The 10 Leading Digital Solutions Providers To Watch in 2020

2020 / Vol. 08 / Issue 02

Sankar Ragavan CEO

MARIAPPS

Editor’s Note W

e are positive that, sometime in their lifespan, everybody has encountered the term “Survival of the fittest” that emerged in Darwinian evolutionary theory.

THE RIGHT TIME TO ADAPT

Although Darwin used the phrase to illustrate the principle of evolution, it seems appropriate in the present pandemic time that has affected one and all, and where survival is totally related to the ‘adaptability quotient’ of individuals and businesses alike.

Before the crisis, if a business relied on a physical place and on in-person communications with clients, suppliers, and staff, it would have made sense to stick strictly to traditional structures and paper procedures. On the other hand, using digital elements such as blogs, smartphone applications or electronic payment systems does also not imply that a company has experienced a full digital transition.

The ongoing global health crisis has transformed the corporate world with

Anmol Preet Singh

recommendations and regulations on remote employment and social isolation. Even if some businesses are fortunate enough to continue working, these radical changes might mean that it is time to immerse themselves in a digital transformation completely.

Although certain markets, such as logistics, EdTech, cloud kitchens, and consumer products, either remain relatively unaffected or are currently flourishing, most others need to be well-positioned to cope with the longterm economic effect of corona virus on their companies.

Though building a successful business is a journey of a lifetime and destined to witness catastrophes, now is the time to take full advantage of modern technologies to stay on top of the pandemic and securing a comfortable and adaptable seat capable of mitigating future threats. Insights Success thus, enlists “The 10 Most Leading Digital Solutions Providers to Watch in 2020”, which are redefining the industries with their innovative and digital services.

We start our issue with MariApps, a pioneer in providing digital solutions to the marine industry. The firm serves the industry with a vision i.e. not to be the largest player in the market but to be the niche player, serving the organizations on a digital journey.

Next up is Social DNA, a result-driven digital marketing powerhouse that’s been ranked among the Top 3 Advertising Agencies in Hyderabad for the year 2020; and finally Zensciences, a brand and digital marketing consultancy, were well aware of this necessity, having seen something close unfold before their eyes throughout their careers.

We would also like to mention Brainstorm Technologies, INCITE, Interactive Avenues and Unipro Education Pvt. Ltd for their contributions to the industry.

Do go through the special articles curated by industry experts and our in-house editors.

Happy Reading!

Cover Story

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MariApps Delivering Robust Business Intelligence Solutions for the Maritime Industry

Article

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Challenges Ahead Digital Transformation Challenges in the Time of Crisis

C O N T E N T S

CXO

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34

Becoming Immune

Viewpoint

Expert’s View

How can you save your business and workforce from the menace of Covid-19

Where should the organizations invest for their branding amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

Starting v/s Sustaining The Never-ending Dilemma of Business

16 I Solution Microsystems Designing Digital Solution For The Brands And Companies

26 Social DNA A Top-Notch Digital Marketing Powerhouse

20 Muthumariappan Offering Full Range of Internet and Digital Marketing Services - In Ethicaland Conversion Targeted Way

32 Zensciences Digital Marketing of the “New Normal Era”Purpose at Intersection of Brand, Performance and Technology

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal sales@insightssuccess.com

Managing Editor Sneha Sinha

August, 2020

Quality Assurance Team Abhishaj Sajeev Anmol Preet Singh Art & Design Head Amol Kamble Associate Designer Asha Bange Art & Picture Editor Karan Gaikwad Co-designer Priyanka Rajage Sr. Business Development Manager Megha Mishra Business Development Manager Tejswini Whaval Business Development Lead Tejaswini Whaval Sr. Business Development Executive Prathamesh Kate Technical Head Pratiksha Patil Technical Specialist Amar Sawant

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Cover story

MARIAPPS

E

nterprise Resource Planning or ERP is the integrated management of core business processes that allows an organization to leverage a suite of integrated applications that help in streamlining, automating processes, creating a direct, precise, and efficient operation.

Furthermore, ERP offers complete visibility in processes and optimizes them via superior resource tracking and reporting, database management and data sharing, and overall improved information systems. ERP assist businesses to expand without the addition of IT or staff costs.

Now, we are talking about ERP because our quest The 10 Most Leading Digital Solutions Providers To Watch in 2020 took us to an ERP solution provider that serves the maritime industry. It privileges us to commence this edition with MariApps, a pioneer in providing digital solutions to the marine industry.

With inception in late 2014, MariApps is a five-year-old young firm. Within such a short time, the firm caters to over 40 clients both internally and externally. The firm serves the

1 The

M o s t L E A D I N G

Digital Solutions

PROVIDERS TO WATCH IN 2020

industry with a vision i.e. not to be the largest player in the market but to be the niche player, serving the organizations on a digital journey.

CEO, Sankar Ragavan spearheads the firm and has been visionary in bringing the flagship product smartPAL. He possesses over two decades of experience in the IT leadership role that digitizes the complete ship management operations. Mr. Ragavan has been the towering strength behind the inception of the company, formulating growth measures with a team of highly efficient technology professionals and maritime domain experts.

Thorough Industry Understanding The firm comprehended that the market they will penetrate has large contenders and players. Perceiving matters, MariApps went in with a different offering. Going an uncommon way, the firm established itself as a partner rather than being a solution provider.

MariApps is not any traditional vendor who walks away from its clients after providing the license. Instead, it stays with the client and provides complete project management.

