. The issue, impacting a small number of users, was identified earlier today and our teams have worked to resolve it and have implemented a fix within the hour. The issue stands resolved and users will now be able to use the app normally. Users facing any issue should reach out to Google Pay support through our app. We regret the inconvenience caused and are committed to providing our users a seamless payments experience.”

    Google Pay – Growth

    In the year 2018-19, there was a lot of traction with the payment products. The team launched a few new features successfully and also revamped the payment products globally. Google Pay specially focused on partnerships, ecosystem approaches as it forged deep relationships with central bank and government to build innovative products collectively. This made the products work together within the ecosystem.

    GooglePay currently retains 35% market share in terms of volume and 38% of the shares in terms of values, as of October 2021. The payments gateway has last recorded 129 crore transactions, which amounted to Rs 2.50 lakh crore. Some growth highlights of Google Pay are as follows:

    • Google’s digital payment platform Google Pay hit 67 million monthly active users in just 2 years since it made its debut in India
    • Google Pay had contributed 59% in digital transactions in 2019
    • Google Pay is the second most popular UPI platform after PhonePe

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    Google Pay – Partnerships

    Google Pay has partnered with numerous organizations around the world to date. Here are some of the most prominent partnerships seen by G Pay:

    • GPay has announced of its collaboration with SBI General Insurance, which would help the GooglePay users to purchase SBI’s Genearl Insurance plan directly via the app on October 29, 2021
    • The digital payments giant has partnered with Visa on September 21, 2020 to help the Visa card users to tap-to-pay, thereby securing all the transactions made via the app
    • G Pay partnered with 90 banking institutions from 9 nations on September 20, 2021
    • Google Pay is firmly partnered with India’s financial ecosystem, said the internet major on September 3, 2021
    • G Pay partnered with Leumi, an Israel-based bank to enable the bank’s users to use the Google pay digital wallet on September 2, 2021

    Google Pay – Competitors

    Google Pay’s top competitors are Amazon Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, and Stripe.

    • Amazon Pay is a platform for digital transactions. It is similar to Google Pay in terms of functionality and features
    • PhonePe is popularly known as India’s leading payments app. It allows people to use BHIM, UPI, credit card, and debit cards to recharge phones and make payments
    • Paytm is an Indian e-commerce payment system. Paytm offers multiple services through its ecosystem; some of them are e-wallets, bill payments, phone recharges, and an online shopping store (in the form of Paytm Mall). It is headquartered in Noida, India.
    • Stripe simplifies the process of online payments.

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    Google Pay – Future Plans

    Google Pay is always planning something new and unique for its users. The company has announced that it would be transforming its app into a personal finance hub for the users. This would further simplify the payment of funds to friends and family.

    Google Pay – FAQs

    Is Google Pay an Indian app?

    Google Pay is based out of the Google headquarters in California, US. However, the payments app of Google is available for the Indian users and those who resides in Singapore and the US. Google India Digital Services Private Limited, headquartered in New Delhi, makes G Pay accessible for the Indian users.

    Who is the owner of Google Pay?

    Google Pay is owned by Google Inc.

    Can I transfer funds directly to bank accounts via Google Pay?

    Yes, Google Pay allows its users to link their bank accounts and transfer funds directly to others’ bank accounts.

  • Toch AI Startup Story: Revolutionizing Video Content with AI & ML

    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 Toch.

    We are witnessing a tsunami of video content that is growing every minute. As per the Global Video AI Market data, the growth is measured at supersonic speeds. Statistics show that the market for short-form video content is expected to be at $169.4bn by the year 2025. In the hypersonic world that we live in, the venerated IoT solutions are the only coping mechanism. Toch AI is a SaaS company with cloud-agnostic AI solutions. It offers professional services by taking noisy, large data sets and transforming them into engrossing and compelling hyper-global videos.

    Founded by Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil in 2016, the startup intends to disrupt video technology by automating workflow using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms, thereby reducing the go-to-market time and costs and increasing ROI for clients.

    StartupTalky interviewed Mr. Vinayak Shrivastav (Co-founder & CEO, Toch) to get insights on the startup story and roadmap ahead of the organization. In this article, you’ll discover how Toch was started, its revenue model, marketing strategies, and more.

    Toch – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Toch
    Founders Vinayak Shrivastav (CEO), Saket Dandotia (COO), Alok Patil (CTO)
    Headquarters Mumbai
    Founded 2016
    Industry Video Tech
    Funding $13.3mn (December 2021)
    Website toch.ai

    Toch – Latest News

    December 23, 2021 – Toch.ai partners with USA cricket with an aim to provide video highlights and clips for the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels for USA cricket.

    Toch – About and Vision
    Toch – Industry Details
    Toch – Idea & Inspiration
    Toch – Product and USP
    Toch – Founders and Team
    Toch – Name and Logo
    Toch – Business Model & Revenue Model
    Toch – Launch and Marketing Strategies
    Toch – Funding
    Toch – Partnerships
    Toch – Recognition & Achievements
    Toch – Current Growth and Future Plans
    Toch – FAQs

    Toch – About and Vision

    In the hypersonic world that we live in, the venerated IoT solutions are the only coping mechanism. Toch AI is a SaaS company with cloud-agnostic AI solutions. It offers professional services by taking noisy, large data sets and transforming them into engrossing and compelling hyper-global videos. Its modernistic technological solutions converge in ways that act as a huge revenue and time management tool. Toch AI creates a coherent video editing platform with engagement analytics and real-time production capabilities. With its futuristic deep AI technologies, the team renders new assets from the existing data with a deft auto- share option across 30+ social media platforms or any destination website/app.

