SOCIAL MEDIA

windchimes.co.in
by wInDChIMES COMMunICAtIOnS

whats the buzz all about?

this ebook is best read in the side-by-side page view.

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PREFACE
An introduction from the team at Windchimes Communications
We hit upon the idea of a handbook on social media during one of the countless educational sessions with our clients. We realized that this space requires a more thorough understanding for the marketer to adopt it to his marketing plan. Having been asked many questions on social media since our inception, we have tried earnestly to answer most of them in this book.

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The cloud of confusion that surrounded social media, especially with respect to deliverables was another issue. There were several false notions about this media that had been advocated by rookies and we felt it was time to put an end to it.

seen millions of Indians being active on various social media platforms - the big question being - HOW can brands reach out to them? We hope our book will leave you wiser at the end.

Social media is an exciting space to be in and also very rewarding if used in the right manner!
The objective of this book has been to foster an understanding of the basics of social media. There is a method in the madness that appears here and a certain understanding is required to adapt to this space. It is an exciting space to be in and also very rewarding if used in the right manner. With this book, we have shared our thoughts and understanding of the media hoping that it would help other social media enthusiasts and brand managers produce optimal results. Also, this book gives a regional flavour with context to India. We have

Nimesh shah saNdhya sadaNaNda (head mavens @ wc)

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tOPICS
Ohh! The stories we want to tell you!
We wish to take you on a journey of everything social. But before we start discovering the unheard regions of the planet social media, we would like to introduce you to a few concepts that have made social media a formidable channel of communication. In the process we hope to address the concern people raised about social media marketing being a passing phase, just like the dotcom bubble.

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01
Social Media and its Principles

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Return on Investment (ROI) of Social Media

03
Changing Communication Trends

27
Social Media Marketing

07
Social Media Hierarchy

29
Online Reputation Management

13
Social Media vis--vis Traditional Media

33
Social Media as a Human Resource Tool

15
Social Media Hangouts

35
B2B vs B2C

23
Mobile Social Networking

37
Connect with Windchimes

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SOCIAL MEDIA AnD ItS PRInCIPLES

Why exactly is it such a big deal and why should brands listen?
Social media has permeated into our lives to such an extent that it no longer needs an introduction. It is no longer considered a fad. It is a phenomenon that is here to stay. Today, emails are not the only means of electronic communication. Most people prefer to tweet or drop a line on Facebook. For a more private conversation, they turn to social network messengers. The idea is to have a conversation in real time rather than wait for the person to log in to their mail account and reply. Web 2.0 allows social media to do just that, be instantaneous in both communicating a message and assessing the reaction. Thus, in the process, allowing it to become a habit.

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Simply put, social media is creation of information by the wisdom of crowds in a collaborative manner.

what is social media?

It is democratisation of media as no single individual owns or controls it It is engaging, and not enraging the users It is about them, and not you; about speaking with, and not to people PrinCiPles Of sOCiAl mediA There are certain guidelines that will help brand build equity with the users. These principles will help brands connect efficiently and make ambassadors out of online users. Most importantly it will help create goodwill and respect among the users. For a campaign to effectively use social media, it must follow what we call the Windchimes VULP Model of Engagement. The VULP Model states that in order to create an effective social media campaign a brand needs to engage in: Building Value for the community Allowing users to generate content

listening to peoples point of view Seeking user ParticiPation These are fairly simple points, but then so is the nature of social media. It is the humaneness of the media which makes it different from the rest. The principles are followed by certain caveats that people indulging in social media must be aware of. Here are a few pointers to suggest what works as a good social media campaign. Social media is based on conversation and not on messaging If you try to stop it, the momentum of social media only increases If you try to force it into motion, you will probably be stopping it or preventing it from starting It is not a magic pill that delivers instantly You have to keep at it - just like your real life relationships - cannot give up after a while

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ChAngIng COMMunICAtIOn tREnDS

How these trends are changing the way we communicate with each other
Let us map some changes that have occurred over the last few years. As a society we have changed in the way we consume media and the way we communicate. Marketers have to take these trends into account while rolling out their campaigns. In the 1990s, when the internet was still growing, it was mainly used for browsing. People would spend hours just going from one site to the other. The idea was to know more about things they already knew through various websites. There was no active searching for information.

