Bhide’s Science Classes, Pune: Marketing strategy that kept admissions steady when it mattered most
Prepared by: Dr. Sachin Mohan Bhide | Eha Management Consultancy
Client: ZOOM Software, Pune | Sector: EdTech / School ERP | Consultant: Dr. Sachin Mohan Bhide | Year: 2011
At a Glance
Eha Management Consultancy worked with Bhide’s Science Classes, a science coaching institute in Pune, as its marketing strategy consultant over a couple of years engagement. Our persistence helped the classes go digital before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the web, social media, and Zoom presence built through the engagement meant admissions were not affected at all through the pandemic and post-pandemic period.
Background
Bhide’s Science Classes, with the tagline ‘The Science of Success’, is a science coaching class founded by Prof. Jagdish Bhide. The institute coached students of Standards 9 to 12 across State Board and CBSE curricula.
They engaged Dr. Sachin Mohan Bhide of Eha Management Consultancy, Pune, as its marketing strategy consultant. The engagement ran for a couple of years, spanning the period just before the COVID-19 pandemic and through its most disruptive phase for the coaching industry.
The Business Challenge
Coaching is a relationship-driven business, and Bhide’s Science Classes had decades of teaching credibility and strong word-of-mouth. What it needed was a systematic digital presence through website, content, advertising, email marketing, online teaching capability, and clear answers on which platforms and new services to invest in. When the pandemic forced classrooms to close, this need became existential. Lectures moved online overnight, student enquiries moved to the website and social media, and parents began evaluating coaching classes digitally before ever visiting a branch.
Engagement Scope
Sachin first developed the marketing strategy and provided hand-holding support through implementation. The engagement covered:
1. Digital marketing
A digital marketing plan was prepared with a budget and clear deliverables, covering:
- Website development and enhancement, including web content written personally by Sachin. Testimonials received from students and parents were added. An email subscription facility was set up.
- Facebook and Instagram advertising with campaign timing planned around the academic calendar, and ad-focused messaging
- Email marketing and performance monitoring through Google Analytics
- A Facebook live session was conducted regularly to keep the institute visible and approachable
2. Online teaching and content development
Sachin enabled the institute’s shift to online delivery in practical, hands-on ways by training the team on conducting classes over Zoom, including guidance on which premium plan to subscribe to, and video recording techniques using the relevant accessories. Alongside, blogs were written. Sachin developed the blog ideas and engaged guest writers from his community. Webinars were repurposed into blogs.
3. Market research and service Innovation
To ground decisions in evidence, a detailed parent survey was developed, capturing what parents value most in coaching classes. Monthly review discussions, conducted in Marathi and English, evaluated online platforms such as Zoom, JioMeet, and Microsoft Teams for webinars, and shaped a series of new services: personalised one-to-one coaching, a structured mentoring service, a fundamentals video library for revision, downloadable study.
Value Delivered
- Admissions were not affected through the pandemic and post-pandemic era. Digital presence on the web, social media, and Zoom presence built through this engagement
- A timely online presence that began before the pandemic, driven by Eha’s persistence, which allowed the institute to not only survive but thrive
- End-to-end strategy with hand-holding implementation, from approved marketing strategy to executed campaigns, content, and platform adoption
- A sustained content engine in English and Marathi that showcased the institute’s values by involving its own students as guest writers
- Practical capability building for the founder and team in Zoom-based teaching and video recording
- Research-backed clarity on parent expectations and a roadmap of new academic services for informed decisions
Why This Engagement Matters
Coaching classes are among the most relationship-driven businesses in India, and the pandemic tested every one of them. This engagement shows how a trusted local institute can pair its teaching credibility with a systematic digital strategy and emerge stronger. It also reflects Eha’s way of working: strategy first, approval next, and then patient, hands-on implementation support, month after month, in the client’s own language and context, with outcomes the client is willing to certify in writing.
About Eha Management Consultancy
Eha Management Consultancy, founded by Dr. Sachin Mohan Bhide (PhD, Marketing), offers marketing strategy, management research, management training, and speaking services. With 24+ years of experience and 70+ consulting assignments across 40+ sectors, Eha partners with organisations in Pune and across India seeking sustainable business growth.
Website: ehamanagementconsultancy.com | Mobile: +91 98230 38828 | sachin@ehamanagementconsultancy.com