Business Development

Social Media Marketing Tools: My Real Experience Using Them as a Marketer

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 18, 2026 | Business

Social media marketing tools are often promoted as ways to boost productivity, hack growth, and save time. After using them daily to manage brand pages, campaigns, and content calendars, I’ve realised that while these tools can simplify tasks, they also have limitations that are often overlooked.

Here’s my honest experience with the most common social media marketing tools: the good, the bad, and the lessons learned.

A. Content Creation Tools: Fast, Flexible, but Easy to Overdo

Tools like Canva and Adobe Express quickly became my daily go-tos. I appreciated how quickly I could create posts, stories, and ads in minutes rather than hours. The templates are a lifesaver when deadlines are tight, and the paid features help keep brand consistency with saved colours, fonts, and logos.

However, these tools can lead to a creative pitfall. Too many templates can make content repetitive, and it’s easy to overdo the designs. Early on, I focused more on looks than messaging, which hurt engagement. The tool worked great, but my approach didn’t.

Benefits:

– Fast design

– Beginner-friendly

– Great for brand consistency

Troubles:

– Risk of generic-looking content

– Creative overuse

B. Scheduling & Management Tools: Massive Time-Savers with a Catch

Using tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, and Sprout Social completely transformed how I managed content. Scheduling posts in advance helped me stay consistent, reduced daily stress, and allowed me to focus on strategy rather than constant reminders.

What I didn’t like was the false sense of security. I once scheduled posts weeks in advance and forgot to monitor real-time events, resulting in poorly timed content during a sensitive period. Another issue was platform limitations; some features, like trending audio or story stickers, still need manual posting.

Benefits:

– Consistency

– Better planning

– Centralised dashboards

Troubles:

– Context blindness

– Limited platform-native features

C. Analytics Tools: Eye-Opening but Sometimes Overwhelming

Analytics tools such as Instagram Insights, Sprout Social, and Google Analytics revealed how audiences behave, often in ways that differed from my assumptions. I liked how clearly they showed what content worked and which platforms delivered results.

The downside? Data overload. I tried to track everything and ended up understanding nothing. Another mistake was focusing on vanity metrics like likes instead of meaningful actions like saves, clicks, or conversions. Analytics tools are powerful, but only when you know which numbers are important.

Benefits:

– Clear performance tracking

– Data-backed decisions

Troubles:

– Too much data

– Risk of misinterpreting metrics

D. Paid Advertising Tools: Powerful, Precise, and Unforgiving

Using Meta Ads Manager and LinkedIn Ads was both exciting and nerve-wracking. I loved the targeting options, A/B testing, and budget control. These tools are great for expanding reach and generating leads.

What I didn’t like was how quickly mistakes could become costly. Poor targeting, weak creatives, or missing tracking setups led to wasted money. Paid tools don’t allow for experimentation without consequences—you pay to learn.

Benefits:

– High reach

– Precise targeting

– Measurable results

Troubles:

– Steep learning curve

– Budget loss if misused

E. Social Listening Tools: Useful but Often Underused

Tools like Brand24 and Mention helped me grasp conversations beyond my feed. I valued how they highlighted brand mentions and sentiment in real time.

The challenge? They require regular attention. Without active monitoring, insights might go unused. Additionally, for smaller brands, the cost may not always seem justified.

Benefits:

– Reputation tracking

– Customer insight

Troubles:

– Time-consuming

– Cost vs value concerns

Final Thoughts

As a social media marketer, I’ve learned that tools don’t make successful decisions; it’s the decisions themselves that matter. Free tools are surprisingly effective, paid tools offer value when used intentionally, and experience fills in gaps that no tool can. The key is balance: use tools to support strategy, not replace thought.

How WhatsApp Communities Are Managed?

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 13, 2026 | Business

Multiple WhatsApp communities for webinars can be managed smoothly when you treat them like a product launch: plan every touchpoint, pre-create content, and use scheduling tools to execute at scale. This article helps you structure your WhatsApp messaging schedule for any event (workshop, masterclass, mastermind). So stay till the end – you’ll get many resources throughout the blog.

Context and scale

For a recent AI-focused weekend workshop at IIDE, six WhatsApp communities were run in parallel with over 5,000 participants, all driven by a detailed message schedule mapped to the event agenda. The goal was to maximize live attendance by using reminders, nudges, and engagement prompts at specific times, rather than sending messages ad hoc.

Step 1: Designing the daily agenda

Before any copy is written, the full communication plan for each event day is drafted: what happens in the morning, pre-session, during the session, and post-session. This includes message types such as reminders, polls, FAQs, link drops, and feedback prompts, all aligned with the event flow and learning outcomes. The plan is shared with the program or marketing manager, who suggests edits to timing, tonality, and call-to-actions until there is a final “hour-by-hour” roadmap for the groups.

Step 2: Creating content in batches

Once the agenda is frozen, all content pieces for at least the next three days are drafted in a single pass so that execution never depends on last-minute writing. For each important message (e.g., a key reminder or poll), two to three variations are created so the team can select the version with the clearest copy and strongest hook. Visual creatives—session banners, countdown posts, or simple text-based graphics—are designed alongside the copy so every scheduled slot has both text and creative ready to go.

Step 3: Approval workflow with stakeholders

After drafting, all messages and creatives are collated (often in a sheet or document) and sent to the manager or core stakeholder for review. The reviewer checks for brand alignment, tone, accuracy of links and timings, and suggests minor edits or replacement of certain prompts based on their understanding of the target audience. Final approved messages are then locked in a “ready to schedule” section so the execution team does not have to re-open strategy questions during the live days.

Step 4: Scheduling messages across groups

Running six groups manually is error-prone, so a scheduling layer is essential to ensure that reminders and engagement prompts go out on time in all communities. A WhatsApp Web scheduling extension such as Blueticks allows teams to pre-schedule messages to multiple groups, set specific send times, and even create recurring reminders, which dramatically reduces the chance of missed or delayed communication. While some plans require the laptop to stay online, newer versions and paid tiers support sending even when the computer is off, which is helpful for early-morning or late-night reminders.

Ready to Download Spreadsheet with Pre-Made Messages:

Click here to download

Step 5: Handling reliability and technical issues

During early runs, common issues included unstable internet connections, formatting errors when copying from documents, and short-term WhatsApp restrictions linked to high-volume activity. To mitigate this, teams often keep backup internet options (like mobile hotspots), test formatting in a small internal group before scheduling, and gradually ramp up message volume to reduce the risk of being flagged as spam. Over time, some teams even started building internal tools or extensions on top of WhatsApp Web to manage custom replies, standard responses for FAQs, and more robust scheduling logic tailored to their event workflows.

Step 6: If a WhatsApp account gets temporarily blocked

WhatsApp can temporarily ban numbers if it detects suspicious or automated behaviour, especially when using unsupported third-party tools or sending high-frequency bulk messages. In such cases, the platform usually shows a countdown timer, after which access is restored automatically, though reviews or appeals can sometimes take up to 24 hours or more, depending on the situation. For business use, avoid unofficial apps, follow WhatsApp’s commerce and anti-spam policies, and, if needed, submit a review request via in-app support or Meta Business Support channels.

Step 7: Role of Meta-verified WhatsApp and multiple admins

Using a verified WhatsApp Business account (Meta Verified) can improve trust, message deliverability, and access to priority support when issues such as bans or delivery problems arise. It is also smart to maintain at least four to five admins across the different groups so that if one admin faces a temporary restriction, others can step in with the same scheduling tools and templates without disrupting the communication plan.

Step 8: Using templates and spreadsheets

Behind the scenes, a structured spreadsheet for each event weekend acts as the single source of truth, with columns for date, time, group name, message type, final copy, creative link, and scheduling status. This “message calendar” is especially useful when multiple community managers are involved, as it lets anyone see what is already scheduled, pending, and requiring manual intervention. You can offer this Excel template as a downloadable resource on your blog, so readers can adapt it to their own WhatsApp communities for webinars, bootcamps, or cohort-based courses.

Publer vs. Plann vs. The Rest: Which Social Media Scheduler is Right for Your Startup?

by Shreyas Karade | Dec 9, 2025 | Business

Choosing the right social media scheduling tool is a critical decision for any startup looking to scale its online presence efficiently. The market is saturated with options, each promising to save you time and boost engagement. We’re diving deep into two prominent contenders—Publer and Plann – and comparing them against the features of a typical, reliable platform to help your social media team make an informed choice.

The goal is simple: find the platform that offers the best blend of features, ease of use, and value for a fast-moving startup environment.

The Contenders: Publer, Plann, and the Generalist

Publer.com (formerly Publer.io) is positioned as a comprehensive, all-in-one management tool. It aims to cover every aspect of the social media workflow, from basic scheduling to advanced content recycling and team management.

Plann (Plannthat.com), on the other hand, is renowned for its visual-first approach, making it a favourite for brands that prioritise a cohesive and aesthetic Instagram feed. It markets itself as a complete strategy platform.

For the purpose of a balanced comparison, we will use the feature set of a reliable generalist platform (like Buffer or Later) as a baseline for comparison, focusing on the core needs of a startup.

Feature Showdown: A Comparison for Startup Teams

Feature	Publer.com (The All-in-One)	Plann (The Visual Strategist)	Generalist Platform (e.g., Buffer/Later)	Best For Startup Type
Core Scheduling	Multi-platform, Auto-scheduling, Bulk Scheduling	Multi-platform, Visual Drag-and-Drop Planner	Multi-platform, Simple Queue Management	All
Visual Planning	Content Calendar View	Excellent (Grid Preview, Aesthetic Planning)	Good (Basic Calendar View)	Instagram/Aesthetic-Focused
Content Recycling	Yes (Re-make and re-post old content)	Limited/Manual	Often requires higher-tier plans	Content-Heavy/Evergreen
Advanced Engagement	Yes (Schedule Follow-up Comments)	No	No (Typically only post scheduling)	Engagement-Focused/Link Sharing
Team Collaboration	Comprehensive (Workspaces, Approvals)	Good (Basic team roles)	Good (Standard team roles)	Agencies/Growing Teams
Unique Feature	OCR/Image-to-Text Converter, Link in Bio	AI Caption Generation, Stock Content Library	Analytics and Reporting Focus	Utility-Driven Teams

Publer’s Edge: Beyond Basic Scheduling

Publer distinguishes itself by offering powerful, utility-driven features that directly address common social media pain points, as highlighted in the initial draft:

1. Follow-up Comments: A standout feature is the ability to schedule follow-up comments for posts. This is invaluable for platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn where you want to post a call-to-action link or additional context immediately after the main post goes live, keeping the primary caption clean and focused.

2. Content Recycling and Re-making: For startups with evergreen content, Publer’s ability to recover and re-make old posts is a massive time-saver. Instead of manually recreating successful content, you can easily recycle it, ensuring your best-performing assets get maximum exposure.

3. Utility Integrations: The mention of an integrated Image-to-Text/PDF Converter suggests Publer is aiming to be a true workspace, reducing the need to jump between external tools for basic content preparation.

Plann’s Strength: The Visual Strategy

Plann is the clear winner for any startup whose primary focus is building a beautiful, cohesive brand on Instagram. Its drag-and-drop visual planner allows teams to see exactly how their feed will look before anything is published, ensuring brand consistency. For teams that live and breathe visual content, Plann offers a strategic advantage that goes beyond simple scheduling.

The Verdict: Picking Your Platform

The best tool for your startup depends entirely on your strategy:

Choose Publer.com if: Your team manages a high volume of content across many different platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.) and needs advanced features like content recycling, bulk scheduling, and follow-up comments. It’s the ideal choice for a growing team or a small agency managing multiple client accounts.

Choose Plann if: Your primary focus is Instagram and visual aesthetics. If your brand relies on a perfectly curated grid and you need a tool that integrates content strategy directly into the scheduling process, Plann is unmatched.

Choose a Generalist (Buffer/Later) if: Your needs are simple, your budget is tight, and you only require reliable, basic scheduling and publishing to a few key platforms.

Ultimately, Publer’s comprehensive feature set – especially its unique utility tools and robust team features – makes it a compelling, all-in-one solution for startups that are ready to move beyond basic scheduling and embrace a more automated, multi-platform content strategy.

Is Having A Booth During SARCathon – IIT Powai Worth It?

by Shreyas Karade | Nov 4, 2025 | Business

For the 1st time I’m trying this audio blog that’ll be used in almost of my future blogs – that’ll help you listen to this detailed article

Introduction

The IIT Powai SARCathon was more than just an event—it was a hub of innovation, networking, and brand engagement. For brands looking to connect with Gen Z and student communities, such events offer a unique opportunity to build visibility and trust. Here’s a detailed walkthrough of our experience at the Sarcathon, what worked, and key takeaways for brand managers.

Event Overview

Venue: IIT Powai, SOM Building
Occasion: SARCathon + Alumni Meet
Audience: IIT alumni, professors, students (first-year, second-year), school students, and general visitors
Stalls: 10 stalls in total, primarily food and beverage brands

Our stall stood out by offering exclusive deals for IIT students, gifting options, and interactive engagement through the GenZDealZ App.

Pre-Event Challenges

Gate Pass Issues: No gate pass was ready when we arrived at 11:30 AM, which delayed setup.
Weather: Heavy monsoon made logistics tricky.
Stall Relocation: We had to shift our stall three times due to lighting and space constraints.
Materials: Carrying standees, banners, and marketing kits through security was a challenge.

Pro Tip for Brands:
Always confirm stall number, building name, and gate pass details in advance to avoid last-minute chaos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DQlqYC5Amg8/

Here’s a short reel of the event

Engagement Highlights

Student Influencer Support: Vidit from Pillai College helped amplify our initiatives.
Audience Interaction:
- IIT students showed interest not just in deals but also in understanding our backend business model.
- School students and parents engaged with curiosity about entrepreneurship.
Giveaways: Distributed 200 smiley balls:
- 70% IIT crowd
- 10% professors and parents
- 20% school students and general visitors

Operational Insights for Brand Managers

Essential Materials: Carry tapes, gum, and extra lighting for banners and standees.
Volunteer Support: Have at least one college volunteer to direct traffic to your stall.
Peak Hours:
- Opening time
- Lunch hours
- Evening (5 PM – 7 PM)
Food Strategy: Pack your own meal—monsoon limits options to expensive, less nutritious food.
Team Presence: Ensure your team is active during peak footfall hours.

Social Media Strategy

Capture high-quality photos and videos when VIPs or seniors visit.
Record authentic student conversations and problem statements.
Offer tangible gifts (smiley balls, vouchers) to create shareable moments.
Edit content professionally for targeted platforms.

Performance Metrics

Set clear goals: App downloads, website visits, or lead captures.
Align team efforts around these targets for measurable success.

Key Takeaways

Pay volunteers well—they drive engagement during peak hours.
If footfall drops after 5 PM, wrap up early and focus on the next event.
Always plan for contingencies like weather and stall changes.

Final Thoughts

Events likeSARCathon are not just about visibility—they’re about creating meaningful connections with students and alumni. For brands, the key lies in planning, adaptability, and authentic engagement

Which Laptop Works Best for Digital Marketers in 2025? (Expert Guide)

by Shreyas Karade | Oct 26, 2025 | Business

The digital marketing landscape in 2025 demands speed, power, and adaptability. With AI tools, automation workflows, and creative software becoming central to every marketer’s workflow, choosing the right laptop is more crucial than ever. Whether you’re running multi-channel campaigns, designing creatives, or managing analytics dashboards, your laptop needs to keep up.

Below is a practical guide on choosing the best laptop for digital marketers—covering beginners, professionals, accessories, repairs, and buying tips.

1. Understanding Your Role as a Digital Marketer

Before buying, assess your stage in the digital marketing journey:

Beginner: Focus on cost-effectiveness and durability.
Intermediate: Prioritize multitasking and portability.
Professional: Go for high performance, advanced GPU, and long battery life.

2. Best Laptops for Digital Marketing Beginners (2025)

New digital marketers can start with mid-range laptops offering stable performance and value for money.

Recommended Specs:

Processor: Intel i5 / AMD Ryzen 5 (minimum)
RAM: 16GB for smooth multitasking
Storage: SSD (512GB+)
Graphics: Dedicated GPU (NVIDIA GTX or Apple M-series GPU)
Battery: At least 8 hours
Display: Full HD (1920×1080) minimum

Brand	Model	Key Features	Price Range (Approx.)
HP	Envy 14	i5, 16GB RAM, lightweight	₹70,000 – ₹80,000
Dell	Inspiron 15	Balanced power for marketing tasks	₹65,000 – ₹75,000
ASUS	ZenBook 14	Great battery and portability	₹75,000 – ₹85,000
Apple	MacBook Air (M2)	Ideal for light design & automation	₹95,000 – ₹1,10,000

3. Best Laptops for Professional Digital Marketers (2025)

Experienced digital marketers handle AI automation, high-end design, and data-heavy work. These users should invest in high-performance laptops.

Recommended Models:

MacBook Pro (M3, 2025 Edition): Industry favorite for marketing pros.
- Exceptional battery life (up to 20 hours).
- Optimized for Adobe Suite, Final Cut Pro, and automation workflows.
- Excellent heat management and long-term durability.
Dell XPS 15 (2025):
- Ideal for video editing and analytics.
- Sharp 4K display and robust GPU for design work.
ASUS ProArt StudioBook:
- Tailored for design-heavy users and creative professionals.
- Excellent performance-to-price ratio.

4. Getting the Most from Your Mac

When purchasing a Mac, request a Technical SPOC (Single Point of Contact) from the Apple Store.
They’ll:

Explain ideal configurations for your use case.
Offer training on optimizing performance.
Provide fast, reliable support if issues arise.

Once you start using macOS, you’ll experience smoother workflows, better battery optimization, and tighter software integration for tools like Canva, Figma, and HubSpot.

5. Common Accessory Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid wasting money on unnecessary add-ons.

Don’ts:

Don’t buy thick or heavy laptop cases. They trap heat and can damage screen sensors.
Don’t purchase extra mice—Apple’s trackpad or Windows Precision Touchpad is efficient enough.

Do’s:

Do get a screen guard, keyboard protector, and trackpad cover to prevent dust buildup.

6. Is AppleCare Worth It for Digital Marketers?

Yes. If you use your Mac 12–15 hours daily, AppleCare is a must.

Why:

Regular heavy use causes battery wear, haptic pad malfunction, and screen sensor degradation.
Apple repairs are expensive (diagnosis alone costs ₹3,000+ in India).

Tip: Opt for 2-year AppleCare+ for long-term peace of mind. The first year rarely has issues, but the second year can bring wear-related problems.

7. Student Discounts on MacBooks (2025 Update)

Students can claim up to 5%–10% discounts on Apple products through:

Apple Education Store
UNiDAYS, StudentBeans, or GenZDealZ.ai

Requirements:

Valid student ID
Fee receipt
Personal details

You can even use a family member’s college credentials (as long as they’re verified).

Note:
Apple won’t apply discounts if you use EMI or finance through HDFC/Bajaj.

8. Best Time to Buy a MacBook (India 2025)

Top Seasons for Discounts:

Festive sales: Diwali, Independence Day, or Republic Day.
Online clearance events: Amazon & Flipkart Apple Days.
Education months (June–August): Student deals and free accessories.

Pro Tip:
Combine bank offers with verified brand vouchers from platforms like GenZDealZ.ai or UNiDAYS to maximize savings.

9. MacBook Repair Costs and When to Replace

Service	Cost Range (₹)
Basic Diagnosis	3,000 – 5,000
Battery Replacement	12,000 – 18,000
Trackpad/Haptic Repair	15,000 – 25,000
Screen Replacement	25,000 – 40,000

Recommendation:
If total repair costs exceed 40% of your laptop’s resale value, sell it on Cashify.in or Quikr and upgrade.
Example: The author sold an old MacBook for ₹7,100 with screen and battery damage.

10. Financing Options for Digital Marketers

If your budget is tight, you can:

Buy on EMI and pay with freelance or agency project earnings.
Improve your CIBIL score by making timely payments.
Choose 0% EMI plans on select cards during Apple sale events.

11. Key Takeaways

Level	Recommended Laptop	Price Range	Priority Feature
Beginner	HP Envy / Dell Inspiron	₹65K–₹80K	Balanced performance
Intermediate	MacBook Air M2	₹95K–₹1.1L	Lightweight, stable
Professional	MacBook Pro M3	₹1.7L+	Performance & durability

12. FAQs

1. Which is better for digital marketing — Mac or Windows?
Mac offers better design, reliability, and battery life. Windows laptops provide better customization and affordability.

2. Is 8GB RAM enough for digital marketing?
Minimum is 16GB for smooth multitasking, especially with Chrome, Canva, and automation tools.

3. Do I need a dedicated GPU as a marketer?
Yes, for video editing, design tools, and running AI automation workflows.

4. Can I run Adobe Suite smoothly on MacBook Air?
Yes, M2 and later chips handle Adobe apps efficiently for non-4K projects.

5. Should I buy refurbished MacBooks?
Only from verified Apple Refurbished Stores with warranty.

6. What are the must-have software tools for digital marketers?
Google Analytics, Canva, Notion, ChatGPT, Mailchimp, and Adobe Creative Suite.

Conclusion

Choosing the right laptop in 2025 depends on your professional level and workload intensity.
Beginners can start with solid mid-range devices, while advanced marketers will find the MacBook Pro M3 unmatched in performance, reliability, and ecosystem integration. Always factor in long-term costs like repairs, AppleCare, and accessories.

Invest once, optimize forever.

Is WhatsApp Status Boost Real? How Our Ad Became Top Performing?

by Shreyas Karade | Oct 24, 2025 | Business

In today’s hyper-connected world, WhatsApp has evolved beyond a simple messaging platform. With over 2 billion active users, it’s now a powerful marketing tool for brands and campuses seeking direct engagement with their audiences. One underrated yet highly effective feature is WhatsApp Status Boost—a feature that delivers real, measurable results.