It comes in as a partner and supports in organizational change management, communication management, and project management of the implementation.

Training is another powerful part, which the firm implements across offices and continues to support the application will all the modern features. Hence, MariApps ensures that the client receives the best benefit of the solution.

Meet Leading-edge Software- smartPAL The first-of-a-kind app allows consumers to monitor ships, obtain real-time finance, performance, and operational data to enable the decision-making process easier, handle market risks, and maximize uptime. smartPAL covers all functions including Crewing, Payroll, Planned Maintenance, Procurement, Finance, HSEQ, Catering, Voyage, Dry Dock, Document management, Commercial, and Insurance in a single integrated solution and comes with standard interfacing to leading banks and major vendors. It also digitizes all ship management functions and along with applications like Business Intelligence, LiveFleet, eConnect, and overall improves stakeholder participation.

More than 1000 vessels run with the help of MariApps applications and mobile applications connect seafarer and staff all over the world. At present, MariApps is in the process of setting up a digital platform, combining data

from smartPAL ERP and telemetry data. Such set up will take the company to the next level of the digital platform, enabling new processes in ship management.

Other than that, MariApps offers: Application Development Testing and implementation of leading-edge custom applications to drive innovation and growth across a wide range of architectures, technologies, platforms, and devices.

MariApps Innovation Hub (MIH) Development of newer technologies such as Big data (using Power BI), IoT, BlockChain, Augmented Reality (AR) etc.

Cloud Storage & Infrastructure Full support cloud services on Microsoft Azure as a Microsoft Gold Partner and ISV (Independent Software Vendor) Mobile Solutions Mobile platform compatibility to make mobile technology easy, reliable and unified.

Business Consulting Business processes analysis using extensive maritime experience to help clients improve their performance efficiency and bottom line Data building for PMS and Technical modules Creating data for the entire PMS data library. Gathering information for the technical form, surveys for the entire fleet.

strength and we are committed to giving them the best workplace. We are constructing a new campus in SmartCity, Kochi and is expected to complete in the next few months. We are entering new domains like Travel & Insurance which has immediate interactions with the shipping industry.”

time decision-making.

A Step Ahead In its fruitful journey, MariApps has risen rapidly in the maritime industry through effective research and providing end-to-end digital solutions.

It has served exceptionally to every aspect of modern maritime fleet management.

Built for Businesses

PMO Follows leading project management standards (PMI) to execute projects and the dedicated Project Management Office (PMO) manages projects for various customers Data Migration Migrate the existing data from any legacy systems in a very systematic and phased manner A Team that Delivers MariApps cites its employees to be the biggest strength and greatest assets with the commitment to provide them the best workplace. They are loyal, committed, and hard workers who ensure that the customer is always happy. The company also provides them with a great working environment, pay, benefit, flexible working hours, etc. This is the direct result of the company’s low attrition.

MariApps also has its own R&D department which explores all the possibilities of modern technology and adapts best to the smartPAL ERP suite.

Paying homage to the team, Mr. Ragavan asserts, “Our team is our core

The applications developed by MariApps are built on the Microsoft platform and hence, suit diverse businesses to gain a competitive edge in the global scenario. Furthermore, MariApps is in collaboration with Navidium, a Finnish fintech company, which specializes in telemetry and performance monitoring, real-time performance monitoring, voyage optimization, fuel-saving, and predictive maintenance.

Behind the vessel command and control center, a technical expert such as nautical engineer or master mariner will provide real-time asset information, fleet analytics to the fleet teams. These teams in the diverse office and in ships aid in making real-

With the inclusion of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning that makes processes easy, error-free, MariApps's product portfolio is diversified and sets the base for future maritime applications.

“With the Industry experience and the huge data volume with our customers; we are building business intelligence solutions. We are entering new domains like Travel & Insurance which has immediate interactions with the shipping industry,” concludes Mr. Ragavan

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I SOLUTION MICROSYSTEMS Designing Digital Solution For The Brands And Companies

With the mission to understand the web needs of customers, I Solution Microsystems Pvt. Ltd was founded in the year 2004 to design simplified, better SEO solutions to accelerate customers business. The company understands the functional requirement of the client’s application and creates a unique digital experience for them.

Technocrat Leader of I Solution Microsystems With around two decades of experience in software development, Vishal Singhal is the CEO and Managing Director of I Solution Microsystems Pvt. Ltd. His mission is to build a simplified e-commerce software solution “Shopaccino” that will become the first choice for small and medium businesses who want to sell products online. Vishal is passionate about designing innovative software solution that simplifies business processes. He designs result-driven strategies in digital marketing which helps business to grow.

Previously, Vishal has given his fruitful contribution to numerous business groups and played a key role in the IT department and management position. Vishal has a PGDCA degree from IGNOU and a Bachelor of 16 | INSIGHTS SUCCESS

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he advent of the digital marketing has opened up huge opportunities for online businesses. The digital era in India has revolutionized the way in which businesses are carrying out their digital operations and marketing strategies. The businesses are putting their best foot forward to improve web presence. On account of constantly evolving search engine algorithms and growing demand for user experience optimization in the online presence, it is important to build a perfect SEO campaign.

With significant percentages of internet users in India, it is crucial to tailor the digital marketing campaign to capture the vast population of internet users.

