A few years ago, many small and mid-sized businesses in Madurai treated digital marketing like a side activity. A Facebook page here, a festival poster there, maybe a boosted post during Deepavali season. It was often handled by a relative, a freelancer, or someone inside the office who “knew social media.” For a while, that seemed enough. But 2026 feels different. Something subtle has changed in the way business owners think. The shift is not loud. There are no dramatic anno