WhatsApp Boost report at IHM Gurukul

Recently, Chef Dheeraj Bhandari, founder of Billionaire Chef Media Pvt. Ltd., tested this strategy while promoting hospitality career services under the IHM Gurukul brand. The results were remarkable, proving that WhatsApp Status Boost isn’t just a feature—it’s a conversion engine.

WhatsApp Boost report at IHM Gurukul

Case Study: IHM Gurukul x Billionaire Chef Media

When we set out to test the WhatsApp Status Boost feature, the goal was simple: increase awareness, drive engagement, and generate real inquiries. Partnering with Chef Dheeraj Bhandari, we implemented this feature to promote multiple offerings.

Services Promoted:

Resume & Cover Letter Services – Specializing in international resumes and customized cover letters tailored for chefs and hospitality professionals.
ChefDhundo.com Launch – A platform built to host the largest collection of chef resumes worldwide. Chefs could easily submit resumes and connect with employers.
Hospitality Ebooks & Programs – Targeted campaigns to promote educational content and training opportunities for hospitality aspirants.

Each of these promotions leveraged WhatsApp Status Boost to reach the right audience with minimal effort.

How We Discovered the WhatsApp Status Boost Feature

Initially, the WhatsApp Boost option appeared similar to traditional Meta Ads, but upon closer testing, we realized its potential is far greater. Unlike standard ads that run across Facebook or Instagram, WhatsApp’s boosted status is personalized and high-touch.

Here’s what happens when you use WhatsApp Status Boost:

Your boosted story appears on Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, and WhatsApp Status simultaneously.
Interested users can message you directly on WhatsApp, providing verified contact numbers.
Once users interact or save your contact, they continue seeing your future WhatsApp updates—creating an ongoing remarketing loop.

This combination of personalization and persistence creates a relationship-based marketing funnel, rather than a one-time impression.

Real Results: What We Achieved

To maximize engagement, we took a bold step: we made our resume and cover letter services completely free of costfor the initial phase. The goal was to attract both candidates and employers and build momentum for ChefDhundo.com.

Outcomes:

A significant spike in resume submissions on ChefDhundo.com
Direct inquiries from hospitality business owners seeking staff
Increased visibility for Chef Dheeraj’s video content and short-form media
Stronger remarketing opportunities through future WhatsApp broadcasts

The trust factor played a crucial role here. With Chef Dheeraj’s established presence and daily video content, the audience was already familiar with the brand, making engagement frictionless.

Why WhatsApp Status Boost Works for Brand & Campus Engagement

Direct Audience Access – Messages land straight into users’ WhatsApp inboxes, not just social feeds.
Verified Contacts – Every response comes from a real WhatsApp-registered number.
Cost-Effective Reach – Lower spend compared to traditional Meta Ads while maintaining high relevance.
Remarketing Made Easy – Once users save your contact, they remain connected for future promotions.
Cross-Platform Visibility – Simultaneous display across WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

For campus engagement, especially in education or hospitality sectors, this approach ensures your message doesn’t get lost in digital noise. It builds genuine relationships with students, alumni, and industry professionals.

Strategic Insights from the Experiment

Offer Value First: Providing free or high-value services initially builds trust and accelerates visibility.
Leverage Existing Content: If your brand already produces video content, tie it into your boosted status campaigns for stronger recall.
Optimize for Retention: Encourage users to save your contact for future updates and offers.
Analyze & Iterate: Monitor metrics such as link clicks, direct messages, and conversion rates to refine your next campaign.

The Bigger Picture: Future of WhatsApp Marketing

The WhatsApp Status Boost feature has opened new doors for direct marketing. As brands and campuses look for authentic ways to connect, WhatsApp offers a rare combination of reach, intimacy, and continuity.

For educational institutions like IHM Gurukul, or for career platforms such as ChefDhundo.com, this means creating engagement that doesn’t feel like advertising—it feels like a conversation.

FAQs

Q1: What is WhatsApp Status Boost?
It’s a Meta-integrated ad feature allowing brands to promote their WhatsApp status across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp simultaneously.

Q2: Is WhatsApp Status Boost different from Meta Ads?
Yes. It’s more personalized. Messages lead directly to your WhatsApp chat, allowing instant communication with verified users.

Q3: Can small brands or campuses use this feature?
Absolutely. It’s affordable and scalable, making it ideal for startups, institutions, and local brands.

Q4: What kind of content works best?
Short, visually appealing videos or clear call-to-action graphics perform best.

Q5: Is remarketing possible through WhatsApp?
Yes. Once users save your contact, you can re-engage them via status updates or broadcast messages.

Q6: How can campuses use this for student outreach?
They can promote admissions, webinars, and placement drives directly through personalized WhatsApp messages.

Conclusion

The WhatsApp Status Boost feature isn’t a myth—it’s a measurable, proven marketing tool. For brands and campuses seeking genuine engagement, it bridges the gap between digital advertising and human connection.

The success story of IHM Gurukul, Chef Dheeraj Bhandari, and ChefDhundo.com is proof that with the right strategy, WhatsApp can be your most powerful growth channel.

📢 Next Steps:

Try your own WhatsApp Status Boost campaign.
Visit ChefDhundo.com to explore opportunities.

How Brands Can Engage and Partner with PAN India Campuses?

by Shreyas Karade | Oct 13, 2025 | Business

College festivals, competitions, and cultural activities offer brands a powerful platform to connect with young, dynamic audiences. Sponsorships not only help brands gain visibility but also create lasting engagement with students through relevant and meaningful contributions. Below are some innovative ways brands can actively participate in and sponsor college events.

Akshay Shah (Founder & CEO of GenZDealZ.ai) Judging Thadomal Shahani College of Engineering Mumbai judging Codestorm

Judging the Competition

One of the most impactful contributions a brand can make is by providing qualified judges for competitions. This ensures professional, unbiased evaluations and adds credibility to the event.

Example: Recently, Akshay Shah was invited as a judge for CODE Storm at Thadomal Shahani College of Engineering. He reviewed the problem statements, picked the winning team, and infused industry knowledge into the judging process.

Sponsorship Opportunities:

Distribute brand vouchers to participants.
Secure speaking slots (e.g., a 10-minute brand/business pitch to the audience).
Build future collaborations with colleges for annual fests or recurring involvement.

Winner Prize Distribution

Brands can amplify their presence by sponsoring attractive prizes for winners. This not only motivates participants but ensures direct brand association with success and achievement.

Example: GenZDealZ.ai partnered as a rewarding sponsor, offering subscription vouchers tailored to the winners’ rankings. For instance, top 3 winners received premium vouchers, while runner-ups were given smaller but high-value rewards.

Sponsorship Opportunities:

Gift cards, digital vouchers, or premium subscriptions.
Tiered rewards based on performance levels.
Branding on prize certificates or announcement banners.

Digital Standee & Firewall Placements

Brands can opt for strategic visibility by booking digital standee space or firewall sections on a college’s admission or fee portal. These pop-ups, integrated with QR codes, make it seamless for students to access brand platforms.

Advantages:

QR code-enabled standees drive instant engagement.
Firewalls redirect new students via UTM tracking to brand websites.
Access to a wider audience, including alumni, through promotional emails sent to college mailing lists.

In the absence of digital infrastructure, brands can place physical standees at high-footfall spots on campus to draw attention from students.

Fest Stall Sponsorship

Setting up a branded stall during college fests creates direct interaction with students across undergraduate and postgraduate levels. With engaging activities, brands can foster curiosity and build loyalty.

Sponsorship Opportunities:

Collaborate with the college fest committee to design fun games and activities.
Offer instant rewards for participation to drive footfall on Day 1.
Use volunteers to create excitement and assist visitors with brand information.

Interactive stalls become experiential touchpoints that transform casual fest attendees into active brand participants.

By combining credibility (judging), aspiration (winnerprizes), visibility (digital/physical presence), and engagement (fest stalls), brands can create a multifaceted sponsorship strategy that resonates with students and builds long-term goodwill on campus.

Wol3D WA Campaign

by Shreyas Karade | Sep 27, 2025 | Business

We recently executed a WhatsApp Blast campaign for Wol3D, a ready-printing machine brand listed on the NSE. As part of this initiative, we collaborated with 15 colleges across Pan India to launch the pilot phase of the campaign.

The main objective of this WhatsApp activation was to amplify sales within a 3-day window, leveraging students and campus communities for higher brand visibility and engagement. This was the starting step toward a much larger nationwide campaign.

Campaign Highlights

Target Group: Students across 15 colleges in India
Duration: 3 days
Execution Mode: WhatsApp Blast
Goal: Increase awareness and boost short-term sales through direct campus outreach

Screenshots, performance stats, and response details for each participating college have been documented and reviewed with the brand.

Key Learnings

While the campaign served as an effective pilot, a few areas for improvement were identified:

Timely Submission of Proof: The client requires screenshots and proof of execution on time. Any delay (even by a day) disrupts reporting and impacts campaign credibility.
Influencer Management: It is critical to have backup influencers and groups in place. Since the campaign coincided with student exam schedules, some participants were unavailable, affecting execution flow.
Operational Preparedness: Our team must ensure pre-validation of evidence and smooth execution at scale, especially when multiple campuses are covered simultaneously.

Next Steps

Building on this pilot, the upcoming campaigns will be scaled to 300–400 campuses Pan India.Unlike this initial sales-driven push, future campaigns will focus on:

Wider Engagement: Beyond product sales, campaigns will integrate interactive AR elementsand higher student participation formats.
Skill Development Tie-ins: Planned collaborations include certificate-based workshops and training modules linked with Wol3D’s offerings.
Enhanced Tracking: A streamlined system for proof submission, influencer backups, and engagement measurement will be implemented.

This campaign marks the beginning of a strategic partnership with Wol3D, where student-driven outreach will evolve from basic blasts to immersive, large-scale activations across India’s higher education ecosystem

How Effective Are LinkedIn Ads for Finance Training Promotions?

by Shreyas Karade | Sep 26, 2025 | Business

Recently, our team experimented with a LinkedIn campaign to promote the NISM XIII Common Derivatives LIVE Webinar. The goal was simple: drive registrations from finance professionals, build credibility in the Securities Investment Fund (SIF) training space, and ultimately expand our live training batches.

Our LinkedIn Ad Approach

We designed the campaign in two phases:

Static Creative Ads – These directed users straight to the registration page. While straightforward, this format gave us limited engagement.
Video Reels Ads – Once we switched to short video ads in reel format, engagement significantly improved, even with a slightly higher budget.

The real success came from the video campaigns, which drove stronger visibility and better brand connections overall.

Campaign Performance & Insights

Registrations from webinar ads: ~30 total attendees
Static Ads (Display): High CPM (> INR 100) with very few registrations
Video Ads: CPM around INR 146 but generated 20 registrations alone
Indirect Benefits:
- Boosted LinkedIn followers
- Enhanced brand image and awareness
- Increased website and app visits
- Premium LinkedIn insights for better strategy building

Clearly, video-based storytelling resonated much better with our target audience compared to static ads.

Linkedin organic marketing for Finance educators

Organic + Paid Growth Strategy

Another key learning: running LinkedIn ads alongside consistent organic content helps tremendously. When a LinkedIn page is active with relevant updates, success stories, and industry insights, paid ads act as reinforcement rather than isolated efforts.

Additionally, integrating offline corporate training and classroom sessions further accelerates engagement, as professionals prefer trainers with a strong presence both online and in-person.

Participant Testimonials

Some of the learners shared valuable feedback after completing NISM XIII with us:

Arun Gopi – “I cleared the NISM XIII Common Derivatives exam with ease, thanks to Sheetal Kunder Ma’am’s question banks, videos, and simplified concepts. Having tried mocks on other platforms, I found this the most affordable and comprehensive with valuable video-based learning.”
Rakesh Kumar – “I attended the 2-day SIF training by Ms. Sheetal Kunder in New Delhi. She made the toughest derivative concepts very easy to understand. I truly admire her teaching style and look forward to more sessions. Wishing her the best for future programs.”

These testimonials not only validate the training methodology but also strengthen credibility within the finance professional community.

Multi-Channel Marketing Efforts

Our outreach wasn’t limited to LinkedIn. We backed the campaign with:

Email and SMS reminders
Consent notifications and community updates
Google announcements
Social media and app-based posts

This multi-channel follow-up maximized conversions and kept registrants engaged until the webinar.

Final Takeaways

LinkedIn ads proved a powerful marketing lever for finance professional training promotions. Despite higher CPMs for video ads, the improved engagement, registrations, and brand awareness make it worth the investment.

As we move forward, we plan to continue blending LinkedIn ads with organic presence and offline touchpoints to grow our NISM XIII Common Derivatives LIVE training and position ourselves as pioneers in the SIF & Derivatives education domain in India.

How To Arrange A Free Meditation Bootcamp for Campus Students?

by Shreyas Karade | Sep 7, 2025 | Business

Stress, deadlines, and the constant buzz of notifications—college life can often feel overwhelming. Introducing psychology sttudents to meditation at the right stage not only helps them cope with stress but also equips them with mindfulness practices that stay with them for life. One powerful way to do this is through a meditation bootcamp on campus.

Recently we had arranged a meditation seminar for psychology students under the social activity agenda. We picked the nearest meditation centre at our college to conduct this.

How everything under this is managed well is described in this blog

Why This Meditation Bootcamp Was Arranged?

– Apart from the social activity credits, it was for exposing the first year psychology students to actual spiritual experiences that college can’t deliver in classrooms

– Testing this meditation centre of how much effective their exercises are that can heal sutdent’s mental health issues. Accordingly more sessions can be arranged in future for other dept.

Step-by-Step Planning of the Meditation Bootcamp

Here’s how the entire event was structured:

1. Partnering with the Right Organisation

The first step was securing the support of a social organization that specializes in mindfulness and meditation workshops. This was possible because of Vidit Kamble (Head of Management Association – Pillai College – My Dearest Friend too) — who made it easier to collaborate.

2. Setting the Date and Time

A fixed date and time slot ensured smooth scheduling. The program was designed to fit into the academic calendar without clashing with regular classes or examinations.

3. Planning the Structure of the Session

The bootcamp included:

A brain exercise to energize participants.
A guided meditation session focusing on mindfulness practices.
Interactive experiences, where students reflected on how they felt during and after the session.

maslows game conducted at Meditation bootcamp for Psychology students of Pillai College

A series of games conducted by Aarav Gupta (TY BBA Digital Marketing student) on 1-on-1 basis and driving the entire seminar after the 2nd half

This flow ensured students weren’t just listening passively but actively participating.

4. Coordination and Formalities

To make the event successful, several backend steps were taken:

Consultation with organisers to agree on logistics and arrangements.
Clear communication with students about what they needed to bring (mostly just themselves, comfortable clothing, and an open mind!).
Flyer distribution across campus to spread awareness.
Psychology student involvement, as they co-facilitated and observed the session as part of their curriculum.
Acknowledgement letters and faculty coordination, ensuring the management and professors were aligned, while also collecting structured feedback for future improvements.

Outcomes and Feedback

The response from students, especially first-years, was overwhelmingly positive. Many shared that it was their first time experiencing meditation and found it refreshing compared to conventional lectures. Faculty appreciated the experiential approach, noting how it added real value to classroom learning.

Key Takeaways for Organising Your Own Bootcamp

Leverage networks – Personal connections with NGOs or organizations can ease collaboration.
Blend theory with practice – Let students experience mindfulness, not just study it.
Keep logistics simple – Focus on creating a calm environment; avoid overcomplications.
Include faculties and managers – Their involvement ensures credibility and long-term continuity.
Gather feedback – It makes the next event better and validates the initiative.

Conclusion

A meditation bootcamp doesn’t just offer a break from routine; it plants the seed of mindfulness in young minds. With careful planning, teamwork, and the right support, campuses can create deeply enriching experiences for their students.

If you’re considering organizing one in your institution, take inspiration from this model and start small—the impact can be truly transformative.

Kumbhathon Startup Festival – GenZDealZ.ai Pitch at RIIDL

by Shreyas Karade | Aug 14, 2025 | Business

Event Overview: A Day of Purposeful Networking

Morning Kickoff

The festival commenced bright and early with a networking breakfast, immediately setting the tone for a day filled with meaningful connections. Networking was clearly woven into every aspect of the day’s schedule, enabling spontaneous and productive conversations with fellow entrepreneurs.

Core Focus: Kumbh-Ready Startups

A significant portion of the festival was dedicated to preparing startups to be “Kumbh-ready”through:

Specialized sessions helping entrepreneurs understand specific challenges and opportunities of Kumbh Mela Nashik 2027
Investor confidence-building initiatives
Sector-specific preparation for tangible contributions

Partnership Opportunities and Collaborations

New Connections Made

Throughout the day, we engaged with several promising startups interested in collaboration:

Key Partnerships Explored:

Khana Anywhere – Food delivery solutions
WhoVR – Virtual reality experiences
Healthcare Startups – Various health-focused ventures

Collaborative Initiatives

Platform Listings: Multiple startups expressed interest in listing their brands on our platform
API Exchanges: Successful negotiations for API deals with Khana Anywhere, WhoVR, and healthcare partners
Campus Activities: Discussions around joint campus engagement initiatives

Student Engagement: The Next Generation of Innovators

Somaiya School Interaction

One of the most rewarding aspects of our participation was engaging with students from Somaiya School:

Highlights of Student Engagement:

Infectious Curiosity: Students demonstrated genuine interest in our app and its functionality
Thoughtful Questions: Inquiries about our curated deals and business model
Knowledge Sharing: Distribution of our one-pager and informational cards
Future Potential: Recognition of these students as brilliant minds in the making

“Their genuine interest was more engaging than any other startup interaction we had.”

Pitching Session and Learning Opportunities

Three-Minute Showcase Format

The day culminated in an intensive pitching session featuring:

Selected Startups: Curated group of promising ventures
Detailed Presentations: Comprehensive business deck showcases
Interactive Q&A: Follow-up discussions and feedback sessions
Peer Learning: Valuable insights into different approaches and strategies

Keynote Insights: Vision for the Future

Leadership Perspective

Mr. Kaustubh Dhavse, Chief Advisor to the Maharashtra CM, delivered inspiring insights covering:

Key Topics Addressed:

Personal entrepreneurial journey and experiences
Maharashtra’s educational initiatives and startup ecosystem
State startup funding allocations and opportunities
Comprehensive planning for Kumbh Mela Nashik 2027
Regional startup ecosystem development

His presentation offered a macro perspective on the startup landscape and government support infrastructure.

Content Creation and Documentation

Digital Footprint

We ensured comprehensive documentation of our experience:

Photography: Professional event coverage
Video Content: Instagram-ready reels and stories
Social Media: Real-time updates and engagement

Event Organization and Acknowledgments

Exceptional Leadership

Special recognition goes to Mr. Rishabh Voha, founder of Kumbhathon, for his excellent organization and vision in creating this unique platform for startup collaboration and innovation.

Conclusion: Looking Forward

The Kumbhathon Startup Festival 2025 proved to be a masterclass in:

Strategic Networking
Collaborative Learning
Community Building
Innovation Showcase

This experience has energized our team and reinforced our excitement about the future of GenZDealZ.ai. The partnerships and connections forged during this event promise to drive significant growth and innovation in our journey ahead.

We look forward to continuing these collaborations and contributing to the vibrant startup ecosystem preparing for Kumbh Mela Nashik 2027.

How Any Brand Can Host Free Seminars In Campuses?

by Shreyas Karade | Jul 30, 2025 | Business

How you can introduce any brand to get s foot in the door and make your college events more fruitful

Recently we conducted a seminar by bringing Inifheal to the campus and in this blog I’ll laid down the exact process which we gone through

Infiheal Seminar at Pillai College New Panvel by BBA Digital Marketing students

During the 1st meet of Infiheal to the Vice Principal we made their psychology head pitch their solution in the front

The conversation went around what’s Infiheal, what it can bring to the colleges and for whom mental health is really useful, etc.

However the community coordinator didn’t able to pitch the pricing well and VP told that you would be able to take a free seminar for the psychological students and then we can see how do we conduct for faculties and other batches

We got the permission and discussion finalised with the psychology head

She showed a green signal in goidn aheed in the 1st week of July as till then FY students would also enter into the campus

Infiheal Seminar at Pillai College New Panvel by BBA Digital Marketing students

So we noted the following points

The date of auditorium finalisation
Which date the brand is comfortable to conduct
Faculty visiting and hosting the overall seminar

However we made certain restriction like :

Registration should be followed via GenZDealZ.ai application
Certificates and Feedback will be rolled out via GenZDealZ.ai

The seminar was conducted successfully and the following seminars are now scheduled for the faculties and other batches of students

How was the overall seminar?

Students were highly interactive throughout the session as that could be the reason that all of them were first year students and whatever they’re learning in this Infiheal session is new to them
Students were asking questions and participating in all the activities given by them especially boys who aren’t consider into psychology dept they were also quite inquisitive
At the last a qr code of GenZDealZ.ai was shown to download by the students where students would voluntarily download it and I just briefed the students what the application does

Infiheal Seminar at Pillai College New Panvel by BBA Digital Marketing students

What all micromanagement you will have to do in such seminars?

Arranging the food for the guests

Arranging the speakers and additional backup of ppt if the internet doesn’t work in the middle

Taking permission of each and minute thing like collecting the feedback form that has the contacts of all the students and reeleskng certificate

Making the seminar highly intact with in the given time and no extension for any reason, for Infiheal it was delayed by 20 mins

Few things Infiheal could have done better:

Could have brought the founder in the meet when it was scheduled with vice principal to discuss the commercials more strongly
The program management could have been much more particular
The overall session should be practical in nature with some kinda exercises

How An Entire WhatsApp Blast Campaign Runs In Colleges?

by Shreyas Karade | Jul 11, 2025 | Business

Launching a mobile product, especially for Gen Z students, demands direct and engaging communication. A WhatsApp Blast Campaign offers an effective way to generate buzz and drive engagement on campuses. This guide, drawing insights from AI+ Smartphone’s recent launch, will show you how.