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This changed in the post Y2K era. People started searching for things they were interested in and would actively look for more information in that field. Search engines like Google became the key drivers. As the generation grew techsavvy and search engines became more accurate, the internet audience moved from searching to discovering things created by other users. While
x

Trend #1 Today, consumers start the communication cycle by actively looking for information. The need for the product/service makes them look for the appropriate brand to provide the solution in a platform of their choice, and if during that search the particular brand does not appear, then it drops out of the consumers consideration set.
x x

sitesiknow.com

google.com

facebook.com

BRowse
1990s

seaRch
2000s

discoVeR
2010s

hOw uSERS SOught InFORMAtIOn OVER thE DECADES

searching still ends with discovering, the key discovery happens through information shared on various social platforms. Information is not dug out of websites. It is found on Facebook, brand pages, blogs (web logs) etc. These changes are highlighted in the following trends that have been noticed:

So, instead of creating siloed brand sites, marketers will have to move their communication to where consumers are spending time on blogs, social networking sites, discussion forums etc. This is because if their brand doesnt show up there then it has lost out on the opportunity to communicate with the users.

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Best hotels mUmBai users Keywords search

itchotels.in thetaj.in leelahotels.in Brand weBsiTe lisTinG

itchotels.in thetaj.in leelahotels.in selecT & visiT weBsiTe

itchotels.in BooK a Room prospecTive cusTomer

uSERS ARE SEEkIng InFORMAtIOn

Trend #2 People are forming common interest groups and communities online, thereby devoting most of their spare time in these activities. This is the most wonderful development a brand manager could ask for, as it segments users on psychographic parameters rather than demographic. The impact of this segmentation is higher and also cost-effective.

To engage with this targeted group of users, brands will have to create a presence in these communities. Presence is not reflected merely by banner ads on the site but by listening to what consumers really want and then providing it.

Travel communiTy on Tripadvisor.com

Also the brands would need to develop networks to distribute content that is relevant to their consumer and then build in brand proposition.

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Trend #3 People prefer active forms of engagement to passive ones. The modus operandi of TV channels best reflect this trend. Reality shows have cashed in on user voting; news channels have started citizen journalism to involve the viewers.

Media consumption and social interaction is moving to global platforms, constrained more by language and not borders
These trends reveal that brands have to go much beyond the 30 sec Television Commercial to capture the changing consumers attention. This is where social media scores. It increases the level of involvement the brand has with the users and gets them to participate on the online communities they have subscribed to.

ciTizen Journalism show on cnn iBn

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SOCIAL MEDIA hIERARChY

Who are the listeners and who are the ones being heard?
When the social media landscape was formed, the classification of the audience who took part in it was done on the basis of their characteristics and levels of participation. They were classified as per the 5 Cs of Social Evolution, namely, crowd, connectors, customisers, commentators and creators.

5cs oF social media

Crowd Connectors Customisers Commentators Creators

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COMMEnTATORS

COnnECTORS CUSTOMiSERS CREATORS

CROWd
thE 5C SOCIAL EVOLutIOn PRInCIPLE

sOCiAl mediA HierArCHy: THe emergenCe Of THe 6TH C Of sOCiAl evOluTiOn With time a new breed began to take shape, one that could not be ignored. And thus emerged what are categorized as Social Collectors. We love collecting things. As kids, we collected coins and stamps. As adults, we collect things that vary in size and cost. Right from pens, sunglasses and watches to cars, antiques and even alcohol. Users collect things with the hope that their collection will grow. In social media space, a collecting site is a place where people would like to gather together all the articles, images and things they discover in the course

of time. Just like in real life, the desire to return to the trove, in order to see it grow is a huge part of online world. This is the idea that powers sites like Pinterest. Bookmarking may have become a thing of the past, but that is only because as data got stacked up, people were getting lost in their own collection. It is not just about collecting. With such collection sites and platforms, the collectors also get an opportunity to curate their collections as per their liking. This gives them far more reasons to build a collection in the first place. With absolute control over their collection, they showcase it to the world as they choose to.

