"SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN TODAY’S BUSINESS"

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for the Award of the Degree of BBA CBCS

2020-2021

Submitted By: ARVIND SINGH

University PRN: 1828100956

BHARATI VIDYAPEETH DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY, PUNE

SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION, PUNE
Academic Study Center - BVIMR, New Delhi
An ISO 9001:2008 Certified Institute
NAAC Accredited Grade “A” University

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 Student Undertaking Certificate of Originality

I ARVIND SINGH_, _BBA (CBCS 2018) SEM 5__ would like to declare that the project report
entitled "_SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN TODAY’S BUSINESS__" Submitted to Bharati
Vidyapeeth University Pune, School of Distance Education Pune, Academic Study Centre BVIMR
New Delhi in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree.

It is an original work carried out by me under the guidance of Mr. YASHWANT KUMAR_.

All respected guides, faculty member and other sources have been properly acknowledged and the
report contains no plagiarism.

To the best of my knowledge and belief the matter embodied in this project is a genuine work done
by me and it has been neither submitted for assessment to the University nor to any other University
for the fulfillment of the requirement of the course of study.

ARVIND SINGH

Student Name with Signature

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ACKNOWLEDGEMET

I express my profound gratitude and indebtedness to Mr. YASHWANT KUMAR, BHARATI

VIDYAPEETH DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY for his exemplary guidance, valuable
feedback and constant encouragement throughout the duration of the report. His valuable
suggestion were of immense help throughout my project work. His perception criticism kept me
working to make this report in a much better way. Working under him was an extremely
knowledgeable experience for me.

I would also like to give my sincere gratitude to my friends and colleagues who help me in
collecting information and preparing this report.

DATE – 10/11/2020 ARVIND SINGH

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TITLE Page No.

Chapter 1: Introduction 2

Chapter 2: Rational study of social media 17

Chapter 3: Literature Review 37

Chapter 4: Objectives and Research Methodology 44

Chapter 5: Data Analysis and Interpretation 49

Chapter 6: Conclusion 52

References 55

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CHAPTER -1 INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTON

What is the meaning of Social Media Marketing?

The meaning of the term ‘social media’ can be derived from two words which constitute
it. Media generally refers to advertising and the communication of ideas or information
through publications/channels. Social implies the interaction of individuals within a
group or community.

Taken together, social media simply refers to communication/publication platforms

which are generated and sustained by the interpersonal interaction of individuals through
the specific medium or tool. Wikipedia has a general definition of the term: Social Media
is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into
content publishers. It is the shift from a broadcast mechanism to a many-to-many model,
rooted in conversations between authors, people, and peers.

Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention
through social media sites. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to
create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social
networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates
because it appears to come from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or
company itself.[citation needed] Hence, this form of marketing is driven by word-of-
mouth, meaning it results in earned media rather than paid media.

Social media marketing is a new marketing strategy which almost every business is
adopting to reach their consumers on the virtual networks. If you have an idea and you
want it to reach millions, at a very little cost, then social media is the only way-out.
Entertainment companies were the first to adopt the social media as a promotional tool.
Weinberg (2009) has defined social media marketing as the process that empowers

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individuals to promote their websites, products, or services through online social
channels and tap into a much larger community that may not have been available via
traditional channels. So if we keep it simple, social media marketing is the process where
organizations use social media websites to build rush on their company official websites.
It does not stop here but organizations also inform the potential customers of happenings
in the organization, launch of the new model or product and latest news about the
organization through social media applications. Gordhamer (2009) has related social
media marketing to the relationship marketing where firms need to shift from “trying to
sell” to “making connections” with the consumers. This explanations of social media
marketing takes us to the other side of marketing, where building relations with the
potential consumers is the key to repeated purchases and enhanced brand loyalty. Social
Media is an innovative tool that organizations use for creating a very strong public
relation with the customers on the virtual networks (Jan & Khan, 2014). Maintaining
public relations through social media has become easy because a large number of
potential consumers are available on the virtual networks. And making connection with
consumers using social media is only some clicks away. Today’s customers are more
powerful and busy; therefore, companies should be reachable and available in every
social media communication channel such as Face book, Twitter, Blogs, Forums at any
time (Gordhamer,2009).

Exploiting the opportunities provided by the social media communication channels is

important for every organization.

3.1 Dimension of the Social media marketing (Asa’ad,& Anas, 2014) There are five
dimension of the social media marketing, which means these five things are required to
create connections with consumers or to building traffic to company websites.

3.1.1 Online Communities: A company or business can use the social media to build a
community around its products/business. Vibrant communities create loyalty and
encourage discussions, which can contribute towards business development and
improvement. (Taprial, & Kanwar, 2012).

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3.1.2 Interaction: A Facebook page or Twitter account can notify all its followers of
specific subject quickly and simultaneously (Berselli, Burger, & Close, 2012). Social
networking sites enable greater interaction with the online community through
broadcasting up-to-date, consumer relevant information. (Fischer, & Reuber, 2011)

3.1.3 Sharing of Content: The sharing dimension is about the extent to which an
individual ex-changes, distributes and receives content in a social media setting. (Babac,
2011)

3.1.4 Accessibility: The social media is easily accessible and takes minimal or no costs to
use. Social media is easy to use and does not require any special skills, knowledge to use.
(Taprial, & Kanwar, 2012)

3.1.5 Credibility: It is all about delivering your message clearly to the people,
establishing credibility for what you say or do, connecting emotionally with your target
audience, motivating the buyer and generating loyal customers. The social media
provides a very good platform for all businesses (big or small) to network and reach out
to their target audience, connect with them directly and generate trust by listening to what
they have to say. (Taprial, & Kanwar, 2012).

The meaning of the term ‘social media’ can be derived from two words which constitute
it. Media generally refers to advertising and the communication of ideas or information
through publications/channels. Social implies the interaction of individuals within a
group or community. Taken together, social media simply refers to
communication/publication platforms which are generated and sustained by the
interpersonal interaction of individuals through the specific medium or tool. Wikipedia
has a general definition of the term: Social Media is the democratization of information,
transforming people from content readers into content publishers. It is the shift from a
broadcast mechanism to a many-to-many model, rooted in conversations between
authors, people, and peers. Social media uses the “wisdom of crowds” to connect
information in a collaborative manner. Social media can take many different forms,
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including Internet forums, message boards, weblogs, wikis, podcasts, pictures, and video.
Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable
communication techniques. Social media is the use of web-based and mobile
technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and
Michael Haenlein also define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that
build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, which allows the
creation and exchange of user generated content." Businesses also refer to social media as
consumer generated media (CGM).