The following states & cities were targeting throughout this campaign:

State	Cities
Maharashtra	Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik
Delhi NCR	Delhi, Noida
Chandigarh	Chandigarh
Punjab	Jalandhar, Ludhiana
Uttarakhand	Roorkee
Rajasthan	Jaipur, Jodhpur
Gujarat	Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Bhuj, Mehsana, Rajkot, Vapi, Surendranagar, Anand

Karnataka	Bengaluru, Manipal
Telangana	Hyderabad
Andhra Pradesh	Visakhapatnam
Tamil Nadu	Chennai
Kerala	Kollam
West Bengal	Kolkata
Jharkhand	Ranchi, Jamshedpur
Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow, Kanpur
Chhattisgarh	Raipur, Bilaspur
Madhya Pradesh	Indore, Bhopal

What is a WhatsApp Blast and When Does it Work Best?

A WhatsApp Blast sends targeted messages to a large, pre-selected audience. It’s ideal for:

Mobile & Tech Products: Naturally aligns with students’ digital lives.
Affordable & Value-Driven Items: Appeals to student budgets.
Innovative Features: Captures the interest of tech-savvy Gen Z.
“Made in India” Products: Leverages national sentiment, like AI+ Smartphone’s focus on data security in India and their NxtQuantum OS.

Campaign Timeline

Notice Period: 48 hours (July 13-15, 2025)

Campaign Execution: 72 hours (July 15-17, 2025)

Launch Date: July 17, 2025

Performance Metrics

Colleges Targeted: 50 Pan-India institutions

Students Reached: 43,000+

Geographic Coverage: 15+ states across India

Execution Speed: 72-hour rapid deployment

Platform Integration

GenZDealZ.ai Platform for audience segmentation

Flipkart Affiliate Links for conversion tracking

Analytics Dashboard for real-time monitoring

Message Delivery Framework

Batch Processing: Targeting 500 college students from each college

Compliance: GDPR and Indian data protection adherence

Delivery Optimization: Peak engagement time targeting (12-1 PM)

Campaign Efficiency

Reach Rate: 86% of targeted student base

Deployment Speed: 48-hour notice to full execution

College Penetration: 100% of targeted institutions reached

�� Platform Utilization: WhatsApp Community and Groups

Key Steps for a Campus WhatsApp Blast

Define Your Target & USP: AI+ Smartphone’s success stemmed from targeting students with clear USPs: AI integration, affordability, data security, and NxtQuantum OS. These resonated directly with Gen Z’s needs and concerns (e.g., Madhav Sheth’s insights on data privacy).
Strategic Campus Reach:
- Extensive Network: Leverage platforms like GenZDealZ.ai (with access to 900+ campuses, selecting 50 key colleges including IITs).
- Deep Community Engagement: Target a minimum of 500 students per college, engaging existing internal groups and sub-communities.
- Incubation Center Partnerships: Collaborate with centers like AIC RNTU and Somaiya Vidyavihar University – RIDDL to amplify reach.
Campaign Execution & Commercials:
- Phased Messaging: Send messages in a sequence (e.g., three messages per college, aligned with launch dates and device unveils).
- Clear Pricing: Establish transparent commercial terms (e.g., ₹5000 per college for three messages).

Measuring Your Campaign’s Success

Track these crucial metrics to assess effectiveness:

Reach: Total participants who received messages.
Forwards: Organic sharing, indicating virality.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): Clicks on UTM-tracked links, showing direct interest.

Proof of Execution: Gather screenshots of messages, group member counts, and message timestamps to verify delivery and engagement.

Executing a WhatsApp Blast Campaign for an engaging product like AI+ Smartphone, built on a “Made in India” philosophy, offers invaluable experience. It’s a powerful way to connect directly with your target audience and see immediate results

How Search Console Decides Ranking For EdTech Blogs?

by Shreyas Karade | Jul 9, 2025 | Business

Cracking the Code: How to Dominate Google Rankings in EdTech Without Paid Ads (The PSKA Success Story)

In the competitive EdTech landscape, achieving high visibility on Google search results is crucial for attracting students and building a credible brand. While paid advertisements offer quick wins, cultivating a strong organic presence provides sustainable growth and an unbeatable foundation. This article delves into how PSKA achieved 1.83 lakh impressions in a short period through purely organic strategies, offering invaluable lessons for marketing students.

The Power of Organic: Why PSKA Triumphed

PSKA’s impressive organic reach wasn’t a stroke of luck; it was the result of a consistent and strategic commitment to high-quality, user-centric content and a deep understanding of how search engines build trust.

What PSKA Did Consistently (The Pillars of Organic Success):

High-Frequency, Unique Content Publication:
- Strategy: PSKA published a remarkable four unique blogs per week. This consistent influx of fresh, original content signals to search engines that the website is active, authoritative, and a valuable resource.
- Learning for Marketers: Regular content creation, focused on original insights and value, is paramount for organic growth. It keeps your audience engaged and gives search engines more to crawl and index.
Visual Engagement with Relevant Graphics:
- Strategy: Integrating relevant graphics into their website content enhanced user experience and made complex topics more digestible.
- Learning for Marketers: Visuals are not just for aesthetics. They improve readability, reduce bounce rates, and can contribute to better engagement signals, which Google considers for ranking.
Content Repurposing Across Channels:
- Strategy: Blogs were repurposed into various formats, including YouTube videos and shorts. This multi-channel approach maximized content reach and catered to different learning preferences.
- Learning for Marketers: Don’t let your content live in just one place. Repurpose it strategically to extend its life, reach new audiences, and strengthen your overall online footprint.
Keyword Focus on Already Ranked Terms (Niche Authority):
- Strategy: PSKA focused their blogs on keywords where they already had some ranking presence, particularly within the NISM (National Institute of Securities Markets) niche. This allowed them to deepen their authority and build trust with search engines for specific, relevant queries.
- Learning for Marketers: Instead of chasing every keyword, identify your core strengths and build deep content around them. This “topical authority” approach tells Google you’re an expert in your field.
Certification and Accreditation for Trust:
- Strategy: Gaining certifications and accreditation from reputable financial institutions (like big fund houses) significantly boosted their credibility.
- Learning for Marketers: In EdTech, E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is critical. External validations and certifications build immense trust, which Google heavily favors.
Massive Social Proof & Testimonials:
- Strategy: PSKA actively gathered and showcased hundreds of testimonials, providing strong social proof of their effectiveness.
- Learning for Marketers: User-generated content, especially testimonials and reviews, are powerful trust signals. They not only influence potential students but also indicate to search engines that your brand is valued and provides real results.

What PSKA Deliberately Avoided (The Organic Mindset):

No Paid SEO Tools:
- Belief: PSKA believed in the power of unique content as the primary driver of search traffic, complementing it with an offline presence.
- Learning for Marketers: While paid tools can offer insights, they are not a substitute for genuine content strategy. Prioritizing content quality over tool reliance fosters a more authentic and sustainable SEO approach.
No Growth Consultants:
- Reason: Affordability was a factor, leading them to rely on in-house expertise and organic methods.
- Learning for Marketers: Organic growth can be achieved without significant external investment if you have a clear strategy and are committed to consistent execution.
No Paid Ads:
- Belief: A strong organic foundation is inherently more valuable and resilient than reliance on paid advertising.
- Learning for Marketers: While paid ads offer quick visibility, they stop delivering traffic the moment you stop paying. Organic SEO builds an enduring asset that continues to bring traffic long-term.
No “Quick Fix” YouTube Tips:
- Approach: Their YouTube growth was consistent due to regular, high-quality shorts, rather than chasing viral trends or “hacks.”
- Learning for Marketers: Authenticity and consistent value delivery on platforms like YouTube build genuine audience loyalty and sustainable growth, which is often reflected in long-term organic search performance.

The Google Search Console Story: Consistent Content, Consistent Growth

The graph from Google Search Console, though appearing like a “stick” (indicating steady, incremental growth), is a testament to the power of consistent investment in high-quality content. It shows that organic growth isn’t about sudden spikes, but rather a compound effect of continuous effort and building trust over time.

Tackling the Competition: PSKA’s Future Organic Strategies

Even with a strong organic foundation, the EdTech sector, particularly NISM, is highly competitive. PSKA’s future strategies demonstrate a keen understanding of evolving search trends and user behavior:

Ranking in AI-Powered Overviews (Featured Snippets/AI Answers):
- Strategy: Aiming for “AI-powered overviews” means optimizing content to directly answer user queries concisely, making it eligible for featured snippets or AI-generated summaries in search results.
- Learning for Marketers: With the rise of AI in search, structuring your content to provide direct, authoritative answers to common questions is crucial for increased visibility.
Increased Video Publication with Daily Updates:
- Strategy: Daily video updates on the latest NISM series will keep content fresh and highly relevant, catering to a visual learning preference and signaling real-time expertise.
- Learning for Marketers: Video content is a powerful engagement tool. Consistent, timely video updates can significantly boost your presence for fast-evolving topics.
Strengthening Support System for Query Resolution:
- Strategy: A robust support system that can answer more queries daily demonstrates commitment to user success and deep subject matter expertise.
- Learning for Marketers: Excellent customer support and readily available answers to user questions can indirectly influence SEO by improving user satisfaction, reducing bounce rates, and fostering positive brand signals.
More NISM Success Stories:
- Strategy: Showcasing more success stories and guiding NISM aspirants through actual preparation sequences will build further trust and provide invaluable, relatable content.
- Learning for Marketers: Case studies and success stories are potent marketing tools. They not only inspire but also provide practical, long-form content that can rank for specific, problem-solving queries.
Increased Directory Listings for Traffic Diversification:
- Strategy: Listing their presence in more relevant directories will diversify traffic sources and build more backlinks, crucial for off-page SEO.
- Learning for Marketers: Beyond content, diversifying your online presence through relevant directory listings and strategic backlink building from authoritative sources remains a fundamental aspect of robust SEO.

PSKA’s journey illustrates that in the EdTech sector, where trust and expertise are paramount, a dedicated organic marketing strategy focused on high-quality content, user value, and continuous improvement can yield significant and sustainable results, even without relying on paid advertising. For marketing students, this case study provides a powerful blueprint for building an unshakeable online presence.

How College Students Can Use LinkedIn Premium Smartly?

by Shreyas Karade | Jun 26, 2025 | Business

Are you making the most of LinkedIn, or is it just another social app sitting on your phone? If job offers feel miles away, that profile photo and headline probably aren’t enough.

Plenty of students sign up, look busy, and still leave opportunities on the table. Premium membership changes the game. More visibility, richer data, and powerful InMail are not bad for a single monthly subscription.

Think of it as the eye-catching pop-up banner you click while shopping online; only this time, the sale is your future. Please stick with us, and we will walk you through every student-friendly hack inside LinkedIn Premium.

What is LinkedIn Premium and Why Should Students Care?

LinkedIn Premium isn’t just a shinier badge; it’s a toolkit tucked under the regular profile. Add the subscription, and you’re handed job-posting insights, unlimited InMail messages, and the ability to see who’s peeking at your page. Plus, the package comes loaded with LinkedIn Learning courses taught by pros ready to pad your résumé.

So why should students even look at a premium plan on LinkedIn? Simple: the membership delivers quick access to insider tips, fresh connections, and extra visibility-digital currency that most entry-level job hunters can only dream about. Landing an internship, finding a willing mentor, or snagging that first paycheck suddenly feels less like luck and more like a strategy.

Build a Stronger Profile Using Premium Insights

Every student knows an online profile works as an e-resume these days. Premium users get an instant side-by-side score that shows how their page lines up against classmates chasing the same position. That blunt feedback makes it hard to ignore weak spots like a half-empty skills section.

Members also see a live list of in-demand abilities tied to any job title they enter. One-click reveals that marketing firms keep asking for Google Analytics and persuasive writing. A quick study on LinkedIn Learning fills those gaps, and suddenly, the profile lights up with keywords recruiters already care about.

Putting the recommended changes into place usually results in more profile views within days. Because the advice arrives in real-time, the upgrades never feel random-they feel urgent, focused, and just plain smart.

Use InMail to Reach Out to Recruiters and Professionals

LinkedIn Premium gives you InMail, a handy tool that lets you message anyone, even people you aren’t connected to. If you’re still wrapping up college, those cold blue envelopes can feel like a shortcut to the front row of your dream industry.

Who should you ping?
An HR manager who guards the hiring gate.
The team lead of that cool project you read about.
An older grad from your university who’s already walked the path.

Instead of scrolling and hoping, you fire off a note and take action. Keep it polite, pack in a single ask-al advice, a quick chat, maybe a virtual coffee, and leave the job request for later. That little spark of initiative is exactly what recruiters tuck in the back of their minds when they scan your file.

Access LinkedIn Learning to Upgrade Your Skills

While InMail opens doors, LinkedIn Learning shows you what to say once you’re inside. A Premium membership unfolds thousands of step-by-step videos on business, tech, design, and beyond; they’re like Netflix for nerdy career builders.

Learn job-ready skills
Prepare for certifications
Explore different career paths

Let’s say you’re studying finance but are curious about data analysis. LinkedIn Learning can help you take beginner to advanced courses in Excel, SQL, or Python. By adding these certifications to your profile, you signal to employers that you’re serious about growth.

It’s also a good way to fill gaps during semester breaks or after graduation.

Apply to Jobs with Competitive Insights

Applying for jobs can be confusing, especially when you’re unsure how competitive your application is. LinkedIn Premium shows you:

How many people applied?
How do your skills and experience match the job?
Where do you rank compared to other applicants?

This feedback helps you decide which jobs are worth applying for and what to improve. For instance, if you’re always ranking low because of missing skills, you can work on those areas using LinkedIn Learning.

You also get access to salary insights, which is helpful when evaluating job offers or negotiating pay.

Follow Companies and Prepare for Interviews

College students often apply to companies without doing deep research. LinkedIn Premium makes this easier. You can follow companies and get alerts on:

Job openings
Company news
Hiring trends

Some Premium subscriptions even provide sample interview questions asked in similar job roles. This makes you more confident and well-prepared during interviews.

Understanding a company’s culture, recent projects, and news gives you an edge. It also helps you decide if that company is the right fit for your long-term goals.

Unlock the Power of Alumni Networking

Another smart way to use LinkedIn Premium is through alum networking. By upgrading your account, you can search for alums from your college who work in your desired field. Premium allows deeper filters like location, industry, or seniority.

Reach out with a polite InMail, asking for insights about their role or company. Many professionals are happy to help students because they’ve been in your shoes.

Building these relationships early often leads to internships, referrals, or mentorship.

Stay Ahead with Premium Job Alerts

With LinkedIn Premium, you get access to Premium Job Listings. These jobs are marked and often give priority to Premium users. You can also set custom job alerts and receive recommendations based on your activity.

This is ideal for students who want to apply early or avoid missing chances. The system works even better when your profile is fully optimized, and you’ve added relevant certifications.

These alerts help you apply smarter, not harder.

Evaluate Your Progress with Profile Views and Analytics

Is your profile update actually paying off?

With LinkedIn Premium, you get a mini dashboard that tells you who’s stopping by, what search terms brought them, and even the companies they call home.

That quick peek can turn head-scratchers like Is anyone reading my stuff? Into answers, you can see and feel.

Students love it because the data is instant feedback on little tweaks you try today. Did the new headline really pop, or do I need to rethink it tonight?

And yes, the numbers show recruiters’ names, so you’ll know if those industry pros are clicking or just browsing.

Is LinkedIn Premium Worth It for Students?

Premium sounds fancy, but for a full-time job-hunter, it may be the smartest ten bucks you spend. Those endless InMail messages and profile stats can shave weeks off a long search.

Still, the tool makes the most sense if you log in every day, reply to posts, and swap messages with alums. Jumping on once a month may not justify the cost.

LinkedIn dangles free trials now and then, so grab one and binge on the perks before your card ever charges. Dig into the skill quizzes, test the visibility boost, and see whether connection requests roll in faster.

If the platform starts propelling introductions, interviews, or even quick coffee chats, go ahead and keep the subscription. Think of it like signing up for an evening workshop-a small price for the chance to meet new people and learn something fresh.

Conclusion

College isn’t just about classes; it’s the perfect testing ground for whatever job you want after graduation. A LinkedIn Premium membership drops a full toolbox in your lap, ready to help you learn fresh skills, catch recruiters’ eyes, and prep for any interview that lands in your inbox.

Jump in with a mission. Mindless scrolling is a waste of time, so like a savvy WooCommerce banner that grabs a shopper’s attention, turn your feed activity into something more useful. A few targeted comments or a well-timed share can echo far beyond the screen.

So, take the first step. Upgrade your profile. Connect with purpose. Learn with passion. Most importantly, you can use LinkedIn Premium to create a future you’re excited about.

Shortest Review on Adobe Apps for Students? Are They Suitable?

by Shreyas Karade | Jun 19, 2025 | Business

This is the blog I should be making as many influencers including Ankur warikooo are promoting Adobe applications

Let see what it has for us as a student in college?

We’ll also explore if there’re any shared subscription available ona. Group sharing basis

Why I’m a Loyal (But Realistic) Adobe User

Wide Offerings: Briefly touch upon the vast array of applications available in the Creative Cloud suite.
My Primary Use Case: Explain how you primarily use Adobe Illustrator and Acrobat for professional work (legal/tender documents) and events, even though you have access to over 30 apps.
The “Brotherhood” Benefit: Share the anecdote about giving access to your brother for his animation practice, highlighting the multi-user potential within a family.
The Cost-Benefit Analysis:
- State the cost: It costs around ₹600 per month.
- Justify the expense: When you’re dealing with high-value contracts, the ease of conversion and professional tools are indispensable.
Community Support: Official Adobe community for getting quick answers

3. Who Should NOT Get an Adobe Subscription?

The “Show-Off” Spender: Advise students with new internships against buying it just to look professional.
The Occasional User: Recommend Canva for those who only occasionally need to create simple designs like visiting cards, vouchers, or banners.
The Budget-Conscious Student: For those who need more power than Canva for crucial college projects but can’t afford the full price, introduce the idea of a shared subscription as a viable alternative.

4. The Downsides & Frustrations: What Adobe Doesn’t Tell You

Performance Issues:
- The Problem: Hanging and crashing issues, especially when opening multiple PDFs on a Mac.
- The Workaround: It is recommended using the desktop application over the Acrobat cloud editor for better stability.
Confusing Policies & Support:
- Hidden Costs: The GenAI credits are hidden to you and when you execute projects you’ll able to know how much experimentation you can do
- Support Hurdles: You won’t get their support team contact so easily especially when there’s a mismatch in the working timing. So you can stay active on the adobe community for most urgent issues
- Lack of Flexibility: There’s no grace period if you’re missing the subscription payments and you’ll lose the subscription to all the adobe apps at once

One of my video editor who’s pro at editing edtech videos have told his experience below:

Video Editor’s Perspective: Adobe Premiere Pro
As a seasoned editor, Adobe Premiere Pro remains my go-to NLE for its comprehensive feature set and seamless integration with Creative Cloud. Its industry-standard status, robust multi-format support, and versatile tools for video, audio, and graphics are invaluable. However, persistent challenges like performance slowdowns with high-resolution footage and occasional stability issues remain significant pain points, requiring powerful hardware and diligent saving.

Feedback & Suggestions:
My primary suggestion for Adobe is a relentless focus on optimizing performance and enhancing stability. Improved memory management, more efficient caching, and better multi-core/GPU utilization would vastly improve the user experience. Streamlining project file management and refining proxy workflows are also crucial for professional environments.

Essential Tools & Techniques:
Key tools include the Selection (V), Razor (C), and Ripple Edit (B) tools for core editing, the Lumetri Color panel for grading, and the Essential Sound/Graphics panels for quick audio fixes and titles. Mastering techniques like rigorous media organization (using bins and labels), extensive use of keyboard shortcuts, and implementing a proxy workflow for demanding footage are critical for efficiency. Understanding basic audio mixing and color correction principles is also vital.

Guidelines for New Editors:

Start Simple: Master basic cuts, transitions, and audio adjustments before diving into advanced features.

Learn Shortcuts: Dedicate time to memorize keyboard shortcuts; they are the backbone of efficient editing.

Practice Consistently: Edit anything and everything. Hands-on experience is the best teacher.

Prioritize Organization: A well-organized project saves immense time and frustration.

Utilize Resources: Leverage online tutorials from Adobe and the vast community to accelerate your learning.

The Smart Solution: Group Sharing & Shared Subscriptions on GenZDealZ.ai

How It Works: You get all the access of AI tools on a shared basis on a single subscription amount.
The Two-Device Limit: On any shared subscriptions you’re opting for, the subscription will be active only on 1 device
Introducing the Offer: Just check out here your most favourite AI tools to get assured savings.
Admin Support: After you enrol for any given subscription , your subsription will get activated within 12 hours (an admin will get in touch with you for your request).
Renewal Benefits: Even if you renew the subscription in the next month or upgrade your plan , you’ll get the mentioned discounts on GenZDealZ.ai marketplace.

Student Discount: Though all these shared subscriptions are made for students, it is open for all age groups. Even non GenZ can opt for this.

How Any Brand Can Enter Into PAN India Campuses?

by Shreyas Karade | Jun 17, 2025 | Business

In this blog you as a brand can able to grab the actual sales process and follow up sequence needed for onboarding any college to run any kinda campaign.

Before diving in, I’ll give you the example of GenZDealZ.ai of how we entered the campus and gained a good engagement:

We didn’t want to wait for students to visit the Play Store or hear about us from other sources. So, we went directly to them to get the ball rolling faster!

