Befriending the brand

When Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in 2004, he wanted to design a portal where his peers would be able to share their lives with their friends. Little did he imagine that Facebook would go beyond social networking and give rise to a whole new kind of business networking as well.

Facebook, Twitter and Orkut have developed as sites to market and network your business, believe new-age entrepreneurs. Salony Kane, who recently opened Providore?, gourmet food and wine store in Aundh says, “Facebook is a fantastic community where I can interact with my customers and let them know what’s going on in Providore?’s life.” Kane includes regular updates on new products, informing people about events and answering their queries. 

Manasee Dograa of Manasee’s Studio 101 takes time out to personally answer questions from people who want to know what hairstyle or products would suit them or the solutions to their hair problems. Some of them are not even from Pune and aren’t her customers. “I’m online on Facebook all the time so it’s no trouble”, she says nonchalantly, “It is everyday networking and faster than attending to calls if I’m busy.” She sends regular emails and updates the salon’s page with new offers, techniques, and colours and receives instant feedback. 

The feedback and convenience is what makes Leena Gavande appreciate marketing via social networking. Gavande, who took her hobby of designing jewellery and turned it to a commercial venture-Bindurekha Fashion Studio, connected with her clients through Facebook. Along with updates of her new designs, she uses the fan page to market new offers for the festive season and events and exhibitions taking place in and around the city. “It’s easier to send Facebook links than to send individual photographs of my designs to customers. Many people also order my pieces online, after seeing the photographs,” she says.

With more people being hooked onto social networking, it’s important for entrepreneurs to stay updated “It’s a personalised choice”, says Vishal Gakhar, director of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Pune. “With their limited time, entrepreneurs have to decide the best possible way to use the onset of technology and different social networking sites to work in their favour.” Gakhar doesn’t necessarily advocate using only social networking, stating the benefits of business networking as far more defined. Though CII Pune have recently set up links to Facebook and Twitter to promote and encourage feedback. 

Social networking can be a way to reach out to people with similar interests and engage in discussions at a macro-level. But is the target audience limited to your friends and family or only those that have joined the particular websites? Kane doesn’t believe so.

“Everyone is now digitally linked and food is a universal language covering generations,” she adds. The personal interaction with her clients by sharing recipes online is another appealing aspect to her. “It’s easier and cheaper than advertising. I can have a personal connection with my clients”, says Manasee, who is plans to open a Twitter account for her salon.