G.

LBAJAJ
INSTITUTEOFMANAGEMENTANDRESEARCH
ApprovedbyA.I.C.T.E&AffiliatedtoDr.A.P.JKalamTechnicalUniversity
PlotNo.-2,KnowledgeparkI,GreaterNoida,Dist.-G.BNagar,U.P,India,Pin-
201306

ASTUDYONSOCIALMEDIAMARKETING
Submitedfor
THEPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHEAWARDDEGREEOFMASTEROFBUSI
NESS ADMINISTRATION(MBA)

Undertheguidanceof:
SubmittedBy:
Ms.ruchikavats Name–ShashankMalviya
AdmissionNo-MBA20068
Session–2020-22

1
 Acknowledgments

Severalpeoplehavecontributedtotheaccomplishmentofthisprojectandmysinceregratitude
goestoalofthem.

FirstofalIamtrulygratefultoDrRuchikaVatsmyguideandsupervisor,whohaddedicateda
vastdealofhertimetoexaminethedraftofmyworkandalsoforherdisciplinedguidanceand
continuousencouragementthroughouttheprogressionofthisproject

MyGratitudeisextendedtomyfamilymembersandalsospecialthankstoalmyfriendswho
hadhelpedmeinthisproject

IcouldneverforgettheprecioushelpreceivedfromaltheFacultyOfMBA

2
 TABLEOFCONTENTS
Sr.No Title Page

No
1. ExecutiveSummary 7

2.Introduction 8
3. BenefitsofSocialMediaMarketing 11
4. SWOTAnalysisaboutSocialMedia 14
5. DifferentMethodsofSocialMediaMarketing 17
6. DifferentMetricsforSocialMediaMarketing 21
7. RoleofSocialMediainMarketing 24
8. FivePilarsofSocialMediaMarketing 26
9.FewReasonswhysocialMediacouldberightfor
Business 30
10. IdentifyingthebestSocialMediasites
WhichreachedbesttoourTargetAudience34
11.StrategiestoimproveB2BMarketing 36
12. StrategiestoimproveB2CMarketing 40
13. Chalengesfacedbybusinessowner 43
14. WaystoOvercometheChalenges 46
15. IssuesfacedinimplementingtheSocial
MediaStrategies 48
16. AdvantagesofMarketingonSocialMediaSites 50
17. BenefitsofTopSocialMediaWebsites 55
18. Conclusion 57
19. Suggestion 58
20. Bibliography 59

3
4
 ExecutiveSummary

Socialmediamarketingreferstotheprocessofgainingwebsitetrafficoratentionthrough
socialmediasites.Indianmarketersaremovingatafastspeedtotapthe‗newnormal
opportunity.Socialmediahasgonemainstream.Andforbusinessesitrepresentsan
unprecedentedmarketingopportunitythattranscendstraditionalmiddlemenandconnects
companiesdirectlywithcustomers.Customeracquisitionsremaintobetheprimegoalof
Indianmarketers(59%).AccordingtoleadingmarketersofIndia,thetopthreeonlineinvestment
channelsfor2011areSocialmedia,EmailmarketingandSearchmarketing.52%ofthetop
marketerssaidthatitisextremelyimportanttointegrateemailmarketingandsocialmedia.
Thisiswhynearlyeverybusinessontheplanetisexploringsocialmediamarketinginitiatives
Thefocusofmarketersisshiftingfrom‗sendingthemessageoutto‗startengagingwith
customers.Inthiscontext,theroleofamarketerischangingfrom‗batchandblastprocessing
tocreatinglisteningpostsanddialoguehubsincustomercommunities.Ashiftfromisolated
pureplaytraditionalplatformstoanintegratedmulti-channelapproachishelpingthemarketers
addressthechalengeofnewconsumer’sexpectationsacrossmanydevicesandchannels.
Indianmarketersareleveragingthepowerofvariouscommunicationchannelsand technologies-
beitEmail,SMSorSocialMediaintheirportfolio.Herewewilseethemaintrend
ofSocialmediamarketinginIndia,Thescopeofit,Thefutureandwilundergoaresearchto
folowtheCustomerperceptionAboutSocialmediaforBrandmanagement

5
 INTRODUCTION

Socialmediamarketingismarketingthatfocusesonpeopleandnotproduct.Theproductcan
bepresentedbythecompanywithasmanyqualitativefeaturesandpromotiontoolsaspossible
butwhatrealymatersisthecommentsandappreciationleftbythecustomers.Peopleprovide
thecontent,andthisiswhysocialmediamarketingissoscaryandchalengingformarketers,
therehavebeenlotofsocialnetworkingsiteswhichhavebeenusedtocommunicatetheir
viewslikeFacebook,Myspace,Twiter,Linkedinetc

Marketersonthesesiteshavenotbeenabletocontrolthecontentonthesesites,negativeword
ofmouthcanbespreadworldwideinacoupleofminutesonthesesites

Butalsowhatisimportantfromthemarketerspointofviewisthatbecauseofthesesocial
mediamarketingsitetheyareabletolisten,trackandmeasurewhatissharedonthesesitesin
ordertoimprovetheofferedmessageadapttheirproducttomoretothecustomerneedsand
becauseofthesocialmediaanalyticsandmetricsavailablethecompanyisabletomeasure
andevaluatetheimpactofsocialmediaonacompany’smarketingstrategy

Overthelastdecadetherehasbeenaseriousshiftofhowpeopleusetoaccessinformation
andnews.Companiesearlierusedthemediatogettheirmessagesouttotheiraudiencevia
marketing,advertisingorpublicrelationswhichwasknowaspushmessages,thegoalwasto
getmediamentionsoftheircompany,productorservice.ButalthesemethodswereOne-Way
communicationwherecompanyustodeliverthemessagethroughamediaandtheindividualin
nowayscouldrespondtothem

Withthehelpofsocialmediamarketingthishaschanged,peoplenownolongerrelyonthe
media,newtoolsenablethemtonetwork,readblogs,postcommentsandreview,actively
gathernewsandinformationandsharethiswithothers.

6
Socialmediamarketinghasnotonlychangedtheonecommunicationtoatwo-way
communicationbutalsohavechangedpushstrategytoaPulstrategywhereyoumakeiteasy
forpeopletofindinformation,wheneverandwherevertheywantit.

SocialmediamarketingserviceinIndiaandtheworldovercanbeutilizedtogainmaximum
visibility,improvedsalesandbeterbrandawareness.Companiesofferingdifferenttypesof
digitalservicesuseanumberofsocialmediamarketingplatformtohelpbusinesspromote
theirbusiness.Someofthesesocialmediasitesinclude:Facebook,TwiterandLinkedin.

Reachingouttosomanypeoplehasneverbeensoeasyforbusinessbefore,companiessiting
hereinindiacandobusinessindifferentcountrieswiththehelpofsocialmediamarketing,
socialmediamarketinghaschangedtotalythewaythebusinessisdone.

7
8
BENEFITESOFSOCIALMEDIAMARKEITNG

9
Nowadays,Socialmediamarketingiswidelyusedbybusinessesbecauseitrepresentsacost-
effectivemarketingsolution.Socialmediamarketingtoolscanbeusedlargelyforfreeandvery
easily,incomparisonwithotherpromotionaltools

Socialmediamarketingcanbeusingunconventionalmeanstoachieveconventionalgoals
throughtheuseofcreativity,community,andrelationshipinsteadofbigbudgetstoachieve
marketingobjectiveandthesemethodsarepowerfulguerrilamarketingstrategies.

Foreverybusinessthebiggestchalengeusingsocialmediamarketingistofindonwhichsocial
mediachannelsitsaudienceandcustomersspendtheirmaximumtimeandholdthe
conversationforthemtotarget.Generaly,peopleswitchtomultiplesitesinsteadofstickingto
onlyonesite.Byreading,listeningandanalyzingtheirtargetaudience’sactivities,marketerswil
beabletodeterminewhere,when,whoandhowthecustomersareinteractinginthesocial mediauniverse.

Whetheritisamultinationcompanyorasmalentrepreneurledcompanyeverybusinessis
gainingfromsocialmediamarketing.Withthehelpofsocialmediaonceacustomerusesthe
servicesorproductofthecompanyhethenhassomeopinionabouttheproductwhichhe
uploadsitonthesocialmediasiteswhichwouldthenbeusedbythecompanytoimprovethe
productorservicesifthecommentisnegativeortakeittodifferentlevelifthecommentis
positive.Socialmediamarketinghasindeedmadearealimpactinthepresentday.Beloware
fewotherbenefitsofferedbysocialmediamarketing

1. DirectCommunication:Socialmediamarketingfacilitatesonetoonecommunication
betweenthecompanyanditscustomers.Atanypoint,organizationsarefreetoaskfor
feedbackandsuggestionforwaystoimprovetheservicesandproductthisbrings
propercustomerengagement

2. Brandexposureandawareness:Thebiggestbenefitwhichthebusinesshasgotfrom
socialmediamarketingisthebrandexposure,brandexposurehappenswhenthe
customersbecomesawareabouttheservicesandproductofferedbythebusiness.
Companiescanheavilyusesocialmediamarketingtobuilttheirbrand’sreputationand
enhancetheirpopularitywhichisalsocaledonlinereputationmanagement.