Below are the activities we conducted at Somaiya and Pillai College to boost the GenDealZ.ai application downloads.

Vidit & Aarav from Pillai College BBA Digital Marketing - TY

Our On-Campus Approach

Strategic Reach Out: We focused on reaching out to potential students on campus, both during and after lectures.
Peak Engagement Times: At Pillai College, we found success pitching after morning lectures (around 10 AM) when students were on break, making it easier to gather a larger crowd.
Group Engagement: Students often hang out with friends, which allowed us to approach entire groups for application downloads.
Overcoming Immediate Download Hurdles: Many students wouldn’t download the application on the spot. To counter this, we encouraged them to take a picture of the QR code to save for later download.
Persistence is Key: Despite various excuses for not scanning the QR code, we maintained a strong, persistent approach to encourage downloads and exploration of the app.

Our Step-by-Step Engagement Process

Opening Pitch: We initiate the conversation by asking, “Guys, do you do online shopping or online ordering regularly?”
Addressing “No” Responses: If they say no, we pivot to asking about mobile recharge or if their parents do online transactions. We then explain our application’s ongoing recharge offers.
Visual Appeal: We use bookmark material to showcase popular brands available on our marketplace and demonstrate additional options directly on our mobile application.
Call to Action & Information Handout: We guide them to scan the QR code and provide a visiting card-like page. This card highlights exciting deals, particularly Spotify and Netflix offers, which often generate significant interest.
Efficiency: Following this process, we can pitch our web app to at least 50 students within 30-40 minutes.

(Consider adding an image here showing the bookmark material or visiting card, or a short video clip of the pitch in action)

Common Objections and Our Solutions

“Wi-Fi or data isn’t working.”
- Solution: We encourage them to take a photograph of the QR code and provide a few extra vouchers to share with friends.
“Lectures are still going, could I go?”
- Solution: We offer a concise pitch and hand over our card to a friend, suggesting they share it in their unofficial groups.
“We are in a hurry and going for giving the paper.”
- Solution: We suggest a quick QR scan to explore our discounting platform, emphasizing it’s built for students, and ask for their insights.

Key Realizations and Success Factors

Openness to Innovation: Students are genuinely keen to try new things and are open to saving money through deals available on our platform.
Targeting “Outside the Campus”: We observed that students relaxing just outside the campus are more likely to download and explore the application.
The “Girlfriend” Influencer: Interestingly, male students with their girlfriends showed more interest in checking out our platform, with the girlfriend often acting as an influencer!
Credibility Builds Trust: Mentioning credible affiliations significantly boosts engagement. For Somaiya College, we highlighted our incubation at the RIDDL Incubation Centre. At Pillai College, we mentioned the application was developed by the BBA DM department (showing our ID card), which surprised students positively as it was an “in-house” development, even better than core tech students.
Direct Engagement Leads to Conversion: If students find the platform genuinely interesting, they are more likely to directly share, download, and make their first transaction with us.

(Consider adding an image illustrating a positive interaction or a graphic showing the “girlfriend influencer” concept in a humorous way)

Expanding Our Reach Beyond Pitches

Beyond direct engagement, we also seek to increase our “foot in the door” through:

College Events & Fests: Participating in campus events and fests.
Offline College Activations: Conducting various offline activities on campus.
Seminars & Webinars: We regularly conduct seminars and webinars, and our team also visits campuses to deliver guest lectures.
QR Code Integration: Our application’s QR code is integrated into almost all marketing materials, making it easy for content creators to share.

Get practical examples below for quick action to your sales team.

The Strategic Foundation: Building Your College Partnership Network

Understanding the College Ecosystem

Before diving into proposal submissions, it’s crucial to understand that colleges operate as complex ecosystems with multiple stakeholders, each with distinct priorities and decision-making authority. Unlike corporate environments where purchasing decisions might flow through a single department, academic institutions involve faculty, administrators, students, alumni, and often external advisory boards in their evaluation processes.

Incentive Strategies That Work

While building authentic relationships is paramount, strategic incentives can accelerate partnership development when used appropriately. The key is offering incentives that align with the institution’s values and provide genuine value to the college community.

You can visit the LinkedIn post by clicking here where ran a unique deal with our ongoing campaign of Bank of Baroda where students got INR 100 free cash just by following the given steps

Monetary incentives should be structured as investments in student success rather than simple discounts or rebates. Consider offering scholarships, funding for student research projects, or sponsoring academic competitions related to your industry. These approaches demonstrate your commitment to educational outcomes while providing tangible benefits to the institution.

Non-monetary incentives often carry even greater weight in academic settings. Offering access to industry expertise, providing guest speakers for classes, creating internship opportunities, or facilitating networking events can be incredibly valuable to colleges seeking to enhance their students’ career prospects.

Click here to see the 900+ PAN India Campuses where GenZDealZ.ai have direct acess to

The Proposal Process: A Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

Building successful partnerships requires strategic planning and systematic execution

Phase 1: Initial Contact and Information Gathering

Once you’ve established initial connections within your target institution, the next phase involves gathering critical information and making formal contact with decision-makers. This phase requires careful research and strategic outreach to ensure your proposal reaches the right people at the right time.

Begin by identifying the specific departments or offices that would be most relevant to your solution. For EdTech products, this might include the IT department, academic affairs, student services, or specific academic departments. For career-related services, focus on career services, alumni relations, or student success offices. Understanding the organizational structure and reporting relationships within these departments is crucial for targeting your outreach effectively.

Gather as much information as possible about the institution’s current solutions, challenges, and strategic priorities. Review their website, recent news articles, and any publicly available strategic plans or annual reports. Look for mentions of initiatives that align with your solution’s capabilities, recent challenges they’ve faced, or goals they’ve announced publicly.

This was the 2 pager we used to submit with our branding during LifeVitae meeting

Click here to see the 900+ PAN India Campuses where GenZDealZ.ai have direct acess to

Phase 2: The Strategic First Meeting

The first formal meeting with college stakeholders is perhaps the most critical moment in the entire partnership development process. This meeting sets the tone for all future interactions and determines whether your proposal will receive serious consideration or be relegated to the “maybe later” pile.

Bring tangible materials that attendees can review and keep after the meeting. This might include case studies from similar institutions, product demonstrations, sample reports, or pilot program proposals. Physical materials create lasting impressions and provide reference points for future discussions.

Most importantly, come prepared with a formal proposal document that you can leave with the team. While you may need to make adjustments based on the meeting discussion, having a comprehensive proposal ready demonstrates professionalism and allows the evaluation process to begin immediately. This proposal should include detailed implementation timelines, pricing structures, support arrangements, and success metrics.

LifeVitae Proposal to Maya Somaiya School of Music & Performing Arts

Phase 3: Proposal Submission and Documentation

Your formal proposal submission represents the culmination of all your relationship building and research efforts. This document must be comprehensive, professional, and specifically tailored to the institution’s unique needs and culture. Generic proposals that could apply to any college will not succeed in competitive evaluation processes.

Structure your proposal to address the institution’s specific challenges and goals. Begin with an executive summary that clearly articulates the problem you’re solving, your proposed solution, and the expected outcomes. Follow this with detailed sections covering implementation methodology, timeline, resource requirements, and ongoing support structures.

Include a comprehensive pricing section that goes beyond simple cost breakdowns. Explain the value proposition, return on investment calculations, and any flexible pricing options that might accommodate the institution’s budget constraints. Academic institutions often have complex budget cycles and approval processes, so providing multiple pricing scenarios can be extremely helpful.

Documentation requirements extend beyond the proposal itself. Prepare a detailed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) template that outlines roles, responsibilities, timelines, and success metrics. Include references from similar institutions, relevant certifications or accreditations, and any compliance documentation required for working with educational institutions.

Phase 4: Strategic Follow-Up and Relationship Maintenance

The period following proposal submission is when many potential partnerships fail due to inadequate follow-up or relationship maintenance. Academic institutions often have lengthy evaluation processes that can span multiple months, and maintaining momentum during this period requires strategic and consistent communication.

Develop a systematic follow-up schedule that provides value while keeping your proposal top-of-mind. This might include sharing relevant industry reports, inviting key stakeholders to webinars or conferences, or providing updates about successful implementations at similar institutions. The key is maintaining visibility without becoming pushy or annoying.

Regular communication should focus on building relationships with multiple stakeholders rather than just the primary contact. Academic decisions often involve consensus building among various departments and individuals, so cultivating relationships across the institution increases your chances of success.

Consider implementing a multi-channel follow-up strategy that includes email updates, social media engagement, and in-person touchpoints when possible. Share success stories, industry insights, and relevant news that demonstrates your ongoing commitment to the education sector. This approach positions your brand as a thought leader and trusted partner rather than just another vendor.

Click here to see the 900+ PAN India Campuses where GenZDealZ.ai have direct acess to

Case Study: LifeVitae’s Strategic Partnership Development at Somaiya Vidyavihar University

LifeVitae’s 3-week partnership development timeline and key success metrics

Background and Strategic Context

LifeVitae’s partnership development with Somaiya Vidyavihar University provides an excellent real-world example of how strategic relationship building, systematic proposal processes, and persistent follow-up can lead to successful college partnerships. This case study demonstrates the practical application of the principles and strategies outlined in this guide.

Initial Relationship Leverage and Contact Development

The partnership development process began with leveraging existing relationships within the incubation program. Mr. Amit, LifeVitae’s SPOC (Single Point of Contact) within the incubation program, provided crucial introductions to Training & Placement Cell officers across the university system. This internal referral system demonstrated the importance of cultivating strong relationships with institutional insiders who can facilitate connections with decision-makers.

Rather than attempting to approach all seven colleges simultaneously, LifeVitae adopted a systematic approach that focused on building relationships with individual Training & Placement officers. This strategy allowed us to understand the unique needs and priorities of each college while developing tailored approaches for different institutional contexts.

The three-week relationship building phase involved multiple touchpoints with each college, including informal conversations, needs assessment discussions, and preliminary presentations about LifeVitae’s capabilities. This extended engagement period allowed both of us to develop mutual understanding and trust before formal proposal submissions.

Implementation Timeline and Pilot Program Development

Several colleges expressed interest in implementing LifeVitae’s solution during the upcoming academic year (July 2025), particularly for incoming first-year students. This timeline alignment with academic calendars demonstrated LifeVitae’s understanding of institutional planning cycles and their ability to work within academic operational frameworks.

Maya Somaiya School of Music & Performing Arts emerged as an early adopter, agreeing to conduct a demonstration session where students could voluntarily participate in assessment testing. This pilot approach provided several strategic advantages: it reduced risk for the institution, provided real-world testing data for LifeVitae, and created opportunities for student feedback and testimonials.

Click here to view the recording of the 1st demo session conducted at Maya Somaiya School of Music & Performing Arts

The pilot program structure allowed both parties to evaluate the solution’s effectiveness before committing to larger-scale implementations. This approach is particularly valuable in academic settings where stakeholders prefer evidence-based decision making and gradual adoption of new technologies or services.

LifeVitae vs PLAT Tests and Psychometric Tests Comparison

Competitive Analysis and Differentiation

During the partnership development process, LifeVitae encountered existing assessment software solutions being used by target colleges. Thakur College of Engineering’s Training & Placement Officer (Mr. Rahul Mehta) provided insights into current solutions and pricing expectations, which helped LifeVitae understand the competitive landscape and position their offering effectively.

Rather than engaging in direct price competition, LifeVitae focused on demonstrating unique value propositions and superior outcomes. They emphasized their solution’s specific benefits for career guidance and student development, differentiating themselves from generic assessment tools that might not address the specific needs of college career services.

Click here to see the 900+ PAN India Campuses where GenZDealZ.ai have direct acess to

Taking Actions V/S Taking Notes – Fathom Takes It All..

by Shreyas Karade | Jun 13, 2025 | Business

(Note: This is not a paid post, however I found Fathom very much helpful in taking notes and its unique way of structuring the action plan so I’ve wrote a blog and have pasted the referral link below – if you find this blog useful – I’ll earn a free premium if you sign up using the referral link given below)

fathom AI notetaker demo

Drowning in Meetings? Here’s How Fathom AI Threw Us a Lifeline

Let’s be honest: back-to-back meetings can drain your energy. You’re trying to listen, contribute, and somehow scribble down coherent notes all at the same time. For our team, this used to be a daily struggle. Then, we found Fathom AI Notetaker, and it has been an absolute game-changer.

As a loyal user and affiliate, I want to share the real-world reasons why Fathom is more than just a tool—it’s become an essential part of our workflow. If you’re a business owner, brand, or an early-stage startup, here’s why you need to make the switch.

It’s Designed by People Who Actually Understand Meetings

The moment you start using Fathom, you’ll notice an incredible level of detail. It feels like the designers truly understood the core headaches of meeting attendees.

Dark Theme by Default: My favorite small detail? The dark theme. They know that staring at a bright white screen for hours gives you a headache. This simple choice makes long meetings so much easier on the eyes.
An Interface You’ll Love: The entire interface is so clean and intuitive that you’ll get the hang of it instantly. The Pro version takes this even further, unlocking deeper options to configure everything exactly how you want it. (Trust me, the premium benefits are worth it 😉).

You can use my affiliate link by clicking here

Your AI Assistant That Attends Meetings For You

This is where Fathom works its real magic. It automatically joins your calls and captures the entire video recording, transcribing everything in real-time.

The best part? It attends meetings even when you can’t. If you’re double-booked or offline, Fathom still joins the call on your behalf. Once the meeting is over, you get a neatly organized email with the full recording and AI-generated notes. You get all the insights without even being there.

My Favorite Perk: Get Premium for Free

Here’s the biggest win I’ve experienced as a user. Fathom has a fantastic referral program. When anyone signs up using your personal referral link, they gift you a free month of the premium version. It’s their way of saying thanks, and it’s an incredible incentive to share a tool you already love.

Support and Onboarding That Actually Helps

Even with the best tools, you sometimes need help. Fathom’s support team is stellar—I’ve had questions late at night and still received sincere, helpful assistance.

And if you’re thinking of scaling up, their enterprise solution is fantastic. They clearly lay out all the deliverables and provide you with excellent training resources to get your entire team set up and conducting more effective meetings from day one.

Ready to reclaim your focus and make your meetings 10x more productive? Give Fathom a try.

You can use my affiliate link by clicking here

Best Hosting Platform for BBA Digital Marketing Students (Webverge V/S Namecheap)

by Shreyas Karade | Apr 28, 2025 | Business

In this article, you’ll have the detailed comparison between Webverge & Namecheap

Especially for BBA Digital Marketing students who’re in thier initial years of building their own website adn are confused about so many hosting platforms. This article will address each issue a digital marketing student goes through and helping you as a student take massive leaps in your niche

I’ve used both of these hosting platforms and these have been with me from my initial years of learning blogging.

Namecheap have been the 1st platform where I had purchased my first .xyz domain & practiced basic WordPress desisngin

On the other side, Webverge.io is the hosting company of one of my professors at IIDE where I had enrolled for a WordPress Building Workshop and I got to know about Webverge during the workshop

Complete Offerings of Namecheap:

Highly affordable domain names to start with any extension (generally the domain names are cheaper on Namecheap)
Best feature I feel is thier monthly hosting plan where as the website grows the renewal amount changes. So no paying or unnecessary expenses
Various SSL certificate types, though a simple SSL works for a normal WordPress site, still it shows so many options with a lot of pricing variation that the student gets confused about which SSL to take. Namecheap clearly earns a big amount from student thorugh upselling via SSL & other security or CDN features
Highly real time support available for any of yoru query, you can raise at anytime, thier team will resolve it anyhow. Here you as a student will learn so many things of how to troubleshoot issues, communicate the error and investigate the problem deeper
Interface is quite smooth & easy to configure the backend settings so even a complete beginner student in the WordPress could adapt it easily

namecheap and webverge.io review

Complete Offerings of Webverge:

No complex hosting plans, just 3 basic plans within the litespeed servers. So if you’re purchasing for 1 website, it’ll be shared hosting and for multiple websites you’ll have a dedicated litespeed server
Assisting beyond hosting where webverge gives free SSL & CDN. As the founder (Mr. Huazafia Dhapia) itself recognised this issue among students that students doesn’t have a big budget to go for high hosting packages or pay extra for CDN/SSL

Smooth support system: When you raise ticket, it’ll ask you to set the priority and most tickets are solved within 2-3 days so any of your project work wont’ get impacted
Free email accounts so you can confidently say email me at shreyas@leadyourbusiness.in giving you a professional digital identity
Migration supports will be completely provided by Webverge during transferring the data from your old website or from a different hosting provider

student discount on webverge.io wordpress hosting

(Full disclosure: I have a personal connection to the team at Webverge.io. However, my strong recommendation is based solely on their outstanding performance and the tangible benefits I’ve experienced—points I believe are critical for anyone serious about their online presence.)

Here’s a breakdown of why we confidently recommend Webverge.io, point by point.

1. Unmatched Support: A True Partnership

In the world of web hosting, support isn’t just a feature; it’s the foundation of your online operations. While most providers rely on slow-to-respond email tickets, the Webverge.io team is incredibly active and responsive.

Personalized Attention: You’re not just a number in a queue. The team takes a personal interest in your issues, ensuring they are taken seriously and resolved thoroughly.

2. Proactive and Innovative at its Core

Technology waits for no one, and your hosting provider should be ahead of the curve, not struggling to catch up. Webverge.io demonstrates a powerful commitment to innovation.

Active Participation in Updates: They make you an active participant in any major updates they release, keeping you informed and prepared for new features.
AI-Driven Advancements: The founder is deeply knowledgeable about AI trends and actively integrates them into their hosting features. This helps transform a standard hosting plan into a dynamic, intelligent platform for your website.
Comprehensive Knowledge Base: Whether you’re making DNS changes or need to understand a back-end update, their guides are consistently updated, clear, and easy to follow.

3. A Smooth Interface and Honest Value

A hosting provider’s user interface can make or break your experience. Webverge.io provides a smooth, intuitive control panel that comes with significant value-added benefits.

Free Domain Included: Your hosting plan includes a free domain name, simplifying the setup process and reducing initial costs.
No-Nonsense Customization: When selecting a WordPress hosting plan, you get powerful customization options without the platform suggesting unnecessary add-ons just to inflate your cart value. The focus is on what you actually need.
Affiliate Benefits: For those who wish to promote their services, Webverge.io offers a straightforward and rewarding referral program when you partner with them.

4. Transparent Pricing and Fair Policies

Financial transparency is a hallmark of a trustworthy provider. Webverge.io’s approach is refreshingly clear and fair.

Simplified SSL Certificates: Unlike competitors such as Namecheap, which can present a confusing array of SSL certificates at different price points for the same version, Webverge.io keeps it simple. They offer a single, robust SSL option sufficient to secure your site and protect it from threats, eliminating confusion and unnecessary expense.
Flexible Billing: The company ensures bills are sent in a timely manner according to your plan. More importantly, if you happen to miss a payment deadline, they offer a 8-day grace period to clear your dues, providing a crucial safety net.

student discount on webverge.io wordpress hosting

Before he even launched Webverge, Huzafia sir ran another blog called DroidRox. It was packed with awesome tips and tricks on how to use different online tools and grow your own space on the internet. So yeah, he’s been in this game for a while and knows his stuff.

The main reason he started Webverge is actually pretty simple: he saw that students were paying way too much for good hosting. He believed that getting your website online shouldn’t drain your wallet.

So, he created Webverge to be super affordable. The plans are straightforward, with no confusing options, and the support team is always there to help you out, which is a lifesaver when you’re just starting.

My Experience with Webverge (The Last 4 Years)

I’ve been using Webverge for four years now, and here’s the honest breakdown of how it’s been for me:

My Site Stays Up and Runs Fast: Seriously, I’ve had great uptime and the server speeds are quick. My visitors don’t have to wait for pages to load.
They Handled a Hacker Problem: At one point, some hackers caused my bandwidth to get limited. The Webverge team jumped on it right away. They fixed the issue and then boosted my storage and added a firewall to make sure it didn’t happen again. It was nice to see them take security so seriously.
Cool Offline Meet-ups: This is something you don’t get with most hosts. Webverge actually invites users to local meet-ups. It’s a great chance to hang out, meet other students, and chat about cool, relevant stuff like AI, how to practice with prompts, and even Video SEO (VEO). It shows they really care about building a community

Conclusion: A Host That Respects Your Business

Webverge.io stands out not just for its performance and features, but for its philosophy. It operates as a partner that is invested in your success, offering unparalleled support, forward-thinking technology, and transparent, fair practices.

If you are tired of being treated like just another ticket and want a hosting provider that is as dynamic and serious about your website as you are, we highly recommend giving Webverge.io a look.

You may have got a straightforward comparison between both these hosting / domain options.

Any doubts you’ve? Let me know below to solve ASAP

3 Day Futsal Event Football Compettition – Goa, Margaon

by Shreyas Karade | Apr 16, 2025 | Business

How was the 3 day futsal event at Margoan Goa and how we Made it successful

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Here’s the detailed checklist we carried before the Futsal Event Margaon April 2025

2 standees
5 banners (glossy material) to paste on table
300 smiley balls where QR on 1 side and promo code on 1 side
400+ visiting cards were sold adn distributed to all the attendees who ever attend the event
QR codes to download teh application & follow us on Instagram
Basis stationery you should have co–ning cellotape, gum, scissors and double tape/stapler as per the material you’r stick on
You can have a basket to keep the smiley balls so it looks prsentable & not in an unorganised in a big plastic bag

On day 1 the match started at 6:30, though we had the stall setup ready at 5 PM , we made sure we’re ready with our setup in advance and address the initial crowd, be familiar with Margaon Event’s staff for further days coordination

The traffic was at is peak on day 1 as there were many team who were taking part and further days were the elimination rounds so it kept decreasing but we still made sure our smiley balls are given only to those who downloads our application

On day 2, the stall was already setup and we just had to arrange the things and get our refreshments 🙂

The staff at the event coordination was highly supportive to provide all the things plus we got a few good references where 1 college event head approached us for the sponsorship. Got to interact with a lot of school & college students.