A common thread running through all definitions of social media is a blending of

technology and social interaction for the cocreation of value.

As one Cairo activist succinctly put it, "“We use Facebook to schedule the protests,
Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world." However, there is some debate
about the extent to which social media facilitate this kind of change.

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Social Media Marketing in India

An Overview India has 95 million active internet users. Social Media is really picking up
new heights in India. According to the 2010 Regus Global Survey of business social
networking, India tops the usage of social networking by business – it has the highest
activity index, 127, far more than the US’97, and 52% of the Indian respondent
companies said that they had acquired new customers using social networks while 35%
American companies managed that. Many companies are coming big way for Social
Media Optimization for their Product or Services nowadays. During Election 2014 Social
Media was used for Influence Indian Voters. Social Media Marketing in India is being
undertaken by all e-Retailing & e-commerce organizations and many brands like Tata
Docomo, MTV India, Channel V, Clear Trip, Tata Photon, Axe deodorants, Microsoft,
Naukri, Shaadi, and many more. Besides, numerous Indian celebrities are also using
SMM platform to promote their movies, music and events via Twitter, Facebook and
personalized blogs. Social Media Marketing is also boosting public relations business.
Several PR agencies in India are undertaking brand building exercises for corporate
organizations, brands and celebrities. However, to the delight of many among us, the
biggest gainers from SMM till date have been the organizations from the Not-for Profit
sector. Several Campaigns like ‘Bell Bajao’ and ‘Jaago Re’ have been quite successful on
12 Social Networking Sites. These campaigns have been spreading the word about their
cause through blogs, Twitter and Facebook.

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Nature of Industry, “E-Commerce Industry”

E-Commerce industry is a fastest growing industry in all over the world and India too. It
includes E-Retailing, Social Media, E-Business and information Technology.

In a fact Only Less than 25 % of Indian are using internet properly, out of it only 12-13%
Indians are using Internet for E-buying or online ordering and these users are basically
from Tier 1 cities and Tier 2 cities. Reach of E Commerce industry are still very saturated
in These Tier 1& 2 cities, but it is looking to expand its reach and business in to the tier 3
cities and rural area very soon and very fast. By the Believer and market predication at
the end of 2020 reach of E-Commerce industry will be in every area. And no. of internet
E-buying users are expected to increase by 12 % to 25 % or more very soon. Even some
initial decision and plans has been introduced also in India by the Government of India as
“Digital India” and it will be very much helpful for the E-Commerce industry and Other
Social media or E- Business based companies.

Social Media Marketing is the new mantra for E-Commerce industry since early last year.
Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and beginning to
implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social media marketing
and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated. So according to the
prediction and by seeing the growth instantly in this area we can say easily that the future
Indian industry will be going to in Ecommerce Dominating industry and it’s very
necessary to have good hand on it. Even when we talk about the competition in this E-
commerce industry is now very high and market giants are there already to perform and
still dominating.

Customization, printing and personalization industry is also going to nourish and grow
very well in future and still it is performing outstandingly. Ecommerce industry is very
impactful business because it has limit beyond and above. It’s limitless and frequent &

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 efficient rather than any traditional market place or platform. It’s a platform to perform
with Innovation, Digitalization, Customization and personalization. It is helpful to
increase high customer reach, Visibility, Awareness, updating, and easily communication
and more importantly more optional and cheaper than any traditional market. E-
Commerce has been invented and developed as the Social media platform basis and
social media is its soul. Every successful E-commerce industry requires a very good
Social media promotional & marketing activities by Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, You
tube, Google AdWords, Google AdSense and it require analysis also which is possible in
most efficient way by Google Analytics, Clicky and Alexa tools.

Historical Contour of the Industry-

In Earlier day E-Commerce industry was totally based on online services and Online
Buying and selling. Now the scenario has been changed and it is not in the limited in
Online services buying and selling but also in Online transaction, Online Customization,
Online Personalization, Online Ordering, E-Business, E-retailing, Customer satisfaction
etc. If we talk about its beginning, it started in USA in the early 1990’s and came to India
by 1996, in very initial level but became dominated and established properly by 2004-05
properly. Now this generation is going to create so many milestone in different areas of
E-Commerce by using Social Media Marketing as Business tool to increase revenue,
increase reach of customers, increase visibility, spreading awareness and most
importantly providing the best services and solution practices. E-Commerce industry is
now not only expanding its value and usability in terms of generating profit but also
satisfying customer base and utilizing youth power & economy as an area of growth and
expansion.

Social Media Marketing is the new mantra for E-Commerce industry since early last
year. Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and

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beginning to implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social
media marketing and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated.

Implications in E-Commerce industries & Social Media –

If we talk about the previous feature of E-Commerce industry it was not that much
trustworthy in the point of personal informational security and payment gateway, &
accounting detail. But now it has been improved at the optimal level and has created
its trustworthiness in terms of informational security, payment gateway and accounting
privacy, also it is creating awareness about the product and services. The coming
generation is going to depends upon the E-commerce industries because of its utility and
the generation going to adopt it completely as modern marketing era or Modern Market
place. Even Social Media Marketing Is not limited only in Facebook and Google, and has
diversify with Linked In, WhatsApp, Twitter and YouTube, Pinterest and various
blogging and applications.

Mobile Marketing is the most innovative Invention in this area, highly predicted and
most profitable with lower investment with high conversion tool for Marketers.

Social media as a Marketing tool:- By using Social media marketing as a marketing

tool, anyone can gain information, education, news, etc., by electronic media and print
media. Social media are distinct from industrial or traditional media, such as newspapers,
television, and film. They are relatively inexpensive and accessible to enable anyone
(even private individuals) to publish or access information, compared to industrial media,
which generally require significant resources to publish information.

One characteristic shared by both social media and industrial media is the capability to
reach small or large audiences; for example, either a blog post or a television show may

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reach zero people or millions of people and also useful to generate revenue. Some of the
properties that help describe the differences between social media and industrial media
are:

1. Reach - both industrial and social media technologies provide scale and are capable of
reaching a global audience. Industrial media, however, typically use a centralized
framework for organization, production, and dissemination, whereas social media are by
their very nature more decentralized, less hierarchical, and distinguished by multiple
points of production and utility.

2. Accessibility - the means of production for industrial media are typically government
and/or privately owned; social media tools are generally available to the public at little or
no cost.

3. Usability - industrial media production typically requires specialized skills and

training. Conversely, most social media production does not require specialized skills and
training, or requires only modest reinterpretation of existing skills; in theory, anyone with
access can operate the means of social media production.

