Executive Summary

In an era where technology prevails, entrepreneurs as well as marketers see the need to keep
up with the fast pace of change or risk being outdated. Gone are the days when a pure-bricks
business model will thrive well in current market scenario. It is practically impossible to
design a marketing strategy without considering social networks. Social media had become
really important gradient in today's marketing mix in general and in promotion mix in
particular. Adapting some form of marketing online through social media is a key node for all
businesses, especially in an industry where trends constantly change such as fashion and
handicrafts. The research carries out empirical research to understand the significance of
social media as a marketing tool and an effort has been made to analyze the extent social
media helps the Business. In addition, strategies have been suggested for maximizing the
effectiveness.

Social media presence is definitely an advantage for all kinds of Businesses. Social media
marketing has wider market appeal and is relatively cheaper than traditional advertisements
with a huge number of audiences and high customizability of social media for required
content; Social media marketing emerge as an exciting and effective tool for marketing.

1
 Introduction
Over the past 40 years, we have experienced a radical shift in how business is conducted and
How people interact. The introduction of personal computers, the Internet, and e-commerce
have Had a tremendous impact on how businesses operate and market. The introduction of
social media technology is accelerating and we can expect it to have a similar impact on
businesses now and into the future. As new technologies became available, businesses that
learn to use new technologies gain great benefits. Some of the best-known examples include
technology-driven companies such as Microsoft, eBay, Amazon and Google. In a short span
of time, social media has become one of the most loved mediums for the Indian youths today.
Social Media Marketing is the hottest new marketing concept and every business owner
wants to know how social media can generate value for their business. People are social by
nature and collect or share information that is important to them. Social Media Marketing is
about understanding how technology is making it easier for people to connect socially with
their social networks and how your business can profit from that understanding. More and
more of your customers, whether for personal use, business-to-consumer or business-to-
business reasons use social media in every aspect of their daily life. There is a common
misconception that social media and social networking sites (SNS) are two synonymous
terms. Social media are tools for sharing and discussing information. It can be described as a
kind of online media which encourages every member for feedback and contribution. It is a
social instrument of two-way communication facilitating the sharing of information between
users within a defined network via web 2.0. It involves online activities in which the user
contributes to content creation.
This media encourages user involvement which can be as simple as posting comments or
giving votes or as complex as recommending content to other user on the basis of preferences
of people with similar interests and lifestyle. Thus social media can be described as a broad
term inclusive of activities where people create content, share it, bookmark it and network at
a phenomenal rate. On the other hand, social networking sites are a place where in one forms
communities of interest to connect to others. Social networking sites utilize social media
technology to connect with People and build relationships.

Social networking sites allow individuals to construct their profile within a bounded system,
share with other users and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by
others within the system (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). It can be thus concluded those social
networking sites are a form of social media. The increasing dependence on technology for
basic communication highlights the importance of analyzing how these networking sites are
affecting daily processes.

Anyone including teens and young adults, women, men, affluent consumers and older
individuals can join a social network site. Once registered the person can begin to socialize
and create his/her own network of friends with common interests or goals. Sites like Face
book, Twitter, LinkedIn are influencing the way users establish, maintain and cultivate a
range of social relationships, from close friendships to casual acquaintances. Consumers
today want to be more informed about products before they make the purchase.

2
Definition of social media:
“A group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological
foundations of Web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated
Content.”

As the name suggests, social refers to interaction between people and media in turn to
information and channels through which it is shared and transmitted. Social media differs
from other communication methods due to the users’ ability to be more than receivers.
Through social media users can comment, like and share the content with others. We Are
Social (2015) reported that over 2, 08 billion people worldwide have social media accounts.
From 2014, the number of active 15 social media accounts has grown 12 %.

History of social media

The roots of social networking go back over 40 000 years when people made primitive
images on cave walls. The Neanderthal networking, Roman Forum, town criers and
newspapers have also had a remarkable role in the growth path of social networking.
However, social media as we know it today was born in the 21st century.

