It is next to impossible to imagine a world without social media. Even when you’re “offline” and meeting friends over coffee, you are still online -- either checking your Facebook newsfeed, uploading a picture of your chocolate chip muffin onto Instagram, or perhaps, using a shopping app to avail an irresistible discount on that fuchsia chiffon sari that you’ve wish-listed. Virtual communication has changed so much of our lives.
It has not only become an obsessions but has also helped a good number of people, have helped them take their endeavours of various kinds, forward. On Social Media Day, MetroPlus speaks to people whose ventures have taken off on social media forums and are thriving today.
Prasad Bhat, founder of Graphicurry, an artwork store, says: “Social media helps connect with fans and patrons across geographic boundaries. Especially, since our work involves global subjects, getting ongoing feedback always helps. Facebook allows for marketing avenues. It’s much more feasible to make your work reach appropriately targeted audience. It ultimately helps you lead them to your website.”
Sunehra Koshy, proprietor of Crack of Dawn Crafts, has also used social media to expand her handcrafted art business. “Thanks to Facebook, my products became visible to customers all over India and without having a physical store, we did a turnover of over Rs. 20 lakhs in the first 12 months of business,” she states, excitedly.
Joonie Tan, owner of 180 degrees Celsius and pastry artist at Lavonne “targeted Facebook groups such as ‘Mums of Bangalore’ and ‘India’s Cake Artist Network’, which have potential customers that join these groups for specific occasions such as birthdays and even customised cupcakes, and so on. So as a cake artist, I always share my work on these pages and groups, which has given me a vast exposure, hence bring in my customers.”
Nivedha Charles, founder of Pigtails and Pony, a hair accessories brand, sees “Social media as a bridge between us and our customers, helping us exchange our stories and in building our brand image. Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram are our primary platforms and the transparency of it all has helped us create a customer base than is more of a close-knit community and less of a stereotypical market.”
When online businesses were taking off, it was necessary to own a website. But, platforms such as Facebook has defied that trend. “When we launched, we had some issues with the website so we had to start operations via Facebook only. The best part was that even without an online store or proper delivery systems, we got an amazing response. We also got leads via social media,” recounts Kirti Nair, co-owner of the quirky fashion brand, Doodle Inc.
According to Naina Ruhail, a professional makeup artist and beauty blogger, “Social media isn’t just for interaction. It’s a great avenue to share your work and promote it on a larger scale. As a makeup artist, it was essential for me to spread the word about what I do. Today, I have over 5,000 followers on Instagram and 4,500 likes on my Facebook page. These people can see my work as soon as I upload a post. Also, social media platforms have helped me grow professionally, so much so, I was a part of the Jabong Online Fashion Week (JOFW) and was featured as one of the top makeup artists, and that, for me, was a big deal!”
Facebook, blogs, vlogs (video blogs), Pinterest, and Instagram aside, platforms such as YouTube too have given rise to stars. While music artiste Wilbur Sargunaraj grew to fame on YouTube, not too long ago, Varun Agarwal of Alma Mater also came out with a music video, Anu Aunty-The Engineering Anthem , that has close to 10 lakh views on the website.
“Snapchat is a good way of keeping in touch with my clients,” says Karuna Rampal, a designer. “I can interact with them quickly, share pictures of my sketches, get immediate feedback, and can start working on orders too.”
Newer platforms for social interaction are gaining popularity every day. Thanks to these forums, getting groceries delivered at your doorstep, booking a cab to the airport on an app, having a yoga instructor take personal sessions for you in the comfort of your home, or even calling housekeeping folks to tidy up your apartment, the virtual world offers it all…
