Like all youngsters; technology was one of those things which always fascinated Mr. Mayur Porwal and apart from Hindi and English, ‘programming’ soon became his third language of communication. He ended up being a software engineer and with over 13 years of experience in IT and Digital Operations, he possesses excellence and process transformation as his expertise. He had the privilege of working for organizations across countries, cultures and various domains such as IT, Legal, Education, Recruitment, Business Development and Diplomacy. He also has an enormous interest in areas like Cyber Law and Internet Governance. He likes exploring new avenues and keep learning new things.[spacer]
Digital Vidya: How did you get into Digital Marketing?
Mayur: I look at Digital Marketing as a unique fusion of technology and marketing; which has evolved into a new breed of professionals called digital marketers (but I call them Digital Engineers) – Professionals with marketing brains and digital tools in hand.
My vision has always been to reach out to people and engage with them; considering how customers look up to the brands and engage with them on digital and technology platforms – the essence of being able to find digital solutions in tomorrow’s world where ‘technology meets social and is much more customer centric’ was challenging enough to pull me towards the field of Digital Marketing.[spacer]
Digital Vidya: Why do you think it’s important for entrepreneurs, marketing professionals and students to learn Digital Marketing today?
Mayur: Marketing is changing faster than ever before. Consumers trust their friends more than big and popular brands. In simple words, Consumer behavior, their consumption pattern is changing and moving to different grounds. Entrepreneurs also realize the potential of online marketing and revenues and how they can make their local business to ‘go global’ by simply using the internet and digital tools.
The marketing profession has changed dramatically; most marketers also believe that their organization won’t succeed unless they have a digital marketing approach. Right mix of Digital Marketing tools can help marketers – reach their customers; understand whether their marketing campaigns are working or not, analyze their campaign effectiveness and demonstrate return on investment.
Learning Digital Marketing can help students make a better guess at what to try, when they are in the battle field in the future – whether as a marketer or as a consumer.[spacer]
Digital Vidya: What kind of Digital Marketing training programs you lead at Digital Vidya? Feel free to share any interesting experiences you’ve had while training at Digital Vidya.
Mayur: I am associated with Digital Vidya as a Lead Trainer for ‘Social Media’. It is great fun to be a Trainer. Trust me, you learn more than you teach – The kind of questions the students ask are sometimes mind boggling. Students nowadays are more informed than their instructors and they do their homework before coming to the class. You can’t dare to deceive them with fuzzy answers; they will always intersect your version with what’s available on the internet.[spacer]
Digital Vidya: Please share top 5 takeaways your training participants get out of their participation.
Mayur: I will be a little candid here. My focus is not 100% on the course material ONLY. Irrespective of the subject; this is what I generally advise all participants:
- Self-learn: We all have this ability to learn on our own and there is no better teacher than ourself. I always encourage my students to self-learn. It gives you ultimate freedom to focus on what you really like and as you are not dependent on anyone other than yourself there is no fear of being left behind; whenever a change happens.
- Experiment and Innovate: Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879 and it took him 1000 experiments. He said he didn’t fail 1000 times, he found 999 ways not to make a light bulb. I also encourage my students and even colleagues to experiment and innovate. There is no fun in being stereotyped and following the usual.
- Futuristic: To stay ahead of the competition – you must think in future and act in the present. It is easier to follow benchmarks and case studies, but one should aim to create benchmarks and be a case study (for all good reasons) themselves.
- Stay ahead: Adopt to what’s new! You may not get the best of everything (as products and tools evolve) and but you will often have the first mover advantage. Keep an eye on industry trends and never hesitate to participate and even ask the silliest of questions.
Be a good storyteller: After all, ‘Social’ is about “Humans’.[spacer]
Digital Vidya: Please share your experience in delivering a course in an instructor-led, online format. Is it really effective & engaging medium?
Mayur: Yes! The online medium is more engaging than classroom model. The biggest advantage with online medium is that all sessions are recorded and shared for future reference. The online medium is also more suitable option for hands-on practice sessions, just after the session.
Online format also facilitates easy transfer of information like slides and documents. Students can also collaborate easily using various online tools, even when the class is over. This enhances the overall learning experience. I am also of the view that one can devote more time to the subject in an online format, as the amount of time spent in traveling to the classroom is nil and hence the energy levels are also high![spacer]
Digital Vidya: What do you like most about training at Digital Vidya?
Mayur: Digital Vidya is the best place to hone your ‘Digital’ skills with a ‘Human’ touch. My fellow instructors have a plethora of knowledge and their indulgence in anything and everything ‘Digi – Social’ is as intense as ever.
The staff at Digital Vidya is also very passionate and committed to what they are doing – making it easier for students and instructors. Keep it up![spacer]
Digital Vidya: Do you suggest any changes to Digital Vidya, so that the value of its courses can be enhanced further?
Mayur: Nothing at the moment. I have been a student at Digital Vidya way back in 2010 and have seen them evolve and grow. They are adding remarkable value to the whole ‘Digital Marketing’ eco-system in India.
Thanks Mayur for your contribution in delighting customers for our Social Media Trainings. Your experience especially about Social Media is invaluable. It’s always pleasure for us to have participants of our trainings join our Trainers team. Looking forward to an ever growing relationship with you!
Hi Mr. Mayur. Thank you for sharing your mind with us here. Also I sincerely thank Editorial Team of Digital Vidya for gifting us a nice interaction. I would like to request Mr. Mayur and Digital Vidya to highlight the scope of CUSTOMERS and CONSUMERS in digital marketing space. While dealing business, we use the word customer. But while discussing business, we use the word consumer. Why this difference?
Interesting question Indrajit. Hope this helps:
The terms “consumer” & “customer” are used interchangeably, but a consumer & customer are not always the same. Consumers use products while customers buy them. A consumer may also be a customer and a customer can also be a consumer. However situations occur where this is not the case. Generally speaking, your marketing efforts should be geared toward the consumer and not the customer.