November 2018
10
THE
Leader of The Month
Best
SEO SERVICE
Asif Banatwala
PROVIDERS
Director & CEO
IN INDIA 2018
Amit Kumar Founder & CEO
DigiOn Developing a Multi-channel Strategy to Achieve Digital Goals
Editorial
S
ince, the outset of civilizations on earth, The Producers and The Consumers were the two basic clans in which we Human Beings were classified at large. In those early days, these clans shared an amicable relationship amongst them. The bond of Trust and Satisfaction was the sole reason of that healthy relationship. Consumers trusted the Producers and in return the Producers ensured high quality of goods and services for pursuing the Consumer’s satisfaction. But as all good things always comes to an end; their relationship too couldn’t sustain the high tides of time. It got marred due to infliction of two prime eventualities Profit Chasing by producers and Plethora of Options for consumers. One thing led to another, and eventually a different and powerful clan got emerged in due course. We called them The Marketers.
Twisting Tale of Three Tribes
Marketers were equally entrusted by both, the producers and the consumers. They shouldered an important responsibility of bridging the gap of trust that got crept between tribes of producers and consumers. Marketers became the voice of producers and advisers to consumers. They justified their role for decades to follow. However, the advent of 21st century and subsequent globalisation of markets saw a tactical shift in the behaviour of consumers across the world. The ever-increasing dependence of producers over the marketers resulted into a visible lenience of latter towards the former. From being the voice, they became the advocates of producers. From being the advisors, they became influencers for consumers. This led to severe scepticism among the section of consumers. Consumer empowerment became the trend across the globe. And, this wave has been strongly flourishing till date. Today, the consumers are empowered. They have a right to choose and an equal entitlement to say No. They no more get easily influenced by lucrative advertisements. They research, judge, analyse and evaluate on the basis of own intellect before opting for any goods or services. Producers and Marketers of 21st century were quick to adapt with this shift. And, this led to the inception of Digital Marketing. Now the choices are being made by sitting in front of computer screens. Today, consumers believe on their own research more than anything else. And, marketers are utilizing this tendency through the tools of Search Engine Optimization. The organic results are created online helping any company or website to gain maximised views from consumers. As a result, the marketers serve their purpose, consumers get their choices and producers make their profit. Now that a sustainable symbiosis has been attained in their relationship, it is quite safe to proclaim that the ‘Three Tribes’ will live happily ever after!
Shweta Priyadarshini Shweta Priyadarshini
Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Shweta Priyadarshini Executive Editor Concerned Editorial Person Art & Design Head Amol Kamble Associate Designer Poonam, Shweta Art & Picture Editor Rahul Kavnekar Co-designer Mayur Koli Business Development Manager Akansha Garewal Marketing Manager Dhruv Apte Sales Executives Prathamesh Kate Technical Head Swapnil Patil Technical Specialist Amar, Pratiksha Digital Marketing Manager Prashant, Rahul SME-SMO Executives Swati, Manoj Circulation Manager Tanaji sales@insightssuccess.com
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CONTENTS
COVER STORY
08
DigiOn:
Developing a Multi-channel Strategy to Achieve Digital Goals
LEADER OF THE MONTH
ARTICLE’S
32
DIGITALK Digital Marketing: Identifying What a Customer Wants
40
16
Asif Banatwala How Terbium Solutions Made “I.T.” Better
EDITOR’S PICK SEO – Empowering the Business World in Digital Era
20
26
I SOLUTION MICROSYSTEMS
Designing Digital Solution For The Brands And Companies
28
MUTHUMARIAPPAN
Offering Full Range of Internet and Digital Marketing Services - In Ethical and Conversion Targeted Way
34
OGEN INFOSYSTEM A Perfect Partner for Digital Growth
WEBNET CREATIVES A Bridge to Online Success
CXO
36
EXPERT’S VIEW
Voice Search and Digital Assistants Are Changing Page Search Ranking Scenario
22
EXPERT’S OPINION
The Evolving Role Of A CFO In The Current Business Scenario
42
EXPERT’S VIEW
Starting V/S Sustaining– The Never-ending Dilemma of Businesses
THE 10 BEST
SERVICE PROVIDER IN INDIA 2018
The Fervent SEO Service Providers Leading to the Growth in Business
T
here are a variety of search engine optimization services which offer solutions for ranking issues, and deficiencies. Depending on your goals, and needs one, or a combination, of the below services may be right for your website. Google processes billions of searches every day, and the vast majority of searchers never look beyond the first page. Do you know where your company ranks?
In Insights Success Magazine, we have introduced The 10 Best SEO Service Provider in India 2018, in order to create smart spaces and to deliver people choose their right SEO Service Provider. Assessing the scenario in versatile perceptions our magazine has brought into light the companies, who have flaunted some excellent creative interior designing. This examined list will lessen the search of people to have perfect seo services for them. In this issue, we have featured Digion an end to end, customized, data & result driven digital marketing service provider. It aims to ensure that their customers leverage the power of internet to the fullest extent possible. It helps the business owners looking to market their business online, by providing them with promoting Trends, Ideas and Information at a price which they can afford. We have included Terbium Solutions as Company of the Month share multiple ways to increase the brand visibility and believe in working together with the clients to carry out profound researches about the industry and the latest innovations. iSolution is a Jaipur based organization that focuses on designing digital solutions for clients. It is providing simplified reporting so that customers can easily understand those reports. The company is dedicated to improvise its tracking and reporting systems to benefit the clients. Muthumariappan an SEO, PPC and Digital Marketing Expert that educates us on how the digital marketing works and helps us to keep a healthy website to drive more traffic. OGEN Infosystem is one such digital branding company aiming to launch and promote all the possible business that possesses the ability to grow online. It is a results-driven, full-service digital agency specializing in Website Design, Mobile App Development, and Online Marketing. WebNet Creatives is one such creative and internet marketing consulting agency that is helping hundreds of businesses, start-ups, and professionals from all corners of the globe to increase their search engine performance and sales significantly with SEO, SEM and Social Media Marketing services. Our in-house editors have also contributed articles such SEO – Empowering the Business World in Digital Era and Digital Marketing: Identifying What a Customer Wants. Apart from this there is an article Starting v/s Sustaining – The Never-ending Dilemma of Businesses Come relish the essence of Business with us.
SERVICE PROVIDER IN INDIA 2018
Cover Story
THE 10 BEST
Amit Kumar
Founder & CEO
DigiOn Developing a Multi-channel Strategy to Achieve Digital Goals
The organization is witnessing a huge transformation in terms of digitization and its ever growing demand in the industry. Having the opportunity of working with different startups, DigiOn understands their requirements very well and helps them in building a strong online presence. Professional and Determined Personality With more than 17 years of experience in Digital Marketing space and associated with prestigious firms & startups like Oracle, Hewlett Packard (HP), ING Life, Vedantu, MetricStream, Amit Kumar, the Founder & CEO of DigiOn is a seasoned digital marketing professional and an industry expert. He possesses great expertise in simplifying the challenges faced by different organizations especially the startups.