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Sites like Pinterest have made collection more fun and cool with a very heavy distribution of image in the layout of these sites.

In fact, such is the growth that being a Collector has become an undeniable part in the evolutionary step of social media users. Though the social media hierarchy was defined earlier by the 5 Cs, now Collectors has become a vital stage; an integral part of the process.

example oF online collections:

The same guy:
http://www.botharesame.blogspot.in/

The daily grill:

http://thedailygrill.in/

#TAD365
http://roycin.com/blog/tweeter-a-day-365

the question is, where in this evolution process do collectors fit in? Do they fit between customisers and commentators or between commentators and creators? The creators are the absolute highest in the chain with the ability to make share worthy content and are looked up to. The commentators might not be as influential as the Creators but they actively seek places to express their opinion. They are looking to be heard and seen. This is the prime difference between Creators and Commentators in comparison to the Customisers. The customisers are still seeking more information to get them going. They may not express their thoughts too much with others at this time in the evolution stage. This is similar to the collector nature; i.e. collecting for the self rather than showcasing. Hence, we would believe that Collectors would fit well between the Customisers and the Commentators. In the initial stages, an individual is wary of the media and engages in it more as an observer or crowd. This stage allows him to understand the space and the manner in which it functions.
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6cs oF social media

Crowd Connectors Customisers Collectors Commentators Creators

After getting comfortable with it, he moves on to social networking sites where he first starts interacting with others by making his/her profile. The use is restricted to sharing pictures, videos and links. The comfort level with this media shoots up phenomenally after this stage, leading to the next level of becoming a Customiser. Here he creates a presence on several social media platforms. Also, he starts using advanced features and applications on his profile. Every user becomes a Collector at some point of time. Collectors are those who use social media platforms for aggregating things that they like on social media and the World Wide Web. They essentially gather things for themselves and also, at some level, invite connectors to appreciate their work.
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The fifth layer, Commentators, is the intermittent one a layer which most users cross quickly. The user has moved on to a more active one now and considers himself worthy of critiquing and commenting on what he reads online. The participation levels increase with the comments and votes that he leaves behind on platforms. A sense of belonging that comes with the participation compels him to spend more time on these platforms. The last stage in this hierarchy is that of a Creator where the user really starts contributing to the social media space. He now blogs his views and develops content that will add value online. From here on, the user, if he is consistent with this work, can become an expert in his chosen field.

the joy of seeing his/ her work appreciated and commented upon by others & seeing himself as someone who brings about a change through his work fascinates the collector

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His writing will have followers and very soon, he will move on to becoming an influencer. Becoming an influencer is not included as a stage because we believe it is more about a part of life it is more attitudinal. It is no more a part of functional learning but it has more to do with discipline. Discipline to write consistently, always creating value, reading the feedback all attributes that make a successful influencer.

Gary Vaynerchuk @garyvee Video king, has a social pull of 2,332 Scott Stratten @unmarketing Has a social pull of 2,218 Robert Scoble @scobleizer Long term blogger and trend setter, has a social pull of 2,216 Glen Gilmore @glengilmore From Gilmore business network, has a social pull of 1,944 Liz Strauss @lizstrauss From Sucessful Blog, has a social pull of 1,827 Jason Falls @jasonfalls Social Media Explorer, has a social pull of 1,822 Mari Smith @marismith, Facebook expert, has a social pull of 1,806