4. Profitability – social media is a source of promotion but also it is using as a source of

income and get profit by selling and buying through social media sources. Social media
has become the biggest source of platform to perform and earn profit in a very effective
manner.

5. Permanence - industrial media, once created, cannot be altered (once a magazine

article is printed and distributed changes cannot be made to that same article) whereas
social media can be altered almost instantaneously by comments or editing.

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6. Size: Facebook has over 250 million users globally. On an average, 70-100 tweets
happen by the second. An average user on Facebook has 120 friends. This is the kind of
enormity Social networking sites espouse and with this comes the license to communicate
powerfully. But when such large numbers are involved, there is a danger of something
going wrong and when it does, it happens in a big way. An expert should be hired to do
what is best for business.

7. Boost website traffic: Social media is probably the fastest and easiest means of
redirecting traffic to company’s website. By simply placing their website URL in their
profile, the company can have all their profile visitors check out their website and a
percentage of traffic is sure to get converted in course of time. This is the virtual way
version of “word-of mouth”.

8. Branding: Buying a candy may have been impulsive all your life, but if it is discussed
on a social networking site, there is likely to get brand conscious even a candy. Social
media is a smart way to build brands. Social media platforms are known to be one of the
most powerful and fast means of branding. Some of the big brands like Coke, Ford, Dell,
IBM, Burger King are some of the well-known brands have powerfully used social media
platforms to endorse themselves

Community media constitute an interesting hybrid of industrial and social media. Though
community-owned, some community radios, TV and newspapers are run by professionals
and some by amateurs. They use both social and industrial media frameworks. In his
2006 book, The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and
Freedom, Yochai Benkler analyzed many of these distinctions and their implications in
terms of both economics and political liberty. However, Benkler, like many academics,
uses the neologism network economy or "network information economy" to describe the
underlying economic, social, and technological characteristics of what has come to be
known as "social media".

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Andrew Keen criticizes social media in his book The Cult of the Amateur, writing, "Out
of this anarchy, it suddenly became clear that what was governing the infinite monkeys
now inputting away on the Internet was the law of digital Darwinism, the survival of the
loudest and most opinionated.

Under these rules, the only way to intellectually prevail is by infinite filibustering." Tim
Berners-Lee contends that the danger of social networking sites is that most are silos and
do not allow users to port data from one site to another. He also cautions against social
networks that grow too big and become a monopoly as this tends to limit innovation.
There are various statistics that account for social media usage and effectiveness for
individuals worldwide. Some of the most recent statistics are as follows:

· Social networking now accounts for 22% of all time spent online in the US.
· A total of 234 million people age 13 and older in the India used mobile devices in
December 2012-13. Most time spent on Facebook by all the age groups.
· Twitter processed more than one billion tweets in December 2012-13 and averages
almost 40 million tweets per day.
· Over 45% of Indian internet page views occurred at one of the top social networking
sites in October 2013, up from 13.8% a year before.
· Australia has some of the highest social media usage statistics in the world. In terms
of Facebook use Australia ranks highest with almost 9 hours per month from over 9
million users.
· The number of social media users age 65 and older grew 100 percent throughout
2010, so that one in four people in that age group are now part of a social networking
site.

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Major customers /or consumers in this industry-

At the heart of any Business are Customers, and Social networking represents an
opportunity to build even more mutually rewarding and candid relationships with those
Customers. But for organizations to realize tangible business benefits, they need to find
better ways to plan, manage, and measure their social networking efforts.

· Major Customers and Consumers are from the teen age groups. As we know that E-
commerce, Social media and printing industry became familiar after 2000, so that age
group between 13-20 years are more interactive and comfortable with it. Also the age
group between the 20-35 years are also known as modern generation youth of India and
world and they are the most potential buyers for the E-Commerce industry.

· Most number of user are from the age group of 13-20 years by 35% than from 20-30
years age group users are 31%, age group between 30-40 years users are by 25% and then
rest of the user group from 40-65 are there. So we can say that age group of more than 40
years are not so much bothering from E-Commerce industry but when we talk about the
conversion rate on the same age group is higher than others even marketers are looking at
as potential consumers for these industries.

· Most of the E-Commerce users are coming from home users by 62%, than from office
by 28% at last from school and colleges by 10-15% only.

· On the basis of the report generated from sales force, most of the time users of internet
are use social media sites and spent about 7-9 hours weekly on social media sites like
facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, you tube etc. so that conversion and market penetration can
come through social media marketing promotion, and yes it’s all true that E-Commerce
and online digital printing organizations and industries are generating revenue through
Social media marketing and Social media marketing is working as a bridged between the
industrialist, or vendors and the consumers.

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Social Media, Marketing, and “Social authority”:

One of the key components in successful social media marketing implementation is

building "social authority". Social authority is developed when an individual or
organization establishes themselves as an "expert" in their given field or area, thereby
becoming an influencer in that field or area.

It is through this process of "building social authority" that social media becomes
effective. That is why one of the foundational concepts in social media has become that
you cannot completely control your message through social media but rather you can
simply begin to participate in the "conversation" in the hopes that you can become a
relevant influence in that conversation.

However, this conversation participation must be cleverly executed because while people
are resistant to marketing in general, they are even more resistant to direct or overt
marketing through social media platforms. This may seem counter-intuitive but is the
main reason building social authority with credibility is so important. A marketer can
generally not expect people to be receptive to a marketing message in and of itself. In the
Edleman Trust Barometer report in 2008, the majority (58%) of the respondents reported
they most trusted company or product information coming from "people like me" inferred
to be information from someone they trusted. In the 2010 Trust Report, the majority
switched to 64% preferring their information from industry experts and academics.
According to Inc. Technology's Brent Leary, "This loss of trust, and the accompanying
turn towards experts and authorities, seems to be coinciding with the rise of social media
and networks."

Thus, using social media as a form of marketing has taken on whole new challenges. As
the 2010 Trust Study indicates, it is most effective if marketing efforts through social
media revolve around the genuine building of authority. Someone performing a
"marketing" role within a company must honestly convince people of their genuine
intentions, knowledge, and expertise in a specific area or industry through providing
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valuable and accurate information on an ongoing basis without a marketing angle overtly
associated. If this can be done, trust with, and of, the recipient of that information – and
that message itself – begins to develop naturally. This person or organization becomes a
thought leader and value provider – setting themselves up as a trusted "advisor" instead
of marketer. "Top of mind awareness" develops and the consumer naturally begins to
gravitate to the products and/or offerings of the authority/influencer.

