Tech major Meta hosted nearly 350 small business owners and entrepreneurs from across Northeast India for a regional conclave in Guwahati on the occasion of World MSME Day. The event focused on aiming new growth channels and showcasing local success stories from a region previously constrained by geographical barriers.
In India, more than 92% of Meta’s business users are small and medium businesses (MSMEs). These small companies use Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp every day to promote their brands, find new customers, and earn money, even though they work with small teams and limited resources.
At the Guwahati meeting, local shopkeepers, homegrown brands, creators, and artisans from the Northeast showed how they are using online ads to grow their businesses, build strong brands, and give jobs to local people.
Scaling Regional Brands
The deployment of digital technologies has enabled regional enterprises to expand their footprint beyond state borders into national and international markets. The transition is heavily supported by automated advertising suites and conversational commerce tools, which democratize advanced marketing functions for smaller enterprises.
Meta has been at the heart of the business we have scaled so far. We have used several Meta tools from the very beginning.— Rimjim Deka, Founder, Littlebox India
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a primary driver for campaign optimization among these enterprises. Tools like Meta’s Advantage+ suite and generative AI creative applications are being adopted to automate campaign development, enhance performance metrics, and accelerate creative asset generation.
"We have been running Meta Ads for the last four years," said Upamanyu Borkakoty, Founder of Woolah Tea. "Using the AI-powered Advantage+ Shopping campaign has been a game changer. Our orders jumped more than 600% within just six months of shifting focus on the Advantage+ Shopping Campaign. It is encouraging to see an event organized for SMEs of the Northeast, which will help more regional businesses scale and gain recognition."
Business Engines
Beyond automated advertising, business messaging has transitioned from a standard communication utility into a core transactional engine. Enterprises utilize WhatsApp to manage customer conversations, showcase product catalogs, generate business leads, and secure sales.
Data indicates that more than 200,000 small businesses in India deploy Click-to-WhatsApp ads on a monthly basis to establish direct consumer touchpoints. Features including automated quick replies, product labels, and customized messaging allow resource-constrained teams to deliver structured customer experiences efficiently.
"Meta has been at the heart of the business we have scaled so far," stated Rimjim Deka, Founder of Littlebox India. "We have used several Meta tools from the very beginning, and currently, Advantage+ is the one we extensively use to help us scale much more efficiently. We also use Instagram as the window for our brand and the community we are building. Running Instagram Partnership Ads has proven to be very fruitful."
Digital Consumer
More and more people in India are moving to online platforms. A study done for Meta by research company IPSOS shows that 97% of users watch videos daily on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. The study also says that 73% of rural users find new products and brands through these apps. Across the country, 81% of people discover products on these platforms, and 47% of them make buying decisions based on what they see online.
Students do not enroll because they see an advertisement; they enroll because they find someone they trust.— Punam Gogoi, Founder, CareerClass
These consumption patterns provide a level playing field for regional enterprises, allowing localized services to establish credibility online. Brand discovery is increasingly translating into consumer conversion based on digital engagement rather than physical proximity.
"Students do not enroll because they see an advertisement; they enroll because they find someone they trust," observed Punam Gogoi, Founder of CareerClass. "Meta has helped CareerClass turn awareness into trust, trust into guidance, and guidance into success. A single digital insight can completely transform the way an organization connects with people. These MSME initiatives empower businesses to think bigger and market smarter."
The Guwahati meeting worked like a learning platform where business owners shared ideas on how to deal with changing online customer needs. As internet use and digital services grow in smaller cities and towns (tier-2 and tier-3 markets), using local digital methods will be very important. These methods will help regional businesses connect better with the national market and grow faster.
About Meta
Meta builds technology that helps people connect, find groups, and grow their businesses. When Facebook started in 2004, it changed how people talk and stay in touch. Later, apps like Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp gave more power to billions of people worldwide. Now, Meta is working on new experiences beyond mobile screens, like the metaverse, which is seen as the next step in social technology.