Our experienced and qualified experts are delivering a simplified and reliable solution for a better web

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Commerce degree from Rajasthan University. He also completed industry specialized courses from Microsoft MCITP and MCTS. Vishal is awarded as “Certified Technology Specialist” and “Gold Level Technology Specialist” in 2008 by Microsoft.

Empowering Business through Digital Marketing Campaigns iSolution started with an aim to provide creative, user-friendly website and 360° marketing solutions for businesses. In this internet age, it is critical for a business to have a commanding global presence. The company provides best SEO services all over the world to increase the traffic of the client. SEO process starts with implementation, where they optimize a website and landing pages so that when the user visits relevant web page they can get proper and relevant information. In this process, the company generates and share detailed reports and analytics with their clients. The company has a huge base of clients in USA, UK, Australia, and India.

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iSolution is providing services to digital space with wide service portfolio which includes domain registration, web hosting, web design, web application development, mobile app development, and 360° digital marketing. The company is the pioneer in web and digital marketing space and has won the trust of thousands of consumers with its committed services.

Being a software development company, the company understands the unique requirements of the e-commerce industry. They developed a simplified software solution “Shopaccino” to fulfill the needs of the e-commerce industry. This is awarded as a “High Performer” by G2Crowd in spring 2018 and “E-Commerce Category Leader” by Crozdesk in 2017. iSolution has been awarded as a “Best in Innovations for Digital Media Design 2018-India & Excellence in Mobile App Development” which reflects the success of the company.

Result Oriented Approach for Customers iSolution has a huge base of clients from different sectors which includes e-commerce, real estate, education, manufacturing, hotels, jewelry, furniture, and furnishing. The company improves the client’s web presence by understanding goals, writing content and publishes it on relevant websites.

To get more traffic and reduce bounce rate, the company optimizes client’s websites as per the designed strategy.

To maintain a long-term relationship with clients, iSolution provide result driven reports which are measurable in terms of search engine ranking and increase in traffic and conversions. iSolution believes in realistic online presence. The company provides actual photos, actual facts, and information for the best realistic and result oriented online presence. It is developing an 2020, VOLUME - 08, ISSUE - 02

original content based website which increases user’s trust in the web. Software development is also one of the key areas of the company. The company has developed ‘digital marketing software’ to measure results and provide better reporting to clients.

Assures Better Return on Investment Nowadays social media is playing a major role in the organization to fulfill digital goals. With the growing digital marketing industry, new channels are coming in the market. It’s important to identify a right channel to promote campaigns and measure ROI from different channels. The company designs and develops campaigns and promotes them according to the channel. For YouTube, they create viral video content to promote brands, whereas in Facebook and Twitter they promote the brand through story-based content. iSolution is dedicated to design and develop 360 digital marketing campaigns as per business need by using SEO, SMO, PPC, Re-marketing, Email Marketing, and User Engagement. iSolution measures ROI from a different channel and provide a detailed report to their client. It helps them to plan future digital marketing goals. The company keeps exploring new ways to promote businesses with a better return on investment. Its digital marketing strategies fulfill client’s goals and this is helping them to maintain the long-term business relationship with the client.

Vishal Singhal, CEO & MD

reporting so that customers can easily understand those reports. The company is dedicated to improvise its tracking and reporting systems to benefit the clients.

Progressing forward with a positive outlook for the future, the company is dedicated to design innovative SEO services. With expertise in this sector, it will continue to deliver advanced solutions for the client to increase their global presence.

Future Roadmap iSolution is providing simplified INSIGHTS SUCCESS | 17

DIGITAL

TRANSFORMATION

CHALLENGES

IN THE TIME OF CRISIS T he world has gone digital, and there’s no returning.

Nearly everybody uses a mobile phone nowadays which assists them consistently to help decide, discover brands to purchase from or get familiar with an item.

Today, the organizations that are ready to utilize technology and re-evaluate their plan of action for the future by optimizing digital transformation, will be ones in front of their competition.

While this may look like great change, but it presents some novel challenges for organizations. Here we share probably the greatest challenges faced by the ever-evolving digital world and give a way ahead to each. #1Challenge The Changing Customer Experience We live in an experiential economy. Like never before, 18 | INSIGHTS SUCCESS

clients uphold how they experience brands. That stretches out to both on the web (online) and offline stores, just as social media or other potential touchpoints along the way.

Furthermore, most organizations agree that client assistance will be simply the key way that they separate from their rivals.

The way to change is to building a client experience from the base up. Your objective ought to be to zero in on client ventures. If you enhance the touchpoints along this excursion rather than only attempting to win deals, at that point you’ll have a superior potential for success at keeping clients around longer. This gives the chance to improve deals and maintenance, which means stable development in the years to come.

It’s likewise imperative to consider what we call the “specialty of the client experience.” This expects you to investigate your present nearness, and discover approaches to survey the degree of delight in every client’s understanding.

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Challenges Ahead

#2Challenge Employee Pushback People are one of the mainstays of the business. You can’t achieve your objectives without the help of the whole organization. The superseding worry for most organizations considering a digital push is employee adoption and how it will affect the organization’s way of life and hierarchical structure. Huge numbers of your “privileged few” of employee may feel that their activity is compromised by these changes, which won’t be useful for assurance or efficiency.

Additionally, there’s a noteworthy ability gap with regards to finishing the kind of progress that most organizations need. The handy people are as of now busy with other basic assignments, and can't be saved to fuel digital or train others.

In case you need to make an organization culture that limits representative pushback and spotlights on being agile, you have to fabricate a client-driven culture.

