In today's fast-evolving digital landscape, brands are rethinking their marketing strategies to prioritise long-term relationships over short-term gains. A people-first approach, focusing on customer experience and trust, is becoming a key differentiator.

At the afaqs! Digies Conference 2025, Co-Powered by Star Sports | Disney+ Hotstar, with Brand Partner Paytm Ads, and Co-Partners Aaj Tak and AudiencePro, Praval Singh, VP of Marketing and Customer Experience at Zoho, sat down with Satrajit Sen, COO – Events, afaqs!, to discuss Zoho’s people-first marketing strategy and its evolving approach to brand-building.

Unlike many software firms that rely heavily on paid advertising, Zoho has taken a different route—prioritising real customer stories over promotional campaigns. "Whether it’s B2B or B2C, you’re selling to individuals, not walls," Singh explains. He emphasises that while traditional brand marketing often focuses on consumer engagement, B2B SaaS marketing must navigate longer decision cycles involving multiple stakeholders.

The ‘Land and Expand’ strategy

Zoho, which offers over 55 products across various business functions, follows a ‘Land and Expand’ strategy. Singh notes that businesses typically start by using one Zoho product—such as accounting or CRM software—and then expand their usage based on value and efficiency. “If a company starts with our accounting software, they might later explore inventory management or HR solutions,” he says.

Having built a strong presence among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) over the past 29 years, Zoho has more recently been making inroads into the enterprise market. Singh acknowledged the challenge of maintaining Zoho’s core values while positioning itself as an enterprise-grade solution.

The shift to customer-driven storytelling

While many SaaS firms allocate significant budgets to marketing, Zoho prioritises research and development (R&D) over advertising. “Our R&D investment is three times our marketing spend. That’s a conscious decision,” Singh reveals. Instead of large-scale campaigns, Zoho relies on real customer experiences to build credibility.

"Big brands invest millions in marketing, but how many real customers talk about how AI has transformed their experience? Very few. That’s a route we don’t want to take," he says. Instead, Zoho collaborates closely with customers, iterates products based on their feedback, and integrates solutions through marketplaces.

This approach has led to strong customer relationships. Singh cited instances where clients such as Mercedes-Benz and United Bank of India recall not just the product but the names of the engineers who helped them. "That’s the level of connection we build," he says.

Why Zoho entered traditional advertising

Despite its focus on customer-driven marketing, Zoho has also experimented with traditional advertising, including newspaper and billboard campaigns. Singh explained that as digital ad costs surged due to increased competition, Zoho decided to establish broader brand awareness.

“One of our key differentiators is privacy. We don’t monetise user data or show ads inside our products, even though we could. Privacy isn’t just compliance for us—it’s a core belief,” he says. The move to print, radio, and outdoor advertising was a way to communicate these values to a wider audience.

The future of marketing and AI’s role

Discussing the future of marketing, Singh pointed to AI’s growing impact on marketing roles. "I receive job applications where the entire email is AI-generated. The question is—do we reject candidates for using AI? Not necessarily. Everyone has access to AI tools now, but the real skill lies in using them better," he observes.

As AI reshapes marketing, Zoho continues to adapt, focusing on authentic storytelling, customer-centric solutions, and sustainable brand growth. Singh sums it up succinctly: "We don’t claim to know everything, but we test and iterate—just like we do with our products."