Of course, there are many ways authority can be created – and influence can be
accomplished – including: participation in Wikipedia which actually verifies user-
generated content and information more than most people may realize; providing
valuable content through social networks on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter;
article writing and distribution through sites such as Ezine Articles and Scribd; and
providing fact-based answers on "social question and answer sites" such as EHow and
Yahoo! Answers. As a result of social media – and the direct or indirect influence of
social media marketers – today, consumers are as likely – or more likely – to make
buying decisions based on what they read and see in platforms we call "social" but only if
presented by someone they have come to trust.

Additionally, reports have shown organizations have been able to bring back dissatisfied
customers and stakeholders through social media channels. This is why a purposeful and
carefully designed social media strategy has become an integral part of any complete and
directed marketing plan but must also be designed using newer "authority building"
techniques.

Marketing has always been a crucial part of a business. Good companies have become
great on the sheer basis of effective marketing strategies. In the era of huge competition,
organizations are going great length to advertise and promote their products and earn
valuable customer loyalty. The concept of marketing has kept evolving with the passage
of time. Companies are forced to adopt new changes in their marketing strategies to
remain relevant. If there is one factor that has really affected the way marketing plans are
being defined then it must be technology.

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CHAPTER-2 RATIONAL STUDY OF SOCIAL

MEDIA MARKETING IN TODAY’S BUSINESS

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Why Is Social Media MARKETING Important TO BUSINESS?

Why is social media marketing important to businesses? Because your brand doesn’t
really exist online if you’re not represented across all social channels – and regularly
interacting with your followers, journalists who cover your industry, thought leaders and
tastemakers, etc.

Here’s one very important reason you may not have considered — it’s fun! Hosting a
Twitter chat to celebrate a new product launch, getting your geek on while you A/B test
Facebook ads, or sharing pop-culture polls for your followers to weigh in on — these are
all activities that build brand awareness, boost web traffic and lead to loyal customers.
But unlike many traditional marketing tactics with the same goals, these tasks are actually
fun in addition to driving real value for your company.

It’s 2017 and social media is growing at warp speed. With more and more people joining
social media sites and using them regularly/efficiently, the social media industry is bound
to become bigger in the coming years. It’s booming like never.

Yes, the social media wave isn’t ending anytime soon. And your business should take
advantage of it if you want it to survive.

With such amazing growth, every business today needs to leverage proper social media
channels in the best possible way. Not because it’s the “in thing”, and not because it
sounds simple, but because their target audience is hanging around the popular social
networks. And they’re engaging with their favorite brands and connecting with them on
different levels.

By giving your business brand the social media touch, you not only generate more
business but also connect with your customers better and serve them on a higher level. It
actually makes your online marketing easier.

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According an info graphic published by Ambassador, 71% of consumers are more likely
to recommend a brand to others if they have a positive experience with it on social media.

Here are some more social media statistics that prove beyond doubt that your business
needs to leverage sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to keep up with the
competition.

 The number of social media-using adults has gone from 7% in 2005 to 69% just ten
years later.

 Social media use on mobile devices is seeing a 33% growth every year.

 3 million business today use Facebook advertising for promoting their products and
services.

#1: Leverage Social Advertising

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Social media advertising may be the new kid on the block, but it’s growing faster than
imagined. Take Facebook Ads for example. Even though the social network launched ads
n 2005, it managed to reach 9.16B in ad revenue in the first quarter in 2017. This just
goes on to show that social advertising is here to stay — for a long, long time.

As more and more businesses successfully experiment with digital advertising, they’re
realizing that taking the social media advertising route makes total sense. Here’s why:

 Lower ad costs: When compared to traditional advertising methods such as print

media, TV and radio advertising, social ads are not only dependable, but also cheaper.

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What’s more, you’re allowed to engage on various social media channels for free before
scaling with paid ads. You’re free to grow on your own, at your own pace.

 Targeted reach: Traditional advertising doesn’t give you the luxury to reach out to
your target audience the way social media ads do. It simply doesn’t work that way. When
you’re doing offline advertising, you’re taking the blind, shotgun approach where your
returns are dismal even if you’re making big investments. Using social media ads you
reach out to targeted prospects, increase your conversions and ultimately get a higher
return on investment.

 Real-time performance analysis: Knowing if your ad is working or not is integral in

order to improve it. When you’re doing any type offline advertising, you’re unable to
analyze the performance of your ad campaign. Which cripples massively cripples your
efforts. Social media ads on the other hand allow you to constantly keep track of how
well (or how bad) your ad is performing. You’re able to change your ad on the fly and
instantaneously see the results.

Last but not the least, it’s important for businesses of all types to understand that social
media ads are only getting bigger and smarter. Social media advertising is where the
future is headed. It’s the new wave. The question is, are you a part of it?

#2: Boost Brand Awareness

Social media proves to be a powerful tool when it comes to growing your brand
awareness. There are businesses who dismiss it as a way to build a brand, but by doing
that, they’re leaving an open ground for competitors. On the other hand, many reputable
chief marketing officers agree that social media has a definite impact on brand awareness.

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Increasing your brand awareness via social media isn’t rocket science. Here are a few tips
on how you can do so.

1. Find Your Audience:

Before you start focusing on a particular social platform, find out whether your target
audience is on it. You can do this by searching for relevant conversations about your
product or industry. For example, a B2B company may find their audience on LinkedIn
rather than Facebook. Don’t just assume or follow other brands.

2. Use Visuals:
Once you know where your target audience is, it’s time to grab their attention by
using eye-catching visuals with your content. Images and videos play a big role in

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 helping you grow your brand awareness on social media channels. Because they not
only increase engagement but also boost social shares.
3. Create Conversations:

Social media is all about building conversations. If you use these social platforms for
one-way communication, you’ll only grab so much attention. Instead, talk and listen. Get
involved. Showcase your personality by conversing, tagging and mentioning others.

4. Measure Your Efforts:

Don’t just aim in the dark. Use the tracking tools provided by the platforms (eg:
Facebook Page Insights) along with other external tools such as URL shorteners, Google
Analytics, etc. to measure your social media activity. Use the insights you gain to
understand what’s working so that you can optimize your efforts and build a stronger
brand with social media.

5. Build Authority:

If you want a higher engagement rate along with better brand awareness, then work on
building your authority by sharing real value. Along with borrowed content, your content
you post should also have something original, as it adds to your credibility.

Remember, every single step that you take to increase brand awareness with social
media will impact the overall growth of your business in the long run.

