Sunday 29 December 2013

Blogging as a Social Media Platform


Believe it or not, Blogs have been one of the oldest forms of Social Media, invented much before the Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus brigade caught on in the past half a decade. For at its most basic sense, this is the barebones definition of Social Media...

...is a shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content. Technologies include: blogs, picture-sharing, vlogs, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, crowdsourcing, and voice over IP, to name a few.

And Blogs pioneered the concept before the aforementioned websites hit the scene and proceeded to explode in varying degrees over time. Initially known as web logs, it was a format which early Internet users could use on a daily basis to put out personal thoughts on a public forum and await feedback - be it email responses, comments or simply, views!

The most redeeming features of Blogs - of any kind - that you’ll notice is the hawk-like emphasis on content. Not just user-generated chatty content, but the production of content that is an alternative to traditional media AND that benefits from interlinked conversation and comments. Maybe the fact that “old media” has co-opted those aspects of blogs is the reason that some people no longer see blogging as social media, which is quite frankly, a mistake.


Of course, The blog-o-sphere is not easy to conquer. Due to a moderately high level of competition, a blogger cannot merely sustain the profession after a while, so has to morph into a Blogger and Marketer and SEO pro. Suffice to say, that's a lot of work to ensure that their blog gains more traffic (if not gain, at least sustain the traffic it gets). And on top of it, bloggers have a 9 to 5 jobs so articles have to be churned out in the limited amounts of time that he or she does get.

We'll leave you with an ironic chunk of news. A few years ago, a popular Canadian author claimed that he is quitting Social Media and proceeded to give his reasons why. But he goes on to state that he’ll continue to produce content on his own blog. So what exactly is he quitting? What do you think? ;)

Friday 29 November 2013

The Scope of Social Media in India


India and China are frequently clubbed together as the two enormous Asian economic powerhouses of the increasingly forthcoming future, and while there are obvious critical differences between the two, it's interesting to note how similar their markets behave in terms of the digital and social marketing sphere.

India's first tier cities share the opulence of any of the world's finest metros, though the same frills of PC and Desktop Internet access are virtually non-existent in the rural belts. However, rural Indians are increasingly leapfrogging PC technology entirely and opting to access the Internet via mobile phones, a much more convenient and affordable, if less powerful, option.


But India shares a distinct advantage over the Asia-Pacific region in terms of literate population. Over 64.32% of the total current population, or 784 million are literate and connected. The untapped literate adult population though, is a stupendous 678 million. That includes folks who don't necessarily use the Internet on a daily basis, leave alone social networking sites or portals to make purchases online.

Facebook in India:
Penetration of Total Current Population: 57.17%
Total number of users: 50 million
Ranked #3 as per the number of users.

LinkedIn in India:
Penetration of Total Current Population: 1.14%
Total number of users: 15 million
Ranked #2 as per the number of users.

Google+ in India:
Bangalore is the city with the highest number of Google+ users in the world
Total number of users: 13 million
Ranked #2 as per the number of users.

Twitter in India:
Total number of users: Over 13 million
Ranked #8 as per the number of users.

Small companies are hence correct in assuming a goldmine on the horizon with such figures. Social Media is a tool they are actively starting to harness to tap into these several millions from amongst the populace, both to up their visibility and increase the simultaneous response rate, aside from increases in viral percentages of new and existing pages.


Wednesday 20 November 2013

Why Does Your Brand Need Social Media?


Social Media has been an interesting development over the past decade, be it for businesses or customers, and the relationship between the two. Even in a bare-boned implementation, it still enables businesses - small or large, to advertise their company and engage their consumers in an arena they are comfortable with, whilst constantly shaping the perception and marketing of their products in the background.

Looked at another way however, it can also prove risky to the brand in question. For decades, most brands held the reigns of their marketing and branding, only to have Social Media hand over a component of said power to the consumer - which may or may not be a good thing. Consumers - bear in mind, have all the gears when it comes to what they want to see and how they respond to what they see. Thanks to the "social" aspect of social media, the company's successes, failures and mistakes are all broadcast within minutes of their occurrence and are publicly discussed and shared for the world to see. 

But that comes with the territory really, and needless to say, the benefits of social media far outweigh the cons. And what's more, it's here to stay and it will influence the decision making of consumers and the average Joe for years to come. Companies therefore, could do better than to ignore it and instead decide on how they can respond to this change for the better - sort of making the best out of an iffy situation and scenario, if you like.

Succinctly put, there are three primary reasons why your brand could do with some exposure to Social Media in lieu of your overall marketing and Reputation Management. Here they are,

1. Reduced Expenditure

If properly implemented, a dash of Social initiatives can loosen up the pursestrings for other divisions of the company, even in the short term. Popular websites in the genre such as Facebook or LinkedIn provide businesses with the means to increase customer services, hence saving costs to implement a similar system on the ground as was the case yesteryear, with the logistics of managing staff and personnel, the works. Of course, this also translates into many satisfied and unburdened customers as well.

2. Broadcasting your Strengths

It's a novel way of advertising, in ways more than one. By splurging on the successes of your brand through infographics, videos and imagery, you can forever transform the business marketing of your business through a few clicks of the button. The consumer in turn is influenced by your showcased credibility over time, and you are sooner rather than later regarded as an expert in your field.

3. Competition

If your competitors are already onto the Social Media bandwagon, this is a no-brainer. But if they're not, then you are a step above them. Don't watch the ship sail, businesses that invest in their Social presence now are the ones who will inevitably laughing their way to the bank in future, while their competitors who stalled the process by a couple of years will still be fledgling in a matured medium that expanded and moved on without them on board.

Naturally, there are dozens of other popular reasons why you shouldn't enjoy the gravy train - but these three are most closely tied to the balance sheet of the company in the near term. Should you feel overwhelmed by the concept of it all, remember, it's for the greater good.

Should you require a credible and popular third party to manage the Social Media Presence of your Brand on popular mediums, get in touch with brandupdate.brandupdate@gmail.com or better yet, chime in with a message on their Facebook page.