Public Relations is an important facet for every organization. A team dedicated to putting out the word, informing the customer base about the company’s latest developments, and setting up avenues for the company to be visible is very important. With the advent of technological revolution, PR agencies have had to drastically up their game or be left out. However, one company, Akund Communications, has been sailing the dynamic technology torrent with aplomb. How did it manage to do so? The answer is quite simple; if the ship captain knows what they are doing, the ship shall sail smooth.
Young, determined and forever optimistic, Sadiya Khan began Akund as a small boutique firm, strictly limiting itself to PR activities. The company was cooped away in a small rented and shared office space in the Mumbai suburb. Although they were just a handful, she was lucky to have clients that trusted her capabilities. Their trust helped keep her flame burning. The teething challenge, according to her, was her will to prove her capabilities. As her agency had no positioning in front of giant players whose clientele spoke for themselves, she decided to apply her strategies to Akund, as a brand, and create a niche for Akund and herself.
“I learnt the power of networking, taking a share of voice, being opinionated, being approachable, offering a free consultation, make interesting collaborations, etc. All this helped me create the goodwill and credibility that Akund enjoys today,” says Sadiya Khan, Founder, Akund Communications. A Mass Media graduate from the South Indian Education Society (SIES), Sadiya comes from a humble, typical middle-class family. She grew up believing that no dreams are beyond achievable with hard work and smart work. Her modest upbringing gave her the ability to adapt to quickly changing times. Her mantra is work towards where you want to be instead of lamenting where you came and where you were.
A powerful testament to her resilience is that today, Akund has grown to be a full-fledged 360-degree communications agency that offers a host of marketing solutions, from managing social media and PR, to providing creative video production and animated content. What makes Akund click is that it is a win-win for both parties—the client and company—as clients are happy to deal with a single agency and the agency can research and align an efficient strategy across all marketing channels, for the benefit of the client.
When the Going Gets Tough…
But the question is—compared to its peers, how did Akund fare during the pandemic? Quite well! Because while Sadiya does not downplay the impact the deadly pandemic had on the corporate world, she was nifty enough to focus her energy and resources on matters that would ease the blow. “Indeed! The pandemic was a contingency that none of us was ready for. We just didn’t know what to expect, and I guess most businesses took the natural course and evolved. As more and more people started to spend time on social media, I knew that’s exactly where I had to be. I started creating informative and interesting content videos for knowledge sharing, and I am pleased with the views and leads that it has generated so far,” remarks Sadiya.
Akund enjoys the exceptional leadership of Sadiya and the boost of its efficacious team of experts. She feels fortunate enough to have the backing of a team comprising industrious and resourceful industry specialists. This team and their shared vision have helped Akund land big-ticket clients, shift to a full-fledged office, and successfully hold industrial press conferences. “We have celebrated all our milestones with equal enthusiasm and pride. After all, it’s these little milestones that keep the energy going. Although we are all now working from home, we hold regular review meeting and brainstorming session with our team and clients so that there is accountability at all fronts. Moreover, we all inspire each other by sharing interesting industry articles, trends, and stories we come across during the day. Sometimes, they turn into an interesting debate, while other times they serve as a pool of information to keep us abreast with what’s happening,” adds Sadiya.
Akund has marked 2021 as the year where businesses will take the road to recovery, recuperating from the massive hits due to the pandemic and global recession. Although Akund has quite a few elite clients, Sadiya still holds herself and the company as a learner in the industry. “If 2020 was a year of uncertainties, 2021 is the year where companies, those that evolved, experiment with collaborative and remote workspaces and incorporate artificial intelligence, online gamification, and voice assistance. I still consider myself new in this sector and am learning, relearning and unlearning a lot! I am focussed on understanding the market and helping clients by adopting strategic solutions to boost sales. I am also shaping myself to join Digital Marketing experts and expand into diverse marketing offerings. I am hopeful that all this will lead to making Akund a formidable player in the industry, and I shall hopefully help more clients achieve their digital marketing needs” she concludes.