‘
DigiOn doesn’t believe in making deals, it believes in building relations
‘
I
n today’s digital landscape, for any business to get ahead of its competitors, it’s very important to implement various digital marketing tactics as an overall part of their strategy. Most startups these days have adopted digital marketing. But not all the weapons that digital marketers have in their arsenals are equally effective. Some digital marketing strategies hit the bull’s eye, while others don’t even come close. DigiOn aims to ensure that their customers leverage the power of internet to the fullest extent possible. It helps the business owners looking to market their business online, by providing them with promoting Trends, Ideas and Information at a price which they can afford.
‘
The success of any
business is in crafting their
presence alongside
their customers
and offering them
solutions they
require at every step He holds a different belief and says “A startup fails not because of the product but, because of the wrong marketing approach.” He also says that for the success of a business there are two primary parameters- i) building the presence where customers are and ii) providing them with the solutions and the services which can solve their hindrance. “This is challenging but with our expertise & experience, this process can be achieved far more effectively and efficiently”- adds Amit.
digital marketing services, purely because of the vast knowledge that it holds, operating for different clients from different verticals. It’s a proven fact that higher ranking directly gives higher website traffic. Thus, the organization creates customized and focused strategies for the clients even before they are onboarded to make sure their websites stand out in the crowd. SEO can be the best weapon to gain a long term success for relevant searches and traffic that will generate continuous sales and growth for the business. Offering Online Organic Presence DigiOn has been working with various domains like EdTech, Home Decor, FinTech, Software Solutions, Hardware, Skin & Hair, Travel, Cyber Security, Life Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Quality & Compliance and many more. No matter what size the business is or what industry it belongs to, a strong online presence is a crucial component of the marketing strategy. To build an online organic presence DigiOn enables the clients businesses by offering them what they need. It can be a website creation, or creating a social media presence or listing them on local directories. The organization’s potential clients are well-known large to small-size companies and anyone who wishes to offer their products or services to their clients.
Awards and Accolades
The success of any business is determined by how well they keep their clients. For any organization, customer retention rate is a very important part for the growth. DigiOn not only holds a good customer retention rate but, they have also been referred by their clients to others which showcases their excellent work in customer service. It has also been awarded as “20 Most Promising Digital Marketing Service Providers- 2018” by Silicon India. The organization believes that this is just a beginning and hopes to achieve many more through the hard work and dedication. Creating Customized and Focused Strategies Being one of the best SEO companies in India, DigiOn offers the best-in-class SEO services to their clients which helps them improve their online organic presence. It has a well-functioning team which blends according to the business and requirements to help get optimum result in the best possible & ethical way. DigiOn provides awe-inspiring
Amit Kumar articulates “For us SEO does not only mean Search Engine Optimization, it also means building an organic presence that can sustain for long and also keep pace with the emerging trends.” DigiOn takes a customized approach, right from the market research to implementation, and goes beyond the quality-centered work culture for the client’s success. With this approach it stands apart from other agencies and builds a long-term relationship with the clients. Multi-channel Strategy to Achieve the Digital Goals In today’s marketplace, it is a prerequisite for any business implementing digital marketing strategies to have a strong foothold in the online world. The tough job of SEO is imperative for any business working in this direction and standing out from the crowd. Sometime back, people started to think that SEO is dying. This was because people misconstrued it to be a way of manipulating search engines to place sites that don’t really deserve to rank well at the top, this meant a gamut of malpractices. However, DigiOn’s
‘
Providing
excellent
services and maintenance at competitive
prices for
the business to explore in the
world
of internet
objective is to provide honest service to clients and safeguarding them from such fraudulent activities.
‘
DigiOn supports its clients’ objectives and offers stimulating strategies, research based experiences and implementation platform to realize their objectives efficiently. With the increasing use of modern marketing channels for growth, it is very critical and important for businesses to target their prospective customers and build a strong online presence and grow their customer base.
made in the Google Algorithm. Their expertise in data analytics helps them to understand the current market scenario and provide data driven insights as well as solutions to the clients. Making promises are easy but meeting the customers’ expectations requires sincere and dedicated effort. The organization is here to deliver quality services to the clients and partners. DigiOn always adds value to the services which it provides and empowers their business to grow and prosper.
Offering excellent digital
marketing services to manage
budget into the digital
channels which will
generate best quality results
The key differentiator of the business is the 360 degree approach DigiOn takes with the clients. The focus is to drive not just quantitative traffic but qualitative traffic to the website which can be potential leads for clients. Social Channels, Search engines, Video platforms, App Store Optimization, Map Optimization, E-mailers, etc. enable us to do so.
The organization believes that change is the only constant and therefore it is willing to embrace progressive change, and persevere to stay ahead. It does not settle for anything less than excellence in work with a team of passionate, young and innovative minds working with integrity and a sense of ownership.
With an increasing amount of traffic on various social media platforms, it is critical for any business, especially startups to invest in the right strategy and social media management. As a reputable SEO agency in India, the company delivers top notch marketing expertise for all business requirements.
Certainty about a Bright Future
“People say ‘SEO is free’ but, we don’t think likewise because, it takes a couple of months to show the noticeable change and if not done properly, our precious time & effort both go in vain, which is the key for any startup,” asserts Amit.
The organization would like to increase the presence and foothold in the industry and will continue to make the innovative approaches and improvements in meeting the best quality results for its clients. “We will keep up our good work through our expertise and focus on quality rather than quantity”, says Amit while sharing the future endeavors.
Formulating Strategies to Ensure the Growth and Development
To stay ahead of the competitors the organization formulates business strategies based on the recent changes and developments in the respective sector and changes
DigiOn’s endeavor is to grow ahead with clients by creating commendable and award-winning services in all the aspects of digital marketing and Web Design through the creativity and innovation.
The company’s main aim is to become the first choice for any business especially the startups by providing them with all the solutions they would require to achieve their business goals.
