I have never thought about marketing my business. It's not possible for me to do the marketing of my business because I sit at my shop throughout the day. I know that customers will come to my shop to buy products if I keep it open. As of now, I don't have any plans to do the marketing of my business. But at home, my daughter always tells me that I need to promote my business online and upload statuses on WhatsApp to increase the number of customers. As I said earlier, I have tried promoting my business online, but it was a failure.
No, I don't actively try to attract customers to my shop. Instead, customers come to me after hearing about my work. They travel from far away to find me based on what they've heard about my experience. People learn about my shop through referrals. For example, if you get your vehicle repaired and then tell someone else about it, and that person tells someone else, and so on, the word spreads. I haven't done any marketing, and I haven't specifically informed anyone in my neighborhood about my shop. I simply trust in the quality of my work. I strive to treat my customers in a friendly manner.
Customers see the sign outside and come to my shop. If someone is passing by and needs something, they see the shop and come in. I don't do anything else to attract customers to my shop. There are also regular customers. My friends know what I do, right? So I get customers through word of mouth.
Customers tell other people to come to my shop, and that's how they find out about my shop. All customers cooperate with each other. They are suggested to go to Lal Chowk, saying that all puja material will be available there.
Yes, we have regular customers. They are very nice customers. Till now, we have 40% regular customers, which we have calculated. We make Excel entries of our yearly estimated bill. For example, if your name is Priyanka Kesharwani or Priyanka Shrivastav or Priyanka Singh, this is your mobile number, you belong to Shanti puram, and you have taken furniture from me in 2021 and 2022. So, when I add the information of 2022 in Excel, the sheet will show me that you have taken a product on this date and this year. Therefore, I can know that you have taken 2 furniture items from me in 2020, 2021, and 2022. This helps me identify you as a regular customer, Priyanka ji. I see that 400 customers repeated their purchases next year among 1000 customers, which means they are our regular customers. We make the entry and provide gifts to our regular customers during festivals. We message them and invite them to come during Dhanteras and Deepawali. We give a 5% discount to our regular customers on pillow, mattress protector, and bedsheet. In Deepawali, my shop will be 3 years old, so I will see who those regular customers are who have done shopping from us in these 3 years. It might be a small chair or a big furniture item, and we will give them a 50% discount or a buy 1 get 1 free offer to increase our sales. If we motivate and give things to regular customers, they will also advertise for us. Instead of investing money on advertisements and keeping staff for advertisement, they will not go to every locality to do this. Allahabad has many localities like Taliyarganj Fafamoj, Shanti puram. I should catch the customers, give them a buy 1 get 1 free offer, and then they will feel that Vinayak furniture respects us. They will advertise this to 4 more people to purchase things from us. We are good. This is a concept to increase the business.
I decided to spend on customers instead of advertisements. It is about our thinking. We are normal people - engineers, laborers, and businessmen. We eat food according to our needs. It depends on how much you utilize your brain. How much brain am I utilizing in my business? I think about how to increase my business, so we think and discuss with our mummy, and then I decide.
I bought ready-made furniture to launch our store. Yes, just for the opening and to attract a crowd, we did that. If a customer liked the dressing, then I would tell them that it was already sold. We could make a similar one in one week's time. I didn't sell that particular piece to the customer. What would the wholesaler give me and what would I give you? I found local laborers who do such household work and started my manufacturing unit. We started by copying their work and making our own. At first, we didn't have polishing work, so we started with mica work because we couldn't find laborers who knew how to polish. We started using mica, and then the laborers started coming by themselves for work. We didn't give the vendor's products to the customer; we gave them our own products for trust and quality.