the FoRBes top 10 social media wRiteRs who aRe Key inFlUenceRs
Chris Brogan @chrisbrogan Chris, President of Human Works, has a social pull of 3,019 Ann Handley @marketingprofs Manages blog at marketingprofs, has a social pull of 2,962 Guy Kawasaki @guykawasaki, Former Apple evangelist, has a social pull of 2,651

source: ForBes.com To read more visiT: hTTp://Goo.Gl/yoKlX

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CREATE

CREATORS WRITE BLOGS, CREATE VIDEOS, PHOTO SITES

POST & VOTE

COMMEnTATORS POST COMMENTS, RATINGS, REVIEW AND VOTE

nEW

AGGREGATE

COLLECTORS USE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FOR AGGREGATING THINGS THAT THEY LIKE

SUBSCRIBE

CUSTOMiSERS SUBSCRIBE TO FEEDS, CUSTOMIzE PROFILES

MULTIPLE PROFILES

COnnECTORS PROFILES ON VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

READ & WATCH

wInDChIMES 6C SOCIAL EVOLutIOn PRInCIPLE

CROWd USERS WHO READ BLOGS, Q&A SITES, WATCH VIDEOS & PICS

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SOCIAL MEDIA VIS--VIS tRADItIOnAL MEDIA

How are the two different from each other?
In the traditional consumer purchase decision pyramid, when a requirement arises, the consumer looks around for the brands that he may buy. Based on the level of awareness that brands have created at that point of time, the consumer considers his options from the available set and then finally decides to purchase the product. This leads to two key problems. First, a brand may have used a particular medium which the consumer might not have seen. Second, at that point of time, maybe, the brand was not as aggressive in creating awareness as some other brand. In both the case, even though the brand had initiated campaigns, it would still lose out vis--vis another brand.

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traditional media

conVersion consiDeration engageMent awareness

conVersion consiDeration awareness

DIFFERnCE bEtwEEn tRADItIOnAL MEDIA AnD SOCIAL MEDIA

This is biggest difference between Social Media and Traditional Media. The scope of interaction that social media platforms allow, the dialogue that the users build with the other brand users on these platforms and the continuous nature of the campaign, is what gives it an edge over its traditional counterparts. The interactivity allows brands to engage with the users and create experiences that will make them potential brand users. The diagram above highlights the basic difference between social media marketing and traditional marketing. The engagement part in the second pyramid is the key differentiator. That is what brands must work towards while planning a social media campaign.

The other important difference is that there is no audience in social media. So when brands are building engagement, remember, it is people whom they are talking to and not an audience. We couldnt agree with it more as the audience may not be buying the product, or worse, even planning to buy one. For all these years, traditional media has allowed the brand managers to control the message. Everything was governed, conformed to a norm. However, in social media, there is no control - forcing the brands to be true in their approach. Here there is no audience. Instead, what we do have are participants who are willing to hear what you have to say, making them more likely buyers of the brand.

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social media

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SOCIAL MEDIA hAngOutS

Who must you target, to be heard?
fACebOOk give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected Biggest social media networking site in the world with 955 million global users including 51 million Indians as of August 2012 Share photos, videos, links, status updates and play games 42 million pages with at least 10 Likes as of March 31, 2012
discover facebook and the new timeline on our blog.

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yOuTube Discover, watch and share Great platform to promote original content Biggest collection of online videos Perfect channel for brands to share their advertisements Estimated 60 hours of video uploaded every minute or one hour of video is uploaded every second TWiTTer Brings you closer to what you care about 500 million registered users, of which close to 18 million are Indians Real-time information sharing site Shares news faster than the news channels can broadcast Credited for causing the first social-media revolt in history and dislodging a government

linkedin connecting the worlds professionals to make them more productive and successful A social playground for professionals Resumes look like social profiles Fast becoming an authentic recruiting site, with recommendations and portfolios attached As of July 2012, LinkedIn has more than 161 million global users, 15 million in India The gated-access approach (where contact with any professional requires either a pre-existing relationship or the intervention of a mutual contact) helps to build trust among the service users

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Quora succeeded in combining attributes of twitter, Facebook, google wave and various websites that employ a system of users voting content up.
fOursQuAre Make the most of where you are A geonetworking website based on software for mobile devices with almost 20 million users. The service is available to users with GPS-enabled mobile devices such as Smartphones.