3. Abilitytoadvertisemoreeffectively:Setinguppagesandprofileonsocialmedia
channelsoffersmanyopportunitiesforadvertisingandforthebrandtobeseenand
reachedbyitsaudience.Exposureisthefirststepfornewbrandswithoutwhichthe
companywilfailitslaunch.Thepagesanddifferentprofilesofthebrandsgives
customersthechoiceofreadingtheprofileanddescription,watchphotosandvideos
andalsoreviewandcommentabouttheproduct

4. CostEffective:Oneofthebiggestadvantageofsocialmediamarketingisthatitis
extremelycosteffective.Socialmediamarketingisapromotionaltoolthatdoesnot
needhighadvertisingcostsorhighamountoftimeitisdoneverystrategicaly.Foritto
bedonestrategicalythecompanyshouldbeawareabouttheirtargetaudience,where
theyspenttimeandwithaverysmalinvestmentyoucanreachtoyourrighttarget
audience.Socialmediamarketingguaranteesrelativelylowcosts,effectivenessand
measurability.

10
5. Saveupontime:Evenneedtoreachouttoyourcustomerroundtheclockorviceversa?
Socialmediamarketingisthattoolwhichisavailable24/7foral365days.Andthewith
thehelpofsmartphonesnoweverythinghappensonagowithoutmuchoftime consumed

6. IncreaseOrganizationalvisibility:Socialmediamarketingincreasesbrandawarenessby
extendingtheonlinepresenceoftheproductandbrandonthesiteslikeTwiter,
facebook,Linkedinwhichhelpstheorganizationtoincreasetheirvisibility.Withthehelp
ofSocialmediaoptimizationandsearchengineoptimizationbusinesseshavestarted
getingheftyboost,thereforeitgoeswithoutsayingthatmakingsurethatbrands
receivetheproperexposureisimportanttoalthecompanies.

7. Leadgeneration:Leadsaredefinedaspotentialcustomersorsalesprospects,withthe
milionsofusersconnectingeverydayonthedifferentsocialmediasites,everybusiness
isboundtohavesomeprospectivecustomerssomewhereonthesesites.Butthe
biggestchalengeforthebusinessesistohowtofindthesepotentialcustomers?Thisis
donewiththehelpoflikesonthefacebookpageandfolowersontwiterpage.Alsothe
personalityofthebrandneedstoexpressivelyhighlightenedonthesocialmediasites
becauseifthecustomerisinterestedinthebrandonlythenhewilbeconvertedintoa
valuablelead.

8. Targetedtraffic:Withmilionsofusers,socialmediasitesmakesaconvenienttarget
baseforpeoplewhoaretryingtomarketproductorservicestopeopleonline.Actualy
socialmediamarketinghasbecomeveryeffectivebecauseofsearchengine
optimization(SEO)whichhelpstodrivethetraffictocompanieswebsiteofblogs.
However,unlessthetrafficistargetedthevisitorswilprobablynotbeinterestedand
purchasewilnothappen.Targetedtrafficiswhentheaudiencereadsanadfora
productorservicethatabrandispromotingonitswebsiteandtheyareactualy
interestedinpurchasingthatproductandsotheyclickthislinktogotothecompanies
website.Theotherbenefitwhichthebrandgetswhileusingsocialmediaisthatitstore
altheuserdatasuchasage,gender,geographicallocation,interestsandmanyother
personalinformationwhichcanbeusedtoreachtherighttargetaudience.

9. Effectivemonitoringofcompetitors:Besidesinternetandsocialmediahascompletely
transformedthewaymarketresearchandcompetitormonitoringisbeingaccomplished,
thankstothedataleftinthearchiveofthesocialmediachannels,informationaboutthe
targetaudienceandthecompetitorsiseasilyaccessible.Competitivebenchmarkingis
animportantpartofanysocialmediastrategyandwhichisbecomeeasilyaccessible
becauseofthedatastoreonthearchive

11
 SWOTAnalysisaboutSocialMedia

Strengths:

Largemarketreachorpenetrationandit‘sVeryusefulifyouaresetingupadigitalengagement
strategy(tonewpeople,youngpeople).Socialmediabuildsaconversationandconversewith
othersandbuildclosenetworkingbondswhichsharequickinformationexchange.ItLetsyou
folowandconnectwithpeople/groupsthatinterestyoubutarenotnecessarily
yourfriends(aswithFacebook).Authors,celebrities,co-workers,coleges,organizationsetc.The
campaignsaregeneralyCost-effectiveinthesensemostoftheplatformsarefree.Theyjust
demandtime,thereisaHumanfactor:Your―brand‖becomesmoreHUMAN.Mediaexposurecanbe
anotherstrengthofthis.WhileTwiterisinastrongmarketpositioninmicro-messaging.
Facebookistheonlyrealcompetitorhereandtheyatractusersfordifferentreasons.Ithelpsto
Buildstrong,longtermrelationshipsthroughonlinesocialnetworking,atafasterpacethanjust
relyingontraditionalface-to-facenetworkingandGetstonsofpublicity.TheindustryHas
developerscreatinghundredsofapplicationsarounditsAPI.ItistotalyRSS-enabled

Weakness:

Toughtotrainorconvincemanagementteam/groupmembersonsocialmediaprinciplesasA
lotof―WhyBother‖frommostmainstream(i.e.
Facebookusers)peoplearethere.Theindustryhaslowretentionrate.Only40%.Lackstoolsor
resourcestotrackandmonitorsocialmediacampaignresults.Thereisconcernabout
informationleakage,liability,security,andmanagementalso.Effortvsresults:Evenifitismore
measurablethanotherchannels,itisdifficult(especialyforsmalbusinessoperations)to
balancetheeffortputonsocialmediaagainsttheresultsobtained
Consistency:Engagingwithyouraudienceatadirectlevelmeansmoreeffortsintermsof
keepingaconsistentmessage/corporateimageMakingupformistakes:Thetime-frameto
correcterrorsthataffectyouraudienceisless.Becauseyouareheavilyexposed,yourcompany
hastotake
actionmorepromptlythanifyouweren’t‘t(especialyifpeoplearehaving
conversationsaboutyourbrand,youwilhavetoengageandclarify)Blockedatmanywork
sites:managementseesitdropsproductivity;hurtsbotomline

12
Opportunity

Creating/joiningonlinepresenceonsiteswherethecompanycurrently
doesn’t‘texists,Greatopportunityforindividualsandorganizationstoconnectandexchange
information.ItopensaNewtargetornichemarketsthatareuntapped:students,thepublic.
Partnershipswithothergroups,organizations,schools,government,etc.Penetrationintoanew
geographicalmarketquicklyRecruitmentofinterestednewmembers,students,publicsupport
andalowsyoutobuildshortandlongtermrelationshipswithprospects.Ithumanizes
the‗brand‘andmakestherecruitmentprocessmorepersonal
.Cangaindeepinsightsintoreal-timetrends,news,andalofus;―bethe
pulseoftheinternet‖assaidbyFounderBizStoneIntegrationintoreal-
timegames,media,andapps.We‘vebarelyscratchedthesurfacesofaronwhat‘spossible.
Twiterasrealtimeinfrastructure.Itmaybecomethedominantwayforbusinessesto
communicatewiththeircustomersasquickdelivery,brandingopportunities,andenhanced
marketingopportunitiesarethere.Beingpresentwherestuffhappens:Peopleresearchfor
info/products/servicesonlineandvaluemoretheopinionofotherindividualsthanwhatevera
companymaysayabouttheirownoffer.Ifyourcompanyispresentinaninteractive
environmentlikesocialmedia,theopportunitiesforengagement,conversionandmost
importantlyclarificationofdoubtsregardingyourbrand,arecountless.Developingafolowing/
audiencethoseauto-nurturesitself:YoureffortsinSocialmedia,togetherwiththeeffortofyour
folowingmaymeanthatyouraudiencebecomesyourbestsalespeopleTalentcomingyour
wayeffortless:BecauseofthepossibilitiesofexposurethatSocialMediaalowsfor,interacting
heremaymeanthatfuturetalent(intheshapeofemployees,partnersor,you-name-it)wil
comeyourwaythroughthepowerofconnectingonline!Reachouttocertaingroupsthat
traditionalmediadidn’t‘talowyouto:BecauseSocialmediaisforeveryone,soonerorlateryou
‘lcomeacrosspeopleyouneverthoughtofasyourclient.Thisopensthedoorstobuildingnew
relationshipsbutalsotovaluablefeedbackthatcanhelpyoudevelopyourproductsor
servicesmoreinteligently

