BUSINESS / SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIAL .......CLICK ‘LIKE’

CLICK ‘LIKE’ 

BUSINESSES ARE INCREASINGLY LOOKING TOWARDS SOCIAL MEDIA NOT ONLY TO PROMOTE THEIR VENTURES BUT ALSO BUILD THEIR BRAND. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN ONLINE PRESENCE IN TODAY’S TIMES

When CEO Amit Mehta, passionately launched, Unived, a vegan healthcare company last year, he knew he would integrate an inhouse social media team. “Apart from being a lowcost, global marketing tool, social media lets you strike a personal relationship with people. That’s something money can’t buy.”
    Today, the various social media platforms are a fertile ground for potentially lucrative, two-way conversations with your target audience. They have the power to peddle a brand story, boost awareness, build relationships and finally, drive sales.
MAKE IT REAL
“Innovation means bringing the real and social media world together. In one of our campaigns for watches, we used social media engagement for getting a discount at the store. Customers could show their ‘Like’ and avail a discount,” informs Mayur Milan, director, Ourbit Marketing and Communications Private Limited. Mehta adds, “We promoted our products by running contests. We uploaded pictures of medicinal plants and asked people to identify them. The winners received gift hampers.”
    Sindhuja Rai, head of media and digital, Cadbury India, speaks about how their digital campaign leveraged the real-time nature of the medium and delighted fans. They invited consumers to share their best shubhaarambh (auspicious beginning) moments during this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL). “It added a lot of credibility and buzz.”
FACTOR YOUR COSTS
Social media marketing requires a very limited budget. It provides a level playing ground. A small manufacturing unit has the same resources as a brand. Unlike the fixed minimum cost of buying ad space in print, radio, outdoor or television, in social media you can have the power to decide your own spend.
    What’s costly is just patience during the slow growth curve. As Rai puts it, “It’s more time intensive than investment intensive.” Once the tipping point has been reached,
growth will be much quicker and more cost effective. “Through social media campaigns, brands can achieve a quick turn-around. A promotional offer is perfect to counter a competitor’s massive campaign,” says Milan. From a pure investment efficiency lens, it is a competitive platform. The bigger picture emerges once you start evaluating the effect on the brand metrics. They key is to invest in shareworthy content to unlock the true potential of this medium. Adds Vijay Jain, CEO, ORRA, that ran a campaign wherein fans were invited to share a message for their loved ones which would be telegrammed on their behalf, “Social media fosters engagement with consumers, which results in a better return on investment (ROI) in the long term.”
    Abhishek Chandran, business manager, social media, Maxus Global, has a slightly different perspective, “To do justice to your marketing efforts, crafting quality content is a must. And quality comes at a price.” Milan agrees, “Nothing is free. Regular social media campaigns are better for growth than just one big mainline campaign every year more so in this slowdown.”
CONTENT, CONSISTENCY AND CONVERSATION
Content is the key. You have to be extremely agile in your approach and respond in real-time to drive engagement. Amassing a huge fan base is useless, unless you are engaging them on a regular basis. Concurs Chandran, “Organic content, