Interview With Biplab Poddar | Founder & CEO Of Oxedent

Biplab Poddar is the Founder & CEO of Oxedent, a PPC management agency that helps businesses make more money through data-driven online advertising and conversion-optimized landing pages. He founded Oxedent to bringing around new dimensions for businesses all across the world in regard to their digital advertising spaces.

He & his team understand the importance of conversion-optimized landing pages and CRO. Today we got a chance to interview him, let’s know more about him & learn from his experiences.

We hope this can inspire you to become a successful person too! It is worth listening to a successful entrepreneur or to people who share their success stories. We can significantly learn many things from the experiences of them, by listening to their story.

Excerpts from our exclusive interview with him:

Q1) Tell us a little bit about your start-up and your journey, please;

Actually, my journey started right from 3rd year of my college, when I started doing paid internships and helped many startups with their digital marketing. I learned advanced techniques and various channels/vehicles of Digital marketing. I came across some freelancing platforms like PeoplePerHour and UpWork and created a profile immediately, got my first job in about a few weeks. Since then I started paralleling freelancing with digital marketing and continued like this for 3 months after completing college. More companies were inquiring about my services/consultation and single-handedly I couldn’t deliver.

Then finally the fire in me made me quit my job to be on the crest of a wave and hired more digital marketing enthusiasts, trained them, and made them a part of my team. It was September 2017 when I registered ‘Oxedent Technologies Pvt. Ltd.’

We started Oxedent as a digital marketing company and was covering every vertical of digital marketing from content marketing to SEO, email marketing, PPC but later on, I realized a lot of companies doing digital marketing so making us stand out from the competition I decided to focus on paid advertising (PPC) only. Also on the other side, the segment of businesses we work with need direct ROI from the marketing investment and pay per click advertising is the best channel for grabbing the bottom of the conversion funnel and provide our clients with great ROI.

Our marketing firm develops effective PPC strategies and approaches to bring a brand into the limelight. Our company offers several solutions for all digital marketing related issues of the businesses. Our primary and only aim is PPC, and it’s all we do. We design bespoke campaign strategies to cater to your paid ads requirement that will deliver the best returns on ad spends and cover all aspects around PPC such as market & competitor research, audience estimation, conversion calculations & optimization, etc.

Q2) How did the idea for your business/startup come about?

Gradually traditional marketing is being replaced by digital marketing strategies and its services have gained heights in the world of business in India as well across the world. With the high demand for transformation in the business world, the rise of digital marketing companies has been accelerating since the past decade. Many of these marketing agencies offer a variety of digital marketing services and they stick to their promises in satisfying their clients’ needs in every possible way.

For me, it was not a spoon-fed thing. Neither was it easy as a cake to build a company all by myself. Despite the market being crowded, having in-depth knowledge and understanding of the industry helped me and my company in getting into the competition, and some overseas clients have helped my company in standing strong only in the initial days of its operation. I still can’t express the excitement of signing our very first client. It was a London based Law firm, I helped them create Google Ads campaigns, and they are still my client.

This was the turning point of my life and since then, I never looked back and gradually the entrepreneur in me made me register ‘Oxedent Technologies Pvt. Ltd. in September 2017.

All the hard work and dedication seems to have paid off as we became a Google Partner agency.

Our company has had a promising three-year record and has enabled various businesses in the online marketing world.

Q3) What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

I never wanted to join a full-time job but was unable to convince my parents and I had to join a full-time role as a Digital marketing manager in a real estate company. I was freelancing paralleled with a job and continued like this for 3 months after college. There were more companies enquired about my services and single-handedly it was impossible for me to deliver. Then finally the fire of entrepreneurship in me made me quit my job to be on the crest of a wave and hired more digital marketing enthusiasts, trained them, and made them a part of my team. It was September 2017 when I registered ‘Oxedent Technologies Pvt. Ltd.’

Q4) How did you come up with the name for your business/startup?

Oxedent has its name derived from the term “Oxygen” for the company acts like oxygen to the brands who are suffering due to online absence and who need a complete transformation in the digital sphere. We are a Kolkata based agency with a motive to boost up those companies who are in urgent requirement of modification of their advertising and keeping their presence in the market which has, otherwise, become obsolete because of their age-old marketing strategies and close to nil advertising potential.

Our company has a distinct clear vision to break through the clutter of internet marketing agencies, hence the name Oxedent, far more unique than the typical “solutions”, “info” in the names of most marketing agencies. I can say, the name is the nicest way we can declare our uniqueness and diversity.