    The startup’s vision is to build tech that empowers creators and enriches content in the dynamic video-centric world. It is at the tip of an undiscovered iceberg when it comes to what AI is capable of. Revolutionizing itself every day while creating cutting-edge technology is a tangible goal. The team doesn’t see themselves selling a general algorithm that fits all. With the expansion of business avenues, small and big enterprises alike, each patron expands and challenges their amenability to mold the technology to their needs. While they have marked themselves today in the field of entertainment, news, and sports, the team at Toch aspires to allocate their AI and ML technologies towards safety and security, healthcare, and education in the future.

    “Disrupt video technology by automating workflow using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms thereby reducing go-to-market time and costs and increasing ROI for clients” has been Toch’s mission, which is both possible and plausible with its team of innovators.

    The startup also sees itself building an immutable community that drives a profitable economy while creating newer standards for the tech environment.

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    Toch – Industry Details

    We are sitting on a tsunami of video content that is growing every minute. As per Global Video AI Market data, the growth is taking place at supersonic speed. Statistics show that the market for short-form video content is expected to be at $169.4bn by the year 2025, and $223.98bn by 2028 (Grand View Research, Inc) with an anticipated CAGR of 21% from 2021 to 2028. As flag bearers of the industry, Toch has the vantage to predict industry demands and possesses the evolutionary AI tools that can deliver groundbreaking and trendsetting solutions at the same time. Analytically in the coming years, the startup would be able to sell across 4 different continents with its repertoire and sizable market shares. Toch functions worldwide with a focus on India, North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.

    Toch – Idea & Inspiration

    In the year 2016, the founders were sitting at the brink of an undiscovered potential industry that had seen a mighty rise in video content. With human attention span and patience shrinking, there was a dire need to address the video trajectory in respect to real-time. To bridge that gaping hole between unaddressed content and commerce, the potential was immense. It was almost like the ‘light bulb’ moment when Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil formed a SaaS company deploying  AI and ML technology that deliberated on an easy-to-use and accessible to all, a cloud-agnostic platform to deliver customized video content in real-time, thereby birthing TOCH AI.

    While the founders and other enthusiasts were gung-ho with the projected idea, the main challenge was to integrate a team that would help them to discover the iceberg. Their enthusiastic team helped in molding the idea into a product that disrupted the video content industry. The response was overwhelming and helped the founding team forge ahead, setting a benchmark in the market.

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    Toch – Product and USP

    Toch’s product is conceptualized to create epic content that leaves an impact using ingenuity and precision. Toch delivers well-crafted content through AI and ML algorithms in real-time. Creating personalized content has been a brainbox that has greatly appealed to the sport, entertainment, and news industry. Grafting content from raw footage into bite-sized videos in the form of key highlights that hyperbolize the pivotal moments across 30+ social platforms.

    Its video editing options, retool and optimize videos in real-time; saving time, labor, negating human error whilst increasing productivity. It is an easy-to-use technology with illimitable resizing of videos that have diverse displays, customizable with client logos, bumpers, and sponsors messages on the dashboard. It renders multiple video formatting, scheduling feeds, innumerable web storage options that offer API and platform models, and multiple publishing renditions.

    USP of Toch AI

    Toch’s USP is its premium video editing feature that facilitates the patrons with automatic dynamic engagements and insertions to create their own bespoke videos. The team at Toch AI understands one standard solution does not fit all, hence it is imperative to go beyond conventional. Thinking ahead of time and ascertaining a client’s needs, thereby amplifying it with a cutting-edge solution defines vertical innovation.

    Idea Pivot

    At the genesis of anything, challenges are but obvious. Toch was no different, the founders faced practical challenges that just helped them address and reinvent their own technology. Since they focussed on state-of-the-art technology, it was an intricate process of evolving while remaining grounded to the core product. In their case, “our asset was our team”, which helped them with the critical process.

    Toch’s final product was by itself a marketing and branding tool. When presented on different platforms, Toch was received as a welcome change. Employing cutting-edge technology such as Face and Image Recognition, Vision models, Optical Character Recognition, and Audio Detection, saved immense manual labor, erased the scope of error and time consumption phenomenally with a latency of only 10 seconds or less in real-time without altering the resolution of the feed.

    Change is essential for growth, so is adaptability. Every person is a potential patron and what may work for one may not satiate the other. Hence malleability and personalization to fit each line of business are vital.

    Toch – Founders and Team

    Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil are the founders of Toch.

    Toch Founders
    Toch Founding Team – Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil 

    Vinayak Shrivastav | Co-founder & CEO, Toch

    He has a background in engineering and an MBA from London Business School. Vinayak directs Toch towards unique identity, growth plans, strategies, and execution. With Toch.AI, he envisions revolutionizing sports viewership by leveraging AI and ML technology to create real-time personalized content. He firmly believes that “everyone has stories to tell’ – stories that will not only engage, inform, surprise, delight, and impact their audience, but will also deliver on measurable business goals. In his personal time, Vinayak is an avid sports fan and can often be found cheering and rooting for his favorite team.

    Alok Patil | Co-founder & CTO, Toch

    He is the ‘Torvalds’ of Toch. He is industrious and loves challenges. Accredited with an MCA, his vision is to resolve humongous problems faced by humanity through technology. To quote him, “the world needs more technology-enabled solutions focussed at modernizing human efforts”. He believes that there is never an end to learning and motivates the team to experiment with new ideas. Alok is a vehement advocate of short-form content and a web series buff.