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8
P Asif Banatwala Director & CEO
‘
If you want the power to follow your dreams, you have to say no to all the alternatives. It's not easy, but if that's for you, at least you know the price
‘
16
eople who achieve the most staggering, world changing things with their lives don’t do so by dividing their intentions. They aim high, get their bumblebees in line, and say no to all the other opportunities that life presented them. The Indian engineer dreams of getting a job in an MNC or to go abroad for further studies. Asif Banatwala, Director, CEO of Terbium Solutions Pvt. Ltd. had an onsite job in TCS and college offers to go complete his masters in the US. But the sense of achievement was still a distant dream. The most daring thing he did was to give in resignation while being onsite and coming back to India to start up Terbium Solutions. Getting into a business with, unique idea sounds promising. The decision of leaving behind a regular paycheck to build something huge is a big risk in itself. With uncertainty of the
NOVEMBER 2018
LEADER OF THE MONTH
future and limited financial resources to the of Asif Banatwala and Vipul Pande started off on a humble budget. But it is after the initial step that one realizes that the way ahead is not as easy as one may have thought. The issues weren’t limited to just the funds, retaining the employees was a hard task too. Back To Basics With friends and colleagues advising otherwise, he knew that the dream of becoming an entrepreneur deserved a shot. Once the team ventured in, they realized that SEO is more a technologically driven need than marketing. Knowing what the algorithm says and understanding the needs which exist in SEO implementation worked in their advantage. One of the opportunities we identified were that large websites of well-known brands were not equipped with basic SEO features and that made it very difficult to bring their ranking up even for their own unique keywords, since SEO remained a major blind spot for the brand and digital managers Terbium stepped in to tackle this. We started a practice of delivering SEO friendly websites where all the technical aspects to achieve the SERPs were handled. These new websites were easier to rank in lesser time, here is where the team got its mantra and it follows this for all the clients. This is not new, but brands tend to mostly ignore this fact. At times the team worked for 16 hours a day without going home, to meet the deliverables. But the drive to make Terbium Solutions a success kept them going. ‘Sometimes not having a plan B is the best plan.’ The Indian digital system had a gap – the agencies were development oriented or digital media houses, technology and marketing never looked eye to eye and this had to be addressed. The combination of the two - marketing and technology was what was needed by both the established brands and a budding startup. Terbium tried covering this gap with the technical background we already had and growing into the digital space with SEO, Channel Management and Analytics, Social Media and Performance Marketing.
the crowded techno marketing space. With one aim of - making “IT” better.
was, is and will be the most remarkable moment in my life”, says Asif. The organization has experienced many other remarkable moments in the journey one such moment which Asif mentions which was both remarkable and challenging was the successful implementation of Local SEO project for one of the largest QSR brands in India. The successful delivery of the project was one of the milestones for Terbium & the stepping stone for many such achievements to follow. Today the Local SEO project is running successfully and is one of the important channels in the revenue generation for this brand. This has been the key point of difference for us as an agency. We continue to work and grow as in both the national and international markets for this solution. We replicated the success story for many other industry verticals including education, pharma and lifestyle, entertainment, online shopping etc. Experiencing and Pitching New Ideas Terbium has its potential clients from several industry verticals such as QSR, Finance, Online Fashion, Real Estate, Telecommunication, Lifestyle, Education and new and upcoming online platforms and startups. The team of experts continuously monitors the market trends and comes up with new ideas for content generation & new asset creation. SEO is about being the first to implement and take to market as the online search and discovery changes rapidly and the clients can work on these new opportunities. The organization believes in bringing people together into the creative process, and increases the social nature of the project. It has open brainstorming sessions where the entire team pitches in new ideas. Detailed documentation and result tracking are what the company shares with its clients, along with the interpretation of the reports (which is actually a client favorite). The core agenda of the clients who are seeking SEO services is to increase brand visibility, increase the number of visitors coming to the website, monitoring the online sales/enquiry funnel and improve the overall usability of the website. User Intent of Creating Content
Evolution and Growth of the Digital Marketing Agency “The launch of Terbium Solutions on October 10, 2013,
NOVEMBER 2018
The web has become an integral part of everybody’s existence that one barely questions it. Google is supplying
17
Terbium is working on a new search process. The plan is also to create SEO landing pages using these concepts in the near future to display relevant content in a clear structure for users with different intent. Asif mentions that “ORGANIC RANKING in Search Results and maintaining those ranks for our clients is something, which sets us as an organization apart.” He states that the company believes in creating case studies and providing the adequate goal delivery training to the employees and also the brands that it works for. Focus on Tactics to Tackle the Competition Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the primary focus for Terbium when it comes to the strategy to tackle competition. These concepts are very much connected with SEO and UX. Asif reveals some tips which are a holy grail to beat the competition. • Smart headlines and subheadings to attract users by easily finding answers to their queries • Visual content converts much better than text only • Content should clearly target each stage of the buyer’s journey • Explaining what, why and how you are selling. This is essential to create high performing landing pages • User-generated content also helps users with decision-making. If possible, add reviews, ratings, and testimonials • Make users believe in your brand by guaranteeing the product or service’s quality and your availability in case they have any questions or concerns • The client has the intent clear – solitary purpose of pages is what will result in a better follow through rate • And of course, include a powerful call to action
‘
A day at Terbium has be to better than yesterday, better than the last quarter and better than the last year
‘
not only with the answers to all kinds of queries, but also providing a globally accessible portal for business and commerce. Google’s success can be summed up in one word: relevance. Google’s RankBrain is constantly being updated and working hard on improving the search experience for users. It is becoming difficult day by day to get on the first page of Google as Google is continuously transforming from search engine to knowledge/information engine. With featured snippets on SERP, driving users to the website is a constant challenge. It’s about providing a better user experience and this whole game is about understanding user intent to create content accordingly.
the algorithm is looking for. Feeding the system, what it wants and the simplest of strategies will work best for most of Terbium clients. This technical clarity along with a team of marketing experts is what helps them get the edge over its clients. Striding Towards a Buoyant Future Terbium products are something Asif and his team aims to deliver in the long run. These products will comprise a set of automated marketing tools, which can help in their basic marketing activities. These will automate 80% of the SEO work, and one will have to depend on external agencies just for content, indexing, app indexing and off-page activities. The in-house experts have built architecture of the products with respect to proper implementation and post testing and market and performance feasibility the organization will roll it into the market for commercial use. The firm also plans expansion to overseas territory, which is another long-term objective, which falls in line with the strategic goals of the organizations. The organization completes 5 years under the leadership of Asif Banatwala and is looking forward for better things ahead.
Asif explains that search is driven through a set of technical algorithms, which will work well if one understands what
18
NOVEMBER 2018
I SOLUTION MICROSYSTEMS Designing Digital Solution For The Brands And Companies
With the mission to understand the web needs of customers, I Solution Microsystems Pvt. Ltd was founded in the year 2004 to design simplified, better SEO solutions to accelerate customers business. The company understands the functional requirement of the client’s application and creates a unique digital experience for them. Technocrat Leader of I Solution Microsystems With around two decades of experience in software development, Vishal Singhal is the CEO and Managing Director of I Solution Microsystems Pvt. Ltd. His mission is to build a simplified e-commerce software solution “Shopaccino” that will become the first choice for small and medium businesses who want to sell products online. Vishal is passionate about designing innovative software solution that simplifies business processes. He designs result-driven strategies in digital marketing which helps business to grow. Previously, Vishal has given his fruitful contribution to numerous business groups and played a key role in the IT department and management position. Vishal has a PGDCA degree from IGNOU and a Bachelor of
20
‘
T
he advent of the digital marketing has opened up huge opportunities for online businesses. The digital era in India has revolutionized the way in which businesses are carrying out their digital operations and marketing strategies. The businesses are putting their best foot forward to improve web presence. On account of constantly evolving search engine algorithms and growing demand for user experience optimization in the online presence, it is important to build a perfect SEO campaign. With significant percentages of internet users in India, it is crucial to tailor the digital marketing campaign to capture the vast population of internet users.