13
Threats

Competitorisgoingafterthesamespaceorsameaudiencewithsimilarcampaignandthe
questionalsoariseswhetherthecurentcampaignsustainable,canitcontinue?Therecanbe
threatofAtitudesonprivacy:whilelatelyitseemseveryoneiswilingtosharethemost
intimateaswelasmundanedetailsoftheirlife–therecouldeasilybeabacklashagainstthis
trend.We‘vealheardofafewembarrassingstoriesaboutover-sharingonline,andafewhigh-
profileexamplesmightmakepeoplerethinktheirhabits.Micro-messagingmayjustbeafad.
There’snothinginherentlyawesomeabout140characters.Itgottoomuchpublicityinashort
time.Maygetburnedoutandgetingdangerouslyspammy/pornspammy.Themarketdoesn’t‘t
havesolidrevenuemodel(futureadvertisements?)Othersocialnetworkingsites(Myspace,
Tagged,Friendfeed,identical,others)maygrowandstealmarketshareandAcquisitionbya
biggerplayer(Google)maydisappointearlyadoptersandloyalusers

14
DifferentMethodsofSocialNetworkMarketing

15
SocialnetworkmarketingispopularlycaledasInternetmarketing.Todayyoucanfindmany
waysforinternetmarketing.Manypeoplewhoenterthisonlinemarketingarelessworried
becauseofitsguaranteedsuccess.IfyouseeinInternettotalyaltypesofproductshave
beenmarketedonlinewithoutmucheffort.Internetatractsmanybusinesspeopletopromote
theirbusinessonline.Socialnetworkmarketingisgrowntosuchaheightthattodaymany
peoplecan'tearnwithoutit.SomeofthemostrecognizednetworkmarketingtoolsareFace
book,MyspaceandLinkedIn.Twiterbecameregularplaceforpeoplewhohavenewlyentered
thefieldofsocialnetworkmarketing.

1.Blogging:

WhenyoustartBloggingorpostingyourdataaboutanyproduct,youcanseelessresponsefrom
clients.Lateritwilbecomebigbusinessviablog.Websitesandblogsaremostpowerfultools
forsocialnetworkmarketingwhenmatchedwithothernetworkingtools.Blogisanamazingtool
whichprovidesmanyotherfacilitiesinadditiontojustmarketingyourbusiness.Italsohelpsyou
tocommunicatewithotherclientincaseifyouhaveanyproblems.

2.Personalwebsiteorblog:

Itisimportanttohaveprivatewebsiteifyouareafreelancer.Yourwebsitewilhelpyourclients
toknowaboutyouanditwilmakethemclearthatyouareaseriousfreelancemarketerandhelp
tomakehugerevenueviaonlinemarketing.

3.Articleseling:

Itisalsobestandcheapinternetmarketingmethod.Itisamodeofadvertisingourtradejustby
writingarticlesandatractingendlessnumberofusersacrossworld.Weusualyselourarticles
todifferentarticledatabasewebsitesandarticledirectories.Todayitprovidedfreebusiness
tomany
advertisersandpublishersandtheyarerealybenefitedthroughtheirarticles.

16
 4.Emailsending:

Electronicmailsendingisthebestwaytomarketing.Colectlistofemailaddressesthrough
portfoliowebsitesandemailaboutyourbusinesstoalinternetusers.YourEmailshouldbe
atractiveinsuchawaythatyourrecipientwilbeimpressedtogetbacktoyou.

5.Usesocialnetworkingwebsites:

SocialnetworkingwebsiteslikeTwiter,facebookcanbeusedtopromoteyoursales.These
providebestplatformforalwhoarethinkingofonlinemarketing.

6.Videopromotion:

Useseveralvideodistributionwebsitesforyourmarketing.Thesewebsitesuploadsyourservice
tothewholeworld.Althatyouneedtodoisfilmavideoaboutmarketingandsenditto
videouploadingsiteslikeYouTube.Itseemsitistheeasiestwayofmarketingthananyother
modessincemanypeoplewilbeinterestedinviewvideosratherthanwordformof advertisement.

7.PressReleaseormediarelease:

Itatractsseveralpublicclientsandincreasesrelationshipamongthem.

8.SearchEngineOptimization:

Itimprovesthetraffictoyourwebsitebyprovidingqualitywebcontent.ItusesRSSfeedsand
manySEOtechniques

17
 Commonlyusedsocialmediatools

Byalongshot,Facebook,Twiter,LinkedInandblogswerethetopfoursocialmediatoolsused

18
bymarketers,withFacebookleadingthepack.Aloftheothersocialmediatoolspaledin
comparisontothesetopfour.

Differentmetricsforsocialmediamarketing

Websitereports
Thisinvolvestrackingthevolumeofvisits,leads,andcustomerstoawebsitefromthe
[106]
individualsocialchannel.GoogleAnalytics isafreetoolthatshowsthebehaviorandother
information,suchasdemographicsanddevicetypeused,ofwebsitevisitorsfromsocial
networks.Thisandothercommercialofferscanaidmarketersinchoosingthemosteffective
socialnetworksandsocialmediamarketingactivities.

Returnoninvestmentdata
Theendgoalofanymarketingeffortistogeneratesales.Althoughsocialmediaisauseful
marketingtool,itisoftendifficulttoquantifytowhatextentitiscontributingtoprofit.ROIcan
bemeasuredbycomparingmarketinganalyticvaluetocontactdatabaseorCRMandconnect
marketingeffortsdirectlytosalesactivity

Customerresponserates
Severalcustomersareturningtowardssocialmediatoexpresstheirappreciationorfrustration
withbrands,productorservices.Therefore,marketerscanmeasurethefrequencyofwhich
customersarediscussingtheirbrandandjudgehoweffectivetheirSMMstrategiesare.In
recentstudies,72%ofpeoplesurveyedexpressedthattheyexpectedaresponsetotheir
complaintsonTwiterwithinanhour

Reachandvirility
PopularsocialmediasuchasFacebook,Twiter,LinkedInandothersocialnetworkscanprovide
marketerswithahardnumberofhowlargetheiraudienceisneverthelessalargeaudiencemay
notalwaystranslateintoalargesalesvolume.Therefore,aneffectiveSMMcannotbe
measuredbyalargeaudiencebutratherbyvigorousaudienceactivitysuchassocialshares,
retweetsetc.

19
20
 Reasonsbehindmovingtosocialmediamarketing
Over73%ofsmalbusinessownersarenowusingsiteslikeFacebook,Twiter,LinkedInand
Pinteresttohelpgrowtheirbusiness

21
 Roleofsocialmediainmarketing

Socialmediaisnowincreasinglybecominganingrainedaspectofpoliticalcampaigns,national

22
defensestrategies,publicpolicy,publicrelations,brandmanagementandevenintracompany
communication.Sincethemajortaskofmarketingastoolusedtoinformconsumersaboutthe
company’sproducts,whotheyareandwhattheyoffer,socialmarketingplaysanimportantrole
inmarketing.•Socialmediacanbeusedtoprovideanidentityaboutthecompaniesandthe
productsorservicesthattheyoffer.•Socialmediahelpsincreatingrelationshipswithpeople
whomightnototherwiseknowabouttheproductsorserviceorwhatthecompaniesrepresent.
•Socialmediamakescompanies"real"toconsumers.Iftheywantpeopletofolowthemthey
neednotjusttalkaboutthelatestproductnews,butsharetheirpersonalitywiththem.•Social
mediacanbeusedtoassociatethemselveswiththeirpeersthatmaybeservingthesame
targetmarket.•Socialmediacanbeusedtocommunicateandprovidetheinteractionthat
consumerslookfor

23
 Implicationsontraditionaladvertising

Minimizinguse
Traditionaladvertisingtechniquesincludeprintandtelevisionadvertising.TheInternethad
alreadyovertakentelevisionasthelargestadvertisingmarket.Websitesoftenincludebanneror
pop-upads.Socialnetworking
sitesdon‘talwayshaveads.Inexchange,productshaveentirepagesandare
abletointeractwithusers.Televisioncommercialsoftenendwithaspokespersonasking
viewerstocheckouttheproductwebsiteformoreinformation.Printadsarealsostartingto
includebarcodesonthem.Thesebarcodescanbescannedbycelphonesandcomputers,
sendingviewerstotheproductwebsite.Advertisingisbeginningtomoveviewersfromthe
traditionaloutletstotheelectronicones.

