Manisha Ahlawat, Managing Director, Vivafit Portugal in India since 2010 has seen the ups and downs in the market and has had the first-hand experience of all the struggles a woman entrepreneur goes through while building her women-only gym in Gurgaon.
Vivafit India aims to open 20 more Viva fits in North India in the next 1 year via the franchising model. Manisha says that “We are absolutely looking forward to expanding through only franchising. We have tried setting our own models and we have succeeded in that, and now we are ready to franchise.”
Here she shares the important marketing moves to enter a digital market:
The Authenticity of Your Products:
The market is loaded with products, which are promoted with made up advertisements and polished surfaces but in reality, they do not have the substance of their own, which is why being authentic and showing the real self is rare but important for brands to grow.
Manisha says, “I think today if you are on social media, you need to be very authentic. There are a lot of things made up, so we try to put up authentic content out there.”
Set Realistic Goals:
Running behind unrealistic targets and goals would lead to nowhere, ultimately the quality service you deliver is going to fetch you customers, which is why it is important to set realistic goals and take measurable steps to achieve them. Maintaining consistency growth is more beneficial to a brand than earning and losing it.
Manisha says, “Be very realistic and consistent, and also be present across all media, there are so many now.”
Social Media Presence:
Brands have to put their products and services on all the social media platforms available out there. The entire world is present online and is consuming the products and services they see all the time, if you miss it, you are gone from their mind.
Manisha says, “It is important now to be present from Facebook to Instagram to LinkedIn and keep pushing fresh content to keep the audience engaged and attract the costumers’ undivided attention.”
Be Interactive:
Being social media is not enough, let the audience participate in the conversation and get involved to know what more you can deliver to them or how you can make your service better. Interaction and mutual feedback is an important part of the business.
Manisha says, “Be more interactive with the audience and understand their needs and desires. It will keep them motivated and make them feel valued. Happy costumers are our ultimate objective of the business.”