    Saket Dandotia | Co-founder & COO, Toch

    He is the operational brain behind the technology. His data-first approach ensures Toch is at the top of the game. With skills he picked from the IIM Indore, Saket is the bridge between technology and the market. His grit is focused on harnessing AI-powered disruption in the media space. Exploring the scope of AI in the future is his favorite pastime. Mentoring in Hong Kong Technical University, IIT Indore, and IIM Indore, he seeks to inspire Gen Next.

    Toch Team

    Since its inception in 2016, Toch has been growing exponentially with a manpower of 60+ personnel across countries. Its team is task-oriented through liberal leadership. As cliche as it sounds, but the founders believe in team building and bonding. Empathy and motivation are synonymous with that idea. At Toch, people understand diversity at its best and use it as a force for synchronous output.

    The name was thought of from the point of view of “touching” as many lives by cutting through the clutter and personalizing content. This evolved into TOCH only due to the availability of domain names. The logo was created in unison with the brand name.

    Toch
    Toch Logo

    Toch – Business Model & Revenue Model

    Toch is a SaaS platform and offers different subscription options for its clients. Its business model includes API integration and easy-to-use dashboard services.

    Also read: All about SaaS Revenue Model in detail

    Toch – Launch and Marketing Strategies

    Toch’s product has proved its mettle, it has been its own brand ambassador of viability and productivity. The numbers give a fair picture of its joyous sustenance (as of Oct’21) –

    • 12.9M+ videos scanned
    • 1.2B+ hours of video processing time saved
    • 72% increase in viewer time spent on videos
    • 8.3X increase in viewer engagement rate

    The startup’s marketing strategy is split into brand marketing and event focussed marketing. With a global b2b target market, social media and digital marketing play a crucial role. Its campaigns focus on thought leadership through podcasts, webinars, and fire-side chats along with event campaigns focussed on the actual benefits of AI technology in the media industry.

    Toch – Funding

    On October 13, 2021, Toch announced an $11.75 million Series A funding by Moneta Ventures, Baring Private Equity India, Binny Bansal, Ventureast, 9 Unicorns, Anthill Ventures, Cathexis Ventures, SOSV, Artesian, and Innoven Capital (backed by Temasek and United overseas bank).

    The funding will be used to scale up technology infrastructure and venture expansion into global markets with a specific focus on foreign markets.

    Arul Mehra, Partner at Baring Private Equity India, said, “We believe that AI can make a lot of difference to how content is generated and consumed. Toch.ai is equipped with top notch technology & team which is greatly contributing to the revolution seen in the video sector. Thus we see this as a huge opportunity to be a part of this change as we partner with Vinayak & the team as they chart out the journey towards becoming leaders in the video-tech space.”

    The company has raised around $13.3 mn in funding over 7 funding rounds.

    Date Name of the transaction Transaction amount Lead investors
    Oct 7, 2021 Series A $11.8 mn Moneta Ventures, Baring Private Equity India, Binny Bansal
    Jun 29, 2021 Seed round – 9Unicorns Accelerator Fund
    May 26, 2020 Seed round $1 mn –
    Apr 16, 2020 Seed round $400K Inflection Point Ventures
    Jun 8, 2019 Seed round – Hyderabad Angels, Mumbai Angels
    Jan 1, 2019 Seed round – JITO Angel Network
    Jun 7, 2016 Seed round $150K –

    Indian Startups – Funding & Investors 2021 Data | Updated
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    Toch – Partnerships

    • Toch.ai has announced a partnership with USA cricket on December 23, 2021. This partnership aims to bring all the action from the field so that the fans don’t regret missing out on the best moments from the Dafabet USA vs. Ireland Men’s International Series 2021 that began on December 22, 2021, in Florida
    • Toch has been the official partner of the Indian Premier League that was truncated due to the ongoing pandemic.

    The Mumbai-based interactive video shopping platform has also earlier been the official partner of the Australian Open. Furthermore, Toch.ai also frequently collaborates with numerous OTT platforms.    

    Toch – Recognition & Achievements

    • Recognized as Best AI startup 2021 by Franchise India and Entrepreneur Media.
    • Recognized as Nasscom AI Game Changers for the category ‘Computer Vision Award’ for accelerating India with innovation in 2021.
    • Co-founder and CEO, Vinayak Shrivastav recognized as 30 UNDER 30 Disruptor by BW Businessworld 2021
    • Co-founder and CEO, Vinayak Shrivastav was recognized as The Most Promising Entrepreneur by ‘The Economic Times Promising Entrepreneurs of India’ 2021.
    • Co-founder and COO, Saket Dandotia was recognized as the winner of Exchange4Media’s Digital 40 under 40 awards 2021 (public announcement pending).

    Toch – Current Growth and Future Plans

    Toch has grown from strength to strength over the past couple of years and added many of the big banner broadcasters and OTTs to its portfolio. Although success is relative, partnering for the Indian Premier League, Champions League, and Australian Open events with top OTT broadcasters has defined its learning and experience curve.

    Toch is levitating towards extensive engagements and making its mark with AI and ML-based technology in video editing. The applications for this technology can be used in the future for better healthcare services, safety, and security solutions, and education. Its future plans involve a deep dive into the entertainment and news industries and the application of AI-led technologies to create personalized content for its clients.

    Toch – FAQs

    What is Toch AI?

    Toch AI is a SaaS company with cloud-agnostic AI solutions. It offers professional services by taking noisy, large data sets and transforming them into engrossing and compelling hyper-global videos.

    Who are the founders of Toch?

    Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil founded Toch in 2016.

    Is Toch an Indian Company?

    Yes. Toch is an Indian company headquartered in Mumbai, India. However, Toch functions worldwide with a focus on India, North America, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.