Leaks
Internetandsocialnetworkingleaksareoneoftheissuesfacingtraditionaladvertising.Video
andprintadsareoftenleakedtotheworldviatheInternetearlierthantheyarescheduledto
premiere.Socialnetworkingsitesalowthoseleakstogoviral,andbeseenbymanyusersmore
quickly.Timedifferenceisalsoaproblemfacingtraditionaladvertisers.Whensocialevents
occurandarebroadcastontelevision,thereisoftenatimedelaybetweenairingsontheeast
coastandwestcoastoftheUnitedStates.Socialnetworkingsiteshavebecomeahubof
commentandinteractionconcerningtheevent.Thisalowsindividualswatchingtheeventon
thewestcoast(time-delayed)toknowtheoutcomebeforeitairs

FivePilarsofSocialMediaMarketing

24
AnyandalformsofSocialMediamarketingtacticsfalunderatleastoneofthesefiveformsof
action.Oftenthesamechannelwilincorporatetwoormoreofthese.

DeclarationofIdentity

IdentitythroughAssociation
User-InitiatedConversation
Provider-InitiatedConversation
In-PersonInteraction

1.Identity–basedinteraction:

Isyourdeclarationofyourvalue,whoyouareandwhereyoucanbefound.Your
customerhappensuponyouronlineidentitythatyour,asaprovider,defineanddeclare.
ThisisanythingfromyourAboutuspagesonyourblogorwebsite,toyourMyspace
profile,toyourtwiterProfile.Here,thereisverylitleinteractionoutsideofyourown
declaration,butthisbecomescriticalindefininghowyoucanbenefityourmarketplace.
Therehasbeenarecentoutcropofwebsitecreatedpurelyforthisfunctionandbehave
likeanexpandedbusinesscard.Mostalsoincludetheopportunitytolinktoyourother
formsofpresenceonline,Bringingtogetheryourpresenceinonplace…wel,kind-of,they include

Naymz
Ziki
ClaimID
SuperGlu
LinkedIn

25
2.Associated–BasedInteraction:

Isthecustomer’sopportunitytoassociatedthemselveswiththecustomersandvice
versa.Mostobviously,thisisaccomplishedthroughthingslikebecoming“Friends”on
Myspace,youandyourcustomerBlogrol,orthroughtheirsocialbookmarking,thisis
yourcustomerwearingyourcompany’slogoproudly.

Themostexplicitformofalowingforthisabilityisthroughsocialbookmarkingsites.I
saythis,andnotsocialnetworkingsites,becausethisisthesolefunctionofthesesites.
Makeiteasyforyourcustomerstobookmarkyoursite,blogpostsetc.,withtheir favoritetool.

del.icio.us
Furl

Blummy
Magnolia
stumbleUpon
BlinkList

3.User-initiatedConversation:

IsyourusersOpportunitytocreatetheirowndeclarationsorquestions,andyour
opportunitytorespond,thisisyouropportunitytobethereandcatertothem.Hereyou
serveyourcustomers.Perhapsthemostcut-anddryexampleofthislieinmessage
boards,forumsandgroupssitessuchasgooglegroups,yahoogroups,communitysites
etc.Sohowdoyoufindtheseconversations.?
Inordertogetdirectlyinvolvedwithyourcustomers,themostwel knowexampleof
thisis“GoogleGuy”ontheWebmasterWorldforums,isthroughusers“forums:and
sitessuchas

26
 YahooGroups
GoogleGroups
AolGroups
MSNGroups

Topicalemaillists
KaboodleGroups
Eurekster

Tribe.net
Ning

4.Provider–InitiatedConversation:

Isyourchancetofindoutwhatyourcustomerthink,feel,loveandhateaboutyour
product.Askthem.Chalengethem.Presentyourselftothem,butdosorespectfuly.As
muchasit’sanopportunityforthemtotelyouwhattheyloveandhateaboutyour
product,itsalsotheirchoicewhethertodosoornot,bekind,respectfulandappreciate theirtime

Marketresearchhasalwaysbeenfundamentaltomarketingsuccess.Thesocialweb
makesitmucheasiertofindoutwhatpeoplearesayingaboutyou,whoyoushouldbe
talkingto,whattheyareinterestedin,andwhatyoushouldbetalkingtothemaboiut

Tapintotheonlineconversationtofindout.

27
 Whoistalkingaboutyou–findyour“Kind”

Whattheyaresayingaboutyou,yourcompetitorsandyourindustryingeneral
Isitpositiveornegative

Wherearetheconversationstakingplace
Whatcommunitiestalkaboutyou

Whatareyourcompetitorsdoinginsocialmediaandwat’sthebussaboutthem
Whatcontentresonateswithyouraudience

Aretheresubjectsofinterestyoucouldprovidecontentfor
Whatsocialsiteshavethemostconversation

Whoarethe“fire-starters”youneedtoconnectwith
Whoaretheinfluencersintheseblogsorcommunities
Wherearetheopportunitiesandthreats

Onceyouhavethisinformation,youcanalocateyourresourceswisely.You’lknow
wheretostart,andwhatsocialsitesyoushouldbeconcentratingon.Whenyounowthe
layoftheland,it’smucheasiertoplotapathtoyourdestination.Asocialmedia
marketingstrategyusyourroadmap.
Socialnetworkingstrategiesforconnectingwithyourcustomerscancertainlybe
complex.Trickyandcumbersome,soI’lbewritingupstrategiesintheverynearfuture
tohopefulyassistonthosefronts.Inthemeantime,findyourcustomersandinteract
withthemhere.

Myspace
Bebo
Friendster

28
 Consummating

5.In-personInteraction:

Isthepinnacleformofinteractionwithyourcustomers.You’reinteractionwiththem
online,whynotinperson?Doesitgetbeterthanthat?Thisiswhererelationshipsare
builtandauthenticconversationishadwithsomuchmoreinputs,feedback,
colaborationandcommunication.Organizationscanneverhavethequalityofa
conversationonlineasmuchasafacetofaceconversation.

Itisadvisabletomeetcustomersandlettheminteractwithothercustomers.Buildyour
community.Gotoconferences…beteryet,organizeyourowngatherings.

Tohelpthisalong,coordinating,managingatendeestatus,etc.,therehavebeen
severalsitesthatcanhelpineitherfindinglocaleventsorcoordinatingyourown:

Meetup
BarCamp
Evite
Upcoming
Eventful

Herearefewreasonswhysocialmediamarketingcouldberight
forbusiness

Socialmediadoeshelptogetthewordout:

st
Thevery1 thingwhichsocialmediahelpsisithelpsinreachingtotheworldbuteven

29
 moreimportantthentheexposureitgivestheorganizationanopportunitytogrowtheir
relationshipwiththeirtargetaudience.TheFacebookfans,twiterfolowersand
LinkedInconnectionarepeoplewhoknowyourorganizationandhavedonebusiness
withyouinthepastandwilbemostlikelytoteltheirfriendsaboutyou,socialmedia
alowsyoutostrengthenrelationshipwiththeseconnectionsthroughsocial engagement.

SocialMediaispopular:

Withover1bilionpeopleinFacebook,200milionpeopleontwiterand200milion
moreonLinkedIn–socialmediareachesnearlyeverycustomer.Formostsmal
st
businessesFacebookisthe1 steptostartthesocialmediamarketingbecauseofits
reachanditsdynamicfunctionalitythereareveryfewbusinessesthatcouldn’tbenefit
fromhavingapresenceonFacebook.

Socialmediasitesarefree:
Getingstartedonsocialmediaiscompletelyfree,Facebook,Twiter,Pinterestand
LinkedInalofferfreeaccountstousersandbusinessesandsigningupwilnotrequire
anythingmorethananemailaddress,somesiteslikeLinkedIndoofferpaidaccounts
withfeaturesthatofferadvancedusers.

SocialMediatargetsalagesanddemographics:
Socialmediahasbrokendownaltheagebarriersthatonceexistedinpeoplemind.In
2010,72%ofpeoplewereusingFacebook,twiterandothernetworkswhichwas50%
in2009.Sonownomaterhowyoungoroldyourtargetaudiencemaybeyoufindalof
themonsocialmediasites

30
SocialMediausersareactive:

Onethingwhichweshouldknowaboutsocialmediausersisthatwhentheysaythey
areonsocialmedia,theyarerealyonsocialmedia.WhenitcomestoFacebook,more
thanhalfofitsuseslogontothenetworkeverysingledayand60%ofthoseuserssay
st
checkingFacebookisoneofthe1 thingtheydoeveryday.Todaymorethan400
miliontweetsaresentontwitereachday.Whileacustomermayvisityourstoreonce aweek-
buthewouldbeseeingyouonFacebookortwitereverysingleday

SocialMediaEncouragestwo-waycommunication:

Intoday’stimethereisnomarketingtoolwhichprovidestow-waycommunicationto
smalbusinessesexceptsocialmedia.Ithasthepowertotakeanyofthefeedbackyou
mayreceivefromusingatoollikeemailmarketingandsuperchargeit-leting
customerssharetheirthoughts,questions,andideasquicklyandpubliclywithout
havingtotakethetimetowriteanentireemail.

