Once upon a time … long long ago … there was an entrepreneur, whose primary concern was to come up with path-breaking business ideas and products/services that could solve a persistent problem faced by people. In those days, the world was a different place – it was a world without the Internet. Marketing was offline and publicity was primarily word-of-mouth. Zoom forward to the year 2019 and the landscape has become radically different. Our entire world is connected, virtually, making sharing of ideas easy and has changed the way we understand marketing and publicity. Welcome to the Digital World.
The emergence and acceptance of technology also brought with itself an increasing number of entrepreneurs, startups, and freelancers. Technology has enabled people to harbor dreams about having their own businesses and provided tools to help them realize the dreams. If you look at the current market, literally everyone seems to be selling something or the other, trying to get their share of the digital economy. There is a lot of noise. Too many people talking and very few who are actually listening.
Perception vs. Reality
Rajiv is an entrepreneur at heart. After working for nearly a decade, he decides to kindle his entrepreneurial spirit. He has been toying with a business idea for many years and decides to quit his job and start a business. He is convinced that the product he has in mind will have many buyers since it will make their lives better. Also, he manages to secure some funding and develops his product. Before launching, he creates a website, some social media accounts and starts talking about his product on these platforms. Soon the launch date nears and Rajiv launches the business.
However, he is shocked to find only 1 or 2 visitors coming to his website every day. Somehow the product fails to make a mark on people.
This is a classic example of perception vs. reality. Even if we were to assume that Rajiv’s products could help a lot of people, they failed to grab attention because Rajiv missed out on the one most important aspect that makes businesses successful today – Digital Marketing.
Entrepreneur = Digital Marketer + more
Let’s look at another example:
Kavita is like Rajiv. She also has a business idea in mind. However, before quitting her job and starting out on her own venture, she talks to some marketing experts who advise her to have a clear roadmap of her digital marketing plan before she starts developing the products. Kavita starts creating an online presence of her brand even before the brand is launched. She starts networking and talking to people who can be the prospective buyers of her products. She creates awareness and anticipation in people’s minds about her product. Once she is satisfied with the market created, she starts developing the products and launches them. Her business picks-up almost instantly.
The difference between Kavita and Rajiv’s approach is the importance they pegged on marketing. While Rajiv took the traditional approach, Kavita was more in sync with the times.
Also Read: How to Stand Out from the Crowd as an Entrepreneur
Summing Up
Now, these two examples are merely for representational purpose. In real life, things are not so simple. Digital marketing has many facets and in order to be a successful business owner or even a freelancer, it is important that you understand the intricacies of digital marketing. I am not asking you to become a digital marketer, but you need to be aware of the same to be able to lead your business to the dizzying heights of success. And why only business, I believe that in today’s world everyone should be aware of the basics of digital marketing. Even if you are looking for a job, you need to be able to market your CV to the right audience.
Also Read: YOU are a Brand; Period! Do you agree?
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