Choose to work on these three essential fields: Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Customer administration Employee preparation and improvement Culture

#3Challenge

their examination capacities. There’s more information to gather than any time in recent memory, and neglecting to gauge the correct ones could end in a disaster.

Implement AI technologies to help improve data collection and personalization endeavors. AI and chatbots are as of now changing the way in which organizations crunch information and customize discussions with clients, and it won't be long until this training is inescapable.

It's as yet worth proceeding cautiously into AI, however you have to begin looking in the near future. Better analytics implies better decision making, and the estimation of that can't be downplayed. #5Challenge Legacy Business Models Your business depends on a product and rules that have permitted it to survive to the present. In any case, now and again, that legacy can weight even more than an asset.

Getting free from your legacy framework at the opportune time is basic to building yourself up in this digital world.

What’s more, most advertisers feel that legacy frameworks are as of now hamstringing client experience endeavors.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for this legacy issue. It will require development, an eagerness to acknowledge the danger, and a great deal of hard work. Try not to let the narrative of your business end with an inability to change.

Omnichannel Adaptation Conclusion Nowadays, clients bounce from channel to channel when making a purchase. They’ll look on your site, search from cell phones, or even stop by your store just to purchase online later. That implies extending your business by selling on commercial centers, your site, and through other digital methods. What's more, it additionally implies that you have to build up a wide assortment of channels for help, and afterward embrace a client commitment framework that takes into account omnichannel selling. #4Challenge

The digital world will consistently be changing and developing, and it’s dependent upon you to change with it.

Try not to let the challenges your business faces in today’s digital world become offbeat detours. Rather, face them head on and find innovative solutions which will fuel accomplishment for a considerable length of time to come.

-Shruti P Jambhale

Poor Analytics 53% of present day organizations are disappointed with 2020, VOLUME - 08, ISSUE - 02

INSIGHTS SUCCESS | 19

MUTHUMARIAPPAN Offering Full Range of Internet and Digital Marketing Services - In Ethical and Conversion Targeted Way

One such independent digital marketing expert is Muthumariappan, using complete ethical techniques to help businesses to be on the top of the business presence listing in the long run. By handling more than 400 websites he has been serving as a Digital Marketing Consultant for more than 40 companies beyond 10 years.

Since 2008, Muthumariappan has achieved several milestones and added various certifications to his web.

These certifications include Digital Unlocked Certification, Ad-words Certification, Analytics Certification, and Power Searcher Certification from Google. Other certifications which play a pivotal role in creating a strong foundation for Muthumariappan, is Bing Ads Certification and HubSpot Certification. Apart from this, he has also been honored with Urbanpro Excellence Award.

The Vibrant Entrepreneur Muthumariappan M is the founder of MuthuDigital.

After completing his post-graduation in Immunology and Microbiology from Tamil Nadu, he started his career in SEO through self-learning and other expertise.

Muthu started freelancing by gaining experience in various SEO specialized companies for about 5 years.

Spending a decade in the industry, he has molded himself into an extraordinary Trainer and Business Strategist. Muthu has successfully trained 250 candidates in Digital Marketing with a practical approach and provided career guidance which helped them to deal with the complexities of 21stCentury.

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Offering Best and Affordable SEO services is our forte

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ight kinds of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies are crucial for an organization to attain a requisite edge over its competitors.

Distinctive SEO services can help an organization to create a strong foothold in the online world.

Muthu has been consistent in handling clients from small-scale businesses to large-scale businesses. He believes that the key to success is building relationships that go beyond one-time projects and provide value to the clients on a consistent, ongoing basis with the best practices. As an independent SEO consultant, he always keeps his clients contented with excellent results in order to uplift their company and business to the next level.

“I explain Internet & Digital marketing concepts and strategies clearly for any audience, not just for marketing or IT people. My time is allocated to provide them with an understanding of what is needed and how long it will take. I pride myself on being very open with all my methods, communications and strategies,” says Muthu.

About Muthumariappan Muthumariappan is an SEO, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) and digital market expert. He provides expert solutions for Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Online Reputation Management. He has effectively completed many domestic and International projects with notable clients like Yes-M Systems, Arise n Shine, Entolabs etc. He VOLUME - 08, ISSUE - 02, 2020

always maintains a jargon-free relationship with the clients.

Measurable marketing strategies is what best describes Muthumariappan.

problems when it comes to an online presence” – Nandu, Founder, Yes-M Systems.

Majorly contributing in transforming the internet universe, he specializes in e-Commerce Digital Marketing, Ad-Words Management, SEO for all type of companies and small business startups. He also gained expertise in local SEO and Google My Business optimization.

“We’ve tried few SEO service providers in the past and found Muthumariappan through a reference. Even since we engaged Muthumariappan for our SEO project, we are seeing us consistently ranked on Google’s 1st page. Their services are impeccable. It also assists us with lead generation strategies. Since the campaign inception, our lead volume has increased substantially.

Muthumariappan also educates us on how the digital marketing works and helps us to keep a healthy website to drive more traffic. It also developed a world-class website for our MyBeeClub educational services.

Muthumariappan is our most trusted solutions partner and we continue to use his service” – Raj Ganesh, Founder & CEO, Arise N Shine International Preschool.

What Triggered Success?