SocialMediaisperfectforCustomerservice:

Providingstelarcustomerserviceislikelyalreadyatoppriorityforyoursmalbusiness.
Butalongwiththetwo-waycommunicationthatsocialmediaprovides,italsooffersa
uniqueopportunitytostepupyourcustomerservicegameandprovideinstant
gratificationtoyourtargetaudience.Thiswilalowyoutoshowcasejusthowmuchyou
careaboutprovidingamemorableexperienceandwilensurethatnocustomerinquiry
goesunnoticed.

SocialMedialetsyousharelotofinformationaboutyour
business:

Socialmediasitesarebecomingthepreferedplacesforconsumerswhowanttolearn

31
 moreaboutabusinessandthatisbecauseyougetmostuptodateinformationabout
everythinglikeproduct,servicesoranyupcomingevents,alsomuchofyouractivityand
profilesonsocialmediasitescanbemadepublicmeaningcanbemadevisibletoal.

Socialcanmakeabigdifferencetoyouremailmarketing:

Socialmediahascompletelychangedthegamewhenitcomestohowsmal
businessesthinkofemailmarketing.Sharinganewsleteracrossyoursocialnetworks
canopenyourcontentuptoawholenewaudienceandfinalygeneratethetypeofbuzz
youhavebeenlookingfor.

SocialMediaiseverywhere:

Everysocialnetwork(Facebook,twiter,Pinterest,LinkedIn,etc.)offersfreemobileapps
thatletbusinessownersmanagetheirbusinessonthego.Moreimportantlyitalows
thecustomerstoconnectwiththeirfavoritesiteswhentheywant.Forasiteliketwiter
60%ofitsentireuserbaseisconnectedviatheirsmartphones,tabletsorothermobile
devices,theseusersarenotjustsharingupdatesoftheirlivestheyareevensearching
forbusinesses,productsandservicesandconnectingwithbrandsthroughtheirsocial channel

32
33
34
 IdentifySocialMediasitesthatreachesbesttoyourta
rget audience

Withsomanysocialmediasitesavailableforyoutomarkettoyourtargetaudience,itisdifficult
toknowwheretostarttomakeitmoredifficultthereisnewsiteswhichpopsupeveryday,if
nottakentherightchannelyouwouldbemissingoutlotofrightaudience.
Therearemilionsofonlineconversationdaily.Onceyouhavecolectedthedata,youcan
analysethementionsofyourbrand,findoutwhatyourshareofvoiceisinaparticular
conversation,gettheratioofpositivetonegativementions,discoverwhotalksaboutyouand
onwhatplatform,findfansanddetractorsandidentifythreatsandopportunities.

Belowarefewdetailsofthesocialnetworkingsiteswhichhelps
thebusinessestodecidewhichsocialsitestheyneedtobe
activeon.

Facebook:

1. Accordingtoupdateinformation,67%ofinternetusersareactiveonfacebook
2. ThisSocialnetworkingsiteparticularlyappealstowomenbetweentheagesof
18and29
3. Facebookhasahigherpercentageofactiveusersinthe30to49,50to64,and
over65agebrackets

Twitter:

1. Accordingtoupdatedinformation,16%ofinternetusersareactiveontwiter
(whichhasnearlydoubledsince2010)
2. Citydwelersaremuchmorelikelytobeactiveontwiterthantherural
population
3. Twiterappealsmosttotheunder50demographic,andmostspecificalythe18
to29agebracket

35
Pinterest:

1. Accordingtoupdatedinformation,15%ofinternetusersareactiveonpinterest
2. Womenare5timesmorelikelytobeactiveonpinterestthanmen.

Instagram:

1. Accordingtoupdatedinformation,13%ofalinternetusersareactiveon
Instagram
2. MoreWomenthanmenuseInstagram
3. ThemajorityofInstagramusersarebetweentheagesof18and29

36
FewStrategiesOnSocialMediaforImprovingB2BMarketing

1.GeneratingLeads:

Therearetwotypesofmarketingdepartment-onethatiscostcentredandtheotherthat
bringsleadsandsales,thebeterpositionedmarketingdepartmentistheonethatcan
proveitsbringinginmoney,notspendingitwithoutresults,andoftentimeslead
generationandROIaretwomeasurementsthatuppermanagementwantstosee

Socialmediaenablescompaniestoengagedirectlywiththeirtargetaudience.Inmany
instancestheseaudiencesself-identifyonlineasinterestedinspecifictopics,themes,
products,andorservicesandcongregateingroups,messageboardsorcommunities.
Thisalowscompaniestopinpointtheiraudienceandengagewiththeminameaningful way-
providinginsights,information,educationandsupports.Thistypeoffocusisfertile
groundforleadgenerationanddrivingrevenueforB2Bmarketing

SocialMediaisaboutparticipationwithandbyyourcustomersandstakeholdersin
pursuitofanorganizationthatisstronglyconnectedtothemthroughparticipativeand
colaborativeprocesses.

37
2.Createaspecializedcommunity:

Buildingasocialbusinessstartswithestablishingacommunityorothersocialpresence
aroundorinwhichyourbrandfitsnaturaly-whetherthroughacasualpresenceon
twiterormoreinvolvedFacebookbusinesspresence,oryourowncommunitybuiltfor
suppliers,partners,orcustomers.Reachingthecorrectaudienceisthemostimportant
taskinmarketingotherwiseyouarejustwastingyourresourcesonthewrongpeople.
Whenyoucan’tfindtherightaudiencesometimesthebestideaistocreatea
specializedcommunityforthemtoflock

Regardlessofwhomthecommunityisintendedtoserve,communitiesarebestbuilt
aroundthethingsthatmaterdeeplytothemembersof

thecommunity;passions,lifestyle,causesandsimilarfundamentalyalignedneeds.The
organisationbelievesthatcreatingthecommunityalowedthemtoofferanonline
destinationtoprofessionalstobondovercommonindustryproblemsandfacilitate
discussiononwaystosolvetheseproblems,whichresultinstrengtheningcustomer
relationships.

3.ImproveSEO:

38
 Duringthepastyear,aUSbasedemailmarketingserviceprovider,hasinvestedinB2B
socialmediamarketing,includingpresenceonFacebook,Twiter,LinkedInanda
corporateblog.Sinceimplementingandmaintainingthesesocialmediums,the
companyhasseena70%increaseininboundsleadsascomparedtotheprioryearand
itsSEOrankingsformajorkeywordshasjumpedover20pages

Inthiscase,ablogfulofusefulandtargetedcontent,enhancedbysyndicationacross
varioussocialsitesandsubsequentinteractionwithitscommunity,ledtothis
organisationincreasingSEOandgrowingareputationfortrustedemailmarketingadvice.

4.BeaKnowledgeSource:

Nowadayitisveryimportantorvitaltolearnaboutthebrand,product,orservicesand
compareitwiththeequivalentbrandbeforepurchasing.Potentialcustomergeneraly
interactswithfriends,googledtheproduct,searchontwiterandreadtheexperienceof
otherswhohavealreadyusedit.Thissectionwilanalysethesocialfeedbackcycle,
takingintoaccounttheeffectsofsocialmediaonconsumersbuyingbehaviours,
comparingittothepurchasefunnelfortraditionalmedia.

39
 TheInternethasnowbecomeacommontoolthatconsumersusetofindinformationon
productsandservicesthattheyarelookingtobuy.Besidesopinionsoffriendsand
family,peopleusinternetasfirstsourceofinformationwhenmakingamajorpurchase.
Andalsosharetheirexperienceafterusingtheproduct.Wordofmouthisconsideredto
bethemosttrustedsourceofinformation.

5.StrengthenaCampaign:

RecentlyitsbeenshowthatSMB’shavebeenexclusivelyusingsocialmediaasa
marketingtool,ascostatachedtoitislowandusualylimitedtothetimespent
cultivatinganinvolvedcommunity,butinmostcasessocialmediaisbeingusedasa
supplementtoexistingmarketingeffortswhichisnotadvisableforyourexisting
marketingcampaign,wewouldrecommendsocialmediastrategiesalongsidewithother
marketingandcommunicationstrategies.

