WHY AND HOW WOMEN COMMUNITY BE STIMULATED IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUILDING START- UPS

 

When women move forward, the family moves, the village moves- as rightly said by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. We often see women confined to the four walls of their room . Our world and country is growing day by day but this is hardly known among Indian women . They still are dominated by their father , husband and son . They are struggling for economic Independence and every country wants economic development . Entrepreneurship and building startups can provide a better platform for women to show their capabilities . One often finds them working in small factories , making handmade products . However their contribution is not small . They are very innovative but the problem here is mostly that people can’t give importance to their work . So, this platform of building startups and entrepreneurship will provide them enthusiasm and we will be able to acknowledge the brilliant tasks performed by them . 

People think working in an office is not a good choice for women . They recommend them to do work as a teacher , beautician or any job related to caretaker . But now is a good time to correct people and their false assumptions . The fact lies in men don’t wanting to see women as their opposite . They interpret that women need security and they can’t work together with them. But the official jobs of entrepreneurship and building start ups will make the women confident enough to talk with men , sit with them and compete with men . If a woman will take the right step then the other woman will take the right step then the other woman automatically joins her . We saw women like Kiran Muzumdar Shaw ( chairman and managing director of Biocon limited receive various coveted corporate awards and civilian awards like Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan ) . We have women entrepreneurs like Vadana luthra , Ekta Kapoor , Naina Lal Kidwai who not only compete with men but also achieve excellence with this platform .

But The struggle of women to prove their identity is harder than we expect. It is not so easy for women to step up for startups. But women always proved themselves in these fields and recent research statistics prove that women are more trustable to invest even Covid time as compared to men. There is a need to provide ways to encourage women to have more participation for future startups because many young ladies lose their hopes due to criticizing the environment provided to them, so that future women can come forward and take their places in future business era.

As women are the future of economics as told by many economists, involvement of women in future startups can be improved by taking some initiatives by both the private and public sector. They can create incentives for individuals and organizations to invest in women owned companies through venture funds, corporate venture, private equity and social capital. Many steps are taken by the International Labour Organization for the progress of women such as The Women’s Entrepreneurship Development and Gender Equality project promotes women’s entrepreneurship and supports women entrepreneurs to create decent employment , achieve women’s empowerment and gender equality. There are many  schemes launched by Indian government also such as  The Women Entrepreneurship Platform, Bhartiya Mahila Bank to help young entrepreneurs financially to set up their business,  Dena Shakti Bank (opened specially for women entrepreneurs) and introduced new loans such as Shree Shakti Loan for women entreprene-urship. This data shows us that governments in many countries and even international organizations are expecting the upliftment of women in business.

It can be noticed though so many schemes and some financial help talented women with creative ideas are lagging behind in the business sector. There can be many reasons behind this such as illiteracy and poverty. Women with many brilliant ideas just stay far away from what they deserve because they are not aware of the help they can get from the government financially for their upliftment. Government should take up a step and inform the poor women about the ways they can use the government schemes for their better. Women are also not so welcome in the market and because of this they lose many opportunities, this needs to be changed. Also women should take the challenge and face everyone with full confidence.  There are many women in the business which are at top and running the unicorn companies, those women also started from very low level and reached upto the very heights.

Women are needed in the upcoming business era to improve the economy and for this they must be provided a better platform full of opportunities to prove themselves instead of putting them aside. Women are the future, they must have the same chance and many paths as there are for men. Women are needed to get aware about the schemes which can be useful and encourage themselves as well as other women to show themselves and their creativity to reach the level they really deserve. 

  -by

Sakshi and Yukta,

member WIB

Women’s safety in workplace

 

Image Source

The ILO Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 affirms that "all human beings, irrespective of race, creed or sex, have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, of economic security and equal opportunity and that discrimination constitutes a violation of rights enunciated by the Universal Declaration of Human rights." The aim of this Convention is to protect all persons against discrimination at work, and requires ratifying states to ensure protection against discrimination in employment and occupation on seven grounds, namely race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction and social origin, as well as other grounds prohibited in national legislation by governments after consultation with the representative employers’ and workers’ organizations.

Despite the international consensus and national-level commitments to eliminate discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity and treatment, various forms of discrimination continue to prevail in the world of work. One form of discrimination on the ground of sex that should be addressed within the requirement of the Convention is sexual harassment. 

According to International Labour Organization, "Sexual harassment refers to unwelcome sexual advances or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature which has the effect of unreasonably interfering with the individual’s work performance or creating a hostile, intimidating, abusive or offensive working environment."