I have posted on Facebook 1-2 times. There is a sponsored page where we have to pay charges as well, around 1000-1200 rupees per month. I have not been consistent with it. I did it for 1-2 months initially, and then, before every month of Deepawali, I would post to promote my offer. The agent and client of Facebook approached us. Since I have knowledge about it, I thought I could do this instead of hiring a staff member for 8000-9000 rupees who would visit houses and promote the availability of products at Vinayak furniture. It's better to advertise through Facebook for 1000 rupees, where the ad will reach every person, rather than going to each house and personally informing them about the availability of products at Vinayak furniture. By advertising on Facebook, the message will reach multiple people, as there might be 5 people in a home who use Facebook, and they will all become aware of my advertisement for Vinayak furniture. I have joined 1-2 furniture sector groups on Facebook in Delhi, where we can find furniture raw materials related to hardware. Yes, it is useful. In these groups, I find good things at a lower cost.
Facebook is helping in advertising. Through WhatsApp, we get to know about the needs of the customers. Through YouTube, I gain knowledge about new technology. Yes, from day 1, I have felt that technology has helped my business to grow.
As I have already mentioned, we have been in this field since the beginning, so we automatically have customers. In some places, we come to know about new factories or industries. We have our own visits. We get customers from someone who found us online, such as India Mart or Google. Nowadays, people have a habit of searching for products on Google, so we also receive inquiries from there. Almost 50% of my clients are regular. We receive inquiries throughout the year. For example, if a new factory is being built, we provide them with the material for the first time and then we continue to receive inquiries from them. Once a customer becomes a customer, there is a 90% guarantee. We don't have an extraordinary strategy to make new customers regular. Our main strategy is competitive rates. There shouldn't be a problem with the rates. They shouldn't feel that the rate is too high or too low. Even if they feel it is too high, we go and correct it. If we are wrong, we analyze where we went wrong or if the client feels something is confusing because another supplier has given a different rate for a similar product, we address that issue and make necessary adjustments. We continuously seek feedback. If a new industry is formed, they inform us if there are any other problems. If there are problems, and we can solve them, we take necessary actions. However, we don't keep a record of it verbally. If the client stays connected with us continuously, then it is understandable.
Yes, I have groups. But I haven't joined any group because we receive a lot of good morning messages and all, but I have created a broadcast. So, if I have to send a message, I can send it through the broadcast and everyone will receive an individual message on WhatsApp, and it won't be in a group. They will see that I have messaged them directly. If there is any festival or new product launches, I can use the broadcast to provide them with information. I don't have groups because I think it's very hectic we get useless messages more than work-related messages.
Yes, if you look at the normal WhatsApp, these things are not there. Normally, if you look, these things are not shown. If someone goes to my profile, they will be able to see the location of my shop, the timing, and the email ID. If there is a website, then the option of a website is also there. So this is the profile, showing the products that I have, and I can change it from time to time. See, the different categories that I have, I can put the options there and people can place orders from here only. They can do this; there are a lot of features like this.
We have a Facebook group called Aryan Traders. All the college teachers are members. I have put up posters of my shop in the coaching centers across the district. All the teachers are connected to the group. Additionally, if you visit any coaching center, you will find our banner there. I also receive support from the coaching centers. All the coaches in the area support me, and I don't have to pay anything for the banner. My father is a politician, so he is well-known in this area and throughout the district. Being his son, I benefit from his reputation without having to explain it to anyone. They all support me.
We use Facebook for promotions. If you visit my page, you will see that someone reads something every day. I have created a Facebook page with my name instead of the shop's name for now. I have about 1800 friends, so 1800 people receive the information. We post all our products there. If we have something new, I will show it to you. We don't run ads on Facebook. This is my ID. There is Sri Electronics in the background and the shop in the front. We have products like Havells', RO, and Alkaline Water.
I have posted the ad (Facebook post). Now, like this. Today's meeting is at Sri Electronics, Jalwar, Pratapgarh, and the ad is for Havells. Take a look at this. I keep organizing meetings like this. This is done. Then, check out the Electrician meeting at Sri Electronic by Standard. It's a Standard company. They are aware of all this. Then, there is a Havells meeting at Sri Electronic. Jalwar, Pratapghad. They keep including all these things. There is an Electrician meeting at Jail Road by RR. So our customers, or rather, our friends, have the impression that many companies come to his place. This means that the products at his place must be good. There are numerous meetings happening at his place. Company representatives go to places where sales are good. So, in a way, you are changing their mindset. In a way, an environment is being created through Facebook and Status. It conveys that his shop is good and many people visit there. This creates a positive influence. That's why it is important. It's not much, but for people who see it, one person has liked it and now the whole locality knows about it. He might have 20 or 25 friends there, and they will also like it and see that RR, Havells, Standard; all branded companies are coming to his place. They are getting some quality. So, Facebook is being used.
