How I Created A Subscription Service Provider Comparison Website With 100M Visitors
Hey Everyone!
I’m Arvind Patil, SEO Entrepreneur and Business Head of Selectra India, a Telecom comparison and subscription service provider. Before I delve into the details of my fantastic journey, allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude for this opportunity to share my story. Thanks a ton!
As I mentioned, today I am the Business Head of Selectra India. And what does Selectra do? We help audiences or users to save utility bills by providing or sharing the best deals on their telecom contracts like prepaid, postpaid, broadband, and business solutions. This service is essential in everyday life as communication is a big part of our existence and people need to have affordable means to keep in touch.
Our target market is divided into 2 groups – one is residential/individuals who are looking for new telecom contracts or are willing to change the current contract to an affordable one from the service providers. The second group is SMEs who are looking for business solutions.
Globally we have reached 100M visitors on the website and specifically, within a quarter of our launch in India, we have gained 40-50K monthly visitors on an average.
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
Having always been a unique thinker, I just can't give up on a challenge. I find it thrilling to take up challenging projects with unique ideas because I am positive that I can make a difference. Selectra is one such project that captured my attention.
I came across the innovative concept of Digital Marketing and its wide possibilities during My Masters's in International Business in the UK. I made it a point to absorb everything I could on the topic and very quickly I learned everything online. Going through Case studies and following the work of professionals in the field helped me gain a lot of insight.
I started my career in digital marketing in-house and worked in several Digital agencies which further helped me to grab the knowledge of operations business and technical skill development.
Working with an entirely different domain, I made mistakes and via learning from them, I developed myself to be an asset who helped the business grow.
My favorite magic motto for success is;
Personal+business+strategic+tech+digital+mistakes= learning.
This concept led me to co-found the digital agency (TechCognate) and fortunately, we were quickly serving the best clients.
During the Pandemic, A Year of opportunity and Pain- 2020, I realized many small businesses and startups were struggling to sustain themselves. They got deep holes in their pockets mainly because they couldn't afford expensive service providers. I came up with a new venture called TheOrtus, a small startup that could help them to numb their pain by providing quality services within their budget.
While working on that project, I was keen on analyzing the market conditions and learning how to survive during tough times. This is when I met Aurian, Founder of Global Selectra. It was a life-changing moment. He introduced me to the simple and unique idea behind Selectra. I was amazed at the concept of helping people to save on bills and thus supporting a Better India with Digital Transformation.
We sat, analyzed, prepared plans and strategies to work towards a specific goal. One of my biggest strengths is the fact that when it comes to financial Support, Aurian is always there.
Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.
Selectra Global has been operating since 2013 focusing mainly on the Telecom, Energy, and Gas markets. With a unique idea of helping people and developing the economy plus digitizing the country, we thought it would be great to implement it in India that has a population of 13B.
Several top mobile operators are ruling in India who load on plans for individuals and businesses. It is very difficult for a user to choose one plan amongst so many. More often than not, they get confused and end up getting an unwanted, expensive contract.
Phil Knight explains the struggles and sacrifices in the chaotic journey he faced as Founder of Nike. This gave me the motivation to face my ups and downs with courage and most importantly, to keep going!
In the Indian Telecom market, there are various internet service providers with a variety of plans, National or regional. We come in handy there and help the users to make the right choice based on their requirements, technically resolving their problems.
When it comes to the competition, we have indirect competitors who spread awareness about the plans and news regarding the telecom industry without any support. We are filling that gap of understanding users and their intent.
Describe the process of launching the business.
After analysis and planning, we figured out what work needs to be done for execution and how we can make our presence through digital transformation. We have developed our website and thought to focus on limited verticals to start with. Based on the Telecom Industry and Indian Market knowledge, we came with a specific vertical to target and created the entire structure of the website based on it.
Then, we decided to hire employees with specific skill requirements who could work around different sets of our planning. We designed the sitemap and very soon launched our website. As an extra measure, we started reaching out to media sites and bloggers to spread the word about our launch!
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
“Always accept the change, maybe you will fail but it's one step towards your success. Make sure, what you do should be for betterment or make a difference in society, your primary goal should not be only money. ”
At Selectra India, we make sure to adapt to the changes, understand human intent and provide the right information to the users which will help them make the right decision. Also, producing quality content using optimal SEO and understanding user intent has given us growth of 800% in three months.
When you start a business, you have to take care of it like it's your small baby, you need to nurture it. How your business grows completely depends upon you.
Apart from SEO, we make sure to build a presence through social media, in addition to publishing the Press release of our launch and getting mentions on various business platforms.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
We are going steady as per the plan and we have achieved certain important objectives in terms of visitors, page views, and sessions. We are striving towards the next goal and looking forward to doubling our growth next semester. The overall business has gained authority in the Market.
We have smoothened the process by aligning matching skill sets to achieve the short-term goal of doubling the visitors on the website and establishing brand authority. Once we achieve those set goals, we will be moving ahead with hiring more talents and striving for the long-term goal- that's partnerships with the top operators which will, for sure, make a difference in the digital world.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
“Choosing the right talent for your business is the most important part of your business growth.”
When you start a business, you have to take care of it like it's your small baby, you need to nurture it. How your business grows completely depends upon you. Every step you take will affect your business, hence making you more careful, alert, and proactive. No one is going to come to create success for you. It is YOU; you have to do it if you want to succeed.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
Our team makes use of Task management tools and writing tools which gives us perfection in what we do. The main platforms we use are the following:
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE. This book has influenced me to a great extent. Phil Knight explains the struggles and sacrifices in the chaotic journey he faced as Founder of Nike. This gave me the motivation to face my ups and downs with courage and most importantly, to keep going!
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting?
“Face the truth. There will be a success (can be fast or slow) but it comes with a cost. You need to be consistent at it. Choose the right people for the business and be open to them!”
Go the extra mile believing that you are meant to succeed. Giving up is not an option you can consider. Just look at the possibilities in the dark even when there is no light!
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
Yes, Our Team is expanding. We are looking for an outreach specialist. You can apply via [email protected]
Where can we go to learn more?
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