    How does Toch make money?

    Toch is a SaaS platform and offers different subscription options for its clients.

    What is Toch’s USP?

    The USP of Toch is its premium video editing feature that facilitates the patrons with automatic dynamic engagements and insertions to create their own bespoke videos.

  • 4 Types of Guest Posts that will Surely Drive Traffic to your Website

    Here’s a fun story:

    Jon Cooper, a writer from Point Blank SEO, established himself as an SEO expert by writing a guest post on Moz. The article, ‘the Complete List of Link Building Tactics’ generated 400 visitors on Moz.

    Moz marketed the blog on their homepage and it kept getting 10-20 visitors even after 2 weeks. The popularity got Jon 2 clients that he signed, and then denied more work, as he, “didn’t have the time”.

    Too much work…every marketer would like this problem.

    The point is, Guest Posting is the best inbound marketing strategy that exists. You might see fewer results in the beginning, but it’s fruitful in the long run. When readers come across your content on authoritative sites, they start trusting you and reach out to you for business.

    A study by Social Marketing Writing states that 62.96% of readers find blogs with multiple authors more credible. Neil Patel says,

    “I’ve tried many inbound marketing strategies but guest blogging remains my most treasured tool.”

    With quality content, guest posting can line up website visitors for you – the parade won’t stop.

    WIDGET: leadform | CAMPAIGN: Link Building

    Now the question is:

    What Type of Guest Posts should you post?

    There are different types of blogs. Writers share their experiences, tips and tricks, and interviews. You should start by analyzing what the website generally shares. See which blogs get the most traction, so you can pitch them exactly what their audience likes.

    But not all blogs guarantee backlinks like these. These types of blogs are, what I call, backlink magnets:

    1. Data Report
    2. Case Study
    3. A Thought Leadership Article in your Niche
    4. A How-To or Guidance Blog Post
    FAQ

    1. Data Report

    A data report is what establishes you as an expert. Readers love data; especially businessmen, who are ready to swipe the card if they trust your work. You can use Google surveys to extract data by asking relevant questions.

    Another way to get data is by using software that allows competitor research like SEMrush’s Competitor Analysis Tool. These tools provide valuable information about a company’s marketing campaign which you can use to your advantage.

    A data report may include:

    • The most tracked keywords in the digital marketing industry
    • How many blogs does X retailer publish in a month?
    • 85% of companies prefer short-form content over long-form
    • 79% of advertisers on Meta prefer paid options

    Companies are interested in this data for several reasons:

    • To get ahead of their competition
    • To track the market
    • To build their campaign

    That’s why there’s a higher chance of them clicking on the link.

    President of 10x digital, Holly Rollins explains that data is the most sought-after content type. Survey-based content speaks to all audiences whether it’s in a blog or social media post.

    2. Case Study

    A case study is a great piece of content to have under your belt. It enhances your reputation in the market. Data and statistics provided in a case study build your credibility as a brand.

    You can link a case study to a relevant blog to prove a point.

    Once you’ve written an authentic case study, say, about a client who got 10,000 website visits through backlinks. You can link that easily to a blog titled, ‘5 ways to get website visitors through backlinks’.

    If you link a case study to an appropriate blog – where it doesn’t seem forced – more readers will click on it.

    More examples:

    Case Study: How long does it take client X to rank on the top three search results?

    Blog topic: A guide to get your content on the first page

    Case Study: How many guest posts do you need to write in a month?

    Blog Topic: The power of guest posting

    Having more than one angle for each case study can get you more links with fewer efforts. A case study titled, “Zero to Hundred backlinks”, can be linked with more than one blog. For instance:

    1. 7 Ways to generate backlinks

    2. What is a backlink? How to get more?

    3. How to get backlinks for small businesses?

    3. A Thought Leadership Article in your Niche

    A thought leadership article from CEO or Founder reflects expertise. Take this for example,

    “Link Building is the strongest brick in the foundation of your marketing campaign”, says David Hasselhoff, CEO of Core Digital.

    When you use these as links in your guest blogs, readers assume your expertise. They are tempted to find out what a leader of a marketing firm considers best. Thought leadership blogs support your link-building efforts while proving the legitimacy of your content.

    Although you should consider these points before you link an article with a guest blog:

    • It must support the guest blog and shouldn’t look forced
    • It backs up the point that you’re making in the guest blog

    Remember that the CEO doesn’t have to write the blog himself. It’s a part of a marketing campaign so a writer can curate the blog and include quotes and suggestions from the CEO.

    4. A How-To or Guidance Blog Post

    A good old ‘How-To’ blog never goes out of fashion. No matter what your niche is, your target audience is bound to have queries. Tap into this opportunity and solve with content.

    Website owners across the globe are always on the hunt for valuable blogs that their readers. These are too precious to reject.

    Write an in-depth blog that explains something from root to tip. If you’re a marketer, you can choose topics like:

    • In-depth SEO – The Only Guide You Need in 2022
    • A Beginner’s Guide to Convert Leads Via E-mails

    Keep an eye on what your audience engages with on social media. Track their likes, comments, and shares to understand what topics they’re interested in. To make a blog even more engaging, add:

    • Graphs to explain data easily
    • Screenshots to prove a point
    • Actionable tips that they can follow

    The best and FREE tool to find what people want is Google. Just type ‘how to’, plus a keyword, and it will yank out a truckload of searches made every day. All you have to do is choose one.