I haven't tried Facebook ads. Some journalists contacted us, but we didn't proceed due to the high cost. We have a few billboards, and the branding was handled by the RR company. Their team takes care of everything independently. The company gives us the posters that you see. It also says Sri Electronic on them. The salespeople give them to us and we continue to use them. They give us things like these. I have thought about running an ad, but I don't have any information about it, madam, regarding what it is and how to do it.
The Bollywood celebrities endorsing the brand help to build trust with customers. For example, in RR, Akshay Kumar is a brand ambassador. As the Asia Cup is approaching, advertisements are being planned. You see, the impact of a brand ambassador is around 10%, it's mainly about branding. However, the image of the product in the customer's mind is crucial. About 80% of the general public recognizes that Havells is a good brand, even if they may not have extensive knowledge about it.
For marketing purposes, we initially advertised in newspapers. We included photos and placed advertisements. We tried various strategies, including filing complaints. Initially, people would respond through the newspaper. However, we no longer utilize this method. We have ceased these activities. Now, if someone approaches us during Diwali and requests a deposit of Rs1000/2000, we provide it and they place the advertisement.
The YouTubers in this community have shared videos featuring our shop. One of them is Dinesh Pandey, who is currently conducting a class. During his visit, he also conducted an interview with me and created a YouTube video. As a senior teacher, he announced the opening of our new shop and promoted it. As a result, we received numerous calls and attracted many customers. In his video, he assured viewers that we can help solve book-related problems. Thanks to his promotion, we gained a lot of new customers from his channel.
We didn't use YouTube. Sudhakar Shrastho is a YouTuber who also coaches at the high school. He has talented students. Sudhakar made a video showcasing our shop and mentioned that viewers could find books here. He uploaded the video on his channel. People visited our shop based on his recommendation. Since I often met Sudhakar, who is a teacher, he expressed his interest in creating a YouTube video about my shop. I agreed to his idea.
Around 1-2 years ago, I created a Facebook page for my store. When we reached 5000 friends, I decided to convert it into a page for Arihant stationery. I have been using technology since the beginning, without any guidance. It was my own idea.
I want to connect with Amazon so that people can discover us beyond Pratapgarh. By leveraging technology, we can expand our reach and connect with people outside our local area. This will enable people to connect with us and benefit from our services, even if they are not in Pratapgarh. Our connection has already brought satisfaction to the children.
We continue to share updates on WhatsApp about any new information, whether it's in the form of news, updates, or book availability. There are numerous advantages. (Showing WhatsApp). We get orders through whatsapp status.There is a book by Piyush Vashney on reasoning. It is a famous book and currently has a discount of 30%. We shared the good news that Piyush Vashney's book is now available at a 30% discount. Everyone became aware instantly that they can now avail a 30% discount. This discount has increased from 20% to 30%, as mentioned by the shopkeepers. (showing the WhatsApp status)
Yes, my shop is located on Google maps. People search our shop on Google map and come up; they call me up and come up also. There are some customers who inquire for the price of spare parts from many shops and then come finally to our shop. These types of customers search my shop on Google map and call me up from there. They say they want to get servicing done of their vehicle.
I get many inquiry calls now after I put my shop on Google maps. I don’t remember when it was put on Google maps now but it might be 2-3 years back. Just now you saw Just Dial people had come up, they had come here earlier also. They told me get the app downloaded in front of them but I have not yet opened it.
No. I have my business card on my Whatsapp status; I did it when I started new. No. you can see my card, on Facebook also I have put. I don’t keep it all the time; I put it on festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali….