#3: Increase Inbound Traffic

Inbound marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate targeted traffic to your
website. It’s the kind of traffic that actually converts because it’s super relevant.
However, if you leave you ignore the importance of social media in business, you will be

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limited to your inner circle of customers or the people that are already familiar with your
market or brand.

By putting in more effort in social media promotion, you create a whole new channel to
draw in laser targeted inbound traffic and get more inbound links.

For example, having an active blog makes it easy for you to connect with your audience
with the help of fresh content. But by having them share this content (on the right time)
on Twitter or Facebook increases your reach 10X. You’re suddenly reaching out to a
bigger audience that may like plus share your content, follow your brand and ultimately
become a customer.

24
Similarly, people that are already actively searching for keywords related to your product
or service are a smaller percentage than those who aren’t. Social media helps you connect
to this larger, untapped segment of the market.

To help you understand, here’s the amount of referral traffic social media management
platform Buffer generates by creating and sharing quality content on some of the biggest
social media networks:

By using social media, you diversify your marketing efforts in more than one way. You
don’t reach out to just one type of crowd, but connect to a versatile customer base. Which
is crucial to for your brand to make a mark in your niche.

For instance, serious professionals may find your website via LinkedIn while the younger
crowd or the millennials may find you on Instagram. Each piece of social media content
that you create is a new door for new customers to enter. It’s a different opportunity for
you to connect.

25
Ultimately, it boils down to creating enough high quality content that you can post on
social media sites, and in the process attract high-converting inbound traffic.

#4: Improve Search Engine Optimization

Every seasoned social media marketer knows that there is some connection between
social media and search engine optimization. While Google has clearly stated that it does
take “social signals” into consideration when ranking a page, there’s more to it.

Here’s how understanding the importance of social media in business and working on it
can help improve your SEO.

1. Higher Chances to be Found via Web Search According to Matt Cutts, the former
spam head of Google, social shares have no impact on your website’s ranking. But, it’s a
fact that social media properties do dominate the front of the search engine result pages
for brand names. Which means, social media profiles indeed have the power to rank in
the top 10 results. Social media profiles are a great way to connect to your prospects and
customers. They work as a doorway to your business website because they show your
human side. They not only inform the searcher about your business, but also help them
become a part of your conversations.By optimizing your social profiles and by keeping
them fresh with the right content, you create a stronger presence on the web. You get
more exposure. And you have multiple channels to draw people towards your business.

2. Ability to Reach More People Via Social Media Search People are no longer
dependent on Google search when they need to connect to something or someone. Today,
search is not limited to the mighty web search engines. It has moved beyond, which is
why social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are the new search engines.
There is massive amounts of content being created and shared on the social web.

26
This content can easily be discovered by users with the help of keyword search, hashtags,
etc. When people search for the type of content you’re publishing on your social media
page, you may win new fans that want to follow, connect and do business with you.

It’s just not about the content, but also about the content producer, which is you. When
people see great content being created and shared, they’re curious about who’s behind it.
This may lead them to look you up on LinkedIn and learn more about your business.

Being a business it’s important that you take the necessary steps to stand out from other
competing social media profiles and avoid have duplicate accounts.

27
The social media world is evolving and is so is the SEO arena. And there are high
chances that social signals may start having affect on your rankings. So why not be
prepared by building your social media presence with valuable content?

#5: Increase Conversion Rates

Social media is great for capturing targeted leads for your business, but it doesn’t stop
there. Getting quality leads is only one part of the equation. The other part is converting
those into sales.

Can social media help you increase your conversion rates? Does it have the ‘x’ factor
when it comes to giving you the ground to achieve more sales?

The answer is a resounding yes, but only, if you do it the right way. Here are some ways
you can use social media for better conversion rates.

1. Use It for Social Proof According to Wikipedia, “Social proof, also known as
informational social influence, is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the
actions of others reflect correct behavior for a given situation.” In simple terms, people
do what others do. They like to believe what the majority likes to believe. The reason
why social proof works is because it gives a sense of assurance to your prospects and lets
them know about the benefits of your product, without any selling. Social media is
brimming with activity that can be used for social proof. If someone commented on your
Facebook post praising your company, use it. When someone tweets you about how your
product changed their life, use it. When someone posts a happy Instagram picture of them

28
enjoying your service, use it. Look at how KWFinder smartly embeds tweets from their
customers on their site as social proof:

2. Use it for User-Generated Content Creating quality content for social media is crucial.
But what better way to create this content than have your loyal fans do it for you. People
that follow you on social media may mention you in a positive note, which you can use to
feature them on your social profile. The UGC acts like a social proof that indirectly helps
you increase conversions. Also, this doesn’t need to happen by chance. In fact, you can
engineer it by asking people to share specific content for a chance to get featured to a
wide audience. Given that you have a decent audience size, most social media users
would be thrilled to have such an opportunity. You need to get creative in your approach
and ask people. When Belkin did the launch for their Lego iPhone cases, they tapped into
the power of their social community. They asked customers to personalize their cases in
their own unique way and share the pictures on Instagram.

As you can see, a ton of customers were excited enough to share their personalized cases
with the right hashtags. This helped Belkin gain targeted exposure and higher
conversions at zero cost.

There are many ways that social media can impact conversions and help you increase
sales. But for that, you need first to understand the importance of social media in business
and take the necessary steps. We at Lyfe Marketing are committed to helping you do just
that. Check out our pricing page to see how we can work together to help you get better
conversions.

29
#6: Satisfy Your Customers

Losing a customer is hard, and gaining a new one is harder. But retaining an existing
customer is 10 times easier. Which is why customer satisfaction should be your topmost
priority.

Download Now

By using social media to connect with your customers, you have the opportunity monitor
what they want, the problems they’re facing and how you could serve them.

In order to truly satisfy your customers and make their life easier, you need to offer them
customer service that is more personalized and effective. And social media helps you do
just that.

Customers these days know that social media is a lot more approachable and friendly
than a call center executive, thousands of miles away, who has a hard time resolving your
problem. In other words, customers want superior service without the hassle.

Increasing customer satisfaction with social media includes:

 Monitoring conversations to see if your customers are talking about your brand and in
what context.

 Broadcasting important messages, announcements and offers to customers via a social

media platform such as Twitter.

 Offering prompt customer service to customers who are facing genuine problems or
need some help with the product or service

30
 Holding regular question & answer sessions with customers to understand their
concerns, get real feedback and see how things can be improved.

 Connect and build a relationship with power users or customer advocates so that they
can help serve other customers.

Regardless of what social media platform you’re using to help your customers, it’s
important to speak their language, give them personalized service and respond to them
without much delay.

#7: Enhance Brand Loyalty

A lot of businesses are stuck on their follower count, which is nothing but a vanity
number. It doesn’t serve a real purpose if the followers aren’t loyal to your brand. There’s
a difference between a random follower and loyal one, because the latter adds real value.

If you want to get the most out of your social media marketing efforts, it’s crucial that
you focus on increasing brand loyalty. Having a loyal following means better
engagement and better conversations.

Ask any loyal social media follower about their trusted brand, and they will speak
positive about it without the need to push. Which leads to natural word of mouth
marketing.

31
You can enhance brand loyalty on social media by:

1. Having a Solid Social Media Strategy: Social media platforms are evolving, and
each has its own personality. Facebook is not Twitter, and Twitter is definitely not
LinkedIn. Which means, you can’t take the same old, outdated marketing and advertising
methods and apply them to social media. You need to formulate a social media strategy
that clearly aligns your goals with other areas such as content marketing, search engine
optimization, etc. This should give you a fair idea of what type of value you can create
for your loyal social media followers. It’ll allow you to not only retain them but also help
them spread the word.

2. Sharing Value-Oriented Content There’s a reason why your followers are loyal to
you. They’re looking for value, which you will have to deliver at all times by sharing
quality content. For example, sharing a detailed case study is much better than a 500
word article. The more useful and relevant the content you post, the better. Plan how and
what type of content you would like to share with your following. By spending time on
strategizing your content creation, your content will fetch you a higher ROI when you
share it. So don’t rush. See what sets your content apart from others. For example, visual
content gets more shares than regular social media content. Which means you’re free to
use photos, videos, etc. as long as they add some value.

3. Being Consistent: Your brand has a personality, and certain aspects that are unique to
it. By identifying these personality traits and by bringing them out, it gets easier to
connect to your target audience. Your aim should be to be consistent in your approach
and maintain the same voice throughout your interactions. The content that you
create/share along with how you converse with others should reflect your brand’s
personality.

4. Responding to Queries: You may not be a celebrity for your social media followers,
but they do look up to you for answers. So when they approach you with a relevant
query, you should get back to them with the right answers. This way they will know that
32
you are the real deal. And that your business actually cares about others. But don’t limit
your answering adventures to your loyal followers. Go out there and hunt for questions
that have partial answers or no answers. You can search using targeted keywords and
look for questions that need a response. By answering these questions, you establish
yourself as an expert or an authority.

5. Show the Human Side While it’s okay to automate your social media posting with a
tool like Buffer, it’s not-so- okay to keep doing it. Personally interacting with other
people and humanizing your brand will go a long way. It will keep your followers/fans
keeping coming back for more. A lot of businesses try to present themselves as big
corporations, which is a mistake. People need people, not auto bots. Which is why you
need to connect to them on a more personal level and engage in real conversations. Even
if it’s just for the sake of interacting.

33
Statement of the problem

World-wide, large numbers of individuals are present on social networking sites and
marketers have begun to realize that these sites can turn out to be an important tool for
marketing. Out of 2.5 billion active internet users globally, 1.8 billion are the members of
one or more social networking sites (Business World, 2014). The researcher as well as
research supervisor were of the view in the year 2009-10 itself that the presence of people
on social networking sites is going to be bigger and better and it would be a great idea to
find out whether these sites can be used as successful marketing platform and also assess
what kind of roadblocks might be faced in the process. After detailed deliberations the
precise problem that was chosen is “Opportunities and challenges for business in
marketing through social networking sites.” This research endeavor would help in
fathoming out the opportunities and challenges confronting the marketers through social
networking sites and help in making specific recommendations to design effective
marketing strategies.

34
Significance of the study

An increasing number of people are joining social networking sites as the new media for
social connectivity, entertainment, networking, news, information, etc. People are
shifting from traditional media like television, newspapers, magazines etc. to new age
media. Virtual world is the new ‘place’ where the target customers of the marketers are
present and are spending a lot of time. The experts have identified these new emerging
platforms and recommend the same to be used by the organizations to achieve their
respective marketing objectives and concomitantly, marketing is also undergoing a
paradigm shift in its elements adapting to the new technology and making it a significant
element of their marketing communication strategy. This study is primarily focused on
finding out the opportunities available to the marketers as well as the challenges facing
them while marketing through social networking sites. At the end of the report, the
findings have clearly stated how prudent it would be for the marketers to be present
where the customers are. Since a very less number of empirical work has been
undertaken in India in this emerging area, this study is likely to contribute a lot to the
marketers, academicians, researchers and stakeholders. It would be in the fitness of things
to mention here that every earnest research effort in the field of marketing ultimately
benefits the whole society and not merely customers or marketers or both.

35
Objectives of the study

It is truly said that “A study without objectives is like a tree without roots”. In any area of
research, the first and the foremost task is to decide and define the objectives of the
research i.e. the reason why the research study should be conducted. A research study
may have many objectives, but all these objectives revolve around one major objective,
which is the focus of the study. In this study, the prime objective is to identify the
opportunities and challenges of the marketing through the social networking sites. This
study is based on studying the emergence of social networking sites as an efficient
marketing tool. In order to pursue the afore-mentioned prime objective, some allied
objectives have also been identified which are as follows:- i. To figure out the profile of
users of social networking sites. ii. To study the trends and shifts in the marketing
practices from traditional marketing to online marketing. iii. To find out the opportunities
available to the marketers in marketing through social networking sites. iv. To study the
challenges faced by the marketers adopting social networking sites as their marketing
tool. v. To study the scope of social networking sites to be used as a marketing tool.

36
CHAPTER-3 LITERATURE REVIEW

37
Social network sites (SNSs) such as My Space, Facebook, and Youtube have attracted
millions of users, many of whom have integrated these sites into their daily practices.
There are hundreds of SNSs, with various technological affordances, supporting a wide
range of interests and practices. However, the impact of SNSs is increasingly pervasive,
with activities ranging from economic and marketing to social and educational. Among
the wide impacts of social network sites, they are, anecdotally, becoming increasingly
important in today’s businesses. Thus, the purpose of this study is to present a literature
review of and classification scheme for research works in business impacts of SNSs, with
the aim of clarifying the ways SNSs impact businesses. The review covers 28 journal
articles published from 2000 to 2011 and a few months of 2012. The 28 articles classified
SNS applications in businesses into six distinct categories: the “marketing and
advertising,” “knowledge management,” “social capital,” “relationship management,” “e-
commerce,” and “economic model.” The findings reveal that “marketing and advertising”
were the most frequently category has been considered in the literature. This review
provides a source for discovering business impacts of social network sites and will help
to simulate further interest in the area.