Over the years, Muthumariappan has established itself as a one-of-its-kind brand through its sheer dedication and quality service. The key factors which helped the company to trek the success hill are: - Keep updating with the recent developments, algorithms and technologies - Genuine approach towards client and work - Follow best practices and ethical methods - Strong business skills and user targeted skills - Use conversion-focused strategies - 100% result oriented The Review Canvas “I have collaborated with Muthumariappan for more than 4 years for SEO, Social Media Marketing, Google Ad-words and Graphic Designing. It is among the few who has the honesty and strong Skill set to solve the biggest of

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“I have taken classes with Muthumariappan; it is an Experienced Training Company. It goes into the depth of each concept to ensure the student understands it fully. I highly recommend It for your digital marketing needs” – Vasudev Gupta.

“I attended Muthumariappan’straining in digital marketing for SEO, SEM, Google Ad-Words, Social Media Marketing and the best part is it was always open to questions and supported me anytime of the day.I am very much glad that I got trained from an expert

Muthumariappan M, Head

in this field and the best part is that it let me to work on its live projects which helped me to understand much better in real time, and I am also inspired by its work ethics. I would strongly suggest Muthumariappan to people who are looking for best tutor in digital marketing” – Gokul Chandran.

Being at the Forefront He is planning to expand his horizons by being at the forefront of innovation and quality. He promises to contribute to the success of the clients and spread his world-class services, which will prove him as one of the best SEO service provider in the upcoming years worldwide.

INSIGHTS SUCCESS | 21

Becoming Immune

How can you save your business and workforce from the menace of Covid-19

T

here’s an adage in the boxing world that says “the punch that knocks you out is the one you don’t see coming.” The unprecedented outbreak of Covid-19 has been somewhat like that punch. No one expected it to become so bothersome, but it did and left massive destruction in its wake. The global supply chains broke down due to nationwide lockdowns; laborers left the worksites and migrated to the safety of their native lands; raw material shortage plagued the manufacturing industry and social distancing norms reduced the working capacity of many industries by a great margin.

Overall, the global economy has been brought down to its knees within a matter of a few months, and the Indian economy is no different. It is now being predicted that India’s growth rate for FY20-21, which was initially forecasted to be around 4.7% to 5.2% by ICRA, will only be creeping at 2%. Due to the severe lack of demand, many fresh startups have already gone under the bus and many are still facing a hazy future. Also, more than 12 crore Indians have lost their jobs during the pandemic – which is an alarming number. So how can you, as a business owner, ensure that your business stays afloat and your workforce remains safe from this wave of destruction? Let us take a look at some of the preventive measures that can save the businesses from becoming victims of the terror of Covid19.

Sort out liquidity issues and plan ahead

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ajay Kapur, Founder & Managing Director at Shubham Chemicals & Solvents Ltd. Ajay Kapur is the Chairman of the highly respected and valued organisation, Shubham Group which comprises five companies, viz., Shubham Chemicals & Solvents Ltd., Divine Autotech Pvt. Ltd., Ansh Impex Pvt. Ltd., Sai Kripa Buildtech Pvt. Ltd., and Sainoor Automobiles Pvt. Ltd. Under the ardent leadership of Mr. Kapur, SCSL provides technocommercial services to industries such as plywood and laminate, synthetic resins, footwear, FMCG, textile, packaging, pharmaceutical and many more.

One of the major crises that the industries are facing is the lack of liquidity. Many startups that are in their formative 22 | INSIGHTS SUCCESS

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Ajay Kapur Founder & Managing Director

2020, VOLUME - 08, ISSUE - 02

INSIGHTS SUCCESS | 23

years are struggling for funds, which is why it is essential to make a plan that would help you to avoid a liquidity crunch.

This means that you need to take every expense under the microscope and purge everything from the shopping list except what is necessary to continue the operations. Being thrifty will help you save precious resources during this time of crisis. Another thing you can do is to prepare weekly forecasts for expenses. By doing so, you will be able to better monitor where the capital is going and subsequently, you can create a plan that would help you save your liquid assets.

Embrace adaptability

Be transparent with your customers

About the Company

A crisis of this scale is rare and your customers would empathize with you if you keep the channel of communication open and explain to them what you’re going through. By communicating with your customers, you can get feedback on what they think about the solutions that are being offered by you at this stage. Also, by keeping them engaged, you’ll be able to maintain their loyalty to your brand.

Shubham Chemicals and Solvents Limited (SCSL) is an ISO 9001:2015 certified industrial chemicals import and distribution Company in India having its registered office in Delhi with branch offices in Haryana and Gujarat. The organisation provides techno- commercial services in the field of marketing and distribution of industrial chemicals.

The Company with its geographical advantage is able to cater various industries at same time. The value of commitment and business ethics makes it a leading Company in the chemical trading industry.

Keep the employee/employer channel of communication open You need to interact with your employees to let them know what condition the company is in. This would ensure that if anything unfortunate happens, it doesn’t come as a shock to them. The least you can do in these tough times is keep your workers informed of any looming crisis. By communicating with your employees, you can also come up with some ideas that might help you devise strategies to cope up with the problems that the company might be facing. Staying in touch with your employees and arranging regular meetings via video conferencing will help boost their morale and give them hope – something which is very important right now.

Keep the contracted parties informed It is understandable that due to a shortage of funds, you might not be able to make payments on time to your vendors, but if that is the case, you must inform them in advance. If you don’t do so and wait until the last minute, they might feel betrayed and this miscommunication might ruin your relationship.