Our experienced and qualified experts are delivering a simplified and reliable solution for a better web
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Commerce degree from Rajasthan University. He also completed industry specialized courses from Microsoft MCITP and MCTS. Vishal is awarded as “Certified Technology Specialist” and “Gold Level Technology Specialist” in 2008 by Microsoft. Empowering Business through Digital Marketing Campaigns iSolution started with an aim to provide creative, user-friendly website and 360° marketing solutions for businesses. In this internet age, it is critical for a business to have a commanding global presence. The company provides best SEO services all over the world to increase the traffic of the client. SEO process starts with implementation, where they optimize a website and landing pages so that when the user visits relevant web page they can get proper and relevant information. In this process, the company generates and share detailed reports and analytics with their clients. The company has a huge base of clients in USA, UK, Australia, and India.
NOVEMBER 2018
THE 10 BEST
SERVICE PROVIDER IN INDIA 2018
iSolution is providing services to digital space with wide service portfolio which includes domain registration, web hosting, web design, web application development, mobile app development, and 360° digital marketing. The company is the pioneer in web and digital marketing space and has won the trust of thousands of consumers with its committed services. Being a software development company, the company understands the unique requirements of the e-commerce industry. They developed a simplified software solution “Shopaccino” to fulfill the needs of the e-commerce industry. This is awarded as a “High Performer” by G2Crowd in spring 2018 and “E-Commerce Category Leader” by Crozdesk in 2017. iSolution has been awarded as a “Best in Innovations for Digital Media Design 2018-India & Excellence in Mobile App Development” which reflects the success of the company. Result Oriented Approach for Customers iSolution has a huge base of clients from different sectors which includes e-commerce, real estate, education, manufacturing, hotels, jewelry, furniture, and furnishing. The company improves the client’s web presence by understanding goals, writing content and publishes it on relevant websites. To get more traffic and reduce bounce rate, the company optimizes client’s websites as per the designed strategy. To maintain a long-term relationship with clients, iSolution provide result driven reports which are measurable in terms of search engine ranking and increase in traffic and conversions. iSolution believes in realistic online presence. The company provides actual photos, actual facts, and information for the best realistic and result oriented online presence. It is developing an
NOVEMBER 2018
original content based website which increases user’s trust in the web. Software development is also one of the key areas of the company. The company has developed ‘digital marketing software’ to measure results and provide better reporting to clients. Assures Better Return on Investment Nowadays social media is playing a major role in the organization to fulfill digital goals. With the growing digital marketing industry, new channels are coming in the market. It’s important to identify a right channel to promote campaigns and measure ROI from different channels. The company designs and develops campaigns and promotes them according to the channel. For YouTube, they create viral video content to promote brands, whereas in Facebook and Twitter they promote the brand through story-based content. iSolution is dedicated to design and develop 360 digital marketing campaigns as per business need by using SEO, SMO, PPC, Re-marketing, Email Marketing, and User Engagement. iSolution measures ROI from a different channel and provide a detailed report to their client. It helps them to plan future digital marketing goals. The company keeps exploring new ways to promote businesses with a better return on investment. Its digital marketing strategies fulfill client’s goals and this is helping them to maintain the long-term business relationship with the client.
Vishal Singhal, CEO & MD
reporting so that customers can easily understand those reports. The company is dedicated to improvise its tracking and reporting systems to benefit the clients. Progressing forward with a positive outlook for the future, the company is dedicated to design innovative SEO services. With expertise in this sector, it will continue to deliver advanced solutions for the client to increase their global presence.
Future Roadmap iSolution is providing simplified
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Expert’s Opinion
T
THE
EVOLVING
Role A
OF
Cfo
IN THE
CURRENT
he Chief Financial Officer (CFOs) of a business organisation especially that of a telecom sector knows how to utilize the pillars of leadership that can fulfil promises. The individual in this role has the primary responsibility of both financial and operational functions. He is the custodian of the company’s assets and securities and in charge of the communication of delivering financial data to stock analysts, investment managers, and regulators, and detailed performance metrics to fellow officers and employees. CFOs specializing in Telecom business work well in highly diversified companies that need to compare performance across different businesses, have aggressive growth or cost targets, or whose limited resources require careful allocation. A CFO is a combination of 80% functional and 20% leadership package. The concept behind his functional role involves embedding the risk management of the business, strengthening the life insurance industry in India by mitigating financial crime risks. As the CFO’s role becomes more strategic, the challenges facing the insurance industry become more transparent. In particular, regulatory demands
Business SCENARIO are a significant burden. Ever-changing regulations can be a major distractor from the strategic work of the CFO but are nonetheless critical to the health of the organization. It is this particular individual who can genuinely help organisation achieve higher growth, reduce risk, and uncover greater opportunities. Traits that make a great CFO The role of a CFO plays a pivotal part of company leadership team, that help in making crucial financial decisions and leading the execution of those decisions. CFOs play a very important role in any organization and do a lot more than just crunch numbers. To maintain
22
NOVEMBER 2018
Hemant Kumar Ruia CFO
NOVEMBER 2018
23
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hemant Kumar Ruia is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Indus Towers Limited. Hemant is a Chartered accountant, cost accountant and a chartered financial analyst and brings with him over 23 years of diverse experience across industries in various coveted organisations. Prior to joining Indus, Hemant worked with Reliance Retail Limited as the CFO. He played a business partnering role across various brands with Reliance Retail – Reliance Fresh, Digital, Jewellery, Trends, Footwear and Reliance Markets. Before Reliance Retail, he was associated with Agro Tech Food Limited. Hemant has extensive experience in Business Partnering, Funds Management, Information Systems, Legal and Secretarial and other aspects of leading the Finance Function. Hemant is a winner of ‘Top 100 CFO Award’ for four consecutive years from 2013-2016 as well as the CIO& Leader Business Impact Award for 2015. the stature, they must possess a holistic understanding of the financial workings of their company, and also of their entire industry. However, their roles as a chief financial officer has changed dramatically over the past decade. They excelled at managing inventory, accounting, capital expenditure, working capital and cost control, but are now being called upon to act as strategic partners to chief executive officers (CEOs) and work towards sustainable financial growth of the company. A CFO should have a long-term vision on how he can build the organization. For a CFO’s stint to be successful, equal importance should be given to the finance department, compliance and risk management. CFO should leave a legacy as they a major role to play in strategic management. A study by EY suggests that much more is demanded of CFOs in today’s dynamic business environment – which is way beyond their traditional finance skills. The traits of a successful modern CFO are someone who thinks broadly and strategically about the growth of the business, turns strategy and tactics into actionable plans, and possesses the skills to communicate the strategy across the organization, external stakeholders as well as the employees. On top of these, the strategic CFO must also learn to manage crisis and enhance the company’s resilience and mitigate the risks as the organization grows in order to have a successful stint.
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CFOs must also be comfortable with operating in unfamiliar territory in the face of changing business conditions and situations such as mergers and acquisitions.