Q5) What service(s) or product(s) do you offer/manufacture?

Oxedent specializes in Paid Online Advertising (Google Ads, Shopping Ads, Facebook Ads, Display Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Twitter Ads, etc.) serving a wide range of global clientele.

Be it the hospitality sector, travel, education, health, fashion, retail or any other e-commerce businesses, we offer digital marketing services.

Brands have been hiring Oxedent, one of the top-notch digital marketing companies, located in India for building strong presences on the digital platforms. One can go bananas while choosing a proper marketing management company so one should take time in finding the right agency and Oxedent Technologies understands the business goals of brands. Our agency carries out its job with efficiency and keeps all of the necessary details in mind- targeted audiences, nature of the business, and the brand’s objectives.

Q6) Why should people choose your product/services?

Our company has a unique approach towards their clients’ businesses with their backed-up mastery traffic driven success, be it organic or paid search traffic. We have a profound knowledge of technology, sales generation, and marketing tactics, and are blended with the best PPC management skills for any sort of business.

We offer a 360-degree branding methodology to the online products as well as services. Oxedent has helped to transform hundreds of businesses who have no clue of how to mark their online presence with their conventional ideas and techniques. Oxedent Technologies literally takes them into a wholly different marketing world where every strategy can make your sales reboot and their online presence stronger bringing in more traffic and potential customer leads that will convert into sales and increase their conversion rates too. My company has successfully executed 350+ projects since the last year across 20+ countries across the globe. We have our maximum clients from the UK and the USA.

Q7) How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

We have 50-60% of our clients based in the UK and we now have a physical address in the UK which is really very important. We rented an office in Stockport (near Manchester), UK, and hired a business development manager to help us onboard new clients and attend physical meetings with the clients wherever it’s necessary. This is helping a lot as most of our clients are from the UK. The physical office also helps us to build the trust of our clients.

We as a marketing firm develop effective strategies and approaches to bring a brand into the limelight. The use of productive tools helps them get the brands their desired results. The company offers several solutions for all digital marketing related issues of the businesses.

We at Oxedent Technologies literally take you into a wholly different marketing world where every strategy can make your sales reboot and their online presence stronger bringing in more traffic and potential customer leads that will convert into sales and increase their conversion rates too.

Q8) What risks are you facing?

I have been successful in executing 350+ projects since the last year across 54+ countries with the maximum clients from the UK and EU Countries. All major online advertising platforms like Google Ads are now getting rolling out AI-powered campaigns and that is decreasing our relevance to the client from campaign optimization and management point of view.

We’re working on building a SaaS app that won’t just automate the campaign setup and optimization and also make the campaigns profitable for eCommerce businesses. E-commerce business owners will be able to tell our app their advertising goals and the system will choose the audience, ad platform channels, placements to get the most out of their ads spend and increase store revenue.

Q9) Did pandemic (COVID 19) affect your business? If yes how?

If I talk about my agency, during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, we have got more impressions, a number of clicks on advertising accounts, and more people searching for marketing services online and we have seen 27% more searches compared to the non-Covid situation. It might take a couple of weeks for results to come so avoid taking risks of pausing your campaigns or complete shutdown of your accounts. Another major thing is when your competitors are pulling out of the market due to this pandemic situation, your clicks and cost per lead will be lower so you need to pay less money for your leads as the competition is much lesser than usual and hence it’s the right time to hit on!

Q10) Have you considered any alliance/partnership/funding?

Not yet, but definitely looking forward to acquire a solid partnership and hop on a faster track toward success.

Q11) What are your responsibilities as the business owner?

I aim to transform hundreds of businesses who have no clue of how to mark their online presence with their conventional ideas and techniques. We guide them all through with the latest possible digital marketing trends that would suit their business and increase sales of their products or services. The latest technologies have enabled me to research more about business opportunities and build new relationships with fresh clients as well as develop a broader network with fellow industry professionals. I allow myself some time for learning new skills that would help me further to influence potential customers.

Q12) How many hours a day do you work on average & can you describe/outline your typical day?

When the days of 9-to-5 were over and I started my own startup, one of the most challenging hurdles I had to overcome was to stick to a particular daily routine. It’s not that I have to adhere to the traditional concept of 10-6 workflow. On some days I would arrive at the office at eight am, while on other days I would come to the office a little later and stay well into the evening. This flexibility is stressful, yet liberating.

I believe in work-life balance. I start my day with some workout at my place and then drive my way to the office. Analyzing and strategizing remains my mains throughout the day. Apart from these, I always remain ganged up with client meetings all day. The rest of the day I try exploring more ways to make my company more progressive and expanding into newer spheres.