ThesefivestudiesleadinsightsintohowB2BMarketerscanusesocialmediato
generateleads,createspecializedcommunities,improveSEO,becomeknowledge
sources,andstrengthenmarketingcampaigns.

40
41
42
FewStrategiesOnSocialMediaforImprovingB2CMarketing

1.TheNeedforStrategy:

Overpastyears’companyhadtheluxuryofdecidingwhattheywilproduceandsel,
whattheirbrandmessagewilbeandhowtheywildeliverthattotheaudiencebut
internethaschangedalthatnow.Weareintheageofsocialmediamarketingand
strategyhereplaysarevitalrole.Socialmediaofferstheopportunityofdoingin-depth
researchatvirtualynocost,itispossibletogetROI,butyouhavetoknowwhereyou’re
goingandwhatyouwanttoachieve

2.PlanningtheSocialMediaStrategy:

Akeyelementinplanninganystrategyforbusinessutilizesocialmediamarketingisthe
comprehensionofthechalengesoffindingwhichsocialmediachannelsitsaudience
andcustomersspendtheirtimeandholdconversation.Alsopeoplegeneralyvisit
severalsocialmediasitesinsteadofstickingtoonlyone,andbyreading,listeningand
analysingthetargetaudiencemarketerswilbeabletodeterminewhere,when,whoand
howtheconsumersareinteractinginthesocialmediauniverse,italsohelpsthe
marketerstodefinewhotheinfluencersareandwhichroletheyplayintheonline
community:whethertheyarenetworkers,everydayusers,trendseters,reportersor
opinionleaders.

3.CrisisManagement:

43
Nocompanylikestothinkaboutcrisismanagementbutitisalwaysadvisabletohavea
crisismanagementpolicyfromthebeginning.Badpressspreadsfastbutifyouhavea
socialmediapresenceyoucantakecontrol,containitandcounterit,byhavingaclear
pointpersonwhoisactivelymonitoringthesocialweb,youwilbeabletoexecutea
clearchainofresponse.Eachcrisesisunique,veryoften,basedonthecompanies
response,youcanturndetractorsintofansandalsouseittorefineyourmessageto

preventfutureoccurences.Givingaresponsequicklyandengagingwithyouraudience
throughawelthoughtoutanswersisthebestwayofcontrolingthecrisis.Response
timehastobemeasuredinhours,notdaysandearlyactionwilhelpnipacrisisinthe
budbeforeitexplodesintosomethinglarger.

4.Determiningthebeststyleofcampaignforyourpurpose:

TherearetwoprimarytypesofSocialmediacampaigns,onewithafiniteend,andthe
othermoreopen-ended.Socialmediacanbeusedasapartofaspecific,targeted
campaignrevolvingaroundasingularproduct,services,eventsorotheraspectsofthe
companyoritcanbeputtouseaspartofyourcompany’songoingexposuretotheWeb,
coveringbrandbuilding,customerservice,publicrelationsandspecificpromotions.The
Keyistohavethesocialmediaaspectofyourcampaignbuild-uptoaclearconclusion,
onethatyourfolowerswillookforwardto.Ananti-climacticsocialmediacampaign
resultsinanaudiencewhoisleftwithabadtasteintheirmouthsandmayspreadword
oftheirdisappointmenttoothernetworks.

44
 ChalengesAssociatedwithSocialMediaMarketing

Socialmediaisnolonger“NewMedia”andsocialmediamarketingisnowsimply“marketing”,
promotingabusinessviasocialmediahasbecomemainstreamtoday,nothavingasocial
mediapresenceiswhatsetsyourbusinessapartfromrest,andnotinagoodway.Milionsof
peoplecheckintosocialmediaaccountsonadailybasissometimesonanhourlybasis,its
wherethepeopleareandeventhecustomerare,whereitmaybeeasytousesocialmediafor
personaluse,therearechalengesinvolvedwhenitcomestousingitforbusiness.

Ifyouaskanybusinessowneraboutsocialmedia,theywiltelthatitis

Thebesttooloutthereformarketingyourbusinessor
Thescariestventurethey’veeverhadtoundertake.

Manybusinessownerseventelusthatusingsocialnetworkstomarkettheirbusinesshas been

Overwhelming
Fickle

45
Immeasurable
Cut-throat
TimeConsumin

Belowareindetailalthechalengesthatabusinessowner
faces

1.SocialMediaistoOverwhelming:

Itistruethatsocialnetworksaregrowingdaily.Thisnewmediacanbealitle
intimidating,especialyifyou’veneverbeenonasocialnetworkbeforeinyournon-
worklife.Thekeytoovercomingthisoverwhelmingobstacleistostartoutslow.
Don’tbeafraidtowadeinthereandsplasharoundinafewofthelargersocial
networklifeFacebookandtwiter.Onceyou’vegotenyourfeetwetandcanhandle
thebasicsofsocialnetworking,thenyoucan
gradualyaddothernetworkstoyoursocialmediamarketingarsenal.

2.SocialMediaistoofickle:

46
 Thisisverymuchtruethatsocialmediaisaficklemedia,andyoucangetthatby
lookingatMyspaceandOrkutwhichwerekingofyesterdayhavebecomeajokeof
today.FewyearsagoeveryonewantedtobethepartofthemandthenFacebook
madeabigobstacleforthemandbecauseofwhichyouwilhardlyfindanyoneon
MyspaceorOrkuttoday,rightnowFacebookisonthetop,butthiseventhefactthat
thiscaneasilychangefewyearsdowntheroadandwehavetobepreparedforthese
kindofchanges.Tocounteractthisficklenessinsocialnetworking,focuson
creatingablogthatyourfansandfolowerscanmigrateto.

3.SocialMediaResultsareimmeasurable:

IfyouspendalofyourtimetryingtogetROIfromaltheeffortswhichyouhaveput
inyouwilhaveamiserabletime,insteadyoucanfocusonKeyPerformance
Indicator(KPI),likehowmanynewfansyouhaveoneachsite,orhowmanymore
salesyouhavehadsinceyoustartedonsocialmedia.

4.SocialMediaisacut-throatworld:

Thisisverytrueasbusinessofalsizesandindustrieshavemadetheirmarkson
socialmedia.Thegoalistogetyourbusinessoutthereandbuildanonlinepresence,
evenifyouhaveasmallocalbusinessyoucanstilincreaseyourbusinessusing
socialmediamarketing.Bybeingonsocialmediayougiveyourbusinessalotoffree
advertising.

5.SocialMediaistoomuchtimeconsuming:

Thisistrueifyoudon’tutilizethetoolsproperly.Generalysocialmediaisvery
monotonousifyouspendhourspostingandtweeting.Thankfulytothedevelopment
thisautomationhasbeentakencare,whenyoulookaroundyouwilfindtoolfor
schedulingpostsandtweets,schedulingnewsleter,analytics,andbrandmonitoring,
andthesetoolsaretherebutyoujusthavetoknowwherethesetoolsare.Whenyou

47
 startonsocialmediayoushouldhaveaclearideaofyourtargetaudienceandwhen
youhaveyourtargetlinedup,though,itmakesiteasiertofocusonwhatweneedto do.

6.Non-intuitiveSocialMediaapplication:

Whenatoolisnon-intuitive,itisnotlikelytobeused,salespeopledonothavetime
tospendtimetoreadthroughmanuals,atendtraining,orcalthehelpdesk,ifit
takesmoretimeforenteringthedata,salespersonwilbeleastinterestedtodoso,
thisresultsinlessinformationintheorganisationCRM,whichinturngivesless
insighttothemanagementonhowthebusinessisdoingandwhatproblemsare
beingfaced,asaaresultthecostofsalesforanorganisationwilriseandsales
effectivenessalsodecreases.TraditionalCRMisverygoodatmanaging
transactionalactivitiesandprovidingmanagementinsightsintowhatishappeningin
thebusiness.Butthisfeaturerequiressalespeopletoenterdatawithoutreapingany
directreward

7.Selinghasbecomeharder:

Companiesarefindingitmoreexpensivetoreachprospects,effectivelypursuedeals
andclosebusiness.Evenwelqualifiedleadsaredifficulttounearthandsalespeople
arespendingmoretimechasinganyleadstheycagettomakequota.

48
 WaystoOvercomeChalengesAssociatedwithSocialMedia
MarketingStrategy

BelowaresomeKeypointerwhichhelpsMarketerstodealwiththistodaysshifting
businessenvironment

1. Developasolidsocialmediastrategy,withwel-definedandrealisticgoalsthatare
alignedtoyourbusinessobjectives,theymustclearlymapoutwhichsocialplatformyou
wiltargettohelpyoureachyourendgoal.