Disruptive Technology and its implications At present, Digital Transformation is a focus across all industries today because of the emergence of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning and an economy driven by customer and service led business models. It’s already very clear that the development and use of AI is going to play a big role in shaping future workplaces. However, it is not certain that the emergence of technological transformations will replace entire functions such as finance department. If new technologies and trends are adding to the development of the CFO’s role, they should also have the potential to make it easier for the finance team to understand the current business complexities. There is a wide array of tools that can help CFOs benefit from technological developments and the digitization of finance processes. CFOs should understand and increasingly deploy such tools to lead complex enterprise-resource planning efforts, among other challenges that they are being tasked with managing. Companies are becoming more sophisticated in their approaches to business planning, supported by new cloud technology. The insight the CFO can derive from this for planning will become a driving force for business in the future. And AI raises the bar again, helping make sense of even more data and automating outcomes. The disruptive technologies could in turn give finance teams the power to access decades worth of projects, around the world, at the touch of a button which could help them develop a betterinformed risk assessment, mapping the project against a much larger database of historical projects. As technology improves, AI will become smarter and faster at providing analysis, and the competitive disadvantage that businesses not using it will experience and become more pronounced. Businesses don’t want to replace their employees, but they do want to make better financial decisions, and AI and Machine Learning will allow them to do that faster and cheaper than a whole team of human effort. Overall, AI will enable skilled office workers to spend more time focusing on their core competencies over the mechanics of maintaining data. On a larger scale, this will result in lower financial costs for organizations and time saved on tasks usually spent on manual operations or classifying data.
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MUTHUMARIAPPAN Offering Full Range of Internet and Digital Marketing Services - In Ethical and Conversion Targeted Way
One such independent digital marketing expert is Muthumariappan, using complete ethical techniques to help businesses to be on the top of the business presence listing in the long run. By handling more than 400 websites he has been serving as a Digital Marketing Consultant for more than 40 companies beyond 10 years. Since 2008, Muthumariappan has achieved several milestones and added various certifications to his web. These certifications include Digital Unlocked Certification, Ad-words Certification, Analytics Certification, and Power Searcher Certification from Google. Other certifications which play a pivotal role in creating a strong foundation for Muthumariappan, is Bing Ads Certification and HubSpot Certification. Apart from this, he has also been honored with Urbanpro Excellence Award. The Vibrant Entrepreneur Muthumariappan M is the founder of MuthuDigital. After completing his post-graduation in Immunology and Microbiology from Tamil Nadu, he started his career in SEO through self-learning and other expertise. Muthu started freelancing by gaining experience in various SEO specialized companies for about 5 years. Spending a decade in the industry, he has molded himself into an extraordinary Trainer and Business Strategist. Muthu has successfully trained 250 candidates in Digital Marketing with a practical approach and provided career guidance which helped them to deal with the complexities of 21st Century.
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Offering Best and Affordable SEO services is our forte
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ight kinds of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies are crucial for an organization to attain a requisite edge over its competitors. Distinctive SEO services can help an organization to create a strong foothold in the online world.
Muthu has been consistent in handling clients from small-scale businesses to large-scale businesses. He believes that the key to success is building relationships that go beyond one-time projects and provide value to the clients on a consistent, ongoing basis with the best practices. As an independent SEO consultant, he always keeps his clients contented with excellent results in order to uplift their company and business to the next level. “I explain Internet & Digital marketing concepts and strategies clearly for any audience, not just for marketing or IT people. My time is allocated to provide them with an understanding of what is needed and how long it will take. I pride myself on being very open with all my methods, communications and strategies,” says Muthu. About Muthumariappan Muthumariappan is an SEO, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) and digital market expert. He provides expert solutions for Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Online Reputation Management. He has effectively completed many domestic and International projects with notable clients like Yes-M Systems, Arise n Shine, Entolabs etc. He
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always maintains a jargon-free relationship with the clients. Measurable marketing strategies is what best describes Muthumariappan.
problems when it comes to an online presence” – Nandu, Founder, Yes-M Systems.
Majorly contributing in transforming the internet universe, he specializes in e-Commerce Digital Marketing, Ad-Words Management, SEO for all type of companies and small business startups. He also gained expertise in local SEO and Google My Business optimization.
“We’ve tried few SEO service providers in the past and found Muthumariappan through a reference. Even since we engaged Muthumariappan for our SEO project, we are seeing us consistently ranked on Google’s 1st page. Their services are impeccable. It also assists us with lead generation strategies. Since the campaign inception, our lead volume has increased substantially. Muthumariappan also educates us on how the digital marketing works and helps us to keep a healthy website to drive more traffic. It also developed a world-class website for our MyBeeClub educational services. Muthumariappan is our most trusted solutions partner and we continue to use his service” – Raj Ganesh, Founder & CEO, Arise N Shine International Preschool.
What Triggered Success? Over the years, Muthumariappan has established itself as a one-of-its-kind brand through its sheer dedication and quality service. The key factors which helped the company to trek the success hill are: - Keep updating with the recent developments, algorithms and technologies - Genuine approach towards client and work - Follow best practices and ethical methods - Strong business skills and user targeted skills - Use conversion-focused strategies - 100% result oriented The Review Canvas “I have collaborated with Muthumariappan for more than 4 years for SEO, Social Media Marketing, Google Ad-words and Graphic Designing. It is among the few who has the honesty and strong Skill set to solve the biggest of
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“I have taken classes with Muthumariappan; it is an Experienced Training Company. It goes into the depth of each concept to ensure the student understands it fully. I highly recommend It for your digital marketing needs” – Vasudev Gupta. “I attended Muthumariappan’straining in digital marketing for SEO, SEM, Google Ad-Words, Social Media Marketing and the best part is it was always open to questions and supported me anytime of the day.I am very much glad that I got trained from an expert
Muthumariappan M, Head
in this field and the best part is that it let me to work on its live projects which helped me to understand much better in real time, and I am also inspired by its work ethics. I would strongly suggest Muthumariappan to people who are looking for best tutor in digital marketing” – Gokul Chandran. Being at the Forefront He is planning to expand his horizons by being at the forefront of innovation and quality. He promises to contribute to the success of the clients and spread his world-class services, which will prove him as one of the best SEO service provider in the upcoming years worldwide.
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OGEN Infosystem A Perfect Partner for Digital Growth
The firm has a team of web designers and developers, SOE experts, and digital marketing growth hackers. The firm works for all the projects from creating an online identity for the clients, developing the required websites and promoting them online via SEO. It further aids its customers who already have a designed website but requires SEO services for promotion. A team of OGEN Infosystem works in the proper working pipeline, from website analysis, keyword research, off-page, and regular on-page SEO activities. The firm guarantees result in the top five ranks within the two-three months for a new website domain. Starting as a website designing company in the year 2013 in Dehradun, the company gradually shifted in the Delhi-NCR market in the year 2015 due to its recognition towards the ever-growing demand of website designing and digital promotion. Afterward, the corporation started enhancing its knowledge base and team according to web development, SEO, paid advertisement, and Android development. Today, SEO is the main focus of the firm, where its many clients are highly satisfied with its services.