Plus handed over our balls to Red Bull team to help them list on our app and take them into campuses.

Audience Demographics at Futsal Event:

Language spoken: Konkani, Marathi were native (my Marathi native language helped here a lot)

Average age range: 16 to 35

Location: Margaon & other parts of Goa

Interests: Major iOS fans, using variety of sports brands for their game, and looking to save money wherever possible

Tip: Learn at least 4 languages to create a direct connection with the customer and change your explanation level as per the customer’s understanding power

On day 3, the crowd was almost the same as day 2 and we got a really good number of references that helped us to distribute all the balls by making them download our app (though you can’t make them sign in there due to dicey internet , you can give them a short creative pitch that’d make them explore the app further)

Fact: Adults were downloading our application just to take the smiley balls for thier children (few even brought multiple devices and their friends to get more balls).

We made sure we interact with all ot sports player and even non genz crowd who were very interested & keen to know how we work & how much discount will they get from us.

During participating in such sports events when you’ve the influence of the main organiser is very high, it is easy for the crowd to trust on you and you get a lot of readymade traffic.

In our case it was Goa’s Ex CM son (Mr. Yogiraj Kamath sir) so it made our journey super simple (he made sure we don’t face any difficulties throughout the event)

Here’re the overall stats of the event and to get more info of our next events and how we do the prepreparation so well?
Download the guide below and you’ll know it all

Was Startup Mahakhumb 2025, Delhi Well Managed?

by Shreyas Karade | Apr 12, 2025 | Business

Which are the key signals at Startup Mahakhumb?

Startup Mahakhumb 2025 was a really grand event of various startups and it had the maximum coverage in media too.

Initially a form was circulated to participate in Mahakhumb and due to the recent funding round we got selected, however AIC RNTU (our own incubator) didn’t get any space here

Difficulties Faced At Startup Mahakhumb 2025:

Complete mismangement of staff and stall setup. Nothing was prealocated to any startup that made teh founders go wild on the 1st day of the event. Few founders got the email (on day 1 while they were on flight/train) to not attend due to ineligibility
No refreshments to any founder present here. It took almost 30 mins to come out of the entire setup via walking and it drained the energy of founders like anything
Not a single marketing material present (no facia, no banners nothing). On Day 1 the stall itself was allocated 5 hours late that too with various complaints & followups.

What Precautions To Take Before Attending Any Govt. Event?

Have your pre checklist ready and take all the needed materials with you for quick coordination:

Overcommunicate to all the event organisers of how they want the marketing materials print sizes, where will it get stick, how the stall structure is, etc.
Carry light materials with you if you’re traveling from very far. Standees, big banners, etc. can be directly sent to the venue or if your cofounder lives nearby the event, he/she can do that
Leverage your incubators’ power in such cases where if incubation managers give the stress on the organisers, your way to get your stall will be cleared.

How AI Based SEO Ranking Would Affect Ranking of Blogs In The Edtech Space

by Shreyas Karade | Apr 10, 2025 | Business

How Will AI-Based SEO Ranking Change the Game for EdTech Blogs?

Can AI technology change the manner in which EdTech blogs are ranked on search engines? There is fierce competition among EdTech platforms and blogs as the digital education space grows rapidly.

The old-school methods of keyword stuffing and manual backlink building will no longer be enough. Now, AI is changing SEO strategies from the ground up. AI transforms how search engines understand content and how websites are discovered.
With every algorithmic update, Google APIs become more innovative and more sophisticated. The question changes from whether AI will impact SEO to how deeply it will disrupt visibility, authority, and interaction in the EdTech blogging world.

Shift from Traditional to AI-powered SEO

Older traditional search engines used to rely heavily on the backlinks provided static optimization processes and even included keyword searches. These methods, while effective, are no longer the norm with the advent of Artificial Intelligence.

With AI came the ability to analyze content in real time, predict user actions, and even perform real-time SEO adjustments as needed. Algorithms applied by search engines such as Google take advantage of Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms, Machine Learning, user interaction statistics, and top page rank scores.

Consequently, EdTech blogs must adopt greater sophistication than simple keywords and ensure the content appeals to users. Surfer SEO, MarksMuse, and Clearscope are just a few examples of AI-powered tools designed to provide optimization-based suggestions for algorithms that change over time. Such adequacy is vital in an educational market that relies heavily on relevant and accurate content.

Content Relevance: A New Priority

Artificial intelligence systems have shifted the optimization of search engines to content relevance. For example, Google uses BERT and MUM deep learning algorithms to analyze search intent.

In the EdTech industry, users search for specific information for course reviews, learning methods, and tech tools. Everything is functional, but relevance is critical to AI. The MUM and BERT algorithms focus more on how well the content addresses the query rather than how often a keyword is used.

This change has forced EdTech bloggers to develop more helpful and logical guides. Now, bloggers can use AI-powered assistants like Jasper or ChatGPT to produce content aligned with user intent and context.

Semantic Search and User Intent

AI is a technology developed to enhance the user experience by personalizing contact with each individual. Such personalized contact is defined as hyper-personalization and applies to how users browse online.

For instance, users are offered different interfaces based on their search history, location, and device. For example, if two people search for something as simple as education technology, they could receive different results based on the previously stated features.

With the use of AI at its full potential, content can be curated to suit the precise audience, including teachers, students, and even school administrators.

Hyper-Personalization in Search Results

AI also enables hyper-personalized search experiences. Factors like browsing history, location, device usage, and previous interactions influence what users see. Two people searching for the same term might see different results.

For EdTech blogs, this opens up the possibility of micro-targeting. Blogs can use AI analytics to understand their audience segments and craft content tailored to specific personas, like students, teachers, or administrators.

The more relevant the content to the reader’s needs, the higher the engagement—and, consequently, the higher the ranking.

Real-Time Data and Predictive SEO

One emerging marketing technology is predictive marketing. It examines trends and user actions within various environments to anticipate what will be popular in the future.

Predictive analytics can assist EdTech blogs with content strategies on emerging educational policy changes or technologies. Marketers can utilize BrightEdge or SEMrush’s AI-powered features for proactive and reactive content planning.

With real-time reporting analytics, this foresight guarantees that EdTech content is relevant and maintains a competitive edge.

Voice Search and Conversational Queries

Voice commands are among the fastest-growing trends today, particularly among younger EdTech users. AI is responsible for developing voice recognition, enabling technologies, and understanding language.

To optimize for voice, emphasis should be made on phrases and questions people use most often. Changing “top EdTech platforms” to “What are the best EdTech platforms for high school students?” would yield better results.

Through these shifts into non-traditional SEO formats, AI-powered tools ensure that creators can be found on text and voice-activated searches.

AI-Driven Visual and Video SEO

Video content is growing exponentially in the EdTech sector. AI technologies can scan images and videos for their SEO value. Google can interpret videos, “read” infographics, and evaluate users’ actions on the platform. Therefore, EdTech websites combining textual content with multimedia must ensure their content is appropriately optimized for search engines.

AI-powered tools like VidIQ or Lumen5 assist in developing multimedia content, while AI solutions provided by platforms like Canva help create visually appealing designs tailored for search engine optimization. Furthermore, adding transcriptions, alt texts, and semantic metadata strengthens visual elements.

Automated Content Audits and Technical SEO

Regarding sit3e speed, mobile optimization, and schema markup, AI greatly influences technical SEO. With diagnostic tools and automated crawlers, real-time issue detection is made simple, along with immediate resolution.

Regularly publishing new content on EdTech blogs means closely monitoring technical health. Automated platforms have made identifying broken links, poor page structural organization, and slow loading features, which affect the website ranking, very easy.

These include educational platforms like DeepCrawl and Screaming Frog. Automated reporting allows bloggers to clear critical issues and optimize their website SEO.

AI and E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Google prioritizes E-A-T with an acute focus on subjects like “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL), like education. AI can help increase a site’s E-A-T score. For example, it can help with author verification, user interaction engagement, and content accuracy checks.

AI also aids in finding and suggesting information updates. In the EdTech domain, where trust is crucial, AI content oversight enhances the factual and credibility-maintenance processes, significantly improving ranking opportunities.

Role of Structured Data and Rich Snippets

With structured data, search engines provide more contextual information about a page’s content. AI aids in structuring and managing data. EdTech blogs can implement schema markup for advanced courses, reviews, FAQs, and tutorial visibility through rich snippets.

AI tools such as RankMath or Schema Pro are designed to streamline this process. Aside from increased click-through rates, rich snippets help create authoritative and relevant recognition, which is advantageous to blogs competing in search results.

AI-enabled SEO can analyze user behavior to recommend adaptive pricing strategies. For example, a blog post about the advantages of using WooCommerce for selling online courses using WooCommerce variable pricing would rank better if it discussed the practical features and optimized terms in its meta description. AI tools ensure that the information relayed optimally fits the context as well as the search intent of users.

Future of AI-Driven SEO in EdTech

All SEO activities in the EdTech sector will revolve around AI in the coming years. More developments can be expected in real-time sentiment analysis towards a website and in the micro-content generated by AI.

With the growing integration of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into education, AI would also need to evaluate new paradigms for ranking.

With the popularity of AI content creation tools, distinguishing editors will be of utmost importance. EdTech bloggers must balance SEO automation and authenticity to sustain long-term SEO value.

Challenges and Ethical Concerns

AI comes with a distinctive set of challenges and ethical questions. For example, over-automating content can result in AI models creating oversimplified outputs, often called “content for the masses.” These issues must be met in educational settings where inclusivity and precision are foundational.

Procedures must ensure AI systems can be scrutinized for equity, algorithmically balanced, and bias-free. Educators, marketers, and bloggers within EdTech circles must know the effects of using AI and act cautiously, exercising due precautions in how AI systems are incorporated.

Conclusion

AI-based SEO is not just a trend—it’s the new norm, especially in the fast-evolving EdTech space. AI-oriented SEO strategies are not just a seasonal phenomenon but a staple within the rapidly evolving EdTech industry.

With AI, content strategies and visibility are being redefined through the automation of user intent comprehension, omnipresent optimization, and continuous analysis.

However, to remain globally competitive while serving their audiences better, EdTech blogs must change their approaches by maintaining an equilibrium between human and artificial intelligence.

Why Indian School & College Students Needs LifeVitae Assessment?

by Shreyas Karade | Apr 6, 2025 | Business

Why Am I telling you about LifeVitae (world’s most advanced AI based career assessment platform – UNESCO-WHO Life Skills Framework – backed by Singapore Govt.)?

In the current season (from April to May 2025) students take their admission and choose the further stream. Even hostel students visits the hostel and get complete details in advance to plan further.

In this crucial time, it is necessary for students to pick the right field and go in the accurate career direction. Lifevitae comes in the picture to select the most suitable career field and gives the complete idea of why those fields are chosen for the student.

Why choose LifeVitae

What is so special in LIfeVitae report?

It gives the priority of the field where I want to pursue ahead and where should I need to give the highest improvement
It gives a multidimensional report judging me from various angle (EQ, IQ and SQ) specifying my score in each of the above helps in know in which area I need to develop
It gives me all teh updated training programs powered by AI giving all the required possible and scope of field in each job role
At the end it has a detailed look on how the report is being published and created by their unbiased AI
It has total 14 fields into each the stream. IF the college is focused on a specific steam the questions can be customised and edited as per their assessment level
It gives them a detailed analysis to all grades of students to have look on their potential fields and gives them key signals

LifeVitae School Student Report

How my sister felt after giving the LifeVitae report?

Especially school students need a person (in this case I explained here each page) to explain the report and gather their thoughts rightly to make them understand the importance of the report
Each page is highly information in-depth and anywhere they feel any doubts ask them and let them come up with their answers so you can correct them afterwards
Few of the adjectives in the report may seem totally unknown to them so have some patience etc to help your sibling/friend grab the report
It is like a mini booklet in a highly compressed form so non lengthly report wil scare anyone neither they’ll be afraid to give any kinda test

How a recruiter could get a help from this report?

Employer gets the validation from the report of which are the skills his/her actual strength lies and which position he/she can work for
So even if someone fakes in the resume, they can’t fake things in this report (as set of 10 questions are asked in three sets – LIfePassion, LifeMoments, and LifeAchievements). So this report can be attached in teh resume itself wherever the candidate is applying
Decreased learning curve for the management. If the recruiter gets to know his core skills, it is easy for them to give appropriate training & feedback to the candidate

Currently GenZDealZ.ai have tied up with various Mumbai campuses to conduct this test and many more colleges are in the pipeline to make this test mandatory before thier placement drive.

My report is also attached below to give you a reference. It has identified my sales & marketing as core skills and entrepreneurial mindset as my 2nd most preferred field. So from my side I gave full marks to LifeVitae (AI-driven self-discovery)

LifeVitae Report of Shreyas Karade

If have any questions, happy to answer them.

Comparison of Technicia (Amity University) & Navonmesh (AIC-RNTU)

by Shreyas Karade | Mar 30, 2025 | Business

How Were The 2 Days Invested At Amity University?

The following was the structure was followed in the Amity University New Panvel and got the blow traction between the Amity Students

Downloads: 175

Deals Consumed: 20 approximately in 8 days span

Footfall at Technicia fest on both days: 40 approx.

I’ll show a detailed comparison between Navonmesh & Technicia and how we got the least traction at Technicia:

Deal: Use code Technicia60 and get extra INR 60 OFF on any deal purchased via GenZDealZ.ai

Critical differences between Navonmesh (AIC RNTU) & Technicia:

Bhopal students were highly inquisitive about all the app technicals and our discount model using GenAI & Deep ML
Relatively from tier 3 & 2 cities who usually looks for saving money
Mostly school students don’t have any hard beliefs about savings & money (they were very keen to explore)
Bhopal students are very dilldaar 😊 and they’ll bring more students if they find something useful in your stall.
Faculties of Bhopal are also curious to explore the GenAI & Deep ML model and raised enough questions to increase their knowledge and share the same with their students

5 Advantages of events at your incubation cell:

– Whoever speakers are invited to the event are haiving you as an esteemed attendee (opportunity for you to ask direct questions and get a good PR too :))

– Additional assistance from the incubation team to help you connect with stakeholders like placement head, business head, technical committee, etc.

– Smooth journey from entering into the event, lodging, other complimentary facilities and notice about next lineup events happening at their university

– Able to hire the required interns for whichever openings you’ve from the designated faculties. This will really help for future campaigns and do real time market research

– Regional brand collaboration. The incubation cell becomes a good backing to connect with any desired brand and proceed with the collaboration model for the students benefit.

Talking about Amity University, New Panvel students:

Amity students have the status quo – once who have almost everything given by thier parents
These students want to save on their spending but still feels a little low while visiting our stall and inquire about the discounts
Amity students have extra money and want to spend (so least mentality of savings & investing in good things)
Amity students (except technical & engineering students) are super lazy to explore and try GenAI models that could get them the best deals

Where we went wrong?

On Day 1 we didn’t pasted all our core offerings that felt misatracted to the students
Due to non publicity to Technical & Engineering students, there was the least crowd and many uninterested students reached the stall
There was non coordination from the event heads and just downloads & few consumption didn’t help GenZDealZ.ai as compared to the vouchers we released and publicity we did about Technicia

What if you as a brand participating in such events?

Never ever go on the brochure numbers and footfall (nothing is proven & real in case)
If you’re going to gain a huge awareness in any campus, play on conversion basis and not on any fixed amount that’d result in huge burn rate and lost of your time & reputation
Ask the past brands who participated in the event you’re going and learn from them too (what results they received and overall footfall they had)
Upgrad had their stall in front of us and the person had a very bad experience in dealing with Amity kids (soon we’ll engage him via the strong connect in our campuses & within our cowering spaces to get maximum registration for their online AI course)

What we missed?

Make sure you followup with all the commitment the event head gives to you and not miss anything (connection with any brand, talking to the high authority for any joint MoU)
We missed the critical contact with TPO (training & placement officer) for LifeVitae campaign
We missed to collaborate with Unstop (who’ could integrate their APIs with us and engage in various college event registration & competitions)
Consumption rate: Though we had released a special promo code, it was left unused mostly and we lost the potential engagement & long term retention.

What special things we experienced at Navonmesh 2025?

Critical & constructive feedback from investors in the pitching session to further expand our operations in Bhopal
Faculties were highly interested to spread our word to students and bring more footfall to the stall
Content creators are open create any GenAI related content that would result in positive publicity for both social channels
Good facility from volunteers for any kinda assistance with amazing coordinators at the event who’ll make sure your stall has the maximum exposure
Amazing students who’re building robots & emerging tech products to get other students adapt this

How To Use Google My Business to Reach PAN India?

by Shreyas Karade | Mar 20, 2025 | Business

How we ensured we made the right developments at Google My Business?

We’ll talk about how to ensure you get maximum interactions via Google (highly applicable to coaching & service based business who don’t have any physical existence)

Prof. Sheetal Kunder Academy google my business statistics

Few of the best practices we followed at Prof. Sheetal Kunder Academy:

Made sure the reviews are collected just after students give thier exam (if not received, continuous reminder should be given)
You can reward the user by giving a certain crash course or a mock test series free for a certain validity (this can get more students give you the review)
Regular updates about anything new happening around any course, student achievements, new finance guidelines, etc. can be published on a real time basis
Google loves consistently being consistent. Not just unique content but also unique presentation (few of the best performing blogs can be attached in the updates section whenever you’re updating that blog so new comers can go through it)
Get it reviewed by experts and various SEO audit tools. Semrush provides a good analysis of the directories your site is available and where improvement is needed
To increase the incoming calls you need to have a good word of mouth, the existing reviews will help here. Additionally, attending offline events and posting their reviews & pics helps too

You can go through the below stats for reference and how numbers are fluctuating as per the increase in the content creation.

We’re slowing considering the services from Justdial as being the largest search engine for India – NISM mentorship will suit better for ranking high (as we’re already ranking for various NISM keywords). Justdial would act as a complimentary to PSKA (Prof. Sheetal Kunder Academy)

For eduators, justdial is recommended than IndiaMart (IM is more for businesses having offline presence). Accordingly make a wise choice

What Will Make You Unstoppable? Internshala V/S Unstop

by Shreyas Karade | Mar 9, 2025 | Business

What has been the comparison between unstop & internshala

If you analyse both of these platform in detail both are Indian edtech and working for Indian’s youth progress in teh employment sector in different way

Yu’ll get a gist of how each one fo them is helping in thier own way and students are developing from different areas

I had purchased Unstop PRO yearly subscription adn there’re many things to explore yet. I’ve just mentioned few of them below.

As the activity on Unstop is directly proportional to the college fest season (from January to May is the peak season of college events).

Though remote quizzes & competitions goes on, competing and networking between inter colleges has a different feeling.

Unstop Offering:

Compettions; This is highly crucial to developi the mind in the AI world and not just following the classroom training. One of my friend has been participating in different solo singing & dancing competition and had got selected in different regions
Quizzes: Though your asnwerings might be wrong and you won’t win any quiz – the only thing you’ll get is make your mind think analytical in each direction
Intenhips: Most of the companies unstop has are MNCs and the team companies most sutdent aspire with all teh required training to get placed in all of them
Mentorship: Direct contact session with mentors who’re actually working those firm
Support and access to top course: Unstop has good experts from depth experiencce in thier domain & you could recognise it by the mistakes they share with you

My Unstop Journey: From Competitions to Pro Member – A Detailed Review

Today, I want to share a detailed account of my experience with Unstop. If you’re a student looking to get ahead, I hope this helps you navigate the amazing opportunities this platform offers.

Exploring the Unstop Ecosystem: A User’s Perspective

My journey started with exploring the core features of the platform:

Competitions: I’ve participated in over 20 competitions, and I can confidently say they have been an incredible way to sharpen my intellect. While some competitions have an entry fee, I find them worthwhile. The motivation of a prize pool pushes you to get deeply involved, and you truly enjoy the spirit of competitiveness.
Cultural Events: Unstop hosts a wide array of events celebrating art forms like singing, dancing, and painting. Although I enjoy singing, I strategically chose to focus on competitions in AI, business pitching, marketing quizzes, and management events to drastically enhance my professional skills.
Scholarships: I haven’t personally applied for scholarships on Unstop, as many are state-level with very specific eligibility criteria. For my field of BBA in Digital Marketing, such opportunities are rare, so I primarily use platforms like Buddy4Study for scholarship applications.
Internships: The platform is an excellent resource for internships across various fields. A feature I particularly appreciate is the timely email reminders, which help ensure you can apply for opportunities quickly.

Deep Dive: Is Unstop Pro Worth the Investment?

The question of upgrading to Unstop Pro came up when I was searching for specific courses on operations and the Zufe system. Seeing them available on the platform, I quickly made the decision to enroll.

The sales team was incredibly efficient, following up promptly and addressing my price objections. I was able to enroll using my credit card with a convenient EMI of around ₹500 per month.

The benefits of the Pro membership were clear. Furthermore, Unstop partnered with GenZDealZ.ai, the community I work with as a Community Lead. This gave me an added advantage to study the platform in-depth and foster strong collaborations.

Case Study: Tackling the Textify Analytics Competition

To give you a real-world example, here’s a breakdown of a competition my team and I recently tackled.

The Challenge: Headed by my teammates (Heeral Rathod and Shreyas Karade) and me, our task was to create an entire report based on the instructions provided on the Unstop competition page.

Our Unique Strategy: What did we do that set us apart?

Timely Submission: We made sure to submit on time, even if it was just a few minutes before the deadline.
Focused Tooling: We didn’t use any other AI tools. We exclusively used the charts from Textify Analytics, combining them with our existing experience in the Ed-tech sector.
Leveraging Prior Research: I had previously authored a research report on the “Impact of Online Learning Platforms on India’s GenZ Market,” which gave me critical insights to complete this project in just 9 hours.
Attention to Detail: I carefully considered the level of detail required and inserted specific content and insights derived from Textify.