I believe entrepreneurship is a lifestyle. And it is equally important for you to work on yourself into the ground. Regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and finding me the time to relax or what you may say “me time” is really needed. Otherwise, I’ll end up being less productive.

After I get home, I choose some distractions like Netflix binges, answering pending calls and emails, or make myself another snack.

Q13) What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Like all other entrepreneurs, I am scared of failing too. Scared of losing control or not being able to close a deal. Scared of not able to come up with bigger ideas!

Risks and vulnerabilities are always there to pause the way of entrepreneurs, particularly the startup owners—myself included.

I started the firm in 2017 with an investment of only Rs 50,000 (my own savings). Gradually with the business going on and with the small flourishments of our company, we succeeded to make tiny capitals that made us overcome several cash flow gaps effectively. So, we are a boot-strapped startup and made a growth all these years with clients’ money.

So running out of money or losing clients, all these fears stalks my world.

But I have learnt to dance simultaneously with fear as well as possibilities.

My agency still needs a more powerful awareness program among the customers and it is still challenging for the agency to continue its legacy down the years. So I work more and more on the customer support part as well as more enhancements on their services for providing maximum results to its clients. Training our new members for the latest trends of technology is my main agenda.

Q14) What comes first for you money or emotions?

For me, any business has its pillars built on relationships particularly in the startup field. So in order to succeed, entrepreneurs should hone their emotions as well apart from only making money. One with the right amount of emotional intelligence will surely not get distracted by early failures and petty heckles in his entrepreneurial life. Instead, he or she will look for ways to bounce back and make more success in the upcoming days.

Money is obviously the main agenda of running a business. With all the riches, one can expand his company and develop better relationships and help others. But to be happy, fulfilled, one doesn’t need billions of dollars. Of course, money can enable you to explore your fun hobbies or personal pursuits but respecting others’ emotions and feelings and having a level of understanding can help you to stand in a much better position in your life, if not only in your business.

Hence being an entrepreneur requires various elements and only money is not all. Having lots of money does not necessarily make you successful. What you need are money and meaning. Your work needs to be meaningful because that is what brings richness to your life.

Q15) Tell us about your early life & How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

I pursued my B.Tech Degree from Kalyani Government College in Electronics & Communication.

I started doing paid internships right from 3rd year of my college and helped many startups with their digital marketing who was just starting up and can’t afford full-time employees. Going forward I learned advanced techniques and various channels/vehicles of Digital marketing.

I read an interview of a freelancer making $30,000 per annum from consulting on digital marketing to foreign clients, and then I learned about freelancing platforms like PeoplePerHour and UpWork. I created a profile immediately, got my first job in about a few weeks. It was a London based Law firm, I helped them create Google Ads campaigns, and they are still my client.

This was the turning point of my life and since then, I never looked back and was making a handsome sum of money every month in the final year of my engineering days.

Like all other parents, it was expected from me too, to get a 9-5 job in an MNC and get my life settled. But it was way too different from what I thought.

I never wanted to join a full-time job but was unable to convince my parents and had to join a full-time role as a Digital marketing executive in a real estate company in Kolkata.

Finally, I quit my job and started my own PPC agency Oxedent Technologies Pvt. Ltd. In the initial days, my parents were doubtful about my career but gradually with the success coming in, they found out the hidden entrepreneurship in me and they have lent me complete support in whatever decision I take regarding my business and career. My family support has been a pillar of strength for my startup.

Q16) What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs??

First and foremost, I would thank my colleagues and friends for their immense support to me and in the initial struggling days of my entrepreneurial journey. The most important thing one needs is to develop a mindset of starting something after graduating from college. You need to have a solid and hardcore business plan to start with. Quite obviously, you might not have a good bank balance right after college so you need to be ready to face financial challenges. Another real challenge is the hiring part.

You need to have a team who would share your vision and can also provide fresh perspectives to it. Last but not the least, you need to be passionate in whatever field you are working on as an entrepreneur and be more responsible towards all aspects of your business. Take risks, achieve your goals, and set your path towards success.

Follow Him @

LinkedIn Handle

https://www.linkedin.com/in/biplab-poddar/

Follow Oxedent @

Website	https://www.oxedent.com/
LinkedIn Handle	https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxedent-technologies-pvt-ltd/?originalSubdomain=in
Instagram Handle	https://www.instagram.com/oxedent/
Facebook Handle	https://twitter.com/oxedent_tech

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