    Bonus Tips for Guest Posting

    Since you are determined to generate backlinks, here are some bonus tips for you. These will help you create guests blogs consistently:

    1. Take topics from popular websites and pitch the ideas to smaller ones.

    2. Create a full-blown guide to explain a topic in detail. Cover everything necessary. Then, you can break it down into smaller blog pieces, and pitch them to various websites.

    3. If you’re a content writer, who writes about digital marketing, you can make your blogs specified to an industry. Make it – digital marketing for start-ups, digital marketing for small businesses, or digital marketing for SaaS.

    The same goes for SEO or Social Media Marketing. Tweak each blog with specifications for different niches, while the gist remains the same.

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    Conclusion

    Guest blogs drive traffic and establish authority for years on end. There’s no limit to how many visitors you can gain through guest posting if you do it long enough. No website can deny a quality content piece that adds value to the reader’s life. Use this to your advantage.

    FAQ

    What are the different types of posts?

    How-To Guides, Checklists/Cheat Sheets, Infographics, and Guest Blogging are some of the types of posts.

    What are guest posts?

    Guest posting is when a blogger writes content for another site to attract traffic.

    Are guest posts free?

    Yes, some guest posts are free but some are paid too. But if you choose free guest posting, then you might get less traffic on your website.

  • About Social Media Scheduling | How to Create Social Media Schedule? – A Guide

    A schedule plays a very important role in keeping our lives in symmetry. The perfect division of the 24 hours makes it a lot easier for any individual to be productive in whatever they do. This would provide a beforehand knowledge of what works are to be done and get a head-start in efficiently completing that work.

    Now coming to the importance of social media schedule in the life of an individual. It is no different from normal people’s lives, but it plays a more serious role. We shall know more about an influencer’s social media schedule in the following pool of words.

    What is Social Media Scheduling?
    Importance Of Social Media Schedule
    Tools And Apps To Make Social Media Schedule
    Steps To Create A Social Media Schedule
    Conclusion
    FAQs

    ‌‌

    How to create social media Schedule? | Social Media Tools

    What is Social Media Scheduling?

    ‌Nothing different from as the word suggests a social media schedule is a sort of personal planner that keeps track of all your social media accounts. In an influencer’s life, social media is the best platform to polish their influencing skills, be it a beginner or a pro. Hence, meeting the public’s demand is a tough as well as a necessary task to accomplish if one wants to increase the reach of one’s account.

    ‌‌Maintaining a social media schedule would make one aware of the content one has been posting and also provide an idea about what needs to be posted in the near future. The schedule makes it easier to fill the viewers’ newsfeed with new and catchy content. To meet the demand of a variety of content, the schedule plays its role by giving an overview to the account holder of what is needed to be posted next. The schedule also keeps the risk of posting repetitive content at bay, giving the respective account boosted reach and views.

    ‌

    Importance Of Social Media Schedule

    Social Media Schedule
    Social Media Schedule

    ‌Most of us don’t maintain a timely routine to post on our social media handles. We just randomly come across a good picture and act on the thought of posting it. Or sometimes we go on a trip and post the pictures that come out of it. However, for an influencer, this wouldn’t work at all. The ability to post frequently with good content would keep the individual’s account in the constant limelight of the platform as well as the viewers.

    This schedule would greatly help in planning what should fall in line with the content list in the future. Also, try with new variations. This would increase the magnetic field of the posts and attract a large number of viewers. Other than that, a knock of important events or dates to post the content would also be there with the individual. Consistency, creativity, variations, entertainment, and reach are many things that get a boost when merged with a proper social media schedule.

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    Tools And Apps To Make Social Media Schedule

    ‌‌Producing a social media calendar is nothing serious task to perform. At the same time, it is not similar to making a normal daily routine. There are certain factors and tools required to complete this task. Just a pen and paper would not produce the intended objective.

    Starting with the infamous google sheets. The tool has gained its use during this lockdown. Google sheets would provide an easy, smooth go-through with your schedule and recent posts. Just one click and all your social media activities would reflect in the eyes.

    Another quite interesting feature that stands before google sheets is the Hootsuite planner. It is a next-level record keeper of your online posts. It can take up the toll of calculating the records of multiple accounts—the dates, future posts, recent posts, and the time of every post. On top of it, one can directly upload the content from the calendar itself prior to or at the scheduled time. These features give a slight tilt towards Hootsuite as a better option than google sheets.

    Some best tools to make social media schedule

    CoSchedule

    CoSchedule - Social Media Scheduling Tool
    CoSchedule – Social Media Scheduling Tool

    This smart tool merged with the company’s website to schedule your posts. The most powerful feature, which makes it different is that the tool provides the performance of the top content. The report can be analyzed to reciprocate the improvement. It automatically rescheduled the important message to keep the brand feeds effective, which is rare in scheduling tools.

    SocialPilot

    SocialPilot - Social Media Scheduling Tool
    SocialPilot – Social Media Scheduling Tool

    Socialpilot allows you to be active over several social media websites, almost every popular site. It has one of the simplest interfaces and offers easy scheduling features. Along with creating customized posts, socialpilot has powerful collaboration features. It is considered as the tool to create the quickest white label report.

    Sendible

    Sendible - Social Media Scheduling Tool
    Sendible – Social Media Scheduling Tool

    This social media scheduler tool masters in automation and provides sentimental analysis. Your custom report can be sent to your team members for detailed analysis. It smoothly manages social media marketing for multiple consumers. Sendible has a dedicated dashboard for conversation, or messages.

    ContentStudio

    ContentStudio - Social Media Scheduling Tool
    ContentStudio – Social Media Scheduling Tool

    ContentStudio helps small businesses and agencies in creating and scheduling content on different social media platforms. This social media scheduling tool helps to categorize social media content at predefined posting time to gain audience attention. This relieves large teams from daily scheduling.