24 | INSIGHTS SUCCESS

Being adaptable to change is one of the most useful qualities you can have at this point. You need to keep one eye on your business performance and the other on the horizon to see what trends are emerging in this unprecedented scenario. For instance, there are many companies that have switched to e-commerce platforms to compensate for the losses they’re incurring in offline retail.

There are many such opportunities that you can exploit to keep your business afloat and weather the storm.

SCSL represents and market the products of some of the renowned flagship brands of chemical manufacturers both domestic and international. SCSL is active and aggressive in sourcing products from all over the world to fulfil the needs of its customers.

SCSL is customer oriented company and believes in delivering best quality industrial chemicals, hassle free order placement, seamless logistics services, timely deliveries and quick customer support. Honesty, integrity and robust business processes are hallmark of the company and have become the unique and special preposition over past years. The senior management of the company consists of highly dedicated professionals having both passion and experience.

Honesty, integrity and best in business style have become the Company’s unique and special preposition in the world of trading with its relentless focus on its customers and team work.

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he world of digital marketing is not just about placing brands in a technological environment with the assumption that they would connect to consumers. It’s about digging deeper; it’s about exploring the immense possibilities that technology offers to create relevant brand stories that targeted consumers can relate to and react to positively. This is the belief that drives Social DNA, a result-driven digital marketing powerhouse that’s been ranked among the Top 3 Advertising Agencies in Hyderabad for the year 2020.

The Inception Saga Started in the year 2013 by Aditya Raj Mankani, a thirdgeneration entrepreneur with a passion for marketing and technology. Social DNA’s mission is to engage consumers with brands in the digital space through well-researched marketing strategies, driven by technological solutions to make them relevant and result-oriented.

The Team Behind S-DNA Creative storytelling at Social DNA is backed by the team’s active research and brainstorming processes to understand the need of their target audience. They believe in humanising the content for their brands which enables measurable results such as awareness & engagement.

Explaining their relentless process for their brands, Anjali Devi, Social DNA’s Marketing Head says, “Storytelling through content should transpire into a memorable experience; one which benefits the audience and connects with them in real-time. A brand can achieve its desirable growth only by constantly adapting to a unique approach, listening to their consumer & analysing their performances”.

To create and deliver value, Social DNA helps customers understand what the real problems are, and how they could be addressed. Social DNA has a human to human approach when it comes to branding. This involves a team of marketeers and storytellers who work to create a brand language that the target audience can relate to.

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whole lot of recognition. These include being conferred with the Best Integrated Marketing Award for the work done for My Home Avatar (2017), being recognised as one of the 10 Most Promising Digital Marketing Companies by Silicon India (2017) and one among the 25 Most Promising Marketing Consultants to watch out for by Consultants Review (2015) Hall of Fame These awards and citations were conferred on Social DNA for helping its brands build, amplify and multiply through an array of services that include Branding, AR/VR Experiential Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation, Media Buying and Programmatic Advertising, Mobile App Development, Email Marketing, Creative Designing, Website Designing, Online Reputation Management, Wikipedia Profiling, WhatsApp Marketing, Drone Marketing, Offline Marketing, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, E-Commerce Consultancy and Phygital Marketing.

Possibilities for Tomorrow Talking about Social DNA’s vision for the future, Anish Kholay, Social DNA’s Chief Digital Officer says “Our vision is to harness the power of possibilities, the immense possibilities that technology keeps opening up constantly, giving rise to endless opportunities for creating memorable, measurable, result-oriented consumer experiences.”

Social DNA is changing the marketing industry by making a difference. They go above and beyond their role of a solutions provider to be the catalyst of digital transformation, delivering measurable results. In the words of Aditya, “Social DNA makes this revolutionary change in a brand's marketing outlook by blending the art of storytelling, cutting-edge technology, and foolproof analytics into a sparkling cocktail of tailor-made branding strategies.”

Over the years, Social DNA, by virtue of its commitment to deliver value to its clients, has not just earned a formidable reputation in the industry but has been rewarded with a

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Geeta Singh Founder & Managing Director

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Viewpoint

WHERE SHOULD THE

ORGANIZATIONS INVEST FOR THEIR BRANDING AMID

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?

G About the Author Geeta Singh is the Founder and Managing Director of TYC Communica on, a Delhi-based leading Public Rela ons (PR) and Digital Marke ng agency which has a dis nct place in the Marke ng and Communica ons Industry of India. Geeta Singh envisioned and incorporated TYC Communica on as a proprietorship firm in the field of transla on and content development in the year 2011. Later, in 2014, TYC Communica on developed into a private limited company with a bigger communica on gamut – i.e., incorpora on of PR and Digital Marke ng services in the company’s enlarged work por olio.

Today, Geeta Singh, who has been conferred with The Young Leadership Award at 2nd NIER’s Na onal Excellence Awards – 2017, is an inspira onal leader and a source of mo va on to her ever enthusias c team of more than 50 commi ed professionals whose collec ve efforts brought recogni on as well as laurels to one of the fastest growing communica on firms in India.

TYC Communica on is among those few PR agencies in the country which have exper se in both tradi onal and digital landscapes.

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iven the current state of affairs where all but the essential activities have been shut down and people are practicing social distancing to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, it has become very difficult for the businesses to connect with their customer base. It is difficult enough for them to retain their existing audience, let alone building a new one. All the traditional systems of doing business have been scrapped for good and we seem to be going through a transitional phase – from traditional to modern.