Sexual harassment can be perpetrated against both women and men. However, the majority of cases of sexual harassment in the workplace are perpetrated by men against women as women often do not have equal status as men, lack power and are in more vulnerable and insecure positions. While it is difficult to quantify the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace due to the varying definitions and perceptions of sexual harassment and the reluctance of the  harassed to report their experiences, studies have revealed that sexual harassment at the workplace is a reality for a large number of women. 

Why does sexual harassment happen?

Image Source

Most sexual harassment is used by men against women as a display of power to intimidate, coerce, and degrade. Sexual harassment happens frequently in high pressure working environments and in workplaces where the stresses and challenges facing supervisors and managers are not always recognized or acknowledged. Sexual harassment has a serious and negative impact on women’s health and well-being. Women may experience physical injuries, fear, anxiety, embarrassment, and shame. 

 Women may blame themselves for the incident(s) and may feel that they are disgracing their family, and they are often frightened of it happening again. Victims of sexual harassment often do not flee reports because they are afraid of losing their jobs; afraid of Mobbing, bullying, and further victimization; or afraid that the report would not be taken seriously.

Types of Sexual Harassment at the workplace

 According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) there are two kinds of sexual harassment in the workplace: 

·      Quid pro quo sexual harassment 

This type of sexual harassment implies seeking sexual favours or making sexual advances in exchange for benefits at work. It includes instances when:

·      There are implicit or explicit requests or demands for unwelcome sexual activity as a term or condition of employment

·      Consent to or rejection of unwelcome sexually explicit behaviour or speech is made a condition for employment, or refusal to comply with a ‘request’ is met with retaliatory action such as dismissal, demotion, difficult work conditions.

·      Hostile Work Environment 

A hostile working environment involves uninvited and unwelcome conducts or behaviour whether they are physical, verbal, non-verbal or visual forms that create a work environment that makes it uncomfortable for a worker to be there. A hostile working environment is usually dependent on circumstances, frequency (repetitive misconduct rather than a single episode of misbehaviour), and severity.

 

The Sexual Harassment of Women (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 recognizes these types and forms of sexual harassment and states that if the following circumstances occur or are present concerning, or connected with any act or behaviour of sexual harassment may amount to sexual harassment at the workplace: 

• Implied or explicit promise of preferential treatment in her employment
• Implied or explicit threat of detrimental treatment in her employment
• Implied or explicit threat about her present or future employment status
• Interference with her work or creating an intimidating or offensive or hostile work environment for her
• Humiliating treatment likely to affect her health or safety.

 

Preventing Sexual Harassment

 

Image Source

In  India, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 deems it the duty of the employer, as well as other responsible persons in workplaces or institutions to “provide protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”. This implies that these individuals are responsible to: 

·      prevent or deter the commission of acts of sexual harassment within the workplace 

·      provide the procedures for the resolution, settlement or prosecution of acts of sexual harassment by taking all required steps.

The duties of an employer and/or the appropriate Government towards the prevention of Sexual harassment in the workplace have been explicitly laid down in the Act as follows:

• Provide a safe working environment at the workplace which shall include safety from third party (outsiders) coming into contact at the workplace
• Display penal consequences of sexual harassment
• Display information about the grievance handling mechanisms including about the Internal Committee 
• Organize workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals for sensitizing the employees with the provisions of the Act
• Organize orientation programmes for the members of the Internal Committee
• Treat sexual harassment as misconduct under the service rules and initiate action for such misconduct.

 Although maintaining a clear workplace anti-harassment Policy, establishing and maintaining an ICC, and raising awareness of the consequence of harassment are legal requirements, businesses can take an active role in preventing violence and promoting gender equality. For instance, one factory in Bengaluru successfully used a series of street plays, one-to-one interactions, experience sharing, and health camps to improve attitudes related to gender norms in the workplace and the workers’ Community.  

There needs to be an overhaul of the criminal justice system as well as a change in the values, morals and perception towards women in our society. The Act alone would not be able to combat the plague of sexual harassment, and it is up to us as a nation and society to bring the change from within to ensure that this menace is eradicated from society.

-by

Prabhneet Kaur

Member, WiB

Breaking Barriers: Women in Business

Image Source

 

“Women challenge the status quo because we are never it.”