    SocialBee

    SocialBee - Social Media Scheduling Tool
    SocialBee – Social Media Scheduling Tool

    Using SocialBee, you can set schedule posts for each social media platform separately. It offers category selecting options while posting and scheduling to make the process even faster. SocialBee has a dedicated content library to keep records of your previous post along with the social media site on which it is published.


    Try SocialBee for Social Media Scheduling

    Missinglettr

    Missinglettr - Social Media Scheduling Tool
    Missinglettr – Social Media Scheduling Tool

    Missinglettr is a fast and easy social media scheduler tool best for busy business people. Missinglettr comes with calendar tool support, which is a perfect schedule for campaigns. It has powerful analyzing tools to trace essential metrics of your social media campaigns.

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    Steps To Create A Social Media Schedule

    ‌Coming down to the final step of preparing one’s own social media schedule. This involves a bit of analysis. But in the end, it would come out in the face of the best social media content for an individual.

    • The foremost one can be picking the right social media platform. After being sure of the niche one is going to be on, one has to monitor which platform has the most viewers or surfers in that particular niche. This may include assessing the importance of one’s content in that particular platform. If not, then a switch to the next platform may be needed. Be it meta, Twitter, or YouTube. After that, the prime focus should be on that platform. Rest can be secondary handles. With a broad audience, the handle would get a good hype.
    • Following that, keeping track of the base from where the handle started would also help in growing the channel. Bringing in new variations would get a lot easier with this record. Apart from that, an analysis of how the handle is growing also stands in the essentials section. This includes the most liked post, most commented post, the one who got the most likes in very little time, and so on.
    • After that, planning a review pattern comes into action. Whatever activities have been performed, reviewing them helps to fill in the lacuna that prevails in the content. The missed events, updates, posts will be revealed by this review.
    • At last, keeping information about other handles gets an individual to learn many things that could fuel the viewer’s number on the particular handle. Learning things from other influencers would result in growth as well.

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    Conclusion

    After all this while, coming up with a social media schedule might seem quite achievable now. Starting from the bottom, choosing one’s niche and platform till investing in the growth of the social media handle. Along with that, all the tricks, tips, and tools would accompany creating a perfect social media schedule. If followed precisely, all these things would definitely add up to producing a healthy schedule that would give a social media handle the type of recognition it needs.

    The old-school trend of posting updates and stories in accordance with the picture quality is long gone. The audience demands new, entertaining content. This old-school trend would not stand a chance to be a proper influencer or social media influencer. Thus the schedule to maintain a professional influencer’s account.

    FAQs

    What is a good social media schedule?‌

    A good Social media schedule on different social media platform as researched is found to be as below:

    • Facebook: 1-2 Posts per day
    • Twitter: 3-10 Tweets per day
    • Instagram: 1-3 posts per day
    • Instagram Stories: 2-5 times per day
    • Pinterest: 3-20 posts per day
    • LinkedIn: 1-2 posts per week

    What are the top Social media scheduling tools?

    Some of the top Social media scheduling tools are:

    • Sprout Social
    • Hootsuite
    • CoSchedule
    • Agora Pulse
    • Later
    • TweetDeck
    • Buffer
    • Socialoomph

    What is a social media calendar?

    A social media calendar is an overview of your upcoming social media post on different social media platforms.

  • The Easiest Ways to Find Blogs that Accept Guest Posts

    Guest Blogging is the best way to enhance your SEO efforts. These are a sure-shot way of getting backlinks if your content can:

    • Enhance the value of the hosting site
    • Solve a problem for the readers

    That’s why websites all over the world look for creative content writers and guest bloggers who can write blogs for them. If you have something good to offer, you can pitch it to a site with high authority and get it linked back to yours. But first, you must find credible websites to pitch.

    WIDGET: leadform | CAMPAIGN: Link Building

    Let’s understand how can you find these sites too –

    • Get your domain ranking up
    • Build your backlink profile
    • Drive more content to your website

    Which Sites are Best for Your Guest Posts?
    How to Find the Best Guest Blogging Opportunities?
    Most Popular Digital Marketing Sites that Accept Guest Blogs
    FAQ

    Which Sites are Best for Your Guest Posts?

    Did you know, that there are 600 million blogs on the internet?

    A huge percentage of these actively hunt for guest blogs as they offer expertise and a fresh perspective. Guest blogs are as important for them as it is for you.

    According to a study by SEMrush, 76% of editors prefer 1-5 guest blog posts per week. But you need to figure out which sites are best suited for your content.

    For instance, if you’re an online marketing strategist, the best place for you to guest post would be digital marketing and content marketing blogs. You should target websites that have a similar target audience so they’ll take interest in your content.

    Here’s a checklist of everything you need to know about a website before pitching:

    • Check Domain Rank
    • Check the number of blog posts per week
    • Check monthly traffic
    • Check past guest posts and their performance

    All these are technical statistics that can’t be overlooked.

    Moreover, you should also consider that:

    • The website focuses on your niche
    • Readers of the blog will be interested in your content
    • The content gets good engagement (shares and likes)
    • The owner promotes their content on social media (This guarantees the same for your content)

    By following all these tips, you can filter out the top websites for your guest blogs.

    How to Find the Best Guest Blogging Opportunities?

    Network with other bloggers

    Networking is a brilliant way to increase your outreach. As per the statistics by SEMrush, 56% of guest bloggers write for multiple websites while 7% stick to only one.

    Find writers, website owners, and bloggers on social media and exchange knowledge about your respective niches. Just have a conversation.

