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One year on social media equals three-four years anywhere else: Ranveer Allahbadia

Hindustan Times | ByShruti Nair
Sep 05, 2020 02:25 PM IST

The influencer and entrepreneur on his debut as a new HT Brunch columnist this Sunday

Ranveer Allahbadia, popularly known as Beer Biceps, is one of the oldest influencers in the Indian social media space. Now an entrepreneur as well, Ranveer has learnt the tactics of the game along the way, but his intention was always to make money, not just focus on content.

Working his chocolate-boy good looks and his ripped physique with a distinct strategy, Ranveer has aced the digital space and now, at 27, heads two social media teams, Monk E Studios and Beerbiceps.

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As a new columnist with Brunch, Ranveer will share social media tips and more. Here’s a little bit from the OG social media influencer on what to expect.

Ranveer, you’re young and your Instagram is hella motivating! In a span of five to seven years, you have made a great following for yourself on several platforms. Tell us about your journey.

Where do I start? Career-wise, my tryst with social media began in engineering college. I handled those college confession pages and I was on social media for fun. But right from the start, I was clear that I wanted to do business. So I got into the fitness space as I had done a certification course while in college.

“Podcasts are like a death game: people should really like what you share to make them listen to you for an hour”

First, I decided to develop something like an Uber for fitness trainers. My intention was to use social media to make my business scalable. I was training AIB’s Tanmay Bhatt at the point and AIB was at the peak of the social media buzz. That’s how I learnt the game and realised there’s enough money in the field.

I decided to take up digital entrepreneurship and digital management because there was an evident need for it and it had a proper demand-supply chain. That’s when I decided to begin Monk Entertainment, which has a staff of nearly 50 people and Beerbiceps with a team of 15-20 people.

You studied engineering, then became an influencer and now you’re an entrepreneur. How have you grown and how have things changed for you?

I was an entrepreneur from Day 1! I grew out of the influencer phase as soon as I got into it. I used my chocolate-box looks and strategic mind to my benefit; I used investor logic and enjoyed putting out content because organic growth gives me a rush. Some people enjoy the creative side of it, but it’s the financial aspect of it that really drives me.

I come from a family of four generations of doctors and on my mother’s side, everyone’s an engineer. So that’s how I got into engineering. My studies have helped me: they helped me understand my threshold and skills. Most of the people on my Monk Entertainment team are my college juniors.

What do you think is the future of social media personally and otherwise, considering you do a little bit of everything? Do you think social media should be taken seriously or not?

One year on social media is equivalent to three-four years in any other industry and you have to adapt quickly, or your relevance will fade. It’s a very value-add based industry and your perspective must change with time. Having a high number of subscribers does not always imply good money. Rather, a really strong community of subscribers who are always connected with you means high spending power. So social media building really depends on your community of subscribers.

(Clockwise) Ranveer Allahbadia with actor Ayushmann Khurana; Ranveer had donated food packages during lockdown; influencer and entrepreneur Ranveer Allahbadia also goes by the name BeerBiceps on social media (inset); Ranveer with personal coach and monk Gaur Gopal Das; Ranveer was a fitness trainer before he turned social media influencer

Creators take social media more seriously than consumers. If you’re a creator, you’re like a shop owner and projecting your business really matters to you.

You’ve moved platforms according to the demand of the hour. Now that you’re doing podcasts regularly, do you think they are effective?

Podcasts are the future of social media. If you have a user base that consumes your content regularly, you can succeed at a podcast. I say this simply because podcasts are like a death game: people should really like what you share to make them listen to you for an hour. Since I’m a dedicated creator, my influence has helped fuel my podcasts. And podcasting has made me smarter because smart people are tuning in to listen to me. That means I have research, analyse and understand other people’s perspectives.

Finally, your column debuts this Sunday and you’ll be dishing out some social media rules. Is this a column to educate older people or do you think age is no barrier for social media?

I think the progress of the world lies in gaining different skills. Even Ronnie Screwvala believes that, which is why he started Upgrad. So my column is going to be about educating people on what to post or not to post and honestly, age is not a barrier ever! So, stay tuned to learn the game starting September 6 on HT Brunch.

Ranveer Allahbadia’s new bi-weekly column in HT Brunch, where he will tell the rights and wrongs of social media etiquettes on September 6. Reach out to HT social media handles to get in touch.

From HT Brunch, September 6, 2020

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Media Team Media Year Fitness trainer AIB Engineering College Tanmay Bhat Ronnie Screwvala
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