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Growth is in online branding
The government launched its ambitious Make in India campaign in September 2014 amid much fanfare. The initiative seeks to make it easier to do business in India by setting up infrastructure and improving policies.
The government launched its ambitious Make in India campaign in September 2014 amid much fanfare. The initiative seeks to make it easier to do business in India by setting up infrastructure and improving policies. ‘Make in India’ undoubtedly provides a promising environment to encourage manufacturing in India. But for a business to be successful, manufacturing is only half the story. If you really want to grow your business, you also need to be prepared to invest in marketing and in selling your product.
Traditionally, this is an area where Indian SMEs seem to fall short. Marketing and branding, especially on online platforms, becomes even more crucial as markets become increasingly global. A good website is the first step towards creating an online brand identity. According to a survey released by RedShift Research and GoDaddy (https://www.godaddy.com/garage/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/GoDaddy-Global-Small-Business-Report-2015.pdf) , 63 percent of India’s small businesses don’t have their own website.
In contrast, a survey of small business owners or managers in the US representing firms with less than 10 employees and less than $1 million in annual revenue found that only46percent of them don’t have their own website, says Clutch research (Small Business Websites in 2016: A Survey” Clutch.co <https://clutch.co/web-designers/resources/small-business-websites-2016-survey)
If you own a small business that you have big plans for, here are some productive steps to up your brand quotient online.
1) Choose an established domain name extension for your website
Top-Level Domains (TLD) such as .com and .net have been around for over three decades. They have global recognition and consistent records of security, availability and stability. So, these domain name extensions are a great choice for small businesses trying to build a trusted brand.
2) Use social media to complement
your website
Use social media effectively as part of an integrated marketing plan to help drive traffic to your website. Your website can be the center of your online presence, where your customers can get a chance to understand your business and unique offerings.
3) Speak the language of your audience
If you hope to sell globally, ensure your website sounds global too! For example, use contemporary language, relevant keywords and ensure your website speaks to your prospective customers in a voice they understand. Businesses across the globe have leveraged the tremendous power of the Internet, resulting in a truly connected world. With a great website and an effective online marketing strategy, there are limitless opportunities for small businesses to compete successfully with large conglomerates. It surely is a great time to ‘Make in India’ and market to the world
with a .com. (The writer is President of FICCI CMSME)
By Sanjay Bhatia