I send positive messages on WhatsApp, including messages related to job opportunities. There is a group called Aam Aadmi Party that also sends me job-related messages. Jobs are often a priority for many people. I primarily use WhatsApp for my work, including marketing activities and purchasing items from individuals and companies. Additionally, I handle the business layout. I do not engage in lending activities or go out physically; all my work is conducted through my mobile phone.
Yes, we have a lot of customers. I have a different group of customers. During the lockdown, I created a group for women. I conducted online business for selling clothes. I earned a profit of 7000 to 8000 rupees during the lockdown. I also created a separate group for girls and boys. This was done to manage any comments boys might make on girls. That's why I created separate groups for women and boys.
I share my videos on Instagram and Snapchat too. However, they don't get much viewership there. Most people watch them on WhatsApp. On WhatsApp, at least 175 people regularly see my status. I don't focus much on Instagram. I don't post frequently on Facebook and Instagram. People place an order and then it gets delivered. No, I don't deliver to their homes.
Yes, I have made many videos where I invite beautiful girls to my shop. I give them a ring or an earring and ask them to make an ad for the shop. One of the girls I interviewed is Shiva Khan, a famous girl from Nagpur. She has made a lot of progress, but she doesn't acknowledge or respect me. I am sharing a picture of my shop where she took a picture of my earring. Shiva Khan has also worn these rings from my shop. She visited my shop yesterday as well. The earrings from my shop are still available, although some of them have been damaged. I pay Shiva Khan 10-15 Rupees for taking pictures and posting them on her Instagram. I also share them on Facebook and update my Whatsapp status.
I don't know if these girls I commissioned have posted it on their social media accounts, but I have. It has been 2-3 years now. I gave it to another girl, and she also posted it on her status. I shared it on my Instagram and uploaded a video. I have already informed you about the item we saved earlier.
Through the apps, I can also get ads made and share status on WhatsApp (TO increase sales in future). During Covid, we ran many ads promoting the availability of sanitizers, hand wash, and paper liquid. There is a software engineer who said, "You do it first, then let me know, and I will make a video for you.”
I usually post once a day or every two days. When I come across something interesting online, I notice that many people are sharing it, so I also share those photos in this group. Additionally, my friends share photos in this group that they have seen in other groups. I prefer not to add people to the group unless they are genuinely interested, because if you add too many people, they tend to just look at the content and ignore it, which doesn't generate any business.
You mean sharing these photos and everything. Yes, and this is the group. I removed a lot of things from this because my phone was lagging. So, I deleted many things and groups because my phone was causing me a lot of problems. This is my personal number that I use for Whatsapp and I don't have any other number.
Instagram is a good platform for publicity, but it is similar to Facebook, which can create some apprehension. I have considered putting my store online, but I have reservations about it. I have tried it once before, but as a woman, I question if I can truly succeed. There are times when I doubt my abilities. However, if I set my mind to it, I believe I can achieve success. Additionally, family responsibilities play a role in my decision-making. Currently, there are two patients in my household, and my son is young, only nine or ten years old. I must prioritize taking care of him. Furthermore, his own career is a consideration. Taking all these factors into account, I often find myself holding back. If I have a reliable support system and feel confident that something is not a scam, I would definitely pursue it.
I have thought about this on Facebook, and I would like to develop it further. Whenever I get new stock of goods, I will also add them on Facebook. However, I am not very familiar with Facebook. I only have an account and that's it. I don't know much about it or what happens on it. I need to explore it more before I can develop my online business further.
That's like when I receive new stock of jewelry, then I update the status on WhatsApp. The customers see that, and sometimes they ask for something as a special order, so they also send me a message on WhatsApp. We cannot call all the time, and sometimes I write them a message that their product has arrived, and then they come and pick it up. I communicate with the customer about this, and if I need to show something, I take a photo and send it. Customers like to see the collection live. Then sometimes a customer comes and wants to show it to someone, so she makes a video call on WhatsApp to her family member and shows it. That's what happens during the video call. All of this is done on WhatsApp Business, I don't use it on personal WhatsApp. All the customers are on WhatsApp Business. You can learn about the WhatsApp Business app by searching for it. It's like when you have this question in mind about whether you can open another account on WhatsApp or not, and then you can use WhatsApp Business for this. That's why you don't always need to rely on someone else for information.