38
Mohammad Furqan Khan1, Dr. Anisa

Research Scholar, School of Business Studies ,

Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora, J&K.

Assistant Professor, School Of Business Studies,

Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora, J&K.

Social media and social media marketing are sometimes used interchangeably, but two
indeed are different. The purpose of this research paper is to revisit the literature on both
concepts and correlates them in technical terminologies. We have studied the literature
available on Social media first and identified the basic functionalities of it. Then the
literature available on social media marketing helped us in identifying its dimensions. In
conclusion section of the research paper we have correlated the two concepts and
redefined social media marketing in technical terms.

39
Helena Alves (University of Beira Interior and NECE)

Cristina Fernandes

Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco and NECE

Mario Raposo

University of Beira Interior and NECE

This study carries out content analysis and systemizes articles on social media marketing
in the Web of Science database. Forty-four studies were analyzed in accordance with a
variation on the systematic review approach, involving synthesis- and interpretation-
based assessment. The results demonstrate how most of the studies analyzed focus on the
consumer perspective in terms of usage, share, and influence of social media on
consumer decisions, and perceptions. The studies focusing on the firm’s perspective
centered not only on the usage of social media, but also on their implementation,
optimization, and measurement of results. The majority of studies are quantitative and
published in recent years. This study not only reached certain conclusions for both theory
and practice, but also defined future lines of research according to the gaps detected by
the study’s results. ©2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

40
*Assistant Professor & Head, Department of Commerce & Management

Dr. C. V. Raman University, Kargi Road, Kota, Bilaspur, C.G., India.

**Associate Professor & Head, Department of Management, Chouksey Engineering

College, Lal Khadan , Bilaspur, C.G., India.

***Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce & Management, Dr. C. V. Raman

University, Kargi Road, Kota, Bilaspur, C.G., India.

Today, we are in 21st century and people do not find time to come & interact with each
other. Social media helps in connecting themselves with social networking sites through
which now people can stay far and yet remain connected. Apart from this media like
Facebook create a loyal connection between product and individual which leads to large
advertising opportunities. Similarly, other social media like Blogs create a platform to
post comment on any event which needs to be publicized also can be utilized as a
promotional technique for customer’s adoption as well as for promotions. Now users are
acquiring followers & subscribers and directing them to your social networking page.
These media has a competitive edge over other popular public media like Television
because there is a time gap between social event occurrence and the time it is being
broadcasted. This research paper emphasizes on the strategies which can take this viral
marketing mode beyond the normal social media at present. As a result it can also help in
building your community strong enough to make your marketing effective & initiative
buying.

41
Ms. Sisira Neti

Asst. Professor

Department of Business Management

PG Centre, Lal Bahadur College

Warangal.

Social Media, today, is among the ‘best opportunities available’ to a brand for connecting
with prospective consumers. Social media is the medium to socialize. These new media
win the trust of consumers by connecting with them at a deeper level. Social media
marketing is the new mantra for several brands since early last year. Marketers are taking
note of many different social media opportunities and beginning to implement new social
initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social media marketing and the businesses
that utilize it have become more sophisticated. One cannot afford to have no presence on
the social channels if the competitor is making waves with its products and services. The
explosion of social media phenomenon is as mind boggling as that and the pace at which
it is growing is maddening. Global companies have recognized social media marketing as
a potential marketing platform, utilized them with innovations to power their advertising
campaign with social media marketing. This paper discusses about the concepts of social
media and social media marketing and other aspects like the growth and benefits, role
and relevance of social media in marketing, social media marketing strategies. It also
presents an overview on social media marketing in India.

42
SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW

This literature review has been studied until tells the social media marketing is a platform
to reach our customer with the minimum constraints and made a direct link between
marketers to customers. Social media marketing is a new concept from business point of
view, it is a chance for marketer to grab the opportunity of social media marketing for
promoting their product and target their customers. Today people don’t have time to go
for shopping or time to analysis which product is good or bad. In the other hand
technology is increasing rapidly and people is connecting day by day in social media
marketing, internet is available everywhere now , Marketer find this opportunity to create
a new marketing concept and it’s create a opportunity for business to invest their money
in social media marketing so people easily able to know which brand is promoting which
product. Role of social media marketing increasing in the world and it’s providing
benefits to all Over the world.

But there is always two side of everything here some they can bring improvement some
area like the privacy of the customer should be encrypted in high level security so no one
can get their information easily , another one the services they are providing could be
better in future time.

43
CHAPTER – 4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE &

METHODOLOGY RESEARCH

44
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE & METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE:

This study will try to analyze the potential of social media as a marketing tool in
countries with the following objectives:

· To identify the role of Social Media Marketing in business

· To find out that how Social Media is contributing in E-Commence industrial growth in
terms of Profit, Promotion, Profit, Reach, Visibility & Network building

· To identify the potential of Social Media Marketing in India

· To recommend the ways by which company can effectively use the Social Media for
Marketing their products

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

First I will review the existing literature concerned with potential of social media as a
marketing tool in business. Once I am through with the subject I will have a better
understanding of it. A thorough research will be conducted among the executives in the
company. The secondary data collection method was used in this research.

45
Secondary Data: The secondary data will be collected through Internet contents, News
Paper, Sales force report, Blogs on social sales force, Research papers and PDF, Books,
Journals etc.

Sample design The sample design includes the information about the sample i.e. the
respondents who the researcher assumed to be the true representative of the universe. In
case of this research study, the sample units were the people, with different demographic
profiles, who visit and are the members of one or more social networking sites like
facebook, Tweeter, Orkut, Linkedin, etc. The sample size for this research study was 410
respondents. Although the researcher approached more than 2000 individuals out of
which almost 500 qualified to be the target respondents. The copies of questionnaire were
distributed to 500 respondents who were the members of at least one social networking
site. After going through and screening the filled-up questionnaires, as many as 410 were
found to be complete in all respects and hence fit for analysis. The sample area for this
study was National Capital Region. The respondents were selected on the basis of simple
random sampling technique. Every effort was made to ensure that the sample is true
representative of the universe. All the respondents were approached in-person for the
collection of data.

46
QUESTIONNAIRE

Q1. From how many periods you have been working in the E-Commerce sector?

Ans.45% respondents replied that they are working in the advertising sector from 1 to
less than 2 years but 20% respondents replied that they are working in the advertising
sector from less than 1 year.