The era of social media began in the late 1970s when Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis founded
Usenet. Usenet made it possible for internet users to post public messages worldwide. For
example, Wikipedia has made it possible for users to create new content and modify what has
already been published. Although there have been various social networking platforms
before, the development of mobile technology can be seen as one of the key drives in the
growth path of social media. Smart phones have enabled people to be online all the time and
be in interaction with others through various social media sites

Social media platforms

There are several social media platforms. The time spent on a certain social media platform
depends on the demographic group. Errand (2015) reported that the most popular social
media platforms among young people are YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Comparing the most popular social media sites of the 13 to 17 and 18 to 29-year-old people,
it can be noticed that at the moment younger people prefer various messaging applications
such as WhatsApp, 16 Messenger, Kick messenger and Snapchat over Punters, Twitter or
LinkedIn. However, there was not that big differences on the time spent on social media
between these age groups.In the following chapter the most relevant social media platforms
will be reviewed and examined. In addition, for some of the platforms the best time to post
figures will be revealed. As it will be noticed, companies can get more out of the posts if they
release them during a certain time. Knowing the best times to post a message will increase
reachability and efficiency.

3
Facebook
Facebook is the most popular social networking site with over 1, 4 billion registered accounts
and over 936 million active users worldwide at the moment. Facebook was founded in 2004
by Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Higher and Eduardo Saver in. In only two
years Facebook grew from college’s networking site to a worldwide platform where users can
communicate with each other.

For companies Facebook provides a platform where to target new and existing customers,
and to create a two-way conversation with them. Facebook provides the best tools to target
the right customer segment. Through Facebook companies can increase brand awareness by
advertising or creating their own profile where information can be shared.

It has been studied that 86% of the posts are made during the work week and the best days to
do it are Thursday and Friday. The most shares will be gained at 1 pm and most clicks around
3pm.

Instagram
Instagram is an online social networking site where users can share photos and videos with
each other. Compared to Facebook, Instagram has been designed as a mobile app and
therefore adding pictures from the computer is not possible. Instagram was founded in 2010
by Kevin Sitcom and Mike Krieger. However, it 17 was acquired by Facebook in 2012. With
over 300 million users Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms. (About
Instagram 2015)

Instagram is a free application for both consumers and companies. Through Instagram
companies can advertise products for free, share an insight look on what is happening in the
company and increase brand equity. According to a case study, Mercedes-Benz was able to
increase the number of site visits by 580% by using advertisements in Instagram and
Facebook. Instagram has taken a new advertising service to use, which enables marketers to
buy advertisement space. However, this scene is not yet available in the Nordic countries.

In Instagram the best day to post a picture or video is Monday. To receive the most likes the
picture should be posted between 3 to 4 pm local time.

4
Pinterest
Pinterest is a visual and social bookmarking site. Registered users can upload and share
media content such as images and videos with others. Instead of pressing like –button, users
pin things to save them on their personalized boards. These are called pin boards. (About
Pinterest 2015) Pinterest was founded in 2010 by Ben Silverman, Paul Sierra and Evan
Sharp. According to the latest statistics Pinterest has over 72 million users and 85 % of them
are female. The aim of Pinterest is to help users to discover things they want to plan, do or
buy. Pinterest connects people through their interests, hobbies and passions. For companies it
provides a tool where they can share their interests and values with consumers. (DMR 2015;
Business Pinterest 2015) The statistics show that the best day to pin is Saturday and best time
is at 8 pm to 11 pm local time. For fashion and retail the peak time to post is Fridays at 3 pm.

YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website which was founded in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve
Chen and Jawed Karim. One year later Google acquired it. YouTube has over one billion
users and is the second most searched site after Google. Every day people spend hundreds of
millions of hours on YouTube and every minute 300 hours of video are uploaded to
YouTube.

YouTube is a forum where people connect, inform and inspire others. In addition, it provides
a platform for companies to advertise and share video content with consumers. According to
Castro novo and Huang (2012), it enables consumer engagement through user-generated
content. Currently there are over million advertisers using Google Ad platforms, and majority
of them are small and medium sized companies.

