India’s newly digitized SMEs need offline marketing just as much as online

• Both online and traditional offline marketing tactics should be used together to create an effective marketing strategy for SMBs.
• Preeti Ubale noted that MSMEs need immediate income and that mass media can provide that much more easily.
• When creating marketing strategies, it is also important to define the target audience and niche to develop brand awareness.

While digital marketing can be important in keeping up with the digital trends that have emerged after the Covid-19 pandemic, it may not be everything micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need.

According to a panel of speakers on https://cafe-madrid.com/’s
discussions about the need for digital marketing for MSMEs, both online and traditional offline marketing tactics should be used to form smart hybrid brand awareness activities for this small companies.

Preeti Ubale, co-founder and COO of software company SMBXL, noted that MSMEs need immediate income and that mass media such as TV, radio, hoarding and pamphlets can provide them that much more easily. In comparison, digital marketing initiatives take time to show results unless they pay a platform or marketplace.

“The only thing they used to fetch immediate sales” [was] have feet on the street, approach their customers, talk to them, convince them. So this was instant sales and when it comes to digital, it’s not instant,” Ubale added.

She noted that there is no specific formula for allocating funds for either marketing initiative, as it all depends on what stage a company is in.

Meanwhile, Amoli Nagpal, head of the e-commerce and SME segment at IT firm Admitad Affiliate Network India, also emphasizes a ‘healthy mix’ of online and online marketing initiatives when a small business has a goal of increasing the return on investment. increase investment (ROI). and transactions. But when creating marketing strategies, it is also important to define the target audience and niche to develop brand awareness.

A company that caters to the needs of 20-30 year olds can do better if more money is allocated to online campaigns.

Covid-19 was one of the key factors leading to the aggressive digitization of India’s 6.3 crore MSME. All offline deals were closed and reaching the customers became extremely difficult. Small businesses had no choice but to rely on their digital tools and marketing tactics to make their presence known.

Five in 10 (or about 53%) micro and small businesses in India were using digital sales channels such as online aggregators, marketplaces, social media and mobile marketing by January 2021, according to a Crisil report based on a survey of 566 companies. The number was in three in ten (or about 29%) pre-pandemic.

Even Indian fintechs have jumped in to help this segment overcome their biggest challenge of accessing capital. However, the lack of data remains a hurdle for most fintechs trying to help and the solutions can only be fully exploited once that hurdle is crossed.

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