The Outcome & Key Learnings: While we didn’t secure the 1st prize, we finished as the 2nd runner-up! More importantly, the experience taught us the immense level of preparation and execution required to win in today’s competitive AI race.

Tips for Using Textify Analytics

Textify may not always give you the exact insights you need, but with the right prompts, you can get very close or even highly accurate results. As a reward for our 2nd runner-up position, we received a free 1-year Unstop Pro membership, which has been a fantastic bonus

Your Resources to Get Started

My journey with Unstop has been a powerful learning curve, from participating in competitions to becoming a Pro member.

To help you learn, you can refer to the PDF by clicking here of our competition report to study the exact content we created.
I can also provide a complete walkthrough of Textify to show you how to use it effectively with a Pro membership.

First Internshala international internship - shreyas karade

Internshala has been really close to me right from starting my internship career in Nov 2021 when I got my first remote internship in UK as a Email Outreacher with amazing flexibility.

From that internship, there has been immense opportunities I got & have passed to my friends.

My college friends easily cracks any internship in 2-3 days through smart application writing process – I’ve taught to so many that I’ve picked the opportunity to promote Internshala trainings by being a brand ambassador of Internshala (Internshala student partner)

Will review more itnernshala trainings in the coming weeks.

Intenrshala Offerings;

Internshala has pool of internship from so many sources
1 day internship and offline community completion help to become outrovert and showcase student talent on field
Internshala training and resume feedback They give a weekly report to help you get the internships
Non verification of companies; There are few a companies & startup who’re not hiring and are still listed on internet so security is good in internshala

What Actually Happens In Internship Fair? (hint: not hiring)

by Shreyas Karade | Feb 25, 2025 | Business

Why To Attend Internship Fair?

Recently iWebTecho & GenZDealZ.ai were the hiring partners at Pillai college and you’ll get to know how different hiring processes looks liked and the types of students we face.

Which are the different hiring processes?

Face to face interview rounds: Here the candidate is asked with tough questions with clarity about his/her background in academics & extra curricular activities
Online consecutive rounds: 1st round at the fair and the further rounds in virtual mode (2 to 3 person in the interview will throw variety of questions)
Interview test with subject knowledge score and overall confidence: Action taker candidates flex with their work and answers each tough questions

Especially when SY students visits, they’re a little scared to visit alone so most of them were coming in couple form (girl & boy – looking like a marriage proposal :))

Many students weren’t clear about what they wanna specialise in the next few months/years, that’s where the career assessment platform called LifeVitae idea was pitched to Pillai’s Training & Placement Officer. Here’s you can find more details about the sample career assessment report:

What Key Insights We Found At Pillai’s Candidates?

Girls are highly confident and hardworking when it comes to tech fields. All the tech roles we noted down (most of the girls were having household responsibilities plus managing thier studies well). Love to give internships to such female student
Studetns are ready to work on an incentive basis, no matter if the fixed stipend is low (good sign of ‘deserve before desire’)
Open for all types of adjustments, as many candidates were looking for summer internships, this was the chance to explore them the highest (all were ready to adjust their lectures & studies to give maximum output)

To give you a brief on my ongoing internship as during many remote internship I did, this is teh best one (may be because of the offline world I was exposed to & daily feedback I was receiving from seniors)

8 Major Learnings I Had During My Internship:

Do one thing everything that scares you: I followed this quote religiously whether it be coming up with a new design on social channels, website & restructuring pitch decks. Most feedback will help you give teh constructive feedback (be in the office – you’ll love it)

Work in a startup who has been 20 years in teh business: I’ve realised young founders do many mistakes and the same the interns had to face. Instead choose a org. where the founder has multiple businesses and you’re working in one of it (you’ll fail fast & fail cheap). E.g. we had printed a QR on smiley balls and it wasn’t delivered – eventually we printed bookmarks and distributed to investors

Never choose to work remotely: Even just by listening to founder’s talk – there’re so many hidden lessons. As said by GC – everything you want in yoru life if out of your home. Remote work sounds fancy but fastest growth happens in office

Overtime will be normal: You’ll have no balance in life. Extraordinary growth needs high amount of unstability that’ll make you capable to work & execute the fastest and handle multiple responsibilities at once. Sometimes even in non working days (when your salary is on hold), still executing things is needed – especially for startups to survive.

Salary not the main motivation: Though salary is the lifeline to survive ahead, don’t make it your main driving force. Even if you don’t get the salary for a few months, work sincerely – focus on creating new income sources to not solely depend on stipend. In my current internship, I had waited for 2 months for 1 salary and was able to manage it well.

Colleagues are your teammates for your startup: Build your startup parallely , hiring & collaborating with short term work with your colleagues will help create a strong team.

Be expose to the outer world: Whichever field you’re in, ensure you’ve good people management skills (conducting events, talking to folks, coordinating & making them do the tasks) – A.I. lacks here in understanding human emotions.

Always , always stay hungry: Eat only when you’re super hungry else focus on innovating & building great things. This is the time to use real intelligence to drive artificial intelligence. Many macro economic events going on – so ensure you build something that’s truly needed by the consumers.

Did Somaiya Innovation and Impact Festival Had 40,000 Footfall?

by Shreyas Karade | Feb 23, 2025 | Business

How was the 1st day of Maker Mela Event?

The main event we attended was Somiya Innovation & Impact festival and under this Maker Mela, Darwin, & Naya was the part of the event, our main focus was Maker Mela (the most creative event you’ll see around sustainability)

We targeted this event with application downloads & BoB E Pay UPI Lite downloads (campaign we’ve been running with Bank of Baroda till 26th February 2025)

Traction: 130+ GenZDealZ.ai downloads

150+ BoB E Pay UPI Lite downloads

150+ smiley balls distributed (had our QR)

Here’re the offers we pasted for pulling the crowd:

Free samples of Munchilicious & skin care products: Those who were willing to give feedback on teh spot were receiving munchilicious small pack and interested students were filing the form to receive free skin care samples to be delivered
We also made that the hyperlocal offers are active and updated with their current student offers (on 2nd day we added a new stationery vendor too)
We hired Somiaiya’s students to assist us in bringing more crowd (campaign brief was given them in advance)
Direct cashback and activation of 2 PROMO codes for few days to increase the consumption).

40% of the crowd we received was more than 30 age (even the juries & prof. were interested to consume the deals and spread the word)

Few General Guidelines:

Ask the lunch/breakfast & snacks timing in advance. No one will notify you about visiting the mess (else you’ll waste your food coupons)
Make sure you’ve enough ventilation present around you (a big crowd increases the heat a lot)
Ask for enough water bottles when you’ve 4 to 5 members in a stall , you’ll need enough hydration in strong summers
Visit the stall a day before to check what all can be pasted on teh booth (does glue sticks or staple is needed) and will get idea of space allocation too
Have a quick support team: For Bank of Baroda UPI Lite app promotion we faced many errors from users and the same were revertd them
Give your feedback straightaway (don’t wait for the feedback form to be circulated). If you’ve any issues with the stall place (too much muddy, heat & low water stations, etc.), accelerate them to the event co heads.
If you’ve giving right away cash backs, have a good quantity of cash (if your UPI Waltet is blocked during to many transactions)

How was Day 2 – Maker Mela Fest?

It started with restocking our smiley balls that went out of the stock on Day 1.

We made sure we shoot good feedback videos for our app, Munchilicious nutritious packets & overall hyperlocal offerings

Our stall was the only one who got the most crowd with direct GenZ interaction and all the academic people who will directly & indirectly use our app.

Prof. needs much guidance about how the app works as those who’re totally new will get a clarity of how they should proceed and claim exclusive offer from our app.

On 2nd day, it was a holiday for the campus, still students were visiting in good numbers (around 50 in each hour) and 30+ juries judging us in the entire day to give us teh score on team & crowd management, product USP, business clarity, etc.

2nd day involved pitching to investors, however our Founder knows how the pitching model works and how many serious investors actually invest the money. So major focus we gave on our stall and the student traffic.

Eventually we hit our main target of achieving 200+ BoB E Pay UPI lite app downloads

Don’t Start A Cold Emailing Campaign Without Reading This

by Shreyas Karade | Feb 19, 2025 | Business

Recently after many months we resumed to start email marketing , few of the biggest mistakes we made in this journey are:

Not overcommunicating: There’re so many things we assume during meetings and later regret of why didn’t over specified them. During the start of the pojrect we clearly mentioned collection of 500 emails. However, later we were also told to get other information like LInkedin URL, company name & website (which took the project timeline a lot long)

Giving a fixed deadline: For any project, don’t give a fixed deadline anytime. You can’t predict anything (your team member may get a family commitment, medical issues, etc.). Thus give a buffer period (of 10 to 15 days) beforehand so your reputation isn’t at the stake. In this case the brand’s team can’t pressurize you unecessairly when you had given a buffer period

Keep a good boundary of what needs to be done or what not: Especially when you’re dealing with agencies, the work is super divided so many a times we made unnecessary changes that would have no effect on teh conversions. Plus respecting the timings are also needed as I’m a college student plus Heeral (who had handles the complete email creation & extraction of leads) had other project commitments. So giving a fixed timeline of yoru availability helps both the parities

Don’t risk your timeline with free tools: When the client don’t want to spend on quality tools, you can’t give a concrete timeline of project completion. We used cloudflare for email hosting and due to a server error the emails couldn’t get processed. As we had the free version so no support was provided & starting plans were too costly.

Doing everything yourself: Atleast hiring a system admin helps in solving deep errors that are uncommon for marketers. Giving a fixed fees for the system admin helps in resolving issues in real time & keep the project on track

Scrapping Tools: Thought we used different reputed email extracting tools from free version, you wont’ get all valid emails. Minimum 30% of the emails will be inactive/doesn’t exist/mailbox not receiving new emails, etc. So you can’t expect a high open rate from each lead (as many of them won’t receive). Instead use paid email extracting tools & extract 40% more leads than the actual target to maintain high engagement on your campaigns

Takign teh client for granted: No matter how many tasks you’ve (even in family ermgenices) prioriization is a must. If the client has been so patient by the extended project deadline and still you’re giving any small excuses, it would harm not only your busienss & reputation but also your overall retention rate of lient. One unpleasant experience is remembers over 50 plesant experineces, so ensure that the client has the highest satissfaction rate.

Not keeping the 3rd party agency in the loop: We made the mistake of not giving the real timeupdates and that backlashed with us. So when communicating in the group we gave updates in the mrning & then directly in the evening resulting in high project extension. So even if you’re busy or solving any eror – keep the agency team members always informed.

issues we faced with Zoho campaigns

Few Techncial Errors We Made During Cold Emailing:

a) 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳: Never use a free email hosting platform. Neither you’ll get a good support nor your issues will ever get fixed

b) 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯: Free email hosting providers has downtime issues – during a critical email campaign your results will highly affect

c) 𝘡𝘰𝘩𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴: It is for newsletter and not for cold emailing. Snov has the smooth interface to manage multiple cold email campaigns and filter active leads accurately.

There were a lot of combinations we tried in getting the right tool for cold emailing.

In the find of a good & free tool to experiment with – we took cloudflare and then shifted to Zoho campaigns.

2 consistent mistakes we did:

Cloudflare: No support at all to the free members so whichever server errors we were getting weren’t resolved and project was getting super delayed. So shifted to the DNS settings to Zoho campaigns
Zoho Campaign: It is used for email marketing and not for cold emailing. A wrong decision lead to time consumption. So though we were grttingthe open rates – that wasn’t what the tools is made for. So choose GoDaddy for hosting the emails.

Finally we found the good place to host the 3 email domains and those can be sent through Snov.

By switching on the custom tracking domain – the deliverability almost doubled up.

We revamped the unsubscribe page with the new look and a good copy to retain the outgoing lead.
We created a different flow for leads who haven’t opened the emails and followup sequence who booked the meetings.

Hoping to get some results in the month end….still the sequence is working adn will update you its status soon

Detailed Checklist to Make Your College Fest Stall The Most Profitable

by Shreyas Karade | Feb 8, 2025 | Business

How Was Our Experience at Alegria?

Though I didn’t get selected for the solo singing competition, I accelerated GenZDealZ.ai’s collaboration with Pillai’s management for more opportunities around incubation, sponsorships, judges requirement & online promotion activities.

Javed sir & Mohsin sir came to judge the duet singing – we got 1 day stall at the foodcourt with a good GenZ crowd in & around the campus. Specifically we were targeting faculties & management staff (as they’ve a good network of students to cater to and spread our offerings).

Outcome of 1 day stall (from 10:50 to 17:10) at Alegria 2025:

Gained 60+ downloads and distribution of 80+ mobile standee bookmark to principal, faculties & other college students too.
Visibility to 200+ moving crowd around the festival

Missed Opportunity:

At night there was a comedy night and following that few performances – we could have asked to placed the standee at night for off campus audience engagement (obviously it’d require a volunteer to drive it). Atleast 2000+ crowd attends the comedy night..

Safest place for the standee:

Irrespective of whichever event you’re attending – carrying the standee all the times is a hectic.

If you’re a student, keeping safe in your classroom backside is a good choice
If you’re an event coordinator, ask a student whether they could safely keep the standee (until next event arrives)

Issues With Stall:

Problem 1: Falling on the front side

Solution: Keep a heavy weight on the standee’s back side to not let it fall or keep another standee’s weight on the bottom

Problem 2: QR not scannable

Solution: Always have a big QR stick on the top of the stall or on your bookmark for alternative scanning & get downloads

Problem 3: No refreshments

Solution: Here at Alegria there were no refreshments to stall owners. Ask the event team early and make them arrange atleast good qty. of water bottles.

Problem 4: Unfixed timing

Solution: In most events, stall timings starts on time, however the wrap up time is undecided. Ask them when it would end so plan your schedule & appoint volunteers accordingly.
If they wrap up early before the said timing, tell them to provide alternative place to setup the stall as they’ve already committed the timings

Why Do You Badly Need Volunteers At Your Stall?

Increase in network: Volunteers (in college events these are students itself) who’re popular in the campus brings major footfall. Here students visits the stall just because the volunteer is present at the stall.
In our case, Vidit is highly dynamic and known in the campus and so I appointed him (rates are mutually decided)
Explanation of offerings: The engagement increases when you’ve someone who’s equally skilled at sales. Here you can divide the crowd and handle it by each volunteer

TIP: Pay these volunteers very well and provide good refreshments (they’re putting equal or may be double the efforts)

Which are the things you can’t miss (while having a stall in college fests)?

Publicising on social media: Invite your in house social media person to cover the event and publish real time reels & content
Taking feedback from students: Such fests are the best time to receive critical feedback on your app/product (you may provide rewards in return)
Inviting top level management staff: When you’ve the campus director, Vice Principal visiting the stall, it gives you a good credibility for future partnerships & you start winning the college trust
Having an exclusive offer: We had created GENWIN code for ₹100 OFF on any deal for a limited time. These offer should not just be visible but also need to be communicated with the visitors, else they won’t know

Which are the details to be taken care while setting up your stall in small events

Be on time: Though the stall timings might be from 10 to 4 PM , there lll be the 20% crowd who gives 80% of the revenue in those 1 or 2 hour. If you miss that period you miss on majority of the core. However, you get a 2nd chance too – when you’re exposed to many faculties who has network of students who can leverage the stall details and spread the word for good.

Test all the resources in advance : On the day of the event, never leave anything behind and don’t trust on anyone – not even your nearest team member. Everyone can make big blunder that’ll cost you at the end. In our case we made the mistake of leaving standees in the office and need to wait extra hours for opening.

Testing & seen it lively: There many things like cables power, volunteers, table for stall keeping, etc. are the task you need to manage while setting up your stall

Getting volunteer’s assistance helps you to sell more. Here we didn’t get much assistance as it was an intangible product so we had to duo the explanation part and sell it further.

Warm up the crowd is needed. Just putting the standees won’t help. The initial interactions helps to attract the crowd and the same crowd further refers to their friends to visit.

You get to know your business nature so we understood what all things were missing in our stall (QR codes, some exclusive offer banners, working laptop, etc.) – will keep in mind next time.

shivam from alegria committee supporting GenZDealZ.ai initiative

Please search for a friend who can pull the crowd and you can explain further. IN my case it was Vidit who told that we were having an exciting offer and I starts explaining the platform. Vidit was highly outrovert and had good bond within teh colleges.

Inform all your participants & your classmates in advance about such events (so they could visit as their lectures ends)

Your own classmates helps to strengthen your confidences and helps for pulling good crowd

Gained 30+ downloads and the feedback:

‘Great experience but ui can still work on themself’

‘The app is really easy to use and it helped me a lot to save money, really love the app, everyone must use it.’

‘the UI & UX is very smooth and built in very detailed’

‘good initiative for students – all the best’

While ending the event, if there’re events running in your campus, you can put the standee in the college itself for attending the next expo

We though of further integration like payment gateway – however, we would be looking in the next expo to come up with a big way and get the maximum of this event.

Complete Overview of E-Summit At IIT Bombay

by Shreyas Karade | Feb 8, 2025 | Business

How the overall IIT E Summit Held?

This summit has been invited to GenZDealZ>ai as being finalist last year, genzdealz.ai go the invitation with our team

We leveraged this opportunity to get the stall and event entries at less cost (we couldn’t get the stall registrations) however we did enough networking for getting few brands onboarded and gain some funding exposure

me and akshay sir (founder & CEO at genzdealz.ai and iwebtechno)

Day 1 Review:

Networking arena at Brookfield properties and it was between investors, founders & other brand partners.

As it was an open space so first mover grabbed the opportunity to talk to the potential investor and gain the feedback to work on.

This is the time to exchange opportunities and gain maximum critical feedbacks that’ll make you think on your idea & product

Just few metres away, there was a seminar of Anupam Mittal, Infosys Cofounder & other few speakers at LHC area of IIT-B , those who got selected in seed stars or million dollar table gets the pitch in the car opportunity (2 cars were present for founders)

We did take the following materials to promote on Day2:

Shows all the daily usage brands that would easily interest to GenZ
All the categories we covered to show how holistically we’ve expanded
Plus the QR in the bookmark is very handy to scan & share with others

Day 2 Review:

Get to meet with highly intellect incubators & investors who’ll refine your idea much and invite you to pitch ahead
Visit teh SBI startup expo to get all the fintech & edtech brands targeting IIT kids
Many outreach brand again meeting offlien and how’s deviant sir
Open video and sur taal mein hi Akko bhejdo sao for mekign tea fest on time

We got a few descent downloads but have kept teh sticker of our log in teh promotional wall:

Getting few scanning via my GneZDealZ.ai
Get to spread to other incubators & potential brand buyers
Few word of mouth to have some more exitiemtn into switch song

If purchased stall we could getting both teh access with laptop and vice versa

A good number of footfalls would be getting
A getting only appp with opportunity horn?
Eat counters to assist them further with simple brand changes

Does Indian Colleges Entertain Cold Email Outreach?

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 19, 2025 | Business

Many of the colleges have a descent ego in not partnering with new-age startups.

Followups are mostly for years & years, if you’re consistent – you’ll get the deal/

Here are the kinda email replies we got after sending 77 outreach emails:

email reply on IHM Gurukul

A few mistakes we made in cold emailing to the college:

Not taking their names correctly
Giving the principal the wrong pitch
Sending an unprofessional brochure
Getting non working email IDs with non creative subject lines

Why to get the email campaigns initiated under third party?

Recently we tried graphy emails with thier special domain and found the below results

email campaign results via graphy

Spam rate decreases a lot with thier suggestions and custom analytics helps in knowing the open rates
Everything manage under one platform without paying extra
Soon you can try this for your email – here the the verbal flow we flow
Make sure who all the audience reads emails of yours and who ignored them can filter afterwards

Does Keeping the Course Price at Discounts Works in Festivals?

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 19, 2025 | Business

Though India is a nation where festive are highly important and needs something OFF to get the purchase completed, there’re audiences where discounts doesn’t have any effect on them.

In which cases discounts won’t work at that level:

When the audience is financially capable to pay and doesn’t care much about the price. Pitching the course anytime in the year will work
When the audience doesn’t have any option in teh market adn you become their 1st preferred choice your business gonna increase irrespective of any festive

When would discounts work?
– When the audience doesn’t have a large capability to pay you

– When the audience includes international customers (living in India) who may need certain discounts to manage thier exchanges values well

Case 1: DigitalChefHub (www.ihmgurukul.com)

Here the chefs are mostly less paid and are they need financial assistance to get their ups killing sorted

Here’s the sales graph during the discounts period:

IHM Gurukul sales graph in Dec 2024

Case 2: Prof. Sheetal Kunder Academy (www.profsheetalkunderacademy.com)

For financial students, they don’t have a high financial capability (considering they’re not invovled in any internship), and parents of these students are ready to send them anywhere for good studies.

Finance professionals have a good pay and read to pay any amount to get promotions and salary hikes (may pursue due to company’s policy of upgrading knowledge)

Here’s the sales graph during the discounts period:

PSKA revenue in discount period

Why Offline Meet Are So Valuable in this Virtual World?

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 12, 2025 | Business

India is such a dynamic plane where nothing happens without offline meetings. No matter if it is a company, institution or a small status – gmeet doesn’t work every time

Once you ve the offline Emet , then G-Meet works

Here’re the areas we see less the most benefit after a offline meet:

Followups becomes few, you get automatically high regards by the prospect. Note you’ve discussed, report the prospect on time and plan everything well
Your product is accelerated to the top management easily . Here the you meet the right POCs , you service or your proposal is considered by teh top management early . This helps in being the first mover
Offline hardcopy helps a lot where your soft copy is stored digitally but your hard coy is in front of their table
You get to meet so many other coordinators who’re most interested that the main POC that you had contact with
When you are around teh company’s projects, or the team members of the company, you get more live ideas to test and experiment for

In which cases online meeting prove successful?

