Atulpriya Sharma- The Story of an Engineer Turned Blogger Influencer

Atulpriya Sharma, a software engineer with a strong interest in marketing and public relations. With a degree in computer science and business administration, he enjoys creating and discussing technological solutions. He loves bringing concepts to life, whether through technological solutions or through creative images or videos. To read his blogs visit, https://socialmaharaj.com/

Ronak: You started as an engineer and then developed an interest in the domain of Marketing and blogging as well. How has your experience been working in such different horizons? Can you elaborate a bit on your journey so far?

Atulpriya: Blogging happened to me during my engineering days. Thanks to one of the young professors who took a novel way to teach us communication skills. As engineers, this was one of the least interesting subjects. So, the professor decided to tweak the way. He made our class create a blog, and I was made the admin. That’s when I realized that if my class can have a blog, why not me?

It was in 2012 when I created my blog, and the idea was to share all that I did and experienced. Over the years, I saw the numbers grow, and some brand deals came my way, and that’s when I realized that this was serious. Around the same time, I developed an interest in marketing, digital marketing specifically, and was curious about how things worked. So, I decided to pursue a degree in management while working as a software developer to get a better understanding of business as a whole.

Over the years, I’ve got to meet some amazing people along the way and work with some of the renowned global brands. Blogging has taught me a lot, not only about writing but about life in general. It also gave me the confidence to meet people, network, and develop relationships that are long-lasting.

Ronak: As you mentioned about digital marketing, social media (one of the popular tools of digital marketing) is becoming so popular and vital nowadays, whether for an MNC or a start-up. What are your views about the same?

Atulpriya: Absolutely, you need to be present where your audience/customer is. Marketing and advertising have evolved greatly over the years. Not only the medium but the way products and services are marketed.

Talking about social media itself, there are different groups and platforms where you’ll find people from different backgrounds. For instance, if I’m an MNC, I’d probably market myself on LinkedIn or Glassdoor because that’s where my audience resides. If I were a start-up, my TG would be either on Twitter, Reddit or even on Discord.

So, I think one needs to identify where their TG is and then work towards building awareness around their offerings. Also, understanding each social media platform is vital; each medium behaves differently. So, what worked on one might turn out to be a disaster on the other.

Ronak: Well said, Sir. Since you have so much experience in the Marketing domain, I would like to know your views on controversy as a marketing strategy. How ethical is it, according to you?

Atulpriya: Consumers have significantly evolved over time, and with social media being the largest space for a marketer, it isn’t easy to put out something that appeases everybody. With the diverse country that we live in, you can’t keep everyone happy; there’s bound to be someone who’d be offended. I’m reminded of a set that Aiyyo Shraddha did at the recently concluded marketing awards in Goa. She spoke about how as an advertiser, you need to take care of different sections and norms of the society, which leads to adverts taking a long time to be approved. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend seeing that bit.

That said, as they say, any PR is good PR. Sometimes brands find themselves in such a soup and have no idea how to respond and often ride the wave, leading to them getting more eyeballs.

Whether it’s ethical or not, If I were in the spot of that marketer, I wouldn’t do it.

Ronak: We can see your dedication towards your interest in blogging and storytelling. But it often becomes difficult to follow what you love with your work. So, while you work as a Developer Advocate, how do you manage your time between your full-time job and Socialmaharaj?

Atulpriya: About 15 years ago during my 8th grade, when I was deciding to choose a vocational course at my school, one of my computer teachers said a very good thing. (This might sound philosophical, but it struck me hard then) He said, “We often turn to the internet for everything, from music to photos to assignments; we take everything for free from the internet. But what have we given back?”

And that’s exactly why I started creating content; I wanted to give back to the internet. I started my first website, a recipe site where I shared vegetarian recipes in 7th grade. Fast forward to today, I write about anything and everything I experience, from eating out at a restaurant to traveling to a new place or driving a new car, I write about it all.