2. TheImportanceofcreatingrelevantandengagingcontentcanneverbeemphasized
enough.Thisisthekeytoretainingyouraudienceonsocialmediaandwideningyour
reach.Developanddistributecontentthataddressestheindividualneedsofyour customers,

49
3. Tryandinvolvethetopmanagement.Astheyaretheidealspokespeopleandare
respectedleadersintheindustryandareevenconsideredasexperts

4. Haveaclearpolicyonhowtoaddressnegativecommentsorcomplaintsonyoursocial
platforms.Itsveryimportanttorespondquicklyandaddresstheissuespromptlyand
honestly.Thiswilbeseenbythecustomersandtheywilseeyoureffortsandasa
companythatacceptsconstructivecriticism,caresandvaluescustomeropinionandis
wilingtotakestepstoimprove.

5. Thoughyouneedtodedicatetimeconsistentlytosocialmedia,itiseasytoget
distractedandveryoftenfindyourselfspendingtoomuchtimeonit.Youshouldseta
timerforthetimeyourspendonsocialplatforms,thiswilhelpusinkeepingfocusedon
thetaskathand.

6. WeshouldtryandworkmorewithSEOteamtodrivemoretraffictoourwebsite.This
wilnotonlyhelpyoumakeandstrengthensocialpartnershipandaliancewithothersin
theindustrybutwilalsopromptyouraudiencetopromoteyourproductandcompany,
andnomediaisbeterthanwordofmouth

7. Shouldtryandmaketheaudienceexperienceonyoursocialplatformasinteractiveas
possible.Imagesandphotoswilgetyouthemostlikes,sharesandcomments,so
shouldtryandusethemasmuchaspossible

50
8. Finalymeasureyoursocialmediamarketingsuccessmorebythelevelofengagement
ofyouraudience,yourreachandyourconversionsandnotsomuchbythenumberof
fansorfolowersyouhave

FewIssuesfacedinImplementingtheSocialMediaMarketing
Strategy

1.LackofCustomization

Companiesaroundtheglobecanwinonthesocialwebbydevelopingastrategy,

51
 experimentanditerate.Itisessentialtoforgerelationshipswithotherandtoputothers
inthespotlight.Bypersonalizingandcustomizingproductsandsolutionsonthesocial
networkingwebsitesevenifyougetlostyoucanalwaysgethelp.Userealteam
membersinyoursocialmediaefforts,don’tusesomefacelesspersonbehind“BrandX”.
“Givetoget”andbefocusedonservingandbeinguseful.Don’tsendinlegalrightaway
asaninitialreactiontosocialdissension.Embracepersonalbrands;don’tworyabout
themgetingtoopopularbecausetheiralegianceistothebrand.

2.DigitalUnsavvyTeam:

Modernmarketersneedtounderstandsocialmedia.Companiesdon’t“dosocial”,they
“aresocial”.Thatmeansbeingsavvyparticipants.AccordingtotheresultsofForester
Research:

91%ofbusinessbuyersreadblogs,watchingusergeneratedvideo,participatein
anothersocialmedia

55%ofdecisionmakerswereinsocialnetworks

43%arecreatingmedia(Blogs,Uploadingvideosorarticlesetc)

B2Bmarketersneedtousesocialtechnologiesinmarketingoversocialmedia
networkingsites.Theycanlearnthroughsocialmedia,savvythroughtraining,
participation,listeningandengagement.

3.ProductLackingIndividualityorconfidence:

Believingthatpeoplewillistentoandfindvalueinwhatyourealywanttosayrequires
confidence.Whetheryou’rerightorwrongmightasmuchbeingpassionate.Nowmore
thanever,isthetimetoshowleadershipandconvictionwhenitcomestosocial
participationandengagement.

4.InconsistentParticipation:

Companiesneedtobeconsistentwiththeirsocialparticipation.Clientsonlineprefer
informationandmarketingfromblogswhicharepostingconsistentlyandthusbecome
moresuccessful.Thesolutiontomoreconsistentparticipationistoleadfromthetop,
getexecutivebusyin.Establishgoalsandprovideafeedbacklooptocontributors.As
theygrow,thecommunitywilprovidefeedback.Setasideresources,planwhichwil
createcontent,monitorandengage.Tappassionatecommunitymembersandactivate
themtobebrandambassadors.Createefficienciesthroughtherepurposingofcontent

52
5.Onusofsocialmedia:

Ascompaniesdeveloptheirsocialmediaprograms,responsibilityandresourcesneedto
bealocatedandthatleadstoaccountabilityandownership.Forsuccessfulsocialmedia
adoptionwithinorganizations,it’simportanttoestablishsocialmediagoalsand
responsibilitiesindifferentpartsoftheorganization.Asresourcesandaccountability
areidentified,thedifferentdepartmentscanworktocrosspolinateefforts,andwork
togetherasateam.Thishelpsleveragecombinedeffortsandfromanimplementation
standpoint,avoidsconflictingrepresentationofthebrand.

AdvantagesofMarketingonSocialMediaSites

LowerCost:

Almostalsocialnetworkingsitesarefreetouseandputyouindirectcontactwith
potentialcustomerswithoutyouhavingtopayasinglepenny.Youcanevensendan

53
 emailtoyourcurentcustomers,askingthemtojoin,folow,likeorbefriendyoutoget
thingsunderway.Ifyouhavesmalbudgetforadvertising,youmaywishtopurchasean
advertisementthatappearsonthesocialnetworkingsite.Usualy,thecostofanonline
advertisementislessthananadvertisementinprintortelevision.

TrustandCredibility:
Wordofmouthandcustomertocustomercommunicationhavestrongercreditability
thanotherformsofmarketing.Asageneralruleofthumbcompaniesalwaysthinkabout
theirownprofits.Soconsumersseekopinionsofpeoplewhomtheytrust.Marketingvia
socialnetworkswilincreasecustomer’sloyalty

Facilitatethediffusionofinformation:
Themoststrikingbenefitisthatsocialnetworksviarelationshipsonthepersonallevel
caneasilyfacilitatethespreadofanyidea,information,behaviourandopinionamong
people.Furthermore,onlinesocialnetworksaredynamic,andinformationcanbe
appendedandrevisedatanypoint

GainCompetitiveadvantage:

Manymarketersinthiscompetitivemarkethavejoinedthesocialnetworkingcommunity.
Companiesbyusingthesesitecaneasilyexpandtheirmarketniche,advertisetheir
businesses,increasebrandawarenessandgainloyalcustomersinthefuture

Understandingcustomer’need:

Asafirminvestigatesthesocialnetworkofitsconsumers,itiseasiertofindtheir
interest,whattheonlinevisitorswant,identifyingloyalconsumersandcreatinga
personalrelationshipwiththem

Connectingwithcurrentcustomers:
54
 Usingasocialnetworkalowsyoutoconnectwithorfriendthosewhoalreadymakeuse
ofyourservices.Convincecurrentcustomerstojoinyournetworkbypostingaflier
aboutitatyourplaceofbusiness.Printthewebaddressofyourpreferrednetworkon
yournextbatchofbusinesscards.Ifyourunastore,slipsmalpostcardsinshopping
bagswhencustomerpurchasesomething,encouragingthemtofindyourbusinesson
yournetworkofchoice.Dependingonthenetworkyouuse,currentcustomerscan
“Checkin”atyourbusinesswhenevertheyvisitletingothersknowthattheyarethere
andspreadingthewordaboutyourcompany.

FindingNewCustomers:

ASocialnetworkgivesyouthechancetoreachouttonewcustomers.Onewaytouse
yoursocialnetworktofindnewcustomersistoreachouttocurrentones.Tweetorpost
onyourwal,offeringaspecialdiscounttocurentcustomersforeverynewpersonwho
folowsorlikesyourbusiness.Alsooffernewfriendsorfolowersadiscountonyour
servicesiftheyjoinyournetwork

OpenCommunication:

Asocialnetworkletsyouinformfriendsorfolowersofsecretsalesorspecialoffers
quicklyandsimply.Italsoalowscustomerstocontactyoueasily.Ifacustomerhasan
issue,theycanpostonyourwalorwriteashortmessageexplainingtheproblem.This
alowsyoutorespondquicklyandatempttoamelioratethesituation.Customersalso
canpostpositiveexperienceswithyourcompanyonyourpage,whichisoneofthebest
typesofadvertising.Youalsocanusethesitetoaskyourcustomerswhattheylikeand
dislikeaboutyourcompanyorabouttheworldingeneral

DisadvantagesofSocialMediamarketing

SocialMediamarketingisafantastictoolinanymarketer’stoolbox.Butmanypeopledon’t
wanttotalkaboutthepitfalsassociatedwithit

Belowarefewdisadvantagesofsocialmediamarketing

55
BadBranding
Thewrongonlinebrandstrategycandoomacompany,andputyouatahugeviralsocial
disadvantage.JustaskSony.SonyhasagreatplatforminthePS3buttheychoseto
neglectthevalueofeffectivesocialmediaandasaresultthesalesoftheMicrosoftXbox
havesoaredwhileSony’salwaysremainnumbertwo.