Q2. Do you use social media modes for marketing?

Ans. 65-75% respondents replied yes that they are using social media modes for
marketing.

Q3. In the following which social site are you currently using for marketing?

Ans. 57% respondents replied that they are currently using Facebook for advertising but
20% respondents replied that they are currently using My Space (Google) for advertising.

Q4. In the following which social site are you currently using for marketing?

Ans. 49% respondents are agreeing with this statement also 30% respondents are
Strongly agreed with this statement. Most interesting part is only 10-15% people are not
agree from this statement.

47
Q5. ‘Social media is more effective in case of increasing the sales level’ are you agree
with this statement?

Ans. 50% respondents are agreeing with this statement but 12% respondents are neutral
with this statement.

Q6. ‘Social media works to turn users into profits’ are you agree with this statement?
Ans. 24% respondents are strongly agreeing with this statement but 48% respondents are
agreed with this statement.

Q7. ‘Social media has a great potential in case of reaching huge base of customers are
you agree with this statement?

Ans. 44% respondents are agreeing with this statement but 32% respondents are strongly
agreed with this statement.

Q8. ‘A business can improve their competitiveness through social media’ are you agree
with this statement? Ans. 48% respondents are agreeing with this statement but 28%
respondents are strongly agreed with this statement.

Q9. ‘Social media is the easiest way of marketing a product through online’ are you
agree with this statement?

Ans. 53% respondents are agreeing with this statement but 23% respondents are strongly
agreed with this statement.

Q.10- "Are you able to measure the return on investment (ROI) for your social media
activities." Only about one in three (37%) agreed they are able to measure their social
activities. However, this was an improvement from 2013-14, where only 26% indicated
they could measure ROI. So certainly it increased by 35%.

48
CHAPTER -5 DATA ANALYSIS AND

INTERPRETATION

49
CHAPTER -5 DATA ANALYSIS AND

INTERPRETATION

As consumers continue to perform more and more of their activities online, social
networking techniques, to include email marketing, have assumed an increasingly
important role in their daily lives. The sheer volume of using campaign through email,
Facebook, google AdWords & AdSense is useful for E-commerce industrial growth and
social media used as a marketing too in India. To manage this increase in online activity,
consumers are moving through their social media engine more quickly, looking not only
for the information and benefits but also for new updates, profit, quality and easily
available in services they need and want. Additionally, up to 25% of the Indian
population is accessing their social networking sites with hand-held devices, not only for
shopping or services but also for new updates on it.

So how do E-Commerce marketers break through the clutter to efficiently and effectively
improve results? The key to success in this complex environment is using relevance-
enhancing tactics.

Here are 12 proven tactics that can help any marketer advance the relevance of their
social media marketing messages and improve results. You will learn how to:

Benefit from the impact that short-burst and attractive communications are having on our
society.

Understand and use subscriber behavior and engagement as the primary tool for deciding
future social media campaign messaging and offers.

50
 1. By analyzing the campaign results on the basic of CTR, bounce rate, Likes,
impressions, spend & earnings also by the queries & feedbacks.
2. Use Social media analyzing tools which is available for free.
3. Leverage the relationship that engagement and relevancy have on your sender
reputation and message delivery.
4. Use visitor Website behavior and analytics to improve message relevancy.
5. Test to better control the impact of messaging on future success.
6. Develop content and subject lines that are more effective.
7. Apply social networking techniques to improve your company's relevance with
social media subscribers.
8. Drive subscriber acquisition and optimize search.
9. Implement best practices in creative design to be relevant on the small screens of
mobile and desktop devices.
10. Implement segmentation tactics that drive both top and bottom line results

These 10 techniques can be implemented by entry level and advanced marketers who
want to improve social media marketing results by creating greater engagement through
relevance.

51
CHAPTER – 6 CONCLUSION & IMPLICATIONS

52
CHAPTER – 6 CONCLUSION & IMPLICATION

At the heart of any Business are Customers, and Social networking represents an
opportunity to build even more mutually rewarding and candid relationships with those
Customers. But for organizations to realize tangible business benefits, they need to find
better ways to plan, manage, and measure their social networking efforts. Social media
deals with engaging the customers & vendors and maintaining a bridge between these
two. With the advent of internet and ongoing changes in Consumer Behaviour, last
decade has witnessed revolutionary growth in E-Commerce and E Business in India
because of significant use of Social media marketing tools.

Social marketing uses the benefits and of doing social good to secure and maintain
customer engagement. In social marketing the distinguishing feature is therefore its
"primary focus on social good, and it is not a secondary outcome. Not all public sector
and not-for-profit marketing is social marketing.

Increasingly, social marketing is being described as having "two parents"—a "social

parent" = social sciences and social policy, and a "marketing parent" = commercial and
public sector marketing approaches.

Public sector bodies can use standard marketing approaches to improve the promotion of
their relevant services and organizational aims. This can be very important, but should
not be confused with social marketing where the focus is on achieving specific behavioral
goals with specific audiences in relation to different topics relevant to social good (e.g.:
health, sustainability, recycling, etc.) There is no escaping social media these days, either
for individuals or for businesses.

Today, it is impossible to separate social media from the online world. The social media
conversation is no longer considered a Web 2.0 fad -- it is taking place in homes, small

53
businesses and corporate boardrooms, and extending its reach into the nonprofit,
education and health sectors. From feeling excitement, novelty, bewilderment, and
overwhelmed, a growing number of people now speak of social media as simply another
channel or tactic. Blogging can have a very positive effect on your Company’s branding
growth. As per the Hubspot report, Customers with blogs gathered 68% more leads than
customers without blogs. It is imperative to understand that today, social media have
exponential potential. They are part of an ever- growing online network of people who
discuss, comment, participate, share and create. Whether you are an individual, a startup,
small business or a large corporation, an online presence and an ongoing conversation
with your constituents is a baseline requirement – and will take time and expertise.
Companies are diverting resources and rethinking their traditional outreach strategies.
And as the social media wave dissipates into the vast ocean of connected experiences, the
term itself will become an entry in dictionaries and encyclopedias and we will embark on
a new era of knowledge, accessibility and experiences unbound by distance, time or
physical walls. It is high time that every business adopts social media and takes it
seriously.

54
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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6W45-4XFF2S0-

 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-new-studies-prove-social-media-
marketinggrowth/# more-2583

 Social Media Marketing by www.wikipedia.com

 5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for small business by Samir Balwani.

 Lazer, W., Kelley, E.J. (1973). Social Marketing: Perspectives and Viewpoints.
Homewood: Richard D. Irwin

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