Even with a full-time job, the only reason I’m doing this is to give back to the internet. When a couple from Romania emailed me asking about how to reach Munnar from Kochi on Activa after reading my blog post, it was nothing but pure joy. For me, numbers don’t matter much. It’s such responses that keep me going.

So, it’s just the passion to write and share my experiences with others with the intention of helping that keeps me going. I can say with pride that I’ve been sharing two blog posts weekly for over five years!

Ronak: That’s great. I am sure it wouldn’t have been easy. What are the significant challenges you have experienced while working in the marketing domain and what were your learning from the same?

Atulpriya: As I said earlier, marketing as a domain — like any other — is evolving at a rapid pace. Digital marketing is changing much faster, especially on the organic side of things (because that’s what I spend the most time in). The internet is becoming smarter day by day, and Google is constantly improving its search algorithms to help people find answers to their problems faster.

Ask any digital marketer, and they’ll tell you that any Google algorithm update is keenly watched. I’ve seen organic traffic to my blog ride like a roller coaster, and me being clueless as to what’s happening. That’s when I stuck to the basics, learned about the changes happening around and applied them in real life. One of the perks of owning your own blog is you can experiment and see what works and what doesn’t.

Apart from that, staying afloat is challenging as a blogger in the age of Instagram. When brands are putting their money in Instagram and YouTube, you’re often demoralized and start questioning your existence. I think as a blogger, it’s important to be active everywhere but focus on the thing that you love the most. I know many people who started as bloggers and have become Instagram stars today.

So I feel staying afloat in such a rapidly changing scenario is extremely challenging.

Ronak: Despite the challenges, there must be something which keeps you going. What do you enjoy the most about your work?

Atulpriya: There are millions of bloggers on the internet who are doing some amazing work. And that’s because most of them love doing what they are. I, too, love blogging for various reasons, but I’d list three major ones:

1. Blogging has helped me meet some amazing people from diverse backgrounds. I bonded with some over food, some over travel, and some over tech. Most of us connected through our blogs in the initial years, and today have become the best of friends. So, I’d say the network blogging has provided me is second to none.

2. As an engineer, a computer engineer, I like to get into things. And being a blogger who understands both marketing and tech is a boon. I love exploring and learning various technologies that power my blog. I maintain my blog, including the servers, and there’s new learning almost every day. I’m also tech support for many bloggers, and I’m glad I’m able to help them.

3. It allows me to be me. Being an independent blogger with my own platform, I have the freedom to share my thoughts freely. On all the other social media platforms, you’re bound to their rules. Not that I’m posting anything objectionable, just the essence of ownership brings a sense of freedom and responsibility.

Ronak: What do you think are the three essential skills to build a career in the marketing domain?

Atulpriya: Marketing is an exciting domain, and one of the reasons I loved it was how it played with the human mind. You’re mistaken if you think marketing happens on paper, slides, or screens. Marketing wars are fought in the customer’s mind. And I think that’s what intrigued me. How do I craft a story and market my service/product, so the customer remembers it?

In terms of skills, I’d say the following are important:

1. Domain knowledge: Many people might differ from me on this, but I feel understanding the domain you’re working in is extremely important. Without that, you’ll not be able to connect with your TG. So, always make a point to understand the domain that you’re working in. Talk to the SMEs, read, and understand your offerings inside out.

2. Storytelling: I think marketers need to be good storytellers. People today don’t relate to products and services but relate to stories. If you’re a good storyteller and you’re able to build a rapport with the audience, then there’s nothing like this. One of the brands I absolutely love when it comes to storytelling is TVF. All of their web series have subtle and natural product plugs that just weave into the storyline.

3. Creativity: Last but not the least, creativity. With people’s attention spans decreasing drastically, it’s challenging to share the same thing repeatedly. You need to be creative in your approach. Whether it’s the storytelling or the artwork, it needs to evolve with the times and should appease your audience. Hence, creativity is vital.

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Ronak Pansari is an intern at Bloggers Alliance and is also pursuing MBA IInd year from IIM Shillong.