Commitment
Ihavementionedthisinpastarticles,butitrealycan’tbeoverstated.Ifyourcompany
decidedtostartablog,twiterfeed,orFacebookpage,thendesignatesomeonetomaintain
it.ThereisnothingworsethangoingtovisitacorporatebloginSeptemberandthelast
postwasinJune.Ittelspotentialcustomersthatifyouaretoobusytomaintainyourblog
thenyouareprobablytoobusytoprovidethemwithcustomersupport.Theywilshop
elsewhere.Ifasacompanyyoucan’tcommitatleast6-8hrsaweekonSocialMediathen
don’tbotherwithit.SocialMediaisalivingbreathingbeast.Ifyoufeedthebeastthenthe
beastworksforyou,butyouneedtofeeditoften.

Relevantcontent
Let’sbehonest.BlogsandTwiterfeedstendtotakeonthepersonaoftheirauthorsand
thisisabad,badthing!Itisnotanindividual’sfeedorblog,itbelongstothecompanyand
theyhavedesignatedyouasthereptopost.ManySocialmediamarketersforgetthisand
thinkthattheyaretheblogorfeed.Thiswilonlyendinabadway.Corporateblogsand
feedsshouldbeagnostic.Theyneedtobe

interestingandrepresentthecompany,buttheyshouldbedesignedthatauthorscanbe
swappedoutwithalimiteddropinfolowing.Grantedsomecompanieshave“celebrities”
thattheywanttoshowcaseandthatisagoodthing,buthaveaplanshouldtheyeverleave
thecompany.Youdonotwantalofyoursocialmediaeffortsandrankingtodisappear
becausesomeonedecidedtoleavethecompany.SocialMediaisamarketingtoolthat
needsseriouscontent.NoonecaresthatyouareinSwitzerlandforaconferenceand
seeingthelocalsites.Whatreaderscareaboutiswhattechnologicaladvancesyoulearned
aboutattheconferencethatmightimpactthem.

Time
56
 ImentionedbeforethatgetinginvolvedwithSocialMediaisverytimeconsuming.Asa
companyyouwilneedtodesignateanindividualtoconstantlyfeedyourpagesandprofile
withrelevantcontent(seepointthree).Thisindividualalsohastomonitorcommentsand
respondtoquestions.Forsmalcompaniesthiscanbeaseriousproblemastheyneedal
handsondecktokeepthecompanyafloat.Thecommitmentoftimeiswhymanysmal
companieschoosenottoengageinsocialmediatoboosttheirmarketingefforts.They
realizetheirlimitationsandsimplydowithout.Thisiswhereanoutsideconsultant
becomesinvaluable

NoshorttermROI
ThehonesttruthisthatSocialMediaMarketingisalongtermstrategy.Seeingareturn
couldtakeanywherefromafewmonthstoayearbeforeacompanyseesthebenefitsof
increasedcustomerloyaltyandsales.

Theriskofnegativecomments
Anytimeacompanyopensitselfuptoopencriticismthereisthepossibilityofnegative
commentsaboutaproductorservice.Idon’tseethisasanegative.Ihavealwaysfound
thatthemeasureofaqualitycompanywashowtheydealtwithproblems,andcompanies
thatadmittheirfaults,fixthem,andcarryon,selmoreproducts.Consumerswant
customerservice.Theywanttoknowthatthecompanythattheyboughttheproductfrom
isfixinganyissuesquicklyandlisteningtothem.Wal-martusedthisstrategytohelpcreate
theemployeeshareprogram

whereeveryemployeeofastoregetsasplitofthestoretheyworkatprofitsonceperyearto
rewardtheiremployeesfortheirhardwork.Wal-martusedtheircorporateblogcommentsto
developthisprogramandincreaseproductivity.

AbovealSocialMediaisafantastictoolifusedproperly,butittakestimeanddedication.
Imagineascenariowheresomethinggoeswrongwithaproductline.SocialMediacanbeused
togetyourcorporateapologyandstatementoutextremelyquicklytododamagecontroland
getastatementoutbeforeyourcustomersstartforminganegativeopinion.Itisagreattool,
buteverytoolhastohavesafetyprecautionswhenusingit.

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Ultimately,decidingifyoushouldemploysocialnetworksaspartofyourmarketingplancomes
downtowhatisrightforyourbusiness.Canyouaffordtocommitthetimeandefforttoreap therewards?
SocialMediaisdefinitelynota“band-aid”solutiontoapoormarketingplan,orto
giveyouasuddensurgeofsales.SocialMediaisacommitedefforttobuildingrelationships
andaclientbaseforthelonghaul.

BenefitsoftheTopSocialMediaWebsites

SocialMediaisapowerfultoolthatpeopleusetoshareandconnectwithoneanother
anywhereintheworldatanytime.Companieshavetheuniqueopportunitytojoininthis
conversationbyconnectingwithcustomersthroughtheirownsocialmediaaccounts.
Folowingarefourofthebiggestsocialmediasitesonthewebandhoweachofthem
canbenefitthecompanydifferently

Facebook

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 Facebookisalowcostmarketingstrategy
Sharebasicinformationaboutyourbusiness
Sharephotosandvideosofyourbusiness
Talktoexistingandpotentialcustomers
Raisebrandawarenessandpromotewordofmouth
Targetadvertising
OfferDeals

Twitter

Monitorrealtimeconversation
Extendcustomerservice
OfferhelpfulLinksandheadlines
Breakthroughcommunicationbarierswithtweets
Runspecialdealsandpromotions
Buildyourpersonalbrand
Keepuponnewsandtrends

LinkedIn

Findbusinesspartners,clientsandserviceproviders
Getadvicefromindustryexperts
Addyourwebsiteorblogforincreasedexposure
Recommendationsincreaseyourcredibility
ProfilemakesforbeterSEOopportunity
Joingroupswithlikemindedpeople

Google+
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 Improvingyourresultsingooglesearch
yoursgoogle+postsgetindexedquickly
Yourcustomersandpotentialcustomersarealreadyon
Google+alowsformoredirectandpersonalrelationships
Futureintegrationwithothergoogleproducts
Growingrapidlywith500milionusers

Conclusion

Communicationabouttheproductorserviceprovidesamajorcontributiontobrand
competitioninthemarket.Itnotonlyprovidesinformationaboutproductorservicebutalso
promotescreativeinnovation.Besidesadvertising,italsofacilitatesconsumersatisfaction.The
hiddenfactisthatnobrandcanprogresswithouteffectivecommunicationstrategytoatract
theircustomersorusers.Bigandsmalvarietyofbrandsnowadayslaidtheirbaseonsocial
networkcommunicationtogetrecognizedinthetargetmarket.Socialnetworkingsitesusersof
Facebook,TwiterandOrkuthavebecomepersonal,productandcorporatebrandinghubin
Indianowadaysindigitalera.Everybrandthatexistsonsocialnetworkingsiteshasthesame

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corefeaturesandbenefits,suchastheabilitytocreateapage,shareresources,addmultimedia
andmuchmore.Socialnetworkingsitesarefiledwithpotentialuserswhoaremainlyyoung
adults.Theyspendmoretimeinthesenetworkingsitesduetoheavycommercialcontents,
entertainmentandsocialgathering.So,productorservicecommunicatorsthrongtheiradsin
theseareaswithmoreandmoreinteractiveandwithfascinatingfactorssothattheirbrand
identityisdevelopedamongtherightchoiceoffocusedaudience.Advertisersandbrandsuses
socialnetworkingsitesasthemajorresourcefortheirpromotionanddevelopingbrandidentity
amongthefocusedmarket.

SUGGESTIONS

Communicationshouldbemorepreferedthanadvertising:peopledonotpreferbuying

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productsthroughsocialnetworkingsites.So,ifthebrandiscommunicatedweland
rememberedbytheaudience,thenitisagreatestsuccesstothecompanyfortheirpromotion
throughsocialmedia.Promotionalwayofadvertisingisbest:theusualbanneradsandpop-up
adsmaketheuserstoignorethem.Soadvertisingmustbeinteractive,promotionalandin
innovativeformtoholdtheaudience.Itshouldtargettheindividualsthanthemass.Ifanadis
hostedforagroup,thenthatwouldbenoadvantageindeliveringspecifiedinformation.Adding
moremultimediaelementstohavemoreinteractivefactorsinfanpagesandgroupwouldbenefit
thebranduser

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