Thanks to technology though, there is a shimmering sliver of hope amidst the dark clouds of this pandemic. Creativity, in tandem with tactfulness and technological aids, can help the businesses derive newer, more innovative ways of marketing and branding. Let us look at some of the most lucrative areas where the brands should invest in order to make the most of their marketing budget.

Social Media Websites Business is where the people are, and given how things are unfolding, almost everyone who has a mobile device and an internet connection is on social media these days, to stay updated about the current scenario. India boasts a population of more than 375 million internet users that is only increasing with every passing day.

As such, social media becomes a great platform for branding. By utilizing creative strategies, you can get the attention of thousands, if not millions of people with just one post. Also, unlike traditional advertising, your social INSIGHTS SUCCESS | 29

media content isn’t time bound. It can stay up for as long as you want it to stay. According to certain reports, ever since the lockdown has been put into place, people have started frequenting social media websites more than ever. This gives businesses a great opportunity to capitalize on this new pool of potential customers and pitch them their ideas in unique, creative and value additive ways.

amid this pandemic. If you have such a product or service, then you need to ensure that you rank high on Google.

Because regardless of how good your product and/or services are, you are not going to make sales if you’re not visible. Google puts you on a pedestal for the entire world to see, and SEO can help you get there.

Online coverage through PR agencies

Also, merely knowing which platform is useful for branding isn’t enough; it is equally important to know how to make your sales pitch. For instance, if you have a product that is essential during these times, you need to reevaluate your sales pitch to ensure that your message does not come off as insensitive or opportunistic. Branding has to be done sensitively and by keeping in mind that every message that you put out needs to have some value for the customer.

Given how negative the atmosphere already is, people are looking for sources of motivation and positivity. By disseminating optimistic messages through social media, you can quickly gain the attention of people.

According to a survey conducted among 300 senior company executives by Peppercomm and the Institute of PR relations, an overwhelming majority of the respondents agreed that PR is emerging as a game-changer in these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic. PR is all about getting your message loud and clear to your target audience among a cacophony of voices – and its role is more important now than it ever was. Just because papers and magazines are not being physically published does not mean that PR is any less effective. Most of the offline publications have switched to the online mode. By getting in touch with a specialist PR Company, you can get your message across to the large reader-base that these publications hold.

TV Advertisement Earlier, TV advertisements were mostly the domain of big brands, and small and medium brands refrained from them.

But now, as almost the entire population of the country is sitting at home, they are watching TV more than ever.

Therefore, advertising on TV can turn out to be a good marketing strategy. Recently, we’ve seen many small and medium brands venture into the space of TV advertising, which they weren’t interested in before the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is not surprising that people these days are absolutely obsessed with COVID-19 and strategies to fight it. A good PR agency can help you leverage this into a branding opportunity. By generating creative, innovative content that helps people cope with the current situation, you can build your image among the people slowly and steadily. People always tend to remember who was there with them in times of need. So even after the pandemic subsides, you’ll be left with a loyal follower base, which can become a potential customer base – given you implement the right marketing strategy.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Not many businesses today can think about becoming successful without ranking high on Google. Among the billions and billions of websites that are competing to get to the first page of Google results, you need to stand out with the help SEO.

The focus, however, should be towards creating content that stands out, delivering messages that move the masses, and adding value to people’s lives.

SEO usually takes some time before it starts showing results and people tend to get hasty and quit midway. But now, since the other operations are shutdown, the business owners can solely focus on the SEO part. Remember that people are constantly searching for things that are of utility

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Zensciences Digital Marketing of the “New Normal Era”- Purpose at Intersection of Brand, Performance and Technology

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gencies need to evolve from pure play advertising or digital, to being marketing solutions providers.

Rahul Koul and Rohit Kumar MS, the founding partners at Zensciences, a brand and digital marketing consultancy, were well aware of this necessity, having seen something close unfold before their eyes throughout their careers.

“For a large technology company, it was not uncommon to have dozens of marketing consultancies and agencies working for them with most remaining too focussed on winning awards and completely missing the business context - on the ‘why’ and the real impact on the business that a marketing initiative brings to the table,” says Rohit.

It all started with a spirited 5-minute water cooler conversation at their then-employer, Wipro’s Bangalore campus, leading to a quick exit by the end of that very month. Zensciences was thus born in 2015. About its significant progress into the present, Rahul says, “At Zensciences we bring together the two worlds of business context and creativity – amplified with digital and enabled through technology.”

demonstrable capacity to create the right brand architecture and identity where to dove-tail into the creation of brand stories and innovative designs. Going forward, these result in optimized customer journeys through well-crafted UX/ UI. 3. Content & Storytelling: A well-substantiated competence in research, writing, and editing B2B, B2C, and technology marketing assets.

4. Digital Marketing: Managing social media for leading B2B and consumer brands 5. Performance Marketing: Organizing digital campaigns for global brands which include display, social, search, marketplaces, VOD, SVOD and OOH, Google display and programmatic advertising.

Exhibiting Excellence Zensciences, with expertise in creating strategies, design, storytelling, and experience engineering, possesses a forte to create winning solutions for clients’ problems by questioning the status quo and introducing global insights, experiences, and capabilities, in addition to realizing opportunities in the present and in the foreseeable future. Its plethora USPs include: 1. Marketing Strategy & Consulting: A proven expertise in business positioning, communication themes, target personas, research, and insights 2. Brand, Experience & Design: A holistic yet

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•A Fortune 20 Global Retail Company •2 of the 5 top Tech- Product Companies •8 of the 20 top Tech Services Companies •2 Fortune 500 Manufacturing Companies •1 of the world 3 top Private Equity Companies On the obvious ‘why them’, the duo state that Zensciences has, unlike others, enabled the integration and incubation of services across the marketing lifecycle from awareness to fulfilment as opposed to the siloed creativity of others.

