[Startup Interview] Sanyogita Patil, CEO, Ahlan Emirate, United Arab Emirates

As small businesses struggle with visibility and constrained marketing budgets, Ahlan Emirate, a startup based in United Arab Emirates has introduced a unique marketing offering that includes free SEO, increased web presence and connecting these businesses to prospective customers through its digital directory.  

This, through a series of products among them customized website, mobile site and mobile app.  Sanyogita Patil, the startup’s CEO describes the model.

Introduce your company

Founded in 2019, Ahlan Emirate is a business directory with a difference. It not only allows users to list their businesses but also gives them an opportunity to sell products.

Ahlan Emirate's value-added offerings of huge online visibility, payment solutions, customized website, mobile site and mobile app; all packaged together, make it an attractive value proposition for

With a strong and widespread sales force, years of experience and in-depth local market knowledge, Ahlan Emirate enjoys significant expertise across all regions of the country.

Ahlan Emirate is the platform for all of those who have almost zero budget for marketing to get free SEO, and visibility on the web.

Tell us about the founders and their professional backgrounds

The startup was founded by Sanyogita Patil, a marketing professional with more than 20 years’ experience. She is Google Certified and has won numerous awards for branding for the companies that she has worked with. She started her career as an Embedded Engineer, in India, and then moved to bigger companies like Citec, and Cyient. She moved to Dubai in 2011 and has been offering consultancy services in marketing.

How is Ahlan Emirate financed?

Through the marketing consultancy that Sanyogita Patil works for.

What inspired you to start Ahlan Emirate? What opportunities did you see?

When I stepped here in UAE, I noticed that there were more than 180 nationalities, and right from the moment you land here, you have no clue where to go, what to do, and whom to contact. I have been working on this project for more than 6 years now. Yes, Google has improved, and has everything on the street view, unfortunately, businesses are not updated, the maps are old, and the numbers don't work. Yet people need reliable information. That was the first thing.

Secondly, I saw that unless you are a huge venture, there is no way anyone will notice of you. You may be right next door, but still struggle to market yourself because of the budget constraints.

So it was necessary to get a platform that will connect the smallest business owner to their niche and target market. After all being an entrepreneur, I know how much it means to have a customer. Times are tough, people step into this market looking at the huge ROI that it promises, but the market is very tough. The culture, the demands, the languages, everything needs to go hand in glove, so my attempt is to close these gaps, and give the customer the power to approach business in vicinity, and give business the power to explore more and to be more visible.

What problem or problems does Ahlan Emirate solve?

We empower the user with information of local businesses, allow them to contact on phone through our web app, allow sending messages, social sharing, and from a business perspective, there is no company that is doing free social media and SEO for small businesses other than us in the entire globe.

What would you say are the emerging issues in internet marketing?

Service Automation and a shift in internet marketing and sales.

What can Ahlan Emirate do that no other company can?

Ahlan Emirate's value-added offerings of huge online visibility, payment solutions, customized website, mobile site and mobile app all packaged together, make it an attractive value proposition for businesses.

With a strong and widespread sales force, years of experience and in-depth local market knowledge, Ahlan Emirate enjoys significant expertise across all regions of the country.

Ahlan Emirate is the platform for all of those who have almost zero budget for marketing to get free SEO, and visibility on the web.

Who are your customers?

Our customers are all from all sectors. Retail, Real Estate, fashion, Media, Service Providers, Travels and Tours, IT and  Construction among others.

What does your company need in order to grow?

We need more users to come and try us while availing the opportunity to get more business visibility. We also want users to use our service to get information of local businesses

What is your growth strategy?

We are planning for a marketing campaign blast, and introduce a toll free number to empower and bridge the gap between businesses and users.

In which markets are you looking to establish your presence?

Our ambitions are to cover every point in UAE, and get all businesses listed with us, and ensure that all users can get every information they are looking for.

What are your plans for the coming 12 months?

We hope to enlist 60 per cent of businesses in UAE by Nov 2020 and give them a feel of what it is to grow digitally, and what a digital foot print can give them in return. We also want to introduce the Toll Free Number by Dec 2020.

www.ahlanemirate.com

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