Acquiring Rakesh Rana’s sir project, he didn’t know whether I come from Badlapur or not. He got impressed with our commitment and not because of my background but the spark I had for email marketing, he gave me the project
Somaiya Campus meeting with BigFM where the Somaiya team gained the ultimate clarity of how the event will be coded and who all we can bring. These complete project was well handled
Seeing with Pillai where Pillai College had given us 2 projects in and few are scheduled in the next months. Many more are coming with the BigFM team with Pillai’s group of institutions
I had gone to Delhi to meet Abhinay Sharma sir the biggest math educator (for SSC CGL exams) where they had few improvements in the marketing segment of thier channel & blog creation again for this I invested around ₹6,000 in traveling and got teh project worth of ₹22,000 (which wasn’t delivered due to my academic career start)

There many examples where offline meet can do wonders and after that you can have multiple online meets

Why Campus GenZs Are The Golden Customers of Brands?

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 12, 2025 | Business

Here’s a list of all the college events happening PAN India (updated 2025): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16luns-zNZlpzIAzxd45ncE-KbXqDKzzF5dzzkGqlPOo/edit?usp=sharing

It’ll be regularly updated as we get more college event brochures and get their entire annual schedule. Helps a lot for media companies to be ready in advance.

College events are crucial for any brands to target for thier new or existing product promotion

Few reasons why brands are keen to enter into campus:

GenZDealZ.ai currently participating in 3 different fests at the same time and have found the below observations:

Focus on the GenZ: GenZs are the future consumers who’ll be the future of India , these are the main consumers who’l drive India’s growth to the next level.

Building up spending power : It has been seen that GenZs focused on comfort than anyother thing. They’re so many side hustles GenZ do parlay with thier college life and in this startup culture the number of short term projects have been increased a lot. So the spending capacity is going on a next level

Inspiring the Gen Alpha and beta: In few years the current GenZ will produce babies that’ll have deeper impact on Gen alpha and beta who’ll have a very different shopping behaviour

Giving a tangible experience: Though online has made things simple however GenZ wants need something tangible to have experience and share teh positive experiences effectively

Being financially wise: Influencers have done a good job in spreading the right financial education. So they’ve the right knowledge to check where to spend/invest thier time & energy. Positive and important events are given more priority by them

Being part of something important : the choice in brnads also depends on teh mission the business is working on. Not just any random brand is being trusted.

Few Unique Insights We Received From GenZDealZ.ai:

GenZs don’t like too time in research adn giving long prompts: For this we introduced readymade prompts to search direclty and get the most accurate deals as per thier shopping consumption

Single singer the only option for them: Here the login & manual password system gone , now GneZ always choose to single sign on via Gogole/Apple

Will help you spread the positive very loud & open for any new initiative: GenZDealZ>ai has so many campaign opportunities and most fo the committee members are open for us to make the campaign successful in any terms

GenZs are keen to challenges and question the smallest thing: If the same band offering different discount on both the platforms, they’ll question and. Find out why is it so. They’ll also search for the idea of why I’m getting this thing at such rates

GenZ’s are keen engage on incetivisatio basis: hough fixed stupid have the the trend , many student are willing to got work on a conversion based where they get ad on every earning

Ou main aim of GenZDealZ.ai is to know the deep behaviour of GenZ and the making them financially wise to invest in right things.

So offline events and engagement in any form gives us clear idea of what will work an don’t and this is very very valuable to any brand

Hidden Ranking Benefits of Google My Business

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 12, 2025 | Business

Discovering the power of Google My Business

In this article you’ll get the practical reasons of why a GMB account is needed. Not just the bookish answer but realtime data on which you can rely on

Why Indian Educators Need To Use GoogleMyBusiness?

To publish universal updates where the main updates can be published on a real time even in seconds you get the required traffic on your article

Post photos & videos of your customers & live feedback impact the users’s trust a lot.

Events , consider this as your social media platform adn all yoru engagement can be traced through interactions, numbers.

Manage multiple franchisees: though there’s a facility to choose different assets groups , keeping teh account separate would help you manage the ownership well. From a SEO view, getting another business asset help as its rankings will transfer to the newly opening business group

Get more shop/class visits: In India there’ a more important physical visit and see the infra, schedule adn teaching style. To show some institution , it win users trust that there’s offline;

Unique Insights We Received From GMB:

Getting the interaction & traffic with doing the least things here when I opened the GMB A/c for my elder sister selling Mehendi service she has been getting some traffic without regular posts just uploading new videos/photos with customised descriptions

Refer to these examples:

Which Is The Right Time To Launch Your iOS App Version?

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 5, 2025 | Business

Nowadays every edtech has their own app (already created for both type of model – Android & iOS). But for startups with a small team needs to focus on 1 model at a time and win one market to gradually shift to iOS.

You can have your own in-house developers or take assistance from 3rd party vendor to outsource most things:

•⁠ Sales (digital notification assistant) and follow-up support

•⁠ ⁠Curriculum designer

•⁠ ⁠Personalised chatbot for quick query resolution

•⁠ ⁠Any tech integration with your email marketing tool or promote your educational material (listed on Amazon as paid) can list for discounts

•⁠ ⁠User current status and which course he/she might be interested in is identified too

When is the right time to shift to an iOS-based app launch?

– The point where you’ve 500+ queries from users to have an iOS supported app

– When you see the consumption from the iOS users will be valuable & you’ll touch the cream crowd

– When you want to expand internationally and shifting to iOS somewhat becomes highly important for international audience

What extra tech responsibilities do you carry with the iOS launch in an ed-tech startup?

– You need to hire a developer who’ll constantly oversee the main operations (codes, design, payment integration, etc.)

– Hiring freelancers would work in this case (however, trust & confidentiality issues need to be resolved with proper documentation)

– Technical knowledge to a non-technical person where few of your team members should have the basic system & configuration knowledge that’ll help in emergencies & in absence of the main developer

right time to shift into iOS - look for this critical signs

Inputs from Full-Stack Developer of GenZDealZ.ai:

– A junior developer always helps in a deployment with the launch of any minor/maor feature to iOS users. If you have a big brand to be onboarded with the event registration flow to be shown, so having another junior developer helps

– Taking assistance from AI, if your startup is NVIDIA incepted, there’re many complimentary services it offers with good training to train your team to automate most tasks. You get many key insights & feedback to quickly the efficiency

Alternative to Not Shifting to iOS

– Geting a website (responsive to iOS & Android) to accommodate users on the same digital presence to make login & engagement easy on 1 platform

– Create a separate payment form for transactions & a HTML/CSS page to showcase only your products /services

– Leverage third party platform with extensions (graphy, canva, etc)

Why YouTube Wants You to Leverage This 8 Features

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 1, 2025 | Business

In today’s article, you’ll get to know the hidden boosters YouTube has installed in different places and how you can leverage them the best to increase overall subscribers (by showing you example of one of our clients – DigitalChefHub)

YouTube community:

The most powerful content section YT has built to attract new subscribers. I’ll show you some trends about how different post combinations perform at different times and how much quality to maintain while posting

For DigitalChefHub YT channel (one of our client’s projects): We’ve been consistently getting 40+ likes with few comments. It got suddenly increased when we introduced kitchen costing

So the higher the frequency – the more clarity you’ll gain for knowing the topic to focus on

Commenting to genuine subscriber:

For edtech, the students are specific to their query and are highly intellectual. If you feel they need more guidance, directly paste the course link for direct purchase (with a Buy Now CTA).

For DigitalChefHub audience, chefs & hospitality students don’t have high academic grades but has strong practical knowledge & skills, so telling a buy-now CTA was required

Changing the cover image frequently:

You may think cover image is what most people may ignore on. This is the best place to showcase your entire offerings in 1 image (it may be 1 single power line, your product portfolio, or your team photo signifying the backend contribution)

Here’s the current cover photo of DigitalChefHub evolved:

Keeping the YouTube video scheduled –

sending auto notification to the most interested ones helps to build the initial hype for the video and this also motivates you as a creator to be more consistent

Repurposing long videos into shorts: So the frequency matters the most here. Though your channel might have valuable long videos, converting into shorts will reach the maximum audiences.

Here’s the graph of the viewership along from YT shorts:

Polls:

Most creators use this for general topic suggestion purposes. However this is the best tool for asking question of the day. You can schedule questions on each day with the answer as a YouTube video link in the question tab for subscribers to check the answers.

Here’re the poll results from 2.3K channel subscribers (one of the institutes we’re serving):

Revamping old videos into a new version:

You may have seen creators repurposing the video into multiple content formats. Plus, you may have got to know that they’ve just included more examples or case studies to explain the same content

Here we’ve repurposed the long videos into YouTube community & shorts for stressing the importance of kitchen costing.

You can see our scheduling format and how we schedule for long months and impact on revenue on other side

Surprise LIVE Sessions:

Though many creators do it with a plan, surprise live sessions are always supported by subscribers to interact with and ask n number of doubts. LIVE sessions and long interviews can also be converted into blogs & articles for your website too

Which Are The 10 LinkedIn Features Provide Consistent Content Growth?

by Shreyas Karade | Jan 1, 2025 | Business

In today’s article I’ll guide you some hidden LinkedIn features that LinkedIn don’t tell directly to their users.

DIve into profile optimization below…

a) Videos with a YT short ratio aren’t recommended – you see the trend below with the content we published and the views we got for different ratio

Chef Dheeraj Bhandari LinkedIn analytics

Here the most viewed views were directly pasted from YouTube – and we just pasted the best synopsis in the captions

b) You don’t need a premium profile – whichever salesy message you see to persuade you that isn’t real at all. Not even a single time we’ve purchased OLinkedIN premium to get clients or to gain leads

All the network I’ve built is gained from organic traffic.

Even during the trail period, I didn’t get any clients instead most of them comes from referrals.

c) Getting verified is mandatory for knowing the best authenticity: Being a verified LinkedIn profile always helps in knowing the target audience and proving the creditial and experience help any prospect to know how much genuine you’re

d) On LinkedIn never promotes articles & groups: Groups you must be aware of that are not working at all – LinkedIN articles also dont’ get enough t promoted and writing such long articles is useful when you write on your blogs where you get long term traffic and get more option edit and rank well for specific keywords

e) LinkedIn promotes carousel & image plus text content the most. Carousels are just the most favour of LnkedIN. As company’ reports, discussion, product walkthrough are best shown in carousels so quality traffic is attracted through swipe

f) LinekdiN gives the best facilities for university students: if you’re a student there’re various competition where LinkedIn coupons / vouchers. can be received

g) Linekdin sales navigator: You don’t need this – a set of emails from different sources are already available in a comping adn mostly cloud blo and need to get the response from the email too

Keep precise outreach messaging or cold outreach – here how we implement cold outreach and what samples you could swipe on

– Taking email IDs from profile

– If not received from the LinkedIn profile, we visit their website to get one

– Design a customised email with some common body copy

– Do this with 40 to 50 new leads per day and we were getting 9% around response and had conversation with HODs of colleges

h) Engagement with other content and price isn’t necessary – you can do as per your outside friend’s reply

Try many different hastags at once where you want to support on how could we update the same

i) LinkedIn Profile security is just and here how you gain more steps and secure it ultimately and recover it back

j) LinkedIn AI is the new one to leverage for resume review, getting contracts and need to experiment the following – this is still emerging for a Gemini view

Which Ad Type Is Supported By LinkedIn Ads?

by Shreyas Karade | Dec 28, 2024 | Business

For LinkedIn, video ads work well as interactivity is always dominated by static posts.

You could see the effectiveness of LinkedIn video ads

LinkedIn video ads chart on GenZDealZ.ai page

Potential errors you might get while running a LinkedIn video ad:

– Unsuitable video aspect ratio & too big size

– Low-quality creative or anything affecting LinkedIn ads policies

It is easy to solve them, just need to test by uploading different versions of your video with the right aspect ratio & minimum size. Plus, maintaining a professional tone helps to be in-sync with LinkedIn ad compliance

Here’re the actual video ad we’re running (as of 28th Dec 2024) on GenZDealZ.ai page (you could swipe some ideas from it):

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/genzdealz_empowering-genz-through-genai-powered-deals-activity-7278042679089770496–kHG?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

You could also gain more LinkedIn ad examples; https://www.linkedin.com/ad-library/home

As the audience is mostly professionals, you need to divide your main CTA into micro actions to make them complete the flow.

How To Divide Main CTA Into Micro Actions?

a) So, when we were running NIDHI Prayas video ad with a complete walkthrough the next action (for startup owners) was to fill all the required details (containing 9+ questions).

b) Popping up 1 question at a time and showing some startups funding results (while filling the form) keeps them engage, else filling the form is a complete monotonous activity.

What other activities does your page should have (during the campaign)?

a) Taking the example of NIDHI Prayas, we were also publishing our funding news, participation in pitching events, tech revolution challenges, other successful startups examples, etc. so LinkedIn sees that you’re doing what you’re telling

b) Even while publishing reels (you should know what post aspect ratio does LinkedIn support the most). IG reel ratio isn’t supported at all (you can see the result below)

c) Comments, employee mentions and engaging with other pages – this shows that you’re interacting with LinkedIn community (LinkedIn likes professional engagement a lot)

Why Combination of Inorganic (LinkedIn Ads) & Organic Growth Needed?

by Shreyas Karade | Dec 25, 2024 | Business

At GenZDealZ.ai, we’ve been running LinkedIn ads for 5 months around and whatever learnings I can share in this duration, I’ll cover up everything.

Why Did We Start LinkedIn Ads?

Need to quick traction. In startups, it is all about the deadlines and hitting the milestones (to maintain reputation, gain funding & build social capital)

Here’re some of our best performing organic posts:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7276910301399142400

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7267807461288398848

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7261700331401596928

As we’re a startup still – scaling and developing the social capital is vital for us to do any announcement, recognising our achievements, connecting with investors, hiring, etc.

Here the founder have a good LinkedIn following – but just reposting and likes from his personal profile didn’t work.

Increasing posting frequency always preferred by social platforms We followed the same with the below content schedule and got the mentioned results:

Monday : Current tech news in the market

Tuesday: Office reel & festive offers

Wednesday: Brand posts (via which we’ve collaborated)

Thursday: New campaign execution short LinkedIn videos

Friday: Expo/event collaboration announcement posts

Saturday: Launching new app update with new brand deals

Here’s the LinkedIn ads dashboard we tried and the results are attached:

organic & paid media LinkedIn stats of GenZDealZ.ai

A) Smart Tab for school and college students (took distributorship from Byjus) – a short tech demo helps in knowing the product

B) Promoting the GenZdealZ webflow and how many new offline and online deals we’re having. We had kept this as running to let GenZ know what are the new AIML updates we’re up to

C) Nidhi Prayas – govt fund with 100% grant fromw hich we had required good number kd responses to show hiebkich active we’re and the start-ups who need support

As GenZdealZ.ai is riidle incubated this NIDHI Prayas registration helps in asking for funding too and the registrants too get some support

Other the paid ads were consistent on organic media (expos, videos, Carousels and tech news to let GenZ aware of AI things happening,)

Why We’re Focused On Organic Growth?

– Being an ex-SharkTankIndia contestant (Akshay Shah sir) have been into student ecosystem from a very long time and having someone delicately handle LInkedIn page is required by them for long term

– LinkedIn is an metric in social count and based on it you get the funding percentage decides

– Utilize the required credits, here this startups is recognized by Startup India & DPIIT certificate so utilizing free LinkedIn ad credits with our own budget plays good results in webapp footfall & application downloads

How We Boosted Awareness of Benny On LinkedIn?

by Shreyas Karade | Dec 22, 2024 | Business

Benny—an AI fashion shopping platform. During Sep to Nov 2024 we were promoting Benny’s unique model of AI through many creative ways.

This article will give you the compressed version of what were our learnings in this period and mistakes we made (definitely you wanna avoid)

Have a quick look at the stats (just for LinkedIn; IG stats not considered here):

Benny LinkedIn marketing by GenZDealZ.ai

This is the same case study we ran for one of the brand partners and here’re the stats

In the start, 1st month was you can say total experimentation and getting clarity on the topics to be published on LInkedIn.
Though LinkedIn’s audience is little different (diverse audience is growing now), we were dynamic to give the content preferences to each audience.

From our team, one of the team member had strength in fashion, food & lifestyle brands for content creation. Regular feedback from seniors always helps in gaining the right message reach the audience.

Links for all the LinkedIn posts (static, video, carousel, LinkedIn article) made for Benny:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7247945948574699520

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7260281598778990592

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7255496573990694913

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7251928024797904896

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7250100122414465024

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7249071360520441856

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7246507566350974976

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7244347684042555393

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7243224460097400832

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7242216898765963265

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7240740107643740160

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7239258126690992129

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7238124879479222272

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7236718311705632768

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7236316833732014081

Few of the feedback I received on Benny’s content on GenZDealZ.ai LinkedIn page:

– My voice during screen recording was very low and not so much enthusiastic
– During the carousel design, too much text was leading to confusion
– Most of the designs were too simple and didn’t matching with the dynamic AI-based fashion shopping platform
– Many grammatical errors during each sentence (leads to non understanding of entire para)

Overall, the entire campaign got the best awareness to the Benny, as benny is still growing from each angle (funding, design, UI/UX, etc.)

On Instagram too, we had a low reach initially but increased gradually and engagement spiked too.

Our instagram marketer had strengths in editing, directing and shooting. Graphics and creative had scope for improvements.

Following topics were stressed on LinkedIn for Benny:

a) Promote the new Benny features
b) Festive offerings and their core shopping flow through the actual video walkthrough
c) Feedack collection from genuine customers & tech suggestions in different areas
It was cost-effective for benny to increase the awareness in the market with this approach

During this promotion they had also running a special offer for GenZ with a custom promo code

For showing their amazing features, just the carousels and static posts weren’t enough to publish.

Videos are very critical for such brand types else you’ll get the least engagement and take more months to get the desired traction.

Impact of Online Learning Platforms on Indian GenZ Consumers

by Shreyas Karade | Dec 19, 2024 | Business

Impact of Online Learning Platforms on Indian GenZ Consumers

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Online learning platforms refers to websites that educate GenZ in all the fields. GenZ refers to individuals who are born between 1995 to 2012 who follow the current trends and are keen to explore new things.

After COVID-19 there has been a J-curve in the online upskilling. Especially studying from home (for GenZ) availed endless opportunities to learn at their own pace. With the growth in learners, international & domestic platforms developed their LMS widely for a comprehensive course delivery.

The Indian market will always be special for them to understand the needs of beach students and on WhatsApp they’re comfortable in grabbing the concepts.
The top online learning platforms in India – Udemy, Coursera, Khan Academy, Byjus, LinkedIn Learning.

Udemy:
Vast course library – Covers a wide range of topics at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Flexible pricing – Frequent sales and discounts make it affordable.
Bite-sized content – Many courses are shorter and more focused, ideal for busy schedules.
Variable quality – Inconsistency in instructor expertise can be confusing.
Certification value – Udemy certificates might hold less weight compared to others.

Coursera:
Renowned partnerships – Offers courses from top universities and industry leaders.
Specialisations and degrees – Provides pathways for in-demand careers.
Credible certifications – Well-recognized certificates add value to a resume.
Subscription model – Monthly fees can add up, especially for longer programs.
Limited free options – Fewer free courses compared to some competitors.
Focus on longer courses – May not be ideal for those seeking quick learning.

Khan Academy:
Completely free – Offers high-quality courses at no cost.
Focus on core subjects – Strong foundation in Math, Science, and Humanities.
Gamified learning: Makes learning interactive and engaging.
Limited course variety – Concentrates on K-12 and early college curriculum.
Self-paced learning: May require strong self-discipline to stay on track.

Byju’s:
Indian focus – Tailored content and pedagogy for the Indian education system.
Interactive learning – Combines video lessons, animations, and quizzes.
Targeted for exams – Excellent preparation material for competitive exams like JEE and NEET.
Subscription-based – Can be expensive compared to others.
Limited subject range – Primarily focuses on K-12 and competitive exams.
Teacher-led focus – May not suit learners who prefer self-paced exploration.

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com):
Career-focused – Courses aligned with in-demand job skills and industry trends.
Credible certifications – Valuable for professional development and building your LinkedIn profile.
Integration with LinkedIn – Seamlessly showcase your learning journey to potential employers.
Subscription model – Monthly fees can add up.
Limited free content – Fewer free courses compared to some platforms.
Western-centric content – May not always address the nuances of the Indian job market

In the recent FY25 budget the following initiatives were announced for continuing ‘Skill India, Digital India’:

Internship in Top Companies:
One crore youth to be skilled by India’s top companies in five years.
Twelve months Prime Minister’s Internship with monthly allowance 5,000
Applicable to those who are not employed and not engaged in full educationon.
Youth aged between 21 and 24 will be eligible to apply.
Government – & 54,000 towards monthly allowance (pl26,000
grant for incidentals).

New Tech Trends In The Edtech Space:
Immersive Learning Experiences
1. AR and VR integration: Edtech platforms are incorporating augmented and virtual reality to create engaging and interactive learning experiences.

2. Gamification: Making learning fun and engaging through game-based learning approaches (peer project review, mathematical quiz, rewards based assignments, etc. are a few examples).

3. Hybrid Learning Models:
Blending online and offline: The popularity of hybrid learning models combining the best of both worlds is increasing (catching with mentors through meetups, offline conferences, summits helps in networking apart from college)

4. Tier II and III Cities Expansion:
Reaching underserved areas: Edtech companies are expanding their reach to smaller cities and towns to make quality education accessible to all (Byjus has been reaching to tier 2 city malls for counselling, PhysicsWallah helding brainstorming sessions on competitive exams even in tier 3 cities & rural areas)
Language localization: Content and interfaces are being localised to cater to regional languages.