Twitter
With over 316 million monthly active users and over 500 million tweets send by day Twitter
is one of the most known social media sites. Twitter is a free microblogging site, where the
users can send and read short messages also known as tweets. It was founded in 2006 by Jack
Dorsey, Noah Glass, Evan Williams and Biz Stone. The difference to other social networking
sites is that the messages are limited to 140 characters. Users can participate to the
conversation through retweeting and using certain hashtags.

Twitter is a great place to build relationships with customers and key stakeholders.
Companies can either buy advertisement space or create their Twitter account where they can
share information and express their opinions. Advertising on Twitter is efficient when a
company wants to; for example, get more traffic on their website. According to the statistics
the best days to post are from Monday to Friday in business-to-business (B2B) purposes and
from Wednesday to Sunday in business to-consumers (B2C) purposes. The best click-through
rates (CTR) will be gained at 12 pm and 6 pm. The highest amount of re-tweets was made
around 5 pm.

5
LinkedIn
LinkedIn differs from other social networking sites due to its purpose. LinkedIn is the largest
professional networking site with over 300 million users. It was founded in 2002 by Reid
Hoffman. The aim of LinkedIn is to help professionals to network with each other and at the
same time make them more successful and productive. When joining LinkedIn the member
will create a professional profile that includes information such as job experience,
educational background, personal information and interests. The same applies for companies
except that the outlook of the profile is slightly different.

For companies LinkedIn provides an excellent platform where to seek for new talents,
increase brand awareness and build relationships with both other companies and individuals.

In LinkedIn, the statistics show that the best days to post are from Monday to Thursday.
Most clicks and shares are received on Tuesday between 10 and 11 am. The best time to
make posts was from 7 am to 8 am and from 5 pm to 6 pm.

Blogs
A blog is a personal online diary. Whoever can start a blog and it can be either private or
public. Public blogs can be read by anyone and the reader has also the opportunity to
comment the blog posts. In addition to text a blog can contain links to other internet –pages
or blogs, photos, videos and other electronic content.

20 Companies have two options; they can either establish their blog or make collaboration
with a blogger. A business blog is an effective tool for the company to get a message out for
their customers. The company has also the power to decide what kind of content to publish
and what kind of messages to forward.

A blogger is a person who blogs. Collaboration can be a post about a company’s products or
services or an advertisement on the blog. Most often companies send free samples to bloggers
who then write about them. The objective of a blog is to drive WOM recommendations, build
relationships and increase loyalty. When the buzz begins, the blog can be considered
successful.

6
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is a form of Internet marketing and refers to the process of achieving
marketing communication and branding goals through social media sites. Social media
marketing includes activities such as sharing content, videos and images. The aim is to create
content that attracts attention and encourages the reader to share it with others through social
media platforms.

Social media marketing is usually based on a company’s social media strategy. Pinpoints the
importance of having a communication strategy for each social media tool that the company
uses. It is vital to be active, interesting, humble, less formal and honest. Being present is not
enough, instead the company must figure out how to attract readers and how to communicate
with them. In addition, each social media network has a different purpose and target group
and therefore it is vital to choose the right tools. The company cannot adapt the same strategy
for all; instead it must personalize its message for each network. As, companies must think
globally but act locally because the cultures and the needs and wants are different in every
country. The same strategy will most likely not work everywhere.

Future trends of social media

Social media is under constant development. In the future social media platforms that focus
on imagery, messaging and video will keep growing.

Messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat and Kick

Messenger have increased their popularity during the past two years. In addition to video
platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo it has been forecasted that live video streaming sites
such as Merkaant and Periscope will hit through.

In the future marketers will have to focus more on personalization and using the right metrics.
Instead of investing on new platforms more time will be spent on figuring out what is
working and what is not and where and how to reach customers. In addition, companies must
focus more on their visual brand language. Due to the popularity of applications such as
Instagram and Pinterest the role of visual elements has become important. It has been noticed
that usually the posts with pictures do better than the post without images. If the company
wants to create a strong brand online more emphasis must be put on creating and adapting a
visual social media strategy.