A humdrum will stir with any mention of feminism today, tomorrow or even the day before. The maintenance of women suppressing traditions remains an affluent theme within the transitioning times. In spaces like these, women entering businesses dawn a crown of ‘breaking taboos’. With her work taken less, her achievements adorned when with the name of male subordinate, paid less for equal work we see the passive effects of patriarchy, gnawing at the roots of an autonomy that the world pressures women to ensue for now they are a ‘businesswoman’.

“A recent study showed that in India, measures to close the gender gap could lead to a 6.8 per cent gain in GDP. Another study estimated that advancing women’s equality in India could boost its GDP by $0.7 trillion in 2025 or 16 per cent as compared to the ‘business as usual’ scenario” (Korreck, 2019). Such staggering numbers not only discover the importance of women overlooking business but also the impedances as to how and why they have been amiss from the sector. “Across a broad spectrum of industries and occupations, women are segregated in the low-paid, low-prestige positions that men do not want” (Loscocco, Karyn A. & Robinson, Joyce,1991). Even immigration to small businesses is indebted with barriers. This is because the managerial and business skills that are fundamental to the sector require work experience which is absent to many of the women in society.

On an individual level, some women have strong entrepreneurial ambitions. Interestingly, several of the interview partners mentioned that they got inspired by male role models such as Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, or that they were introduced to the “startup world” by their male friends who are entrepreneurs. On an institutional level, the government has launched several schemes to augment the entrepreneurial motivations of women and there is a more noticeable political will to empower them. But however, looking beyond high individual and political aspirations and investigating the statistics of how many women actually own businesses shows a rather dismal scenario. The data from the Sixth Economic Census, which was conducted between January 2013 and April 2014, shows that out of 58.5 million businesses counted by that census, 8.05 million were owned by women, which corresponds to a rate of 13.76 per cent of women among the total number of entrepreneurs in India.

But now with the passage of time, women’s life has undergone a major transformation in recent times. The modern woman is no longer confined to the four walls of the house. Women are now realizing their worth in every way and are breaking the glass barrier in almost every field, be it technology, space, sports or armed forces. Almost every fifth woman is an entrepreneur – both in urban and rural areas.

Examples of famous businesswomen can include the name of the Co-founder of Menstrupedia: Aditi Gupta. She is one of the Indian women entrepreneurs who is an author and the co-founder of the comic Menstrupedia. Tired of the myths and misinformation that surrounded Menstruation she took it upon herself to make a change. She and her husband co-founded the comic in 2012. In 2014 she was listed on the Forbes India 30 under 30 list for Breaking Barriers: Women in Business her work towards breaking the taboo. Today, Menstrupedia has been used in more than 6,000 schools and has benefited more than 10,00,000 girls in over 14 languages. Aditi is a social woman entrepreneur in India working towards raising awareness about menstruation. She is a Ted Talk speaker and her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNBC and BBC.

Another example can include the name of Ashwini, the co-founded a cloud-based platform Mad Street Den. She has experience leading the mobile innovation team at Intel’s Interaction and Experience Research Lab in Silicon Valley. She has more than a decade’s worth of experience in Silicon Valley. This led to her interest in artificial intelligence. Thus, by utilizing the full potential of women,  entrepreneurs can promote innovation, economic growth, and job creation. Overcoming these barriers is a matter of grit and passion of individual women themselves, as well as tackling structural factors in the external environment, which they alone have limited control over.

-by

Prabhneet Kaur 

Shreya Rawat

Members, WiB

Role of women in the Healthcare Industry

 

Image Source

Women have dominated the market of health care consumers in the 21st century. Women are responsible for more than 80 per cent of purchasing and access decisions in the healthcare and medical sector which affect their health and those of their family members. Health care consumers are primarily focused on receiving timely and quality care for themselves and their dear ones. Improved health outcomes, quality of patient care and customer service directly impact client retention and patient referrals, thereby affecting the company’s/hospital's bottom line. Having more people in leadership attuned to clients’ needs, perspectives and experiences can translate into increased innovation and overall business opportunity. Health care companies should understand their workforce dynamics by maximizing their opportunities and increase women’s representation in senior leadership and management.


Whether it is the Covid or the pre-Covid time, women have always been leading the health response with 70% of the health care workforce being occupied by women. They have been serving on the frontlines against COVID-19. All these conditions expose them to a greater risk of infection.

Despite their dominance in the workforce, women are largely under-represented in the senior leadership ranks of the industry. Their participation in senior and executive leadership varies by country and region and is affected by whether they are working in the private or public sector. But this didn't demotivate them to fight against Covid.