Over 2 billion check-ins, with millions more every day Each check-in awards the user points, special badges and the much sought after mayorship Over 750,000 businesses use the Merchant Platform Tell the world exactly where you are out to eat, drink and be merry and check out other peoples recommendations to plan your revelry The exploding use of mobile internet in India is a reason to think that Foursquare can be big in India and can be used to reach out to potential customers
read more about how brands have activated foursquare for promotion on our blog.

QuOrA connecting you to everything you want to know about An online knowledge market, Quora, aggregates questions and answers on numerous topics and allows users to collaborate on them by commenting on the Q&A and also upvote or downvote the answers.

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Quora is a great place to find answers about products from prominent people involved with them. It is also a great place for these people to disagree, publicly. And this gives Quora a clear advantage of being alive and buzzing. Real discussions break out on Quora all the time

connections into small circles, similar to how people talk and share things in real life. It is estimated that Google+ has about 250 million users as of June 2012. Some of the features are: CirCles The groups into which you can organize your friends sparks Google believes that matters of common interest can spark conversations and this is exactly what Sparks does stream Similar to Facebooks news feed, the stream allows the flow of news posts. At the top of your stream is a sharing box. Actually two sharing boxes. First, in the navigation bar there is a share area to the right side. Second, in the Stream itself, there is a longer box, where you can enter a status update or use icons to upload and share photos and videos.

Quora succeeded in combining attributes of Twitter, Facebook, Google Wave and various websites that employ a system of users voting for content. The Daily Telegraph, UK has predicted that Quora will go on to become larger than Twitter in the future.
want to discover quora more? here is where you can start.

gOOgle+ A social networking platform launched by the search giant, Google+ is a collaboration of every Google product to build a more social environment. It has its focus on creating a realistic communication online by segregating

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Pinterest is a vision board-styled social photo sharing website and app where users can create and manage theme-based image collections.

Hangout It is the most prominent of all features and has the potential to entice users to switch from Facebook to Google+. The key is to get several people involved, casually, rather than barge in with a solitary invite. It is like finding people who are already talking rather than dropping in uninvited. Hence, the name Hangout! Huddle It is essentially a group messaging app that works across Android, iPhone and SMS to allow you to communicate with the people in certain circles
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PinTeresT One of the fastest growing social networking platforms in the recent times, Pinterest boasts of acquiring close to 12 million unique users in a little over a month and has already created ripples across the web. Touted to be one of the hottest start-ups, Pinterest that came into being in March 2010 has lots in its arsenal to support that claim. Wikipedia defines Pinterest as a vision board-styled social photo sharing website and app where users can create and manage theme-based image collections. It scores brownie points with users due to its visually dominant user interface. Here is a list of some of the features that stand witness to its phenomenal growth: The most prominent and unique feature is the pin it button that gets placed on the users browser menu. This allows users to pin any image, video or piece of information they might come across while browsing, directly to their pin board without having to login through their individual account. Pin boards radically enhance the scope of categorizing data

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PIntERESt bOARDS

in the users account. These are thumbnails of users interests, based on their interpretation of data. The navigation bar at the top of the profile page of the user is a one-stop console to manage his moves. Three icons namely, add+, about and users name is like the command center for the entire website. Add+ allows one to upload pins (images, videos, links etc.) and create pin boards. About is a ready reckoner of sorts for anyone who seeks to be guided across the platform. It is more like a help menu for users. This has an option to access the Pinterest company blog too. The User Name of the account holder or the last tab on the
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navigation bar is a private menu for the user. The user can invite or search for friends across various other platforms, besides accessing his boards. In the profile page, to the left of the screen is the Recent Activity column. Much like the ticker on Facebook, this gives a glimpse of real-time activities by followers and friends. Owing to its vision-board based photo sharing user interface, it poses a challenge to traditional photo sharing websites. The feature packs a double punch when it comes to delivering content. All in all, Pinterest, the newest kid on the social networking block, is showing enough promise to take on the big daddies in times to come.