7
 Literature Review

Madden, Normandy has published article in Advertising Age. Title of article is

“New faces at Coke, Pepsi in China signal emphasis on digital media”.

The article discusses the digital marketing strategy of Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola Co.
in China. Both companies believe online entertainment is the way to appeal to young
Chinese, who generally choose the internet and online games over TV. Pepsi has hired
Harry Hui, a digital-media expert with no soft-drink experience, to take over as vice
president of marketing Greater China. Top marketing executive Ilan Sobel boosted
Coke's sales by linking it with one of China's hottest computer games.

Morrison, Maureen has published article in Advertising Age. Title of article is

“Wendy's has no beef with its latest creative consultant – Facebook”.

The article discusses the digital marketing strategy of fast food chain Wendy's. Topics
discussed include the transition of Wendy's digital programs such as website and
emails to acquisition of banner advertisements, role of digital and social vice president
Brandon Rhoten in establishing relationship with social networking site Facebook,
increase in the chain's media spending, and chain's new products.

O'Reilly, Lara has published article in Marketing Week. Title of article is

“Virgin adjusts digital content to group-wide 'stories' focus”.

The article discusses the digital marketing strategies of the venture capital conglomerate
company Virgin Group Ltd. as of June 2013, focusing on an initiative with the digital
advertising agency Beyond as well as website development and the appointment of the
executive Nigel Gilbert.

8
Rauch, Joseph has published article in Thomas Net News. Title of article is

“Have Fun by Injecting Some Memes into Your Industrial Marketing”.

The article offers information on how to add memes and humor in digital content of
business to leverage marketing strategies. The technique of making content engaging
and fun is also discussed. Topics include inclusion of Graphics interchange format
(GIFs) which are short videos on social media such as Facebook, and posting memes
with careful thought to prevent customers from getting repulsed, and the strategies for
content marketing.

Shields, Ronan has published article in Marketing Week. Title of article is

“PZ Cussons hones online offering to woo shoppers”.

The article discusses digital strategy in a marketing campaign featuring supermodel

Kate Moss for the PZ Cussons consumer goods and personal care company in 2013.
Topics include the launch of responsive design websites to increase online sales at PZ
Cussons, digital technology in targeted online marketing, and brand management and
digital marketing.

9
 Objectives

1. To study the significance of social media marketing for different business.

2. To study how social media can be useful for small business and new business(start-
ups).

10
 Scope

1. The study helps in analyzing the impact of social media as a marketing tool in
Business.

2. The study will help in understanding the significance of Social Media Maaketing.

3. The study will help in understanding the factors affecting the success of using Social
Media.

11
 Limitations

1. The research is limited to Social Media Marketing only.

2. The research was restricted to Pune City only.

3. Some people are reluctant to fill the questionnaire.

4. The facts and Figures represented in secondary data are considered as a basis
to study, any mistake in that is a part of study

So roughly these were some of the limitations that I faced during working on my Research
Report, but the topic has a wider scope so it was enough to work on my research report.

12
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

“Market research is the systematic design, collection, analysis and reporting of data and
finding relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company.”
An effective marketing research involved five steps:

Designing the
Devloping the Collecting the
Problem and
Research Plan Information
Research Objective

Present the Analyzing the

Findings Information

Marketing Research as defined by The Marketing Association is as follows:

“Marketing Research is the functional links to the customers, consumers &public to marketing
through information. Information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and
problems; generate, define and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance
and improve understanding of marketing process
 Defining Research Problem:
Problem definition is the first & foremost part of the research process, without this
research cannot be completed until and unless there is a problem or objective, the
research cannot be initiated. Problem definition refers to the objective on which
research has to be done, so problem definition in my project work is the study of the
marketing strategies of the firm and their effectiveness in the market.

 Research Methodology:
Research refers to search for knowledge. In other words, research is defined as a
careful investigation or inquiry especially through for new facts in any branch of
knowledge. Research Methodology is one of the important aspects of any project.

13
 This gives us clear cut view of method so used while gathering the information so
needed for the completion of the report.

Type of Study: Study is Descriptive in nature.