In Congo, many women's cooperatives are helping the nation battle the pandemic. To encourage such women cooperatives the WHO Representation Office in the Congo partnered with the United Nations to make a donation in mask-making supplies to the Congo’s Ministry of Health as part of its promotion of health and the advancement of women’s work. The donation promotes and acknowledges the role women’s activities play in the fight against COVID-19.

In India also, almost all nurses are women, dealing with patients affected by Coronavirus. Not only nurses but Asha workers have also been working very hard in these covid times. One such example includes Sunita Rani, an accredited social health activist worker. Since March, Sunita has done 11 rounds of interviews among the 1,000 people under her care. She has walked up to five kilometers a day, telling people to stay home, documenting the elderly and the sick, monitoring for symptoms, checking on those who need medicine.“In the early days, there were no masks so I wrapped my face with my chunni,” she said.

When we think of front-line warriors, we tend to think of doctors and nurses, never about India’s grassroots health workers, the ones on the ground with links to their community, monitoring, checking, fighting a global enemy at great personal risk with little protection, less money and almost negligible acknowledgement.

Image Source

Although the health care sector is unique in that the global majority of workforce is comprised of women, the leadership positions are not proportional to this large worker base. Due to factors like occupational segregation and underlying conscious/ unconscious biases and power dynamics prevalent in the health care industry since long, women are more likely to be represented in roles that curb their career development and access to leadership or the power of decision-making. True that women are on the front lines of healthcare but on the flip side, several recurring issues surfaced regarding women’s opportunities to progress:

1. SOCIO-CULTURAL AND LEGAL BARRIERS and gendered norms, stereotypes regarding women’s occupational choices.

2. CONFLICT BETWEEN WORK AND FAMILY LIFE women given the “maternal identity” and the caretaker of household affairs.

3. SEXUAL HARASSMENT which is unfortunately rampant in the health care industry. We need more transparency, accountability, trust and action to overcome it.

4. OCCUPATIONAL SEGREGATION

5. UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AND THE IMPOSTOR SYNDROME where an overwhelming 71 per cent of women respondents cited ‘underselling skills’ followed by lack of confidence as the barrier.

6. LACK OF NETWORKS AND FEMALE LEADERSHIP ROLE MODELS because of which women find themselves the only ones in the room regardless of their status in the company.



Given the complexity and interconnectedness of various barriers to advancement, the following recommendations are suggested to approach the issues holistically:

1. INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION

2. ANALYSE TALENT MANAGEMENT DATA, ESTABLISH TARGETS AND DEVELOP A STRATEGY

3. IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE POLICIES AND ADDRESS SEXUAL HARASSMENT

4. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS AND NETWORKS

5. NOMINATE WOMEN TO COMPANY AND INDUSTRY BOARDS

6. ENSURE WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION

7. SUPPORT WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

-by

Shreyasi Saha Roy,

Mrigakshi

Members, WiB

Women and Sports: Women way-makers and their success trajectories!

Image Source

The latest statistical reports show that there has been a steady and constant increase in women athletes in all major sports events. The number of women athletes at the Olympic Games is approaching 50 per cent. Since 2012, women have participated in every Olympic sport at the Games. All the new sports to be included in the Games must contain women’s events.  Despite all this, researchers have looked into the proportion of coverage allotted to women’s sport by both print and broadcast media and found it to average about 4%. This abysmal level has been persistent – rarely reaching over 10%!

So why is this disparity between involvement and exposure? Women got the opportunity to be a part of the sports world much later than men, leading to people taking men's sport as the default. Following this, it's just a vicious cycle of less interest due to the newness leading to less coverage leading to less interest and so on.

There have been many who have tried and succeeded in breaking this cycle. Here are some inspired stories of successful women athletes because of whom there is an increasingly positive attitude and exposure among the society.

Bhakti Sharma

Bhakti Sharma – the “Mermaid” is the youngest and the first Asian woman to hold the world record for swimming in the water of Antarctica. She has been awarded ‘The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award’ for swimming 2.4 kilometres in 41.4 minutes in frigid water as cold as 1 degree Celsius.28-years-old Bhakti, belonging to the city of Udaipur, became the second and the youngest swimmer to swim in four oceans. The most inspiring thing about her is that she has been coached since the age of 2 by her mother Leela Sharma, who was a national medal-winning swimmer herself. Leela did not follow the parochial mentality of the society which made Bhakti achieve great height.