5. Edtech for Early Childhood Education:
Focus on holistic development: Edtech platforms are targeting early childhood education with a focus on cognitive, social, and emotional development (unstop, growthschool.io, whitehat.jr advertisement targets the young audience)
Parent engagement: Involving parents in the learning process through interactive platforms (Byjus, Unacademy have given complete control to the parents to see what the ward is doing)

6. Mental Health and Well-being:
Holistic education: Edtech platforms are incorporating mental health resources and stress management techniques (govt. supported Infiheal catering to world’s most advanced AI coach for mental health & happiness getting integrated to various govt. programs)
Emotional well-being: Addressing the emotional needs of students for overall development.

7. Regulatory Landscape:
Consumer protection: Measures are being taken to protect the interests of students and parents (YouTube kids, WhiteHat Jr. Byjus and many other platforms have ensured they show only student oriented content with sensible explanation).

Apart from the above pointers, the GST on private institutions, coaching centres and vocational training institutes have 18% GST. Most Coaching of the student happens through private coaching (online assessments, tutoring or pursuing an online degree. Govt. haven’t exempted the GST on education even in FY25. This isn’t in favour of marginalised students from rural and tier 3 cities.

YouTube Creative Ecosystem Growth:

In 2023 there was some prediction around YouTube launching courses for the Indian market. As per the above stat, more than courses of YouTube, the private Ed-tech companies are giving a lot of free content in return of India’s GenZ attention.

Even for private Ed-tech players YouTube is a tough competitor where every other mentor is giving free educational content daily to help GenZ upskill better.

Which Are The Precise Marketing Techniques Used By Ed-tech Platforms?

Popular Indian Ed-tech players like Khan Sir, Physics Wallah, Aman Dhattarwal, etc. have increased their reach through pure organic content that GenZ would love to learn.

Institutions Collaborations: Students are always on the go to pursue some course, upskill & gain some certificate. Plus, if they find it under their budget (it is even more convenient). So collaborations with other edtech sources with discounts or free access to courses spike the students interest

Giving out free education wherever needed: Not just online but also seminars, guest lectures or visiting faculties at no cost to the students increases the overall trainers delivery. Especially free education in tier 2 & 3 cities helps the students to increase literacy level

India Tour: Though online is scalable, edtech platforms trust offline interaction for direct feedback. India tour in different cities is highly preferred to expand PAN india and increase brand visibility

Free Books & Resources: Scholarships are a best way to support students and spread a genuine word of mouth. NGOs and govt. Collabs indirectly support this initiative and their party platforms give another assistance.

During this growth journey they ensured the following factors are considered:
– Students questions are answered thoroughly
– Students are exposed to a new network and also learn about subjects apart from academics
– Regular assignments and notes to access from anywhere
– Extensive research across channels to know what students are interested in the most.
– Partnering with other educators helps to deliver the content holistically

Below are the signs of highly successful Indian Ed-tech platforms:
Not having any copyright on knowledge, making students consume the majority of the concepts at NO COST.
Mostly don’t have festive offers. They believe education shouldn’t be a business. It is a tradition of giving back to the society and charging a minimum amount to keep the platform running.
The educators teach good values and build the students to become strong leaders.
Eventually such institutions become very close to govt. to grab the social benefits and reap multiple tax exemptions

Trust & highly affordable quality education is what matters to the student. Physics Wallah, Khan Sir, Abhinay Maths, etc. are a few examples.

Unethical Practices in Ed-tech

Recently there has been an exchange of faculties between different start-ups just because another got funding and became the largest learning platform.

Faculties have been taken for granted for their experience.

However controversies are no longer in students’ views , as the Ed-tech works how students are supposed to get educated.

Among the private Ed-tech platforms, the most famous one is Swayam NPTEL, supported by the government. Mandated different courses for graduate students. Main topics covered here are vital for any subjects the students want to pursue ahead.

Division of Ages Across Different Learning Forms:
Early Childhood Education (ECE): Focuses on technology integration for preschool and kindergarten.
K-12 Education: Covers technology for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Higher Education: Targets college and university-level technology integration.
Adult Learning: Deals with technology for professional development and lifelong learning.
Based on Subject Area:

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics): Covers coding, robotics, data science, and other STEM-related technologies.
Language Arts: Includes digital storytelling, literacy, and language learning technologies.
Social Studies: Focuses on history, geography, civics, and technology integration for these subjects.
Special Education: Addresses technology for students with disabilities.

Based on Technology Focus:
Learning Management Systems (LMS): Covers platforms for course delivery, management, and assessment.
Educational Apps and Software: Explores various educational applications and software tools.
Online and Blended Learning: Focuses on designing and delivering online and hybrid courses.
Educational Media and Design: Covers creating educational videos, animations, and interactive content.
Educational Technology Integration: Focuses on effectively incorporating technology into teaching and learning.
Educational Data Analytics: Explores using data to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

Based on Pedagogical Approach:
Gamification: Uses game-based learning principles to enhance engagement.
Adaptive Learning: Explores personalised learning based on individual student needs.
Mobile Learning: Focuses on learning through mobile devices.
Virtual and Augmented Reality: Explores immersive learning experiences.

Based on Role and Function:
Teacher Training: Prepares educators to use technology effectively.

Educational Leadership: Covers technology leadership in schools and districts.
Educational Technology Design and Development: Focuses on creating educational technology tools and resources.
Specifically the cream crowd needs to see the best course delivery even if the price is above the budget. Here’s the overall trend observed in each module. As per the AI world, the common connectivity is tech e.g fintech, Ed-tech, healthtech, agri tech.

Govt. Edtech Initiatives:

The latest survey by the Ministry of Education (MoE) reveals that between the January and July 2021 sessions of SWAYAM portal, three crore students registered for various courses, while 11.3 lakh students received certificates. Plus during this lockdown period there has been a j curve in the learning time of the GenZ.
Flexible learning schedule with managing their studies is a good pair to continue.

NPTEL is the world’s largest online repository of courses in engineering, basic sciences, and selected humanities and management subjects. NPTEL certificates are recognized by IITs and IISC and are considered valuable. Various colleges have integrated their courses as a part of their curriculum.

According to swayam.gov.in, as of June 2024, there are 733 NPTEL courses and 78,446 exam registrations on SWAYAM. SWAYAM is a platform that offers free access to courses from class 9 to post-graduation, developed by the Ministry of Education and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with the help of Microsoft. This offers immense benefits to not rely on private coaching instead explore other options too.

Apart from online coaching and mentoring, new platforms like GenZDealZ.ai, Unstop, etc. are assisting students to save their pocket money through exclusive student deals in areas – scholarship, internships, Visa services, abroad study, career counselling, hackathons, educational fair, career assessment and many more.

Indirectly Ed-tech players are partnering with such platforms to build loyalty and offer personalised savings options.

Digital Literacy and Cybersecurity:
Increased focus on digital citizenship and online safety.
Cybersecurity education from a young age.
Critical thinking and media literacy skills development
Mental Health and Well-being:
Integration of mental health support into EdTech platforms.
Mindfulness and stress management tools.
Early intervention and prevention programs.

The unique thing about Gen Z is that while millennials have grown up with social media, Gen Z has grown up with video-first social media. Thus, most learning platforms not just offer audio visual content but also interactive discussion (1-on-1 with peers).

Though laptop/computer remains the most used device for learning, mobile is in the emerging stage for completing lectures in offline mode at GenZ’s convenience. Content security is another feature most platforms are focussing on to avoid multiple sign ins and keep the structured information confidential.

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

Majority of respondents to this project belong in the GenZ category.

Majority are college students, following that are professionals & freshers who’re working in some co.

Majority income lies in the lower bracket and the lowest between ₹15,000 to ₹30,000

Over 120 respondents said they’ve enrolled in an online course

Majority of GenZ enrols in courses who’re engaing in nature.

Topics GenZs prefer to gain knowledge in

As seen in the above graph of topic selection of which would gain more traction. Students have opted for others which includes language., programming, sales, programming & program design and AI

do GenZs pay for enrolling in a course

Most Indian GenZ prefers paying less for opting in online courses (it is not that they’re not aware, however the demand for offline teaching is much higher even after COVID). Due to various reasons there are Indian Genes who heavily invest in online courses.

main outcome of any course

The main outcome Indian GenZ’s look from any course is reaping long term benefit, following that getting the maximum worth & then at least doubling their investment value.

influencing factors to enroll in a course

It is seen clearly , mentors are the major motivation behind investing in any online course, 2nd stands friends, 3rd stands for colleagues & parents. In this mentorship world where everyone is a mentor of some kind, they play a vital role in influencing GenZ.

qualification & experience of a mentor

GenZ looks for mentors who’ve 9+ years experience who’ll guide them well. Plus there’re a few GenZ who looks for mentors who’re highly professional in their field (15+ yrs of working)

practical exposure in a course

GenZ believes that the mentor should have basic knowledge in all the subjects (though there may be subject matter experts, having multiple skills have some advantages)

motivating to complete a course

GenZ thinks that the field that’ll have the highest scope will be medical science, next will be deep ML/GenAI, following the next fields are digital marketing & BFSI. There’s a smaller percentage of GenZ who think all of the above fields will have a good demand.

motive to complete a course

GenZ’s main motivation of enrolling in any course is to get better placements, gain competitive skills , to master interesting subjects and the last is to increase resume value.

average course completion rate

We can’t completely say that GenZ are impatient in doing anything. It is clearly seen that the majority of GenZ completed 50% of the course following the 70% and more than 70%.
Course completion is a clear signal of having some interest in the chosen subject. There Are few GenZs who believe in mastering their subjects by 70% plus completion rate – these are the future outperformers

course enrollment in seasonal discounts

Majority of the GenZ has coursera their go to option, from highest to lowest go to options are Udemy, Swayam NPTEL, PhysicsWallah, & Apna College.

Coursera isn’t for the lower middle class students (because of their high pricing and lack of expertise). Udemy provides high quality education at the best price with different seasonal offers. Swayam NPTEL is the central govt .body to upskill students in various fields at an affordable rate (mandated in various institutions). Physics Wallah the most popular for scientific topics & competitive exams (focused on affordability in course delivery). Rest belongs to Apna College (who’ve proven placement record with quality online education) & other emerging online platforms.

go to options for online learning

GenZ has the humbleness ingrained to share the materials with others. It was the same condition with respect to sharing old textbooks to their friends or neighbours (that’s how education is multiplied in the society). In this case, more than 85% of GenZ shares the course access to their friends. This has some advantages:
– Multiple participants can contribute to the course fee and get the course outcome
– For the live sessions too, anyone from a group can clear doubts on behalf of the group members
– Especially in college where shared learning builds a good team bonding

sharing the course materials with friends

There’re more than 10% of India’s GenZ who don’t want to share any course material, here they think giving something for free will lose its value. Plus, when we invest our earned money, we make sure we get the maximum output.

connecting with peers during online course

During the course delivery schedule, networking with peers is vital to learn and implement lessons faster. Having a strong bond with other learners helps post course completion as well where they can connect, start a startup, build projects, etc.
In case of India’s GenZ more than 60% of them don’t interact with course learners (this may increase their introvertness)
Around 19% of India’s GenZ agree that Network = Fortune. How many people know you is what matters the most. In many critical situations, our strong network is the biggest asset we’ve (COVID was a perfect example)
More than 16% of GenZ have the habit of connecting with course learners (only when they’re willing to)

motivating factors to stick to an online learning platforms

GenZ goes through many factors before sticking to a single online learning platform. Among the most common laid down above, the main motivation is highly affordable & quality education, 2nd main motivation is learning flexibility and 3rd main motivation is mentors connection.

role of assessments in online programs

Coming to assessments, that helps to recall all the course learnings and tests GenZs knowledge to know much deep understanding they’ve got about the topic. Quizzes, MCQs, one-on-one questions, etc. are some form of assessments.
More than 55% of GenZs never submit the program assessments – believing that implementation is the biggest test than a simple assessment.
More than 25% of GenZs submit the assessments regularly – they know assessments’ importance and the end score will justify how much concepts are understood.
More than 16% of GenZs submit the program assessments sometimes – here they at least have some importance or maybe because of the certification they ‘ll receive to apply on their resume too.

role of online programs in a job

Online programs demand has skyrocketed after COVID (when skillsets dominated knowledge). Many working professionals were removed from the job due to poor skill sets and less adaptive to change.
As per the above pie chart, we see updation of skill sets play the major role into jobs, 2nd major reason is securing better salary packages (to able to negotiate in interviews), 3rd major reason is to get faster promotion (competitiveness plays a vital role in the corporate sector where the one who executes the largest well will win the promotion ladder)

job packages after course completion

Job packages are the ultimate motivation which most GenZs put a lot of effort into in colleges, projects, internships, and various learning initiatives for cracking the best package in his/her dream co.
More than 50% of GenZ look for 100% hike, more than 22% of GenZ look for 50% hike & atleast getting hired in better (good reputation) companies.

courses aligned with the curriculum

Marketers in the edtech industry are very smart to fool GenZ. In this ever influencing world GenZ makes the mistakes of enrolling in courses that are misaligned with their career. We can study in more detail using the above pie chart:
Almost 70% of GenZ who’ve enrolled in any course found that those courses are somewhat aligned with their college subjects curriculum
23% of GenZs says that their purchased courses are totally aligned with what they’re studying in their college
Rest 17& says that their purchased courses are not at all aligned with the subjects they’re studying in the college

self paced v/s interactive courses

Self paced method defines that the learner has the total flexibility of assignment completion, watching all the videos, & attempting the mock tests.
IN case of interactive learning, the learner has all the other modes to make the learning curve more interesting (daily contact session with the instructor, group feedback where each learner corrects each other assessment, individual feedback for specific corrections with the mentor, attending the regular webinars, etc.)
Here 77.2% learners said a self paced method of learning works for them. And 22.6% of learners said interactive learning mode works for them.

Importance of certificates in courses

After salary packages, & developing skill sets, certification is the end reason behind enrolling in multiple courses. However, there’re genuine learners who want to actually learn something new & upgrade their current professional level.
66.9% of GenZ says the focus on learning & implementing the course content
14% of GenZ says they focus on collecting more certificates & not completing the recorded videos
19.1% of GenZ says they focus on both (completing the course & getting the certification)

career alignment for GenZ

Most vital career question asked to GenZ – to know whether the courses enrolled by them contributes to their future career growth or have enrolled just for fun/hobby.
52.2% GenZ said whichever course they’ve enrolled in are aligned with their career
37.5% GenZ said that the enrolled courses somewhat aligns with their career goals
10.3% GenZ said that the enrolled courses are randomly picked (for gaining more knowledge of their chosen subject, and doesn’t aligned with their career)

CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS

We can easily derive from the above primary data collected that India’s GenZ are highly willing to upskill very fast. In fact during the post COVID period India’s up-skilling rate was very high as compared to other countries. India’s GenZ are suggested to upskill 1 focus area where their skills can become super valuable to solve big problems of India.
Online learning has emerged recently and is developing towards making the course delivery process outcome based. GenZ has all the resources in hand (not just paid versions but publicly available resources where the learning is endless). It is suggested to India’s GenZ to show the willingness to do something different that’d progress the country.

CONCLUSIONS
As per the set objectives we can derive the following inferences:
– GenZ chooses convenience over complications. GenZ don’t want to complicate things unnecessary when doing the easy way sets the path to appropriate learning
– GenZ will take time to adapt to online learning as the ingrained habit of studying everything offline is still pulling them towards traditional learning methods.
– GenZ are super adaptive in nature, ups killing digitally in different ways isn’t much difficult for them
– Today’s GenZ parents are mostly supportive of various initiatives. Financial, mental & moral support are regularly provided by them.
– GenZ has the financial sense of which amount is appreciated to invest in online learning. Many influencers are helping in making wise investment decisions
– GenZ aren’t afraid to shift the learning platform if it isn’t meeting the end goal. GenZ are’t emotionally connected with any platform. For them, true logic makes sense.
– India’s GenZ are quite aware of what is trending in the market and getting the most attention
– India’s GenZ are highly creative in whichever work they execute with super flexibility in feedback implementation.

How Educators Should Utilize Google Ads Well ?

by Shreyas Karade | Dec 15, 2024 | Business

Trends in E-Commerce Marketing

In today’s fast-paced world, keeping up with marketing trends is crucial for success in e-commerce. Let’s explore the current trends, strategies, and insights into how businesses can enhance their online presence and grow their sales effectively.

The Rise of Performance Marketing

Performance marketing is being embraced widely within the e-commerce sector. Why? Because it allows businesses to track results in real-time. Marketers can see which strategies work day by day, allowing for quick adjustments. Companies can provide immediate feedback to clients, enhancing the relationship and improving marketing efforts over time.

The Importance of Real-Time Data

Having access to real-time data lets businesses:

Analyze performance consistently
Alter marketing strategies based on what’s working
Increase efficiency in ad spending
Understanding and acting on data is key to staying competitive.
Industry Trends to Watch
While evaluating trends, some industries are poised for significant growth. For instance, the vegan industry is becoming more mainstream. Companies within this sector need to focus on building a strong online brand presence.

Emerging Sectors to Consider

Health and Wellness: More consumers are seeking natural and organic products.
Sustainability: Eco-friendly brands are gaining traction with consumers who care about the environment.
Digital Education: Online learning platforms are surging in popularity.
These sectors present opportunities for e-commerce businesses to expand effectively by adapting to market changes.

Balancing Performance and Organic Marketing

A common question businesses face is how to balance performance marketing with organic marketing. While performance marketing provides quick results, organic marketing builds lasting connections over time.

Why Both Matter

Performance Marketing: Delivers immediate returns and measurable outcomes. Ideal for short-term campaigns.
Organic Marketing: Focuses on creating valuable content and relationships, benefiting businesses long-term.
A recommended approach is to allocate about 25-30% of your budget to organic efforts. This balance can result in steady growth and sustainability.

Strategies for Offline to Online Transition
For businesses already operating offline, transitioning online can be beneficial. It’s essential to maintain consistency in pricing and branding.

Key Steps for Transitioning

Utilize Existing Customer Data: Use contact numbers from previous customers to create targeted online audiences.
Retargeting Campaigns: Show ads to customers who have engaged with your brand offline. This can help spark their interest once again.

Price Consistency: Ensure that pricing remains the same online as it does offline. This builds trust with your customers.
Effective Marketing in the Education Sector
Educational institutions also face the challenge of reaching their audience effectively. Universities can enhance their marketing strategies by focusing on both online and community engagement.

Approaches for Educational Marketing

Community Building: Establishing a strong community can be more rewarding than just running ads. Building trust is essential for long-term success.
Utilizing Student Content: Engage students in creating content for the college’s online platforms. This not only provides fresh content but also encourages student involvement.

Conclusion
Marketing trends are ever-evolving, especially in the e-commerce landscape. Embracing performance marketing while maintaining a strong organic presence is vital for long-term success.

By adapting to industry trends, balancing strategies, and efficiently transitioning from offline to online, businesses can navigate this competitive space and achieve sustained growth.

Whether you’re running an e-commerce business or an educational institution, understanding your audience and maintaining engagement will lead you to success.

Which Are The Suitable Marketplaces for Indian Ed-tech Players?

by Shreyas Karade | Dec 13, 2024 | Business

Let’s break the suitable definition of marketplace:

A platform where variety of brands cater to a single set of audience. In which the brands compete in themselves to come up with the best offers and gain additional source of traffic from these marketplaces.

The purpose of this blog is to make edtech brands aware of which are teh platforms they need to be active to engage with thier crowd (students):

Few of the popular marketplaces that supports edtech brands:

GenZDealZ.ai: GenZDealZ.ai generates deals on-boarding India’s hyperlocal businesses & edtech brands specifically designed to empower the GenZ with AI/ML insights and discounts on variety of categories. By understanding the financial constraints faced by students and hence their GenAI engine churns out the best educational deals possible to make students life & college experience both affordable and enriching.

Amazon: Amazon isn’t just for shopping, rather it is also for accessing various learning materials (ebooks, books, learning software, etc.). Many Indian educators are using Amazon for distributing thier books, notes and guides for exams, due to thier amazing delivery system, Amazon becomes the 1st choice to list thier learning stuff.

Unstop: Supported by central govt. and a well funded learning platform for all kinda students. Not just focussing on internship, jobs or projects, but also hackathons, scholarships, contests, short quiz, Unstop talent, etc. You can say unstop as the total ecosystem for everything students need in thier academics.

Unstop is best for brands like Microsoft Learning, Byjus to launch various competitions, enter into teh campuses and gain some offline brand recall too.

Udemy: Though listing your courses on your own LMS has many benefits, utilising few third party platforms like Udemy helps to gain global reach. You may not list your signature course here, soemethign like a crash course/short masterclass would give students a brief taste of your teaching/delivery style.

I’ve given you the brief about the platforms popular in India. However there’re many cons of these marketplaces that may not favour your marketing strategy.

Cons of Various Marketplaces:

External control & policies: Many terms are updated like payment period, commission or platform fee, watermark placement, etc. and this has a ripple effect on other platforms too.
Students support: While mentioning doubt solving, LIVE QnA, etc. seems attractive. But if these commitments aren’t met students would lose the loyalty & won’t consider any of your future products from these 3rd party soruces.
Leak of products/learning material: Sharing of notes/courses/any kinda recordings is common among Indian students (following our school approach – textbooks &guides sharing). So content security layers are affected when you involve external parties
Ineffective followups: Leads are meant for instant followups. Especially students whore highly impatient needs quick communication by knowing thier want. You may not get the real time status of the leads
Tech & uninformed updates: AI is the current change that is bringing new way to ask doubts, learning structured way and progressive analytics. Dashboard updates for students & for the vendor too becomes time consuming to learn & adapt further.

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