Another departure has been with the extensive use of technology.

Digital as a domain, remains ever-changing and evolving which presents a challenge when it comes to finding people who remain abreast with the field and resultant technologies. Add to this, ever-changing client needs which takes place at the speed of light. To fulfil these, Zensciences has thrown in the brightest set of ideas which incidentally form the future of marketing in terms of technology.

Rohit Kumar

Rahul Koul

At Zensciences we bring together the two worlds of business context and creativity – amplified with digital and enabled through technology

6. Marketing Technology: Well researched digital development capabilities that go into the creation of ecommerce websites, apps (for iOS and Android) as also Martech in the marketing automation space.

Redefining Success Zensciences today has offices in Bangalore, India besides another in Houston in the US. If headcount is an indication, the company has come a long, long way in a fairly short time. From two in 2015 to 75 plus and counting. The measure of an organization’s success lies in its clientele.

Zensciences’ list of clients is certainly impressive and includes:

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In addition to implementing complex marketing strategies for its clients, Zensciences also uses them liberally in its own working to improve the quality of its services to its clients. To this end, their innovation lab ZENSPACE works on solutions that align with the customers’ aim viewpoint while aiming to understand the latter’s lifestyle and discover their unique journeys and concerns.

Voyaging towards New Horizons While ideating, refining, and reforming concepts, Zensciences envisions a healthier connect with their customers. Not stopping at this the company, is also building a set of proprietary tools for reputation management and marketing analytics.

For Zensciences and its team, the future has already dawned, courtesy the Covid-19 pandemic. “What was to happen a few years down the line is already being played out. Marketers are increasingly turning to every available digital medium and platform, while bluntly asking for results and questioning existing beliefs,” says the team. It is in this space that Zensciences finds itself well-positioned to take the opportunity and exceed client expectations with well thought out strategies, products, and initiatives.

The journey thus far has brought with it, insights for the founding duo on ways a business can remain successful and meaningful without the need for a big shiny award. Of them, the most important is to remain continuously updated on technology and everything digital.

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STARTING V/S SUSTAINING The Never-ending Dilemma of Businesses

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lmost every parable and story that we have heard and known since our childhood is the one that promises a happily ever after. The kind where there is a big challenge or difficulty that has to be overcome by the hero and eventually leads to one final victory that supersedes everything till eternity. Sadly, that only happens in stories and in the real world of entrepreneurship and business, there isn't one big war but hundreds of little battles that need to be won consistently and effectively on a regular basis.

known as Starting Equity or Business Capital, which everyone is aware of and accepted by all. What is unknown or ignored is that fact that more than the Equity or Business Capital, there is the absence of Working Capital which makes sure that a business that has started off or is well sustained and in operational mode, gets that necessary greasing of the gears and operates without any friction. The importance of working capital and a plan behind the application of the working capital amount is a widely ignored and virtually unknown phenomenon.

This is where a lot of businesses fail to create an impact. Just starting a business whether online or offline, retail or wholesale, B2B or B2C, manufacturing or trading is not enough. What is important is that the business needs to sustain itself and make sure that it's most important aspect is taken care of – Bottom Line.

Any business that does not have a direction and a plan is not a business, it is a waste of time. The term business is itself derived from being busy or busy+ness. And what is the point of being busy if you are not creating value?

What many businesses fail to understand is that there is no business model in the world that does not need people and resources to run. It is more like a child that takes birth (inception), grows (gestation) and earns (maturity) in its life cycle. And yes, all businesses have a life cycle like a product lifecycle albeit a slightly longer one and a more far-fetched one when it comes to it. The idea is to keep diversifying and keep the gears of the business lubricated with working capital without using the money in the wrong directions.

Points to Ponder Conceptually, the origins of starting any venture need capital which according to textbook definitions is

Sustaining a Model Let us take an example of a chain of mobile phone retailer which starts when there is an opportunity to grow in

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the market like India where mobile phone revolution is just on the cusp of booming. The brand starts with a few stores and slowly expands its customer base by virtue of the high volume of demand and good walk-ins. This shows a lot of potential and promise for the business and its future prospects. A lot of people (including individual investors, corporate venture capitalists, stock market etc) want a piece of the action. Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it is too good to be true because a) the business gets too much of attention at the beginning of its life cycle and b) the business is not aware of its weak points or flaws unless it has seen tough times and drop in the revenues or profits.

This is something that all businesses, especially the startups need to understand. You do not have a real business model unless you have almost seen the end of the road. This is something that will make things clearer and help the business model evolve and understand its truest weaknesses.

Building a business model means not only looking at the starting process or expansion in the right direction but also at sustaining the business model in the correct way and growing at the right pace with the values and vision of the business model intact.

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Expert’s View

Yash Bhatt is the Head of Operations at SQuare Consulting (INDIA) and it is his primary task to keep a check on the operations and working of the businesses that are consulted by them. He makes sure that a business model doesn't just start strong but stays strong.

Yash Bhatt Head of Operations at SQuare Consulting

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