Source of Data:

Two types of data sources will be taken into consideration

 Primary Data
 Secondary Data

Type of Research – Descriptive Research

This type is used for analyzing as it is more specific and simpler than explanatory. In this
type of research, the researcher has no control over the variables. Descriptive research
designs are concerned with describing characteristics of particular individuals or group. In
descriptive and diagnostic study, the researcher must be able to clearly what he wants to
measure and must find adequate method for measuring it.

The descriptive research study aims at identifying the various characteristics of a problem
under study. It reveals potential relationships between variables and also setting the stage for
further investigation. The results of such research can provide significant insight into a given
situation.

 DATA COLLECTION

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of

interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated
research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes. The data collection
component of research is common to all fields of study including physical and social
sciences, humanities, business, etc. While methods vary by discipline, the emphasis
on ensuring accurate and honest collection remains the same. The goal for all data
collection is to capture quality evidence that then translates to rich data analysis and
allows the building of a convincing and credible answer to questions that have been
posed.

Regardless of the field of study or preference for defining data (quantitative,

qualitative), accurate data collection is essential to maintaining the integrity of
research. Both the selection of appropriate data collection instruments (existing,
modified, or newly developed) and clearly delineated instructions for their correct use
reduce the likelihood of errors occurring.

14
 There are two main sources of data collection:

A. Primary sources

B. Secondary sources.

 Primary Data: The primary data are those which are collected a fresh and for the
first time and thus happen to be original in character. Under this project direct
collection of data from source of information & techniques such as personal
interviewing and survey through questionnaire for customers has been considered.

 Secondary Data: Secondary data is one which has already been collected by someone
else and which has already been passed through statistical processing. Under this
project secondary data is being collected from journals, magazines, & web sites.

The source of data collection for the research problem was primary quantitative data
using survey method i.e. questionnaire and the sources of secondary data were
websites, books etc. A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of
questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from
respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses,
this is not always the case.

Sample design

Targeted respondents- Businesses

Sample Size- 30 respondents

ANALYSIS – STATISTICAL TOOL

The statistical tool used for analysis is

 pie- charts

15
 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION:

Followings questions were asked during the survey and the response received is as follow:

Q1) Do you run your own business?

Yes 26

No 4

13%

Yes No

87%

Interpretation:
It is clearly showing that all the respondents are using social media networking sites, so from
this data we can find out how popular theses social media sites are.

16
Q2) What type of business do you run?

Manufacturing 9

Consultancy 5

IT 2

Banking 0

Advertising 7

Other 7

23% Manufacturing
30%
Consultancy
IT
23% Banking
17%
0%
Advertising
7%
Other

Interpretation:
From the above pie chart, we get to know that manufacturing sector accesses more of
the social media platforms.

17
Q3) Do you have business account on social media platforms?

Yes 28

No 2

7%

Yes

93% No

Interpretation:
Now-a-days it is very important to be on social media for businesses as most of the
customers or leads come from these social media platforms.

18
Q4) Which are the social media platforms you use?

Facebook 90% 40%

Instagram 43.3% 19%

Pinterest 20% 9%

YouTube 13.3% 6%

Twitter 6.7% 3%

LinkedIn 46.7% 21%

Other 3.3% 2%

2% Facebook
21% Instagram
40%
3% Pinterest
6%
YouTube
9%
19% Twitter
LinkedIn
Other

Interpretation:
From above pie chart we get to know that businesses mostly use Facebook to reach
out to the customers/clients.

19
Q5) Why do you use social media for business?

People awareness of company 36.7% 24%

Attract new customers 40% 26%

To make good contacts 33.3% 22%

Learn more about competitors 20% 13%

All of the above 23.3% 15%

People awareness of
company
15% 24% Attract new customers

13%
To make good contacts

22% 26%
Learn more about
competitors
All of the above

Interpretation:
Business people use their social media platforms for attracting new customers, to have
an online presence and to aware the people about the company.

20
Q6) Do you make regular campaigns on social media?

Yes 20

No 10

33%

Yes
67%
No

Interpretation:
For a successful business a business man looks forward in keeping his/her customers
updated and attract new customers by regularly arranging campaigns on social media.

