[Startup Bharat] This Kochi-based digital marketing firm offers customised, ROI-driven solutions

The proliferation of the internet has taken marketing online in a big way. Business big and small are using the online world for brand positioning, user acquisition, and outreach, and digital marketing startups are making the most of this trend.

Every brand aspires to be “on page one”, whether it is through organic ranking or through paid advertisements. And Neetu Kurian has built her digital marketing startup on this idea.

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Based out of Kochi, Kerala, OnPageOne Digital Agency is an ROI-driven digital marketing startup that delivers result-driven digital marketing solutions to help businesses succeed in their digital journey. 

The offerings include search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, conversion rate optimisation, social media management and marketing, video marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), email marketing, local SEO, Pay-per-click (PPC), online event marketing, geo- advertising, mobile and app marketing, third-party platform marketing, data insights, and analytics.

Founder and CEO Neetu tells YourStory,

“Interactions and discussions with business owners during networking events led me to realise the limited understanding and misconceptions around digital marketing in the Kerala business community. The need for an exclusive, professional, transparent and result-oriented digital marketing agency was evident, and this incited me to embark on an entrepreneurial journey."

Neetu, who has a BA Honours in economics from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi, started her career at Google India and moved to InMobi in Bengaluru. She did her executive post-graduation in strategic management from IIM Kozhikode and founded OnPageOne Digital Agency in February 2017 with personal savings of Rs 1 lakh.

The OnPageOne value proposition

The founder and CEO says that 'a slight modification to the usual' has helped the startup go a long way.

OnPageOne does not operate as a plug-and-play digital marketing agency with ready-made packages. Every business gets customised and tailor-made solutions in digital marketing, and all services are handled in-house.

The startup does not outsource any of its operations and has a strict “no freelancer” policy to ensure and maintain superior quality.

“The first step is to challenge the status quo within organisations that we partner with, and offer unique digital expertise that lends fresh perspective on how digital can add value to marketing efforts,” Neetu says.

Once brands embrace this change and accept newer formats of digital advertising, “we deliver customised solutions to address their long-standing challenges,” she adds.

OnPageOne Digital Agency then executes its strategy to monitor performance on a day-to-day basis to maximise business results and return on ad spend (ROAS). The model is such that the startup charges its clients as per the customised solutions, and it varies from client to client.

The journey so far

The startup had its fair share of challenges in a market like Kerala, owing to the region's low adoption rate of digital as a marketing avenue. The reasons were varied: lack of awareness on how digital distribution worked, how the platform could fetch results, the return on investment, and others.

Neetu had to do multiple one-on-one interactions with prospective clients.

“We were able to eliminate these concerns and kick-start their digital journey with a proper strategy in place. Our rich experience and understanding came in very handy here as prospects soon became comfortable and confident working with us. They were delighted with the results and gave us more business,” she says.

Neetu adds that she spent enough time educating her clients on associated measurement metrics so they clearly understood what they were investing and how they could measure success.

Today, the team is able to have much deeper conversations with users, most of who now have a digital marketing budget. As of now, OnPageOne has catered to over 50 brands, primarily through referrals via existing users.

The road ahead

According to International Journal of Advanced Research Foundation, India is undergoing a golden period of digital marketing growth since 2013 and the trend will continue till 2020 at least. From 69 million online shoppers in 2016 to more than 100 million in 2017, India has seen a stark rise in its internet population.

A Dentsu Aegis report says the digital advertising industry in India is set to be valued at Rs 19,000 crore by 2020, at a growth rate of 32 percent CAGR.

Neetu says she is aiming to hit exponential revenues this year, stating that the potential of growth in digital adoption is huge. All that matters is how players in the industry are able to adapt as rapidly as they can.

“In just three years, we have covered a good distance to reach our destination of becoming a leader in digital marketing in Kerala. We have also spread our wings in the Middle East,” she says.

What’s next for OnPageOne? “As we mature and grow, we will be continuously evaluating and preparing our road map to the next destination,” Neetu says.

(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)

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