In conversation with Zahara Kanchwalla is the co-founder & CEO, Rite Knowledge Labs

Please brief us about your company – Rite Knowledge Labs

RiteKnowledge Labs is a seven year young content-first digital consulting firm with proven expertise in Storytelling-as-a-Service (SaaS). We use the power of human storytelling along with researched data and numbers to build compelling narratives that brands can share with their stakeholders.

Since we offer various services—content, creative design & UID, and coding—under a single roof, we can deliver our thought-leadership content across several digital platforms such as corporate websites, social media, statutory reports, and so on. As a result, the stories we tell are both aspirational and inspirational. Over time, just like the brands we work with, we have earned our customers’ trust through rigorous and consistent transparency.

How has been the brand journey so far, and what is your aim for the next couple of years?

RiteKnowledge Labs turned seven this year. It has grown organically, perhaps because we started the organization by identifying a unique ‘need gap’ in the content space: storytelling and research. Most business content available online focuses on marketing, advertising, and promotions. However, no one seemed to be telling research-led emotive yet authentic stories about businesses—an essential tool that helps build consumer trust. So, we decided to offer what we call SaaS – Storytelling as a Service.

We are excited about the future. Having navigated the difficult pandemic period through agility and resilience while continuing to hold on to our clients, we now have a three-pronged strategy for growth. First, we plan to increase the differentiated services to our current customers and build a stronger, deeper relationship. The second step is replicating our success with existing customers with new ones. The third is to get into more contemporary geographies, such as additional export markets from our current ones in Europe, Singapore and UAE.

Why do you think content marketing plays an important role in building the brand image?

Successful brands need to shift to authentic storytelling with rich, diverse yet customised content. The way around this was for brands to tell stories. What a product or service could do for a customer had to be woven into a narrative. It wasn’t about the features of the product but the emotions it could evoke and the experience it promised the customer. In addition to brands telling their stories, it was even more effective when customers did it for them. Several brands post user-generated content on their pages and rope in influencers to do their bidding. It makes the brand relatable, credible and trustworthy to the customers.

Does content play a strategic role in marketing?

Indeed, it does. However, with more businesses investing in digital content, there is more noise out there than ever. This clearly brings the focus on authenticity and thought leadership. Being real in your conversations and concerns is the key to engaging stakeholders. Authenticity can help cut through the noise quickly in a cluttered space. Readers trust you, value your advice, and buy your products and services if your content is genuine and relatable.

How do you see the industry changing in the near future?

After the COVID pandemic, corporates and business leaders have felt a greater need to engage with their stakeholders, customers, and shareholders. A recent report suggests that the global digital publishing market size is expected to reach US $22,6070 million by 2028. This is a giant leap, given that last year’s market size was US $104950 million. So, even with a small share of 10% for business storytelling, this is a massive opportunity.

Considering the yawning gap in the quality of content available in the business content space, we have evolved to develop a nuanced storytelling service that is extremely research-oriented, humane, and creative. As a result, we firmly believe SaaS is here to stay.

What is that one mantra that you follow as a leader?

My leadership mantra is simple. To create a trusted and congenial environment for all our stakeholders— clients, employees, and partners. I believe our commitment to hard work, dedication to creating more value for our customers, and consistent self-motivation keep us going as a startup. Nothing inspires us like the love and appreciation from our customers. This is why building a fair and transparent ecosystem— be it for employees, customers, or vendor partners—remains my ultimate leadership mantra.