21
Q7) Do you regularly update on your social media platforms?

Yes 21

No 9

30%

Yes
70% No

Interpretation:
Above pie chart gives us information that people update on their social media on
regular basis to keep their clients up to date.

22
Q8) Do you have separate budget for social media marketing?

Yes 26

No 4

13%

Yes
No
87%

Interpretation:
For the online presence of a company, business people keep a separate budget for
their social media marketing.

23
Q9) How much do you spend on social media marketing on monthly basis?

Less than 10000 15

10000-20000 7

20000-30000 5

40000-50000 2

50000 and above 1

7% 3%
17% Less than 10000

50% 10000-20000
20000-30000
23%
40000-50000
50000 and above

Interpretation:
From the above pie chart, we can get to know that business people spend less than
Rs.10000/- form their social media marketing on monthly basis

24
Q10) Do you believe that lead generated from social media are authentic?

Yes 21

No 9

30%

Yes
70% No

Interpretation:
It is very important for the businesses to have the leads which are authentic, according
to the analysis we get to know that most of the businesses get the leads which are
useful and authentic.

25
Q11) Do you research your competitors on social media?

Yes 29

No 1

3%

Yes
No
97%

Interpretation:

From the business point of view, there is a lot of competition in each sector so the researcher
gets information about the competitors form their social media platform which is useful to
design marketing strategies.

26
Q12) What type of ad creatives do you prefer for social media campaigns?

Images 18

Videos 5

Blogs 7

23%

Images
17% 60%
Videos
Blogs

Interpretation:
Ad creatives like images are most likely used for social media campaigns for
business.

27
Q13) How do you judge social media success?

Website traffic 23.3% 14%

Brand awareness 33.3% 20%

Prospect lead volume 13.3% 8%

Prospect lead quality 40% 23%

Engagement with customers 60% 35%

14%
35% Website traffic
20% Brand awareness
Prospect lead volume
8%
Prospect lead quality
23%
Engagement with customers

Interpretation:
From above pie chart we get to know that engaging with the customers is the
parameter which businesses look for the success of business.

28
Q14) How does social media marketing benefit your business?

Cost effective 43.3% 21%

Good for business promotion 43.3% 21%

Building Relationships 60% 29%

Attracting new clients 43.3% 21%

Engaging with clients 16.7% 8%

8%
21%
21% Cost effective
Good for business promotion
21% Building Relationships

29% Attracting new clients

Engaging with clients

Interpretation:

As we can see in the above pie chart that social media has several but vital benefits as stated
by the respondents. Businesses now-a-days focuses more on building relationships with
customers which gives the businesses clients loyalty.

29
Q15) According to you what are the current most effect marketing strategies for
business?

Networking events 16.7% 10%

Internet marketing (social media) 73.3% 46%

Advertising Campaigns 40% 25%

Directing reaching out to customers through phone 30% 19%

Other 0% 0%

Networking events
0% 10%
19%
Internet marketing (social
media)

25% Advertising Campaigns

46%
Directing reaching out to
customers through phone
Other

Interpretation:

Here we can easily come to know that how businesses today focus more on online
presence.

30
Q16) Do you agree with the statement that social media help business grow?

Strongly Agree 9

Agree 14

Neutral 6

Disagree 1

Strongly Disagree 0

3%
0%
20% 30% Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
47%
Strongly Disagree

Interpretation:
In the above chart we can see that respondents agree that it is important to use social
media tool for promoting your business.

31
 Findings
 We can get to know that now-a-days it is very important to be on social media
for businesses as most of the leads come from these social media platforms,
93% of respondents have their business pages on social media platforms.

 40% of businesses use Facebook mostly for their social media platform.

 26% of respondents use their social media platforms for attracting their
customers.

 The respondents make regular campaigns for getting the leads and more
customers, over 67% of businesses carry out these campaigns and 70% of the
businesses update regularly on social media.

 Businesses keep a separate budget for their social media marketing i.e. 87%.
50% of the businesses budget is less than Rs10000/- for their social media
marketing.

