[Interview] Plan your next meal with Shashaank Shekhar Singhal, Dazo

If you are a foodie who loves planning his/her every next meal, Dazo, a curated food demand app is just right for you. Shashaank Shekhar Singhal, Co-Founder & CEO talks to Social Samosa about the role of social media, in the scheme of things at Dazo.

What is your objective while marketing on social platforms?

The main objectives while marketing on social platforms is increasing the reach to new people , engaging with customers, providing them with the latest happenings around Dazo and building customer loyalty.

We at Dazo, give paramount importance to customer feedbacks and social media helps us a lot in this respect. Customers share their feedbacks and this gives us key insights. Social media helps in connecting with the customer and eliminates the distance between the brand and the customer that would not be otherwise possible if it was not for social media.

Dazo being a mobile app, how do you use social media to leverage it?

The number of searches on mobile has surpassed that on the desktops and thus it is quintessential for all businesses to be on the platform where it can reach out to its customers, listen to them and interact with them. An average person spends around 40 minutes daily on social media and thus social media is one of the most attractive channel to interact with the customers. Almost every business has its target segment on social media, you just need to find the right platform and channel to reach out to them

What is the one social media advantage you have discovered for Dazo since its inception?

Food is something that people are very passionate about and since the frequency of food consumption is higher as compared to other on demand services, the the tendency of people to use our app is really high and they tend to share the content as well as their experiences on social media. This results in a lot of content which could be used to market your product right

Are you observing a better response across any particular platform? Have your social media strategies changed accordingly?

As of now we are present on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Google+  out of which we see that we are witnessing really good response in Facebook & Twitter. Hence we are focussing more on these social media handles.

Which platform has helped Dazo understand changing lifestyle trends, food preferences, which has then helped in curating the menu?    

Facebook is very useful in this regard, there where there are many groups centered around food. One gets to observe the latest trends and changing food preference for the target segment.

Has social media helped you in collaborating with restaurants, aspiring cooks, bakeries, and food entrepreneurs?

Definitely. Internet has created a world without boundaries. Every person on the internet could be your potential client or partner.  A lot of restaurants/ food entrepreneurs have reached out to us through social media.They are really interested in trying out new recipes and reaching out to new customers and Dazo does exactly the same.

Are you getting any customer leads via social media?

A lot. Many a times when we launch new partners or areas we get lots of responses from users. On an average we get around 5 queries per day regarding the delivery areas and the meal options available. People stumble upon our posts on Facebook page, instagram, Twitter etc and get back to us to know more.

As a start up, what would be your one tip to budding food app entrepreneurs on leveraging social media?

The craving for food is something that is driven by senses. People can get a fair idea about it through the images and that is where social media comes into play. Food lovers are ubiquitous and can be found in everywhere.

Tips for budding food app entrepreneurs, before jumping into social media marketing, it is important to decide who you will target, what content you will be posting and which social media handles you’ll be using.

Ideally use Facebook, Twitter for events promotion, maintaining customer relations. Instagram & Pinterest for sharing images. Although it may be tempting to join different social media handles but start off with a few- the ones where there is a strong presence of your target segment.

How can social media help start ups attract investors?

Social media is a clear indicator of the perception of the brand in the eyes of the customer and hence can be easily used by an investor as a metric while evaluating the brand.