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earch Engine Optimization (SEO) is an integral part of digital marketing and is responsible for website visibility in a higher position in the search index. It increases user traffic, conversion rate, and ROI. A good ranking site is more exposed to users when compared to the others. OGEN Infosystem is one such digital branding company aiming to launch and promote all the possible business that possesses the ability to grow online.
You and your success matters to us because when your business grows, we grow with you
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Meet the Two Tech-Savvy Leaders With a vision of making digital marketing platform available to all the business, Abhijeet Jha and Ankita Priyam, Co-founded the OGEN Infosystem. Abhijeet Jha, Engineer & CEH: Ethical Hacking and White Hat SEO qualities, add-on to the strategic implementation of the SEO activities. Ankita Priyam, B-Tech with MBA in International Business helps the company in managing team, allocation works, and marketing strategies. Domination over the SEO Currently, the firm contributes to the IT Industry by adding more websites and business on the web i.e. creating a digital platform. It has over thousands of clients online and each of them is contributing into the internet sector.
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The firm has developed a multi-channel strategy to achieve the digital goals for its clients. The firm not only has effective control over Google SEO, but it also works for other search engines like Bing, Yahoo and Ask.com. The firm uses advance SEO tools like SemRush & FlickOver to analyse the day-to-day progress of all the projects. In addition, for generating leads on an immediate basis, the corporation recommends going for pay-per-click and Facebook advertisements. Today, the firm enjoys India’s several prominent clients such as Thapar University, Amaze LED, Lotus Agarbatti, FlipTrip, REGA Consultancy, Sonison Packaging, Tooth-Town, Cruiel Healthcare, Lifestyle Magazine, SpinzGuru, IIT-Roorkee Tech Fest: Cognizant 2015, and many more.
website built already but are not attaining much visibility online. The firm serves them with SEO services with guaranteed results, which provides good visibility in the online world ultimately leading to an increase in the number of clients. The firm recommends continuing SEO activities for at least six months for a better position and moderate competition in the online world. Leaving Behind the Competition
Customer-Oriented Services “We have done it for us; we know how to do it, so we can do it for our customers as well” The firm steps into the shoes of its customers and has categorized its potential clients into two types. First are the ones who are not aware of the digital platform, and how the online world can affect their business. The firm designs their websites, make them live in the online world and perform relevant SEO activities, keeping in mind client have needs of leads/sales for the business. For further leads, it also recommends Facebook advertisements but believes that for the long-term; SEO is the best technique for better results.
The firm surpasses its competition by developing a proper strategy for SEO after competitor analysis and keyword research. Accordingly, it notes down all the list of daily activities to be done for a particular site. This step is very important for the firm as there will be more backlinks creation than the required promotion and this might reach to spamming and can lead to deletion of website by the Google. To avoid such issues, the firm has developed a very strong base of its SEO, and its website ranking always spots in the
Abhijeet Jha & Ankita Priyam, Co-founder
first or the second, assisting in getting visibility and leads. Future Assistance The firm will continue to strengthen its SEO portfolio and provides clients with the utmost digital promotion. OGEN Infosystem is coming up with the NeuroMarketing technology, which markets the product to mind. Also, the firm is planning to expand its services in mobile app SEO services, known as App Store Optimization (ASO).
Clients that falls under the second category are those who have their
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SEO
Editor's Pick
Empowering the Business World in Digital Era
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earch Engine Optimization (SEO) is driving through the highways of the internet world and is unlocking newer success doors for the businesses. It has been around for as long as search engines have been popular, helping the corporates to constantly evolve within the complexities of the market. For any organization, being at the forefront of digital transformation is not an easy task. This is where SEO solution provider comes in and transforms the website into a cornerstone of any organization’s online presence. At present, SEO and its implementation are impacting virtually every part of the business space. In other words, SEO is the name of the game in the digital era. The staggering number of SEO providers is taking the corporate realm to the pathway of maximum efficiency and cross-channel communication. These providers are constructing a platform where the business voyages are becoming more self-directed than ever. SEO is an incredible framework of opportunity for the emerging as well as existing businesses. It is definitely taking the commercial sectors beyond the horizons of demand and supply and outshining the loopholes of organic-traffic. It successfully revolves around the process of finetuning of a website and efficaciously elevates the digital marketing strategy. It is swiftly becoming a source of foundation for achieving steady business growth at its best. Being at the Forefront As a lion’s share of the market is owned by Google, unified efforts with respect to the guidelines these internet giant sets and promotes, for organizations, here SEO is no better way to get in front of the people
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and capture their attention. It helps the companies to keep ahead of the competition and avoid the risks of losing a mammoth of business share. Keeping strategies on-point, it keeps the players updated about the rules of the game, thereby empowering the canvas of onlineranking. Surveys reveal that 75% of internet users never scroll past the first page of results. It also emphasizes that people trust what they see ranked at the top. In order to capture traffic, an SEO solution provider can assist a company to be at the pole of (Search Engine Results Pages) SERP. On the other hand, SEO management provides a much better ROI and closure rates with smooth digital experience that uplifts the online-traffic. Such, SEO management prominently enhances business profits by creating a web which influences a huge audience and outpaces the competition. Trigger Business Connections It also enables an organization to target the people who are genuinely interested in its products, services and other offerings. It dismantles the process of shooting in the dark and wasting resources on something that fails to deliver results. SEO makes public engagement easy and portrays a company portfolio in a way to be found relevant. Another significant change that enrolls is that search engines can crawl and index the pages with proper content engagement. As such, any update to the website becomes accessible to the end-users at a click. Most notably, SEO helps in occupying such a distinguished position that signals a brand's repute and trustworthiness. By triggering effective corporate relationships, good SEO paves the pathway for successful online-branding.
It fortifies the technical optimization, uncovers errors and mitigates frictions along the buyer's journey. It helps in assessing how fast pages load. Acknowledging that more than a few seconds is too long and it tends to turn businesses away, the audit drives attention to the content and gauges how well optimized it is. Making Things Happen SEO ominously manages to direct visitors to a website and figures out the most effective bucket-list of strategies for converting them. These tactics are what bring additional revenue and reinforces the bottom line of the online presence of an organization. It augments the optimization of the sales funnel, website navigation, and fuels overall user experience. With special attention to the hallmarks of the on-page SEO, the businesses can improve their operations related to product images, alt titles, product descriptions, landing pages, and calls-toaction. Furthermore, it helps to forge state-of-the-art content in this digital age and update it regularly to add value to the website as well as businesses. The Last Words In this digital world dominated by the search engines, SEO has turned out to be the mainstay of any curated online presence. It empowers the businesses to tap into new markets, foster customer loyalty, and generate profitable outcomes. With SEO, the global marketplace is right at one’s fingertips. As innovation is taking place at a rapid pace, businesses are majorly investing in SEO in order to keep up with the trending internet scenario and are tackling the challenges meritoriously. The business world would rise above the competitions, spread their awareness and spur sustainable, long-term growth through SEO and its execution in the near future.