Swapna Barman

Swapna Barman, a woman in Heptathlon, did not have to leave her home to pursue her career or practice but her financial struggles did not make her life any easier. Born in a below poverty line family, Swapna's father was a van-puller but he lost his livelihood after he suffered a cerebral attack and it was difficult for Swapna's mother, who worked as a daily labourer at the tea gardens, to make ends meet. But, after her fantastic performance in Jakarta, things are looking slightly better for her as the state government has announced monetary rewards to aid her. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee called up Swapna's mother and congratulated her. She also announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakhs apart from an executive post in the government for the gutsy athlete.

Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla

Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla – “My self-confidence is not paralyzed” is an international Para Athlete who has won over 400 medals for India. When she was an infant, she suffered polio, for which she had to undergo various therapies and multiple surgeries. Her ortho treatment followed various shock therapies for her to regain her lost strength. Despite this, she has won 389 golds, 27 silvers and 5 bronzes at International and National events, most of them on a rented wheelchair. Still, at the age of 56, she is the fastest female Indian athlete in a wheelchair.

An interview quotes her saying “I don’t think I am a disabled person. Of course, I am one, physically, but that is just one part of my body. My self-confidence is not paralyzed”. She also adds that “I believe in reinventing myself and learning new things. The only disability in someone can be an Inferiority complex .”

Vismaya Velluva Koroth

Vismaya Velluva Koroth, Women’s 4x400m relay race, Gold winner in the 9th National Open Athletics Championship, is a daughter of a construction labourer. Vismaya Velluva Koroth was pivotal to India’s triumph in the 4x400m relay. She was the last runner and was up against Salwa Eid Naser – in her first international race, Vismaya pipped the Asian sprint queen and ensured India finished with their fifth straight gold medal in the event.

We have so few women sportspersons in our primary GK books. We witness an ample number of instances in athletics in which women aren’t given the recognition and money that they deserve, as a result, they feel left out and unattended. In regular T20 Cricket matches, there is a substantial amount of crowd during men’s matches but sadly in women’s match, there is an iota of spectators to cheer them up. There should be serious provisions made by both the Central and State governments to motivate more and more women to take part in sports. Our Indian Constitution lays down certain laws regarding the participation of women in sports but they haven’t been much widespread. Schools, at the grassroots, should persuade them to take active participation and conduct tournaments.

This is high time when society needs to continuously highlight the essential phrase “Women and sports.”

-by

Akshita Parihar

Member, WiB

Small Businesses in Covid world

 Image Source

As each drop on its own fills the vast ocean, similarly the small businesses- though neglected as of the margins for they are of just “another entrepreneurial or adventurous enterprise” or are of a “gambler’s gambit”- holds the key to unlocking the inherent economic power of India that else lies unmined in a rather inchoate state. This however also establishes the trend that while Indian economy is projected to shrink by 7 percent as per FY21, the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) (as per the credit rating agency) will be subsequently projected as to incur 1/5th loss in their revenues due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Now, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programme through $40 billion of  government-guaranteed loans are set to help small businesses or the “80 percent of the small business surveyed predicted they will survive and come out of it on the other side even if Covid worsens a bit” (Manoj Adlakha, SVP and Chief Executive Officer, American Express Banking Corp India told BusinessLine)  depicts an optimistic outlook however the reality does stand on the worrying figures of instability ahead.

 

In the Blueprint’s 2021 survey of 275 small and mid-sized business owners and managers based in the USA, only 6% reported a positive impact of COVID while 46% were moderately negatively impacted and the majority 48% were severely negatively impacted. Thus, 94% SMBs or small businesses in total detail of negative impacts, wherein majorly the restaurant, retail, legal, non-profit, and healthcare and medical services sectors were affected. It is also to be noted that 42 percent of small businesses in India for the same American Express survey hope to find consumer spending returning within the next three months. To stay “afloat” they “expect” the “consumer spending to return for their businesses” by the end of the year (Manoj Adlakha). This indicates that while in India an optimistic overview will be healthy however the prime focus will be the healthy entertainment of the consumer market. Moreover, the loans guaranteed by the government for the funding of SMBs also show inadequacies for they are not sufficient to save the MSMEs and may only imply a larger debt on the shoulders of the owners. The credit lines inherently also do not ensure that the bankers will lend loans to the SMBs and thus indicate that a rather timely aid would be of interest waivers on loans or of cutting of goods and service taxes.