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Viddy comes equipped with a tray of advanced video options not usually found in the inbuilt videocameras, thus rendering it an edge over others.

viddy Believed to be heavily influenced by Instagram, Viddy is loosely considered to be an Instagram for videos. This video-sharing application includes visual effects, filters, music and transitions. The length of a standard video that can be shared has been restricted to 15 seconds as of now, in order to create a library of uniformly timed video snippets.

insTrAgrAm Launched in October 2010, this hot new start-up has already caught the worlds fancy. So much so that Facebook paid $1 billion to buy it. Instagram is a photo-sharing program that allows users to take a photo, apply a digital filter and share it on various social networking sites including its own portal. Initially available on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, it is now available on Android camera phones running on version 2.2 or higher. Each user is entitled to a profile where the photographs can be uploaded and subsequently follow and get followed by other users.

A PICtuRE FILtERED On InStAgRAM

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MICROSOFt SOCL

sOCl Developed by Microsoft FUSE Labs, So.cl is the latest social networking site to have been added to the beeline. What distinguishes this service is its aggregation feature that pulls content from external sites and shares it across the So.cl network. It allows users to share, discover new topics, connect, express and grow social, much like any other in the social networking space. A feature that comes in handy is the inbuilt Google+ widget that helps to launch instant video chat. PATH Path is a social networkingenabled photo-sharing and messaging service for mobile devices. This mobileexclusive platform is primarily a photo
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and visually-dominated interface and is all about creating an individuals timeline. The user gets to add events from daily life such as his location, a photo, current activity etc., which grows vertically upwards in the interface and becomes a pocket multimedia tracker of ones existence. A key feature is that it allows a greater degree of control as to who can view the path. Unlike its rivals, Path allows its users to carefully select close family and friends. Being only a mobile-based app, the interface is pretty slick and has a lesser loading time, besides doing away with the regular sluggishness that is generally associated with social networking sites.

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MObILE SOCIAL nEtwORkIng

your phone is smarter than you thought.
The topic says it all. Much like webbased social networking, mobile social networking is a process where one or more individuals of similar interests or commonalities, converse and connect using mobile phones. With the target audience number reaching close to 75 million (which is more than the number of Indians on Facebook), mobile social networking is a very attractive marketing tool.

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Native mobile social networks focus on mobile communication, location-based services, augmented reality requiring mobile devices and technology. Advances in hardware and software technology have facilitated the existence of these mobile virtual communities.

application that lets users send texts, make calls, chat in one of the many chat rooms and even add their MSN or Yahoo buddies and talk to them, all at very cheap rates.
read more about mobile social networking on our blog.

Advances in hardware and software technology have facilitated the existence of these mobile virtual communities.
A lot of mobile social networks are region specific and are catering to the non Facebook/Orkut markets where mobile internet is growing faster than PC-based internet usage. Leading Mobile Social Networking Sites: RockeTalk Mig33 SMS GupShup Present internationally, mig33 has users in over 100 cities in India. Essentially, mig33 is a free online mobile

AIRtEL MObILE AntAkShARI CAMPAIgn On ROCkEtALk

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ROI OF SOCIAL MEDIA

does it all actually make sense? does it even work?
To us, ROI of social media would mean relevance, originality and involving. And this is not a mere play with words to evade the question of measurement but a true manner of gauging results. Like any campaign, social media too starts by understanding the objectives that a brand seeks to achieve. It is the most pivotal step and any evaluation done to measure its success will be strongly dependent on it. This also helps the company manager in understanding what can be achieved through social media and the time it will take. The entire social media strategy works with a specific timeline and media elements.

