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Sharia economy (Islamic banking system) has been receiving a lot of attention after the 1997 economic crisis. Though in a national spotlight, most people still find it difficult to obtain information about sharia economy. It’s time for what Internet does best: disseminate information.

Nukman Luthfie, CEO and founder of Virtual Consulting knew very well of what the power of Internet can do to spread the word about sharia, as well as the business opportunity in it. He is one of Indonesia’s Internet gurus with more than 10 years of experience. Nukman was the man behind the phenomenal Detik.com, the biggest news portal in Indonesia, one of the few survivors of dotcom crash era.

Meanwhile, Virtual Consulting started as Internet marketing consultant company before expanding its business to online media with the launch of PortalHR.com -the portal on human capital. From PortalHR experience, Nukman learned that the strength of a website post dotcom crash era lays in providing the specific content needed by a specific segment.

That’s one reason behind the launch of niriah.com, the first portal in Indonesia on sharia economy. Another reason is, as a businessman, Nukman himself find it difficult to get information on sharia financing. “There must be many people out there felt just like me,” he said.

A lot of traditional business media already covers sharia, but only a small part of it, mostly talks about sharia business and policy. What people really need is knowledge, how sharia economy works and how it can affect their financial life. Nukman reckoned there is an information gap between sharia providers and the consumers.

Sharia economy not only draws interest from the Muslim community, but businessman in general, regardless of their religion or ethnicity So there is need for a new form of media that can provide the knowledge anytime, anywhere in an interactive manner. A website can do just that.

Niriah.com’s tagline is “Berbisnis sesuai syariah” meaning doing business in shariah’s way. The site provides everything you need to know about sharia, from news, consultation, directory and dictionary. Amongst the useful features are sharia financing and sharia profit sharing online simulation. Nukman plans to partners with sharia banking to make the simulation as real as possible.

Marketing strategy

In the helm of niriah.com is Imam Suyono Machmud, also a prominent figure behind the success of Detik.com. He was responsible for syndication and partnership before joined Virtual Consulting. Imam introduced a non-traditional marketing strategy for niriah.com: word-of-mouth marketing. Instead of placing big ads in print media or spreading giant banners across town (do you remember Astaga.com ?), Virtual promotes niriah.com through mailing lists.

One of the key activities in engaging in Worm marketing is obtaining key influencers like Dewan Syariah Nasional (national sharia board). Worm marketing is suitable if there is a strong cohesion in the targeted market segment, just like the case of sharia. Once you have the influencers on your side, the rest will follow.

Topik: Media, News, People