 Over 70% of the business people believe that the leads generated form social
media are authentic.

 96.7% of businesses research their competitors mostly from social media platforms.

 For attracting new customers and keep the clients updated, businesses use 60%
images as the ad creatives for their social media campaigns.

 Businesses mostly judge heir social media success through the engagement
with the customers i.e. 35%.

 Business is benefited on many parameters but building relationships are most

important for the business as these clients are clients which give loyalty if we
maintain the relationship. Over 29% of the respondents agree to this
parameter.

 Over % of the respondents agree that Internet marketing (Social Media) is the
current most effective marketing strategy for business.

 Here we can say that 46.7% of respondents agree that social media platform
helps business grow

32
 Observations

 Almost every business is aware about the social media platform.

 Social Media has a big social outreach.

 Some businesses are aware about social media marketing but are not willing to
change their traditional ways of marketing.

 Business now-a-days focuses more on building relationships with customers which

gives the businesses clients loyalty.

 Now-a-days it is very important to be on social media for businesses as most

of the customers or leads come from these social media platforms.

 Some businesses are available on social media platforms but does not utilize 100% of
these platforms.

 Social media fulfils the gap between the business and the customers.

33
 Conclusion

Recent advances on the internet and the development of social media have facilitated the
interconnectivity between businesses and consumers. Social media gives the ability to
business a large set of customers. The result of data analysis reveal that social media is an
important platform for businesses to get successful. We also get to know that social media is
helpful for business to reach out to people, build relationships with clients, attract new
customers. In fact, social factors facilitated through social media develop a supportive
climate, which in turn attracts many more individuals to come online and take part in social
interactions. Social media gives businesses a power to sustain in the competitive market.

Social media is a marketing platform which is less expensive and more effective for small
business or startups. While researching I got to know that the businesses which are not using
social media they are way behind the businesses using social media marketing.

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 Bibliography and references:

Books:

The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web by Tamar Weinberg

Websites:

 https://search.ebscohost.com
 https://business.linkedin.com
 https://www.wikipedia.org

 http://www.philkotler.com

Research Papers:

 Advertising Age
 Marketing Week
 ThomasNet News
 American Salesman

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 Annexure:
Significance of social media as a marketing platform for businesses

Name:
Company name:
Q1) Do you run your own business?
o Yes
o No

Q2) What type of business do you run?

o Manufacturing
o Consultancy
o IT
o Banking
o Advertising
o Other

Q3) Do you have business account on social media platforms?

o Yes
o No

Q4) Which are the social media platforms you use?

o Facebook
o Instagram
o Pinterest
o YouTube
o Twitter
o LinkedIn
o Other:

Q5) Why do you use social media for business?

o People awareness of company
o Attract new customers
o To make good contacts
o Learn more about competitors
o All of the above

Q6) Do you make regular campaigns on social media?

o Yes
o No

Q7) Do you regularly update on your social media platforms?

o Yes
o No

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Q8) Do you have seperate budget for social media marketing?
o Yes
o No

Q9) How much do you spend on social media marketing on monthly basis?
o Less than 10000
o 10000-20000
o 20000-30000
o 40000-50000
o 50000 & above

Q10) Do you believe that lead generated from social media are authentic?
o Yes
o No

Q11) Do you research your competitors on social media?

o Yes
o No

Q12) What type of ad creatives do you prefer for social media campaigns?
o Images
o Videos
o Blogs
o Other

Q13) How do you judge social media success?

o Website traffic
o Brand awareness
o Prospect lead volume
o Prospect lead quality
o Engagement with customers
o Other

Q14) How does social media marketing benefit your business?

o Cost effective
o Good for business promotion
o Building Relationships
o Attracting new clients
o Engaging with clients

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Q15) According to you what are the current most effect marketing strategies for
business?
o Networking events
o Internet marketing (social media)
o Advertising Campaigns
o Directing reaching out to customers through phone
o Other

Q16) Do you agree with the statement that social media help business grow?
o Strongly Agree
o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly Disagree

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