Thorough SEO Audit The main objective of any business is to evaluate individual pages in the light of technical requirements and performance. To get this ball rolled with the strategy, SEO audit plays a major role in inspecting whether some SEO elements are missing, duplicate, or non-responsive.
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WebNet Creatives A Bridge to Online Success
WebNet Creatives is one such creative and internet marketing consulting agency that is helping hundreds of businesses, start-ups, and professionals from all corners of the globe to increase their search engine performance and sales significantly with SEO, SEM and Social Media Marketing services. Offering Effective SEO Consulting Services WebNet Creatives has been offering LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) based SEO solutions since 2006 and lately incorporated AI based SEO strategies as well. Since search engines like Google are trying to understand the intent of searchers, they are adopting ML and AI to offer the best possible search results. Majority of the clients are international clients and most of them are staying with WebNet Creatives since last three years. WebNet Creatives is dedicated to help clients’ to achieve their business goals by reaching the right people who matter in the way they like to be reached.
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We're restless tinkerers with a passion for innovation
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igitalization in India is transforming the way in which businesses are carrying out their marketing strategies. To remain at the top positions of search engines, it is important to monitor search engine algorithm guidelines. SEO services are crucial for any business website and aim to create a strong foothold in the online world. Having an effective SEO strategy for top performance in the search engine can be deciding factor between a thriving business and struggling business. An experienced SEO service provider can take into consideration the specific needs of the client and come up with target oriented SEO methods that will help in increasing site traffic and create a creative social media campaign.
WebNet Creatives’ all SEO campaigns have integrated landing page optimization and conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategies to enhance traffic conversions and convert more and more of the traffic into business leads. The focus of the SEO campaign is to bring in business instead of focusing on just top rankings. Since inception, the company primarily focused on providing effective SEM services however, started providing web application and mobile apps development services on leading technology platform such as Java/Spring/Hibernate framework, AngularJS, and Node.js for the applications and Android/iOS for mobile apps. WebNet Creatives extended the service offerings and become a full-service agency to avoid confusion of the client. As content is the king in online marketing, maximizing the reach of the content is vital for a successful campaign. Through an effective content marketing strategy, WebNet Creatives utilizes contents (free and sponsored posts), live interactive video sessions on
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Facebook, YouTube, interview/promotional videos and affiliate marketing as different medium to achieve our client’s digital marketing goals. About the Entrepreneur Rakesh Ojha, the Chief Amazement Officer (CAO), started his career as an SEO consultant back in 2001 when SEO industry was in its infancy. From promoting e-commerce web stores selling pashmina products to selling hand made products on eBay US, Rakesh has done it all successfully. He had a stint with international business development for various ITeS companies along with SEO as his passion. Finally, entrepreneurship bug became evident and in 2006 WebNet Creatives was launched to help clients more passionately. Since then, Rakesh has been instrumental in motivating staffs at all level with suggestions and training at regular interval.
marketing training to fresh graduates, BTechs and other professionals looking to make a career in this industry. WebNet Creatives’ clients include Embarc Japan, QuickHeal, Rashtriya Military Schools, FloralIndia, Cadbury, CollegeSearch, World Youth Organization, the UK, Indian Institute of Photography (IIP), IIP Foundation, and News portal India Speaks Daily. For majority of clients, the company has been able to successfully bring in not only targeted traffic but also enhanced traffic conversion into business. To stay ahead in the competition, it is important to stay updated with the latest trends in the SEO industry. Staying passionate to achieve client’s business goals and finally not getting into pricing war helps the company to become successful in the business.
Unlocking the Success Doors Future Ahead WebNet Creatives have been ranked at top digital marketing agency and recently in March awarded as Best Global Full Service Digital Solutions Agency – New Delhi in 2018 by a renowned publication house. In 2009, Top SEOs portal ranked WebNet Creatives among the top 20 and again among top 10 in 2017. Start-ups, SEMs or large established business requires experienced SEO and digital marketing professionals. The company helps to create qualified pool of such professionals by providing SEO and Digital
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Rakesh Ojha
the Chief Amazement Officer (CAO)
publishing will be under one roof for clients. Additionally, the company will provide services to many internet media companies where contents can be published on their portals to receive millions of traffic for the benefit of clients to maximize the content reach.
WebNet Creatives is aiming to make its presence amongst the leading digital marketing agencies and will continue to train the team for the same. The company will also continue to provide an integrated marketing platform where content creation, video creations and
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Expert’s View
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NOVEMBER 2018
VOICE SEARCH & Digital Assistants Are CHANGING PAGE Search Ranking Scenario
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here is no doubt about the fact that the two online trends, digital assistants and voice search, are becoming more and more popular. They are going to be there for a long time to come. Voice search volumes are increasing at an incredible rate as it is not only faster but also easier than typing. Moreover, users are more comfortable with using voice-enabled speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home and voice-enabled digital assistants such as Alexa and Siri. As such, the voice mode is fast changing the search and ranking methods. The following statistics reveal the same: • • • • •
A minimum of one voice search is conducted by 41 percent of the adults. Last year, 58 percent of the users conducted voice search for finding information about local businesses. About 46 percent of the users that use voice search lookout for local businesses daily. After a voice search, 27 percent of the users visit the website of at least one local business. Among users of smart home speaker 76 percent conduct at least one local search per week. Daily searches are performed by 53 percent of the users. • By 2020, 50 percent of the total searches are expected to be voice searches. Digital Assistant – What Is It A digital assistant can be defined as a computer program that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to understand a wide variety of inputs such as text, data, and voice. Based on the input, it answers questions and carries out tasks for the user. Initially, the digital assistant was used for answering questions about directions, facts, shopping lists, and the weather. Digital assistants now have the ability to anticipate your needs and take action based on the user’s request. VSO and ORM – New SEO Criteria Google keeps gathering information about the search habits of users and updates the algorithm used for providing search results. This means the process of
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optimizing pages for search engines keeps changing. Services such as Voice Search Optimization or VSO and Online Reputation Management or ORM have become more necessary than ever before. For most businesses, search engine optimization or SEO alone is no longer sufficient. Of course, content continues to be important, but User Generated Content or UGC such as online reviews significantly impact relevance and search ranking. Therefore, it is important that businesses earn and maintain their online reputation. This means that ORM and VSO techniques have to be employed to optimize business web pages in order to rank them for common search phrases. Further, profiles of businesses have to be managed so that the searches project the most positive aspects of the business. More and more users are now saying their search query instead of typing it. Therefore, it is becoming more and more important for businesses to manage ratings and reviews in a proactive manner and answer as well as manage positive and negative reviews in order to rank higher up in search engine result pages or SERPs. Optimizing Website Content for Voice Searches The increase in the number of voice searches has a far-reaching impact on business. In the case of voice searches, users look forward to getting direct answers. They do not want links that provide additional information as in the case of text searches. As a result of the change in user behaviour, old SEO methods may not be effective. This necessitates business to customize their web content to cater to the voice technology. Typically, voice searches are longer compared to the traditional text searches. They are often phrased as questions. Therefore, it is important that businesses tailor their conversational content as follows: #1: Use natural language and target long-tail keywords Long-tail descriptions are important because the way users conduct a voice search is completely different from the way they use search engines. For example, they might say ‘show burger shops near me’ instead of typing the words 'pizza shop Los Angeles’. Therefore, businesses need to use long-tail keywords in a natural way in order to show up in these searches. #2: Focus on using a conversational tone in content Providing ‘Question and Answer’ content is one of the best ways to optimize voice query results. Local Search and Digital Assistants Businesses that want local searches to pick up their sites should aim to rank higher in SERPs. There is fierce competition for the top spot in organic local searches. However, there are ways in which you can make digital assistants pick up a specific website as the appropriate answer. For this, businesses should maintain their local search ecosystem: #1: Optimize location data #2: Fill out all applicable business categories on Google My Business #3: Cultivate reviews This is the era of new SEO as voice search is all set to take digital assistants mainstream. In order to ensure higher ranking in voice searches, websites need to provide content that contains conversational tone. In addition, businesses need to maintain their online reputation.