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Unlike other mass media, measurement is not done in reach and frequency terms on social media. Those are evaluation terms for advertising. Advertising is not the key objective and it is important to understand that at the very outset, social media is all about building conversations, engaging with people, creating value-adding content and participating in local communities. This does not mean that one cannot monitor it or generate reports.

this media is all about building conversations, dialogue, engaging with people, creating valueadding content and participating in local communities.
In fact, the report that is generated is extremely detailed and specific. Detailed because, it lists out all the sites where the seeding has been carried out, gives out the list of influencers reached out to, and details out the content (text,

photos, tools or videos) created in the process. Specific because, it tells the manager the exact number of views a brand video has received, if it has been uploaded on any video sharing site. Social media provides all this and more, unlike a TVC where there can never be any form of exact measurement. The measurement of social media activity is done both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative measurement would mean the number of people being led to the brand website, number of views generated, number of downloads of brand widgets, number of times the brands social media release was seen, number of comments and replies received on seeding, number of seeds carried out in various forums, communities and groups. Qualitative measurement includes the kind of content generated for brand, the quality of response and comments generated, outreach program carried out for influencers, brand reviews received from experts etc. In fact, internet-based activities give out more numbers than any other medium, be it print, radio or the truly immeasurable outdoors.

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SOCIAL MEDIA MARkEtIng

How does it help brands stay ahead of competition
Word-of-mouth (WoM) marketing has played an indomitable role in a brands success since time immemorial. Brands that have acquired the status of super brands or cult brands have had WoM play a significant role supported by clever techniques. People started talking about these brands elevating them to top-of-themind slot at the time of purchase. The trick lay in creating enough talk points about the brand and then getting people to talk about them.

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Easier said than done, you might think? Well, not anymore. With the proliferation of various social media platforms, there are enough opportunities that brands utilise to reach out to users.
MOBiLE

1%

TV 23% inTERnET (WEBSITES, BLOGS, SNS) 63%

nEWSPAPERS 13%

CLEAR InDICAtIOn OF SOCIAL MEDIA InFLuEnCE

A good case in point is Lakme Studio that used the entire range of social media tools to draw brand mileage. All this provides ready ground for companies to build their presence online, provided they are willing to join the conversation. The entire idea is to participate in the online communities and add value to the ongoing discussions and in the process, build a brand presence. This is essentially what social media marketing is all about. It presents a great opportunity for brands to build personal relationships with the consumer. Become more of a friend and less of a preacher giving out directives. This leads to a more sympathetic view towards the brands from the consumer, leading to a better sale prospect.
here is a look at how red bull engaged in smm to build relationship with f1 fans in india.

While WoM can also be done through offline channels, it is the scale that is difficult to achieve. In the online space, millions of users login to various platforms to seek advice, share their experiences, read reviews, and in doing so, end up influencing others and themselves in their purchase decisions.

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OnLInE REPutAtIOn MAnAgEMEnt

Why listening is important in building brand equity
It was not too long back when the only way people could publicly share their brand experience was through the Letters to the editor column in newspapers and magazines. That too was left at the discretion of the editor who decided which readers letter should be published. Fortunately all that changed with the advent of various social media sites. It gave people a platform to share and discuss anything they liked. There was no control or restriction on them.

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EnViROnMEnT BOdiES hUMAn RighTS, ASSOCiATiOnS, ngOS MEdiA

gOVERnMEnT OR LOCAL COMMUniTy

STAkEhOLdERS TALking ABOUT ThE COMPAny

COnSUMERS

BUSinESS PARTnERS EMPLOyEES (POTENTIAL, CURRENT & EX)

ShAREhOLdERS & finAnCiAL AnALySTS

tRACkIng thE OnLInE SPACE

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while companies may have spent millions on advertising, they were losing out by not listening to what consumers had to say about their brand.

The reader could now decide what to read and who to believe. These online reviews, consumer experiences, user ratings and votes on products and services have started influencing purchase behavior. After all, it is very natural to believe a peer opinion over the supposedly biased message of a marketer. It is imperative to not only listen to what was being spoken but also reciprocate with prompt and relevant action.

