Mediaboss Marketing

The author has posted comments on this articleStuti Agarwal & Manali Basu, TNN | Apr 3, 2015, 12.30PM IST

the various social networking sites offer a plethora of pro motional options to businesses, free or paid.

For one, the various social networking sites offer a plethora of pro motional options to businesses, free or paid. And for start-ups, nothing can beat some free or cheap publicity . Shoe-designer Kartick Kapoor is all praise for social networking sites. "It has helped me a lot in reaching out to my target market. I can choose who to address -just men from Kolkata or girls aged 18-25 in Delhi. Updating info is also easy . The viral aspect of it, where friends of friends of friends can see and highlight your page, is particularly helpful. Though it is mostly free, the paid ads come as cheap as $1 per day . You can also choose which day to put up an ad.It has also got me a lot of leads for exhibitions and fashion weeks. My best of online tie-ups has been through social media and it's way better than a personal website, which requires a lot more effort and money to maintain."

Jewellery designer Priyanka Khaitan, too, has found many clients after she uploaded designs online. "I've not only received appreciation, but also get so many queries over social media. I can also quote the price and show other designs to clients online, who cannot or do not want to come down in person to check out what we offer."

Social media has also helped Papercup, a product-design com pany, in its brand promotional activities. "We started operations in 2010.As a startup, social media helped us reach out to many potential customers. We also have over 1,200 likes on our page without paying a single penny for advertisements.People today spend sufficient time online and that is what our brand capitalized on," said founder Somrwita Guha.

Oindrila Banerjee, who founded Own It Now, a company manufacturing ethnic home decor, in August 2014, said, "I was invited to an exhibition for the first time after the event organizers noticed my social media page and liked it."

And then there are people who have witnessed magic, thanks to social media.Hungry and Skinny , a home bakery started in November 2014, saw a manifold increase in its customer base after it opened its own social media page. "Ever since I started selling my sweet treats, my friend had been suggesting that I make a social media page. After a lot of hesitation, I finally created the page six months after I started selling. Overnight, my client base expanded to 100 new customers! Social media helped me reach out to people that I normally wouldn't have, and helped others to know about me and check my stuff out. It also played a major role in innovation because people see the pictures and suggest modifications or give more ideas," said entrepreneur Dishari Dutt. Even your idea or start-up might be waiting for that social media push. Go ahead and give it a try . Who knows, something fantastic might be waiting for you on the other side of the network!

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Business boom on social media