SME Times is powered by   
Search News
Just in:   • Adani Group to invest Rs 57,575 crore in Odisha  • 'Dollar Distancing' finally happening? Time for India to pitch Rupee as credible alternative: SBI Ecowrap  • 49% Indian startups now from tier 2, 3 cities: Jitendra Singh  • 'India ranks 3rd in global startup ecosystem & number of unicorns'  • LinkedIn lays off entire global events marketing team: Report 
Last updated: 27 Sep, 2014  

sangay-nagi-THMB.jpg SMEs can very well benefit from internet: Sanjay Nagi

sanjay-nagi.jpg
   Top Stories
» 49% Indian startups now from tier 2, 3 cities: Jitendra Singh
» 'India ranks 3rd in global startup ecosystem & number of unicorns'
» Tripura exported over 9K tonnes of pineapples in 2 years
» CPI inflation eases to 6.71% in July, IIP falls to 12.3%
» Rupee depreciates 12 paise to close at 79.64 against US dollar
Saurabh Gupta | 24 Sep, 2013
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India are usually short term in their thinking and may not be easily able to accommodate changes in their business approaches and hence do not use internet as effectively as they can. There are fears of giving out too much information to competitors and that is another reason they do not adopt the internet. In many cases there may be lack of awareness as well. SMEs can very well benefit from internet, Sanjay Nagi, Principal Consultant, Market Insight Consultants, told SME Times.
Excerpts of the interview...

In your opinion what is Internet marketing? And why is it important for businesses?
Sanjay Nagi: The internet has emerged as a fairly low cost medium of customer outreach from the supplier's point of view and knowledge from a customer point of view. It offers the potential customer much more than other passive media like banners/ press/ or even television.

Internet marketing is about using the power of this active medium to reach out and inform customers about the company's products and services, interact with them to respond to queries and even transact business depending on the nature of business. While most media are broadcast based and only provide reach out, the internet even enables sales transactions.

The other benefit of internet is the global reach out potential; as opposed to other media that are local/ national, the internet is a global media. Finally the internet enables all these at the fraction of costs that are applicable in traditional media and hence is becoming popular and important for businesses.

Who can take benefits of the Internet marketing?

Sanjay Nagi: All businesses - whether SME or big corporate can use the internet for their gain. Exporters are particularly disposed towards using internet. Finally portals that desire to sell are the most important customer segments as well.

It has been seen that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India are not aware about the benefits of Internet Marketing. Do you think that online marketing strategies can help small industries too?

Sanjay Nagi: SMEs are usually short term in their thinking and may not be easily able to accommodate changes in their business approaches and hence do not use internet as effectively as they can. There are fears of giving out too much information to competitors and that is another reason they do not adopt the internet. In many cases there may be lack of awareness as well. SMEs can very well benefit from internet and I believe  the government should come out with a campaign and some special tax incentives for SMEs through chambers like FISME.

Marketing is an expensive exercise and availability of money or liquidity is a challenge for most SMEs in India. In your opinion how expensive is Internet marketing compared to traditional or direct marketing?

Sanjay Nagi: Internet marketing is extremely low cost which is one of the main benefits of internet. Say a combination of own website, listing in key directories and participation in online market places/ portals would not cost more than a few lakh in a year and definitely would be more economical than media like press/ TV.

If Internet marketing is a cost-effective strategy then why it is not so popular? What are the challenges in the way of Internet marketing?
Sanjay Nagi: Lack of awareness and inertia to accept the new are the main barriers. The other barriers are fear of divulging information and finally the credibility of the providers. Most suppliers make extensive promises and then they do not fulfill their promises - as a result the customer who has just adopted internet, faces hardships and loss of money, that makes them ANTI internet. The suppliers need to be regulated to ensure that customer promises are maintained.

Do you agree that Internet marketing is the best way to market your products? Please explain.
Sanjay Nagi: As already explained internet not only informs the customer, like any other media, but goes beyond into assisting in the final sales transaction as well. Therefore the potential of the internet is much more than other media.

In your opinion, during this worst phase of economic meltdown, which one is the best marketing technique specially for small industries (SMEs) in India?
Sanjay Nagi: Tough times never last, tough people do! So businesses should gear up their competencies during this period and become stronger. The healthy times will come back again and SMEs should do cost cutting and also build competencies to survive and grow. 
 
Print the Page Add to Favorite
 
Share this on :
 

Please comment on this story:
 
Subject :
Message:
(Maximum 1500 characters)  Characters left 1500
Your name:
 

Skype a good platform
Swadhin | Thu Oct 3 02:21:44 2013
In my thinking skype is an ideal platform for business discussions and continuous updating your LinkedIn profile also creates opportunities in business.


Building Credibility of the Customer over Internet
Ashok Pancharya | Wed Sep 25 04:52:50 2013
As Mr. Sanjay Nagi rightly pointed out, improving credibility of the customers especially those who have just adopted the Internet or those who faced hardships or lost money in the past is really important. One of the very effective ways in overcoming this is giving the ability to the customer to call at a very low cost and speak to someone of the Internet business on phone. When the target customers are located worldwide then giving them a local phone number of their country to call at their local call rates tremendously builds credibility of the customers. One such solution to make use of by SMEs in India and elsewhere is DoorVaani.com. Local Phone numbers of several countries and low cost call minutes to call out are being offered by DoorVaani.


Using Internet to benefit SMEs
Raunak Guha | Tue Sep 24 05:45:25 2013
It is true that SMEs in India shy away from using Internet. But the power of using Internet not only to market your product/services, but also connect to other experts will help you make better business decisions and get to know industry trends etc. We have developed a free online platform for SME businessmen to connect and get business advice one-to-one from industry experts across India.


 
  Customs Exchange Rates
Currency Import Export
US Dollar
66.20
64.50
UK Pound
87.50
84.65
Euro
78.25
75.65
Japanese Yen 58.85 56.85
As on 13 Aug, 2022
  Daily Poll
PM Modi's recent US visit to redefine India-US bilateral relations
 Yes
 No
 Can't say
  Commented Stories
» GIC Re's revenue from obligatory cession threatened(1)
 
 
About Us  |   Advertise with Us  
  Useful Links  |   Terms and Conditions  |   Disclaimer  |   Contact Us  
Follow Us : Facebook Twitter