Fixing online reputation works on the Broken Window analogy. It is best to address the issue at the first sign of damage before it escalates any further. Unlike the print medium, tracking the online space is very different and fraught with challenges: It is not just the vast number of platforms that consumers could use to voice their opinions, but they also operate on different technologies. The number of blogs or the various groups on the networking sites to be tracked runs into millions, unlike few hundred print publications. There are comments on each blog post that also need to be tracked along with the post itself. Content on each social media platform is changing 24X7, unlike print where it happens once a day. However, it is important for companies to realize that they are being spoken about in these communities. It is equally important to have a feel of the pulse of online buzz on the company.

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IMPORtAnCE OF ORM source: Growmap

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SOCIAL MEDIA AS A huMAn RESOuRCE tOOL

How to make social media work for recruitment and employee engagement
The best companies in the world engage and leverage employees through social media while avoiding potential catastrophes. Since the time spent on social networks is growing at an incredible pace, it is the true gauge of how employees, future employees and former employees rate your company and feel about it. It provides a good amassment of your organization without meeting them.

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Social Media can be utilised as: TAlenT brAnding TOOl In any organisation, recognising the effort that the staff puts in towards their work is a key HR engagement Rewarding them is a good way of motivating them to higher goals Social media can play an important role in giving these employees their 15 minutes of fame. The organization can keep a running tab on Facebook titled Employee of the Month, that would talk about one such person The fact that everyone in the company will see that tab would motivate staff members to work towards getting on the tab esTAblisHing THe COmPAny As emPlOyer Of CHOiCe For most companies, being talked as the place where people would like to work is an important goal This is not only limited to students graduating out of degree colleges but also for professionals from across the world Social media provides the platform to share the kind of work and life

that any person working for the organisation can expect to lead. Showcasing the facilities available to these future recruits can help establish an organisation as Employer of Choice. inTernAl COmmuniCATiOns meCHAnism Social media tools can also be used to improve employee engagement with the organization which will lead to stronger retention rates. It also acts like an interactive and personal mode of communication, rather than a memo or internal mailer. emPlOyee relATiOn neTWOrk Sharing through social media can be used across divisions to share knowledge base and research findings. Places such as Linkedin can be used for thought leadership tools, where people from all over the world come together and discuss and share their opinion on a common topic.
read more about recruitment via social media on our blog.

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b2b VS b2C
Catering to the businesses and consumers alike
We have seen the three main functions that social media can be utilized for, namely Social Media Marketing, Online Reputation Management and Talent Branding. Any brand can engage in any of the above mentioned activity, irrespective to the fact that they may be a business to consumer brand or a business to business brand.

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Indeed, social media is not just conducive for B2C marketing, it can also be actively used in B2B marketing along with government, education, military, and other prominent verticals. As decision makers take to the social web, their research, activity, communication, and most importantly, their relationships only intensify over time. The difference that tends to seep in to the strategy is the choice of platform. While B2C brands would be more active on platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest, B2B clients are seen more active on Twitter and YouTube.

while the aim is to engage audience in both categories, in b2b strategy, driving traffic to a much detailed site seems to work the most.
An interesting example of B2B marketing through social media is the Philips linkedin campaign called

innovation for Health. While the campaign was driven on Linkedin through engagement of doctors, general public and employees of Philips, there were no real end consumers involved. The end consumers were Linkedin us ers who would have evaluated the credibility that Philips established through this campaign. It is important to note that there is not much difference in the principles of engagement for either B2B marketing or B2C marketing. The difference lies in the messaging and the probable reach. While B2C is mass marketing with a more open and informal communication, B2B marketing has a limited, almost niche market to target and has to adopt a comparatively formal tone. The key point to remember is that Social Media marketing works well for both B2B companies as well as B2C companies. If the campaign is well planed and thought out, there is no question that it will be a successful campaign irrespective to the nature of the company.

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