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DIGITAL MARKETING IDENTIFYING WHAT A CUSTOMER WANTS
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DigiTalk
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n this digital marketing era, content is what users are regularly looking for, and the mantra “content is king” remains one of the most popular among web marketers. Everything stored on a website is considered as content: pictures, blog articles, videos, infographics, software, etc. Content becomes king only when it is capable of grasping the interest of the audience, through a valuable form of information. At present, technology enables marketers to reach out for consumers rapidly, efficiently and inexpensively, like never before. Being incredibly powerful, web marketing allows the targeting of chosen groups of people, very precisely, in no time, and at a very low-cost. The transition from outbound to inbound marketing techniques is undoubtedly the most significant change web marketing has brought in the picture.
Achieving more search engine organic traffic is still and will always be one of the main objectives of any website owner. Organic traffic complies with specific SEO rules, which are very carefully followed. While it exists, several SEO optimizations can help one improve their organic traffic, along with some more technical SEO tricks that may also help. To raise the success level of any startup one needs to focus on the efforts put into marketing. Digital tools have drastically transformed and channeled the marketing on the customer-centric basis. It has been much more inclined and empowered towards reaching out the sales representative and identifying what a customer wants.
Even the buyer turns to search engines and is very active on social networks where he is self-educated. Knowing the buyers is the key to your marketing strategies and to identify a persona, you need to move beyond speculation and into the reality. The primary intention should be to identify and address the needs of the buyer. Such Outbound marketing involves the most significant number of people through various means of marketing such as advertising, direct mail, cold calling, and other techniques. It is always important to know about the customer, irrespective of the marketing initiative. One should be aware that the content is the key to social-selling, the audience to whom one reaches needs to be compelled to curate the content. As technology shifts to improve one’s marketing, there is a need of strategies that can attract, engage as well as build trust and value in the business. What has to be company’s secret sauce for success? The relationship with the correct set of individuals plays an important factor in marketing one’s product and is a critical role in business. All too often, entrepreneurs spend their energy on everything, but having conversations with current and potential customers. Marketing, today, is about empowering your audience. Empowerment is what converts a stranger into an acquaintance and an acquaintance into a fan. These fans will either become clients or influence those that become clients. Consumers are continually seeking the reassurance, accessible to them just a click away. The entrepreneurs should try to increase the sales by truly understanding the need of individuals who want their funky products.
Success Starts with Knowing The Buyer
The overarching rule of exceptional companies is to know and understand the targeted audiences. One should know what the customers watch and where they shop. It should be crystal clear to all of us that thoroughly knowing and understanding our customers and delivering what they want is the ultimate key to success.
What if you were aware of every need your buyer had at every buying cycle? Moreover, what if you could position yourself to be the one who gives them what they need when they need it? Doesn't it provide you with a net gain?
In conclusion, whether our sales are increasing, flat or declining, we should, without fail, spend quality time with our buyers to understand what's on their minds and respond appropriately.
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Starting V/S Sustaining The Never-ending Dilemma of Businesses
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lmost every parable and story that we have heard and known since our childhood is the one that promises a happily ever after. The kind where there is a big challenge or difficulty that has to be overcome by the hero and eventually leads to one final victory that supersedes everything till eternity. Sadly, that only happens in stories and in the real world of entrepreneurship and business, there isn't one big war but hundreds of little battles that need to be won consistently and effectively on a regular basis.
known as Starting Equity or Business Capital, which everyone is aware of and accepted by all. What is unknown or ignored is that fact that more than the Equity or Business Capital, there is the absence of Working Capital which makes sure that a business that has started off or is well sustained and in operational mode, gets that necessary greasing of the gears and operates without any friction. The importance of working capital and a plan behind the application of the working capital amount is a widely ignored and virtually unknown phenomenon.
This is where a lot of businesses fail to create an impact. Just starting a business whether online or offline, retail or wholesale, B2B or B2C, manufacturing or trading is not enough. What is important is that the business needs to sustain itself and make sure that it's most important aspect is taken care of – Bottom Line. Any business that does not have a direction and a plan is not a business, it is a waste of time. The term business is itself derived from being busy or busy+ness. And what is the point of being busy if you are not creating value?
What many businesses fail to understand is that there is no business model in the world that does not need people and resources to run. It is more like a child that takes birth (inception), grows (gestation) and earns (maturity) in its life cycle. And yes, all businesses have a life cycle like a product lifecycle albeit a slightly longer one and a more far-fetched one when it comes to it. The idea is to keep diversifying and keep the gears of the business lubricated with working capital without using the money in the wrong directions.
Points to Ponder Conceptually, the origins of starting any venture need capital which according to textbook definitions is
Sustaining a Model Let us take an example of a chain of mobile phone retailer which starts when there is an opportunity to grow in
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the market like India where mobile phone revolution is just on the cusp of booming. The brand starts with a few stores and slowly expands its customer base by virtue of the high volume of demand and good walk-ins. This shows a lot of potential and promise for the business and its future prospects. A lot of people (including individual investors, corporate venture capitalists, stock market etc) want a piece of the action. Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it is too good to be true because a) the business gets too much of attention at the beginning of its life cycle and b) the business is not aware of its weak points or flaws unless it has seen tough times and drop in the revenues or profits. This is something that all businesses, especially the startups need to understand. You do not have a real business model unless you have almost seen the end of the road. This is something that will make things clearer and help the business model evolve and understand its truest weaknesses. Building a business model means not only looking at the starting process or expansion in the right direction but also at sustaining the business model in the correct way and growing at the right pace with the values and vision of the business model intact.
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Expert’s View
Yash Bhatt is the Head of Operations at SQuare Consulting (INDIA) and it is his primary task to keep a check on the operations and working of the businesses that are consulted by them. He makes sure that a business model doesn't just start strong but stays strong.
Yash Bhatt Head of Operations at SQuare Consulting
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