I do use Facebook normally, like others do, and I also used it for my business in the past. I used to post photos, but now I don't have time due to work pressure. When I had 100 pieces of jewelry, I had to post all 100 and not only that, I had to respond to customers when they asked for something. I don't have enough time for this now. I have posted before, but I didn't receive much response. Only my local customers responded. They would come to my store regardless of what I posted on Facebook. They also come through WhatsApp status. I have never received responses from all over India. I didn't join Facebook groups because it is costly and I don't need to do anything on them.
I have kept jewellery on open display because that's how customers get attracted. At first, they used to ask for it, and since I have displayed it, people see it and get the idea that I have this kind of goods in the shop. If someone likes something they see on display, they can also get it. I have seen this in 10 other shops and got the idea. I have also seen this display in wholesale. It would have attractive goods.
I can post ads on social media. I have not yet done this, but I would do it if needed. Currently, I am running ads in the local area where there are many shops. However, why would someone from another place come here? If I need to attract customers, I could establish a relationship with them on Facebook. They could then come to meet me and make a purchase. However, this is not necessary because my existing customers are already connected with me on social media. They like to see updates about my lifestyle on Facebook. I can inform them about the products through WhatsApp and Messenger, and they can come and purchase them. This approach is more suitable for known customers rather than unknown ones. I don't use Facebook much and I don't post photos or anything like that. I do get customers automatically connected when I share the number; then they get connected. I would ask for this, like if you have come to my shop for the first time, then I will ask for this. I would share my number, and they would also save it, and then send me a message like "Hi" or "Hello," and then I add them. They would see my status and then ask for the price as well.
So, I don't think anyone around here is fine with the home delivery. So, right from the beginning, we had given the ad and mentioned specifically about home delivery, that's why maximum customers are coming here for that. Someone at home will go and deliver, or maybe someone will be there to help, and there will be a person who specifically comes for home delivery in the evenings, so we will give it to them.
I've been using Facebook for 2-3 years. I post on Facebook if we're offering any deals. We can have up to 5,000 members in our network. This allows us to connect with local contacts and let them know about our shop. It's a part of our marketing strategy, and I share this information with my friends. I don't have a separate shop page on Facebook. I share these updates on my personal account.
Just Dial provides an in-built location feature, and we aim to get our address listed on Vasanth Mobile. If you're new to the city and your phone is out of service due to an emergency, you'd find yourself in a city where you can't easily search for services. Not everyone is a regular customer. If you visit a shop that doesn't fulfill your needs, you can't easily explore the city to buy things. In such situations, having a phone in hand is crucial. When you search for the "best service," our shop should ideally be the first to appear. We pay for that prominence.
We have been fortunate to experience significant growth through social media, which has granted us global recognition. Recently, one of our videos went viral, and as a result, we've been getting continuous calls and inquiries. The video has got over 1.3 million views, and it has increased demand for our products. Initially, I believed that our grinders would only last for 5 or 6 years, and I thought that people wouldn't need them frequently. However, after witnessing the video's viral success, I've come to understand that there is a consistent demand for our products, in fact, for any products. Meeting this demand is now is our top priority.
Consistency is important; weekly we upload three reels and through that we reach our customers. We post reels displaying our product and its functions. We have a team to help record and upload the videos to our channels. They will ask my suggestion before uploading the videos I approve it and some videos are good and some are bad and average. We consider the good ones. This is the conversation we have and in month end we make payment.
I initiated our social media presence after joining this firm. While we already had a website, it was still under construction at the time. I strongly insisted for our presence on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Being well-versed in social media, I understand the vast reach and potential it offers.
When we newly opened the shop, we used to advertise ice creams as well. People learned about the shop through that as well.