 

All India Manufacturers’ Organisation survey in July of 2020 indicated that more than a third of small and medium enterprises said that their businesses were beyond any rescue. This is majorly because the SMB rely on a few months of cash flow and hence stand without much resource reserve to support the chain of goods and services that are interlinked via their business. To succinctly tackle the issue a subjugation to the digital world is a must. E-learning as a hub has recently built millions worth of turnover say by Vedantu or by Byjus in India which inadvertently stipulates the new rise of the internet consumer culture. A digital footing over the goods and services of SMBs would propose a fast track world and may reflect a future without a supply chain or say direct consumer end marketing. To prepare for this new future a financial plan that could acknowledge diversified revenue streams and meet new customers is required. Moreover, a better and newer understanding to meet the consumer market by either upskilling of employees or by using far-reaching mediums like social media to propagate business is important. Needless to say, human resources will always be an asset and while providing, comprehending and establishing the means to mould so to make a richer and healthier outlook for one’s own business one, as the manager or the owner of SMBs one should not neglect their physical, emotional and mental responsibilities as an individual and as a member of a community. Alas as the Covid19 has posed a crisis not only to the physical front but also at the financial front, the securing of SMBs presents as a priority to intercept.

-by

Shreya Rawat

Member,WiB

SOCIAL MEDIA: The most important facet of business today

 

                                                                        Image Source

Billions of people worldwide use social media. Most of these people cannot imagine their life without social media. The digital world, especially its fast-growing social media trends, is overwhelming. To bring real value and revenue to your business, you need to be able to reach people and social media is the easiest and the most cost-efficient, way to do so. There are billions of people out there waiting to hear about what you can offer as a business. Social media forms an essential part of a business’s marketing strategy. Its power is commendable as you get to reach a large number of people within seconds of posting an advertisement. It allows you to reach people locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally. If you are not applying this profitable source, you are missing out on a fantastic marketing opportunity, because it makes it easy to spread the word about your product and mission.

Your organization is solely responsible for distributing your message through most conventional (and even some online) marketing campaigns. Your flyers may be passed around, and an email newsletter may be forwarded once in a while, but these events do not occur often enough to have an effect on your campaigns. Sharing is encouraged through social media marketing, which can have a major effect on your business. Social platforms connect you with your customers as it makes it easier for the customers to find you and connect with you. Connecting with your customers boosts your sales and growth. It provides an excellent opportunity to establish customer service by gathering input, answering questions and listening to their feedback. It helps you in keeping up with this fast-pacing world, where trends change within seconds. Social media is relevant because it helps your followers to easily share your promotions and content with their friends. Even if they don't share your posts directly, they will promote you and drive traffic to your social media pages or website. This is immensely beneficial since most customers place a higher value on reviews from friends and family than from companies themselves. It is one of the most stress-free and profitable digital marketing platforms that can be used to increase your business visibility. It is possibly the most cost-effective way. Creating an account and signing up is free for almost all social networking platforms. Being cost-effective is important as it helps you attain a greater return on investment and hold a bigger budget for other marketing and business payments. Whatever industry you're in, social media gives you the chance to position yourself as a thought leader—the go-to source for information on topics important to your niche.

Image Source

It's been clear for a long time that social networking platforms are an integral part of our 21st-century lifestyle, and the prevalence of social media networks shows no signs of waning anytime soon. That means they'll continue to be an important piece of the puzzle if you want to develop the company in the months and years ahead. Different people use different social media platforms for different purposes, so deciding which sites are right for you and why your target audience is present on them is a vital part of learning how to use social media for business. Facebook is suitable for content with a higher degree of interaction and softer sells. Showing behind-the-scenes updates and the names and faces of the actual people behind your brand, as well as photographs and videos, works well. Instagram is another excellent spot to grow your business through engagement and brand awareness as opposed to outright sales. LinkedIn is an excellent place to get a little more sales-y while still delivering high-quality material. Pinterest is especially common among the arts and crafts community, wedding planners, and fashion designers, so if your company falls into one of those groups, marketing to Pinterest users might be a good idea. Twitter is a perfect place to share and comment on breaking news, as well as live-tweeting events and offering customer support. Working with influencers, developing affiliate partners, conducting giveaways and competitions, going live, using stories to promote your product and evolving through experimenting can prove social media to be an essential part of your business. If you're having trouble implementing a social media marketing plan, you can always employ an agency to assist you, and the gig economy allows you to hire specialist content creators such as graphic designers and filmmakers for one-time positions rather than hiring them on a permanent basis.

Remember, perseverance is key. There will be good days and bad days and the journey through social media is going to be a rollercoaster ride – so be prepared for ups, downs and flips too!

-by

Apoorva Singh

Member, WiB