    This works in most cases. All these people already get a lot of pitches but they’re more likely to accept from those whom they know. Build genuine relationships and then, you can pitch them to publish your blog on their website.

    Ask Google

    Google is the best, free-to-use tool out there. You can bring up a truckload of websites by typing your ‘keyword‘, followed by ‘guest posts’.

    For instance, if you want to find blogs about link building, you can type these:

    • Digital marketing “guest post by”
    • Digital marketing “guest post guidelines”
    • Digital marketing “accepting guest posts”
    • Digital marketing “submit a guest post”
    • Digital marketing “become a contributor”
    • Digital marketing “contribute to our site”
    • Digital marketing “guest column”

    You can copy and paste one of these points right now to find websites that will accept your guest blogs.

    Digital Marketing Keyword
    Digital Marketing Keyword

    The time you spend on competitor research never goes to waste. Use competitor research software to find where they’re getting backlinks from. You can try SEMrush’s Competitor Gap Analysis tool and Open Site Explorer.

    The software will provide you with the number of backlinks your competitors are getting and which ones are from guest posts. These are the websites that you can pitch to.

    Find Prolific Guest Bloggers

    If you’ve been a part of an industry long enough, you must know some writers whose names show up frequently on multiple sites. These are prolific guest bloggers. They have the knowledge and expertise in their respective niches, and websites love to have these bloggers write content for them.

    These names include Neil Patel, Tony Right, Adam Reimer, Robyn Johnson, Kevin Rowe, Allie Decker, and Caroline Forsey.

    Search for these writers on the web and find websites that they’ve written for. These are the websites that accept guest posts.    

    Ask the Twitter Bird

    Twitter search
    Twitter search

    Twitter is the go-to platform for anyone looking for guest bloggers. The number one reason is that website owners and bloggers post their requirements on Twitter.

    You can search for opportunities via hashtags and keywords.

    On top of it, guest bloggers share their content here which helps you to find sites that accept guest posts. All you have to do is pitch them.

    Communities and Directories

    Guest Blogging works, and businesses are well aware. That’s why guest blogging communities are in place to help both guest bloggers and website owners.

    MyBlogGuest is your go-to community to find guest blogging opportunities. You can also check out forums like DigitalPoint. These two are the holy trinity for anyone, who wants no-nonsense information about guest posting sites.

    As far as blogging directories are concerned, Technorati and Alltop are the places to be. They provide you with the most popular blogs in your niche so you can pitch them for guest blogging.

    They yank out the best of the best blogs which will guarantee a truckload of backlinks if you manage to seal the deal.

    Bravo! Marketer. It seems you’re all set to increase your website traffic and grow your business through guest posts. So, it’s time for a bonus tip.

    Here are the most popular digital marketing sites that accept guest posts:

    1. HubSpot

    2. Content Marketing Institute

    3. Ahrefs

    4. SingleGrain

    5. OnCrawl

    6. Woorise

    7. Venture Beat

    8. MarketingProfs

    9. Business 2 Community

    10. Blogging Wizard

    11. BuzzSumo

    12. Harvard Business Review

    13. Adzooma

    14. LiveChat

    15. Social Media Examiner

    Conclusion

    Guest Blogging is a two-way street. Websites need content just like you need backlinks. Therefore, you should maintain quality and write valuable content that to gain backlinks. Check out the websites mentioned above and start pitching today.

    FAQ

    How do I reach out as a guest blogger?

    Make your pitch to the guest bloggers, choose an interesting topic, write impressive content and be responsive.

    Are guest posts free?

    Yes, guest blogging can be paid and free too, but If you choose free guest posting, then you might get less traffic on your website.

    How do I find guest posting opportunities?

    Ask Google, find prolific guest bloggers and Spy on your competitor backlinks.

  • Unicorns in Russia | List of Startups Soon to be Unicorns in Russia

    We are quite aware of the economical status of Russia. Russia’s economy is known as the 11th largest economy in the world. Its economy is contributed majorly by the service sector at 62.3% of the 1.63 trillion dollars, along with the 63% of total employees for the labour force. On the other hand, Russia is widely supported by Europe as being its largest trading partner.

    When it comes to the startup culture, Russia has the support of some major factors like sea routes access, location, access to natural resources and European markets. However, a large number of Russian startups are established in Moscow & St. Petersburg.

    In the modern era of the millennials, Russia works as the nerve centre of the whole Eurasian startup culture. Russia has more than 3.8K tech startups among which 9 are public estate. And, in that case, we have brought you the Russian startups which are listed among the unicorns of the World along with the top potential “Soonicorn” startups in Russia. Go through the article and you will find the exclusive Russian tech startups with a substantial valuation status. Let’s get started!

    Unicorns in Russia

    Soonicorns in Russia

    Conclusion
    FAQs

    Top Startups in Russia

    Unicorns in Russia

    Russia has two very prominent unicorns, Avito.ru and Wildberries. These two companies exceed their valuation of billion dollars. Russia is quite famous for its economy and startup ecosystem. And, these companies have made their way to the list of unicorns with a valuation of over $1 billion. These are briefly discussed below.

    Avito

    Founder- Jonas Nordlander and Filip Engelbert
    Founded Year- 2007
    Funding- USD 1.3 Billion

    Avito - Unicorn in Russia
    Avito – Unicorn in Russia

    The well-established Russian company, Avito.ru is a classified advertisement website. It’s known as the most prominent and established classified website in Russia and the second largest in the world. Avito.ru was founded in 2007 by Jonas Nordlander and Filip Engelbert. The company works through the services of E-commerce and web communication.

    Moreover, the website of Avito has further categories of general goods for sale, personals, jobs, real estate, services and cars for sale.

    Avito.ru made its biggest achievement when in 2019, the daily visitors of the website reached 10.3 million. The services and valuation of Avito.ru mark the company in the eyes of Russian Forbes. Later with the ranking as third, it came out in the list of most expensive companies of the Runet. The estimated valuation of Avito.ru is around $4.9 billion.

    Wildberries

    Founder- Tatyana Bakalchuk
    Founded Year- 2004
    Funding-  

    Wildberries - Unicorn in Russia
    Wildberries – Unicorn in Russia

    Wildberries is known to be Russia’s largest online retailer. The company was established by Tatyana Bakalchuk in 2004. It was headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Tatyana was formerly a teacher but, on her maternity leave, she developed this website. And now, the company has crossed the revenue of over $3 billion. Wildberries is the leading Russian E-Commerce market at a valuation of $30bn.

    Wildberries employs over 48,000 people with the work establishment in 7 countries. On average, Wildberries process 750,000 orders per day online with the wide categories of 37,000 brands of clothing, cosmetics, children products, shoes, food, books, jewellery, electronics and many others.

    When the pandemic came in 2020, the company progressed with a sudden increase in sales volume and reached up to $6 billion. Wildberries have experienced great development in the past years. And now, it is moving towards its development in countries such as the United States. Besides, the company has now started online sales in Russia through instalments or on credit.

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    Soonicorns in Russia

    Well, as we went through the unicorns of Russia it would be absolutely interesting to know the potential startups which are on their way to get the unicorn status, or the Soonicorns. Therefore, we have discussed the potential startups of Russia as well. Let’s get started with the Soonicorn startups.

    Waves Platform

    Founder- Sasha Ivanov
    Founded Year- 2016
    Funding- USD 240 million

    Waves Platform - Soon to be Unicorn in Russia
    Waves Platform – Soon to be Unicorn in Russia

    Waves Platform is a very well known blockchain-based startup that provides the service of digital application advancement infrastructure for public institutions as well as enterprises. The company is headquartered in Moscow, Russia.

    Moreover, Waves Platform has many potential investors such as Dolfin, Blockchain R&I, CV VC and many more.

    Indriver

    Founder- Arsen Tomsky
    Founded Year- 2012
    Funding- USD 15 million

    Indriver - Soon to be Unicorn in Russia
    Indriver – Soon to be Unicorn in Russia

    Indriver is a company offering a ride-hailing service through a digital application for the demand of intra-city taxi rides. The application offers plenty of passenger based services such as setting their price, negotiating and more. The company was founded in the year 2012 and is established in Yakutsk, Russia.

    Indriver is expanded to many cities across South Africa, CIS, America and LATAM.

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    Biglion

    Founder- Vladimir Vinogradov and Oleg Savtsov
    Founded Year- 2010
    Funding- USD 25 million

    Biglion - Soon to be Unicorn in Russia
    Biglion – Soon to be Unicorn in Russia

    The digital platform for the wide range of category O2O deals. Biglion is a well-known company that offers many deals of services such as fashion products, beauty and health, fitness clubs, restaurants, and many more. Biglion was founded in 2010 in Moscow, Russia. It has its potential investors as RTP Global and Tiger Global Management.

    MANEL

    Founder- Manel Guillen I Sola
    Founded Year- 2010
    Funding- USD 12 million

    MANEL - Soon to be Unicorn in Russia
    MANEL – Soon to be Unicorn in Russia

    MANEL is a prominent company that develops high technological equipment for the development of a porous nanostructural non-metal non-organic coating that occurred from the microarc oxidation. It has taken it to a next level of quality as well as advancement. MANEL was founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tomsk, Russia. Its significant fundings comes from Rusnano and Tomsk State University.

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    Ostrovok

    Founder- Serge Faguet
    Founded Year- 2011
    Funding- USD 51 million

    Ostrovok - Soon to be Unicorn in Russia
    Ostrovok – Soon to be Unicorn in Russia

    The well-established hotel booking platform, Ostrovok.ru offers great services through brief research, review and convenience along with further travel details. Ostrovok.ru is known as the OTA for hotel booking. Its digital application suits Android and iOS very well. Its prominent investing comes from Fritz Demopoulos, Niklas Zennstrom and Vaizra Capital.

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    Conclusion

    There is a vibrant and wealthy startup ecosystem in Russia. Although there are only two or three startups mentioned in the unicorns list, there are dozens of startups that have a high valuation and a very fair chance of becoming unicorns soon. Alongside, many are counted as potential startups who can gain unicorn status one day. There are many powerful and prominent startups in Russia and these have many potential investors as well. Russia has a long way ahead, meanwhile, its startup culture is progressing with each passing year.

    FAQs

    What are the unicorns in Russia?

    Two unicorns has been identified in Russia. They are:

    • Avito
    • Wildberries

    Which are the most valued startups in Russia?

    Some of the potential startups on their way to get the unicorn status are:

    • Waves Platform
    • Indriver
    • Biglion
    • MANEL
    • Ostrovok

    Which is the largest company in Russia?

    Some of the largest companies (as per market capitalization) in Russia are:

    • Gazprom
    • Sberbank
    • Rosneft
    • Novatek
    • United Heavy Machinery
    • Lukoil
    • Nornivkel
    • Polyus
    • Surgutneftegas
    • Severstal

    Which city is the startup hub of Russia?

    Moscow is the startup hub of Russia. Most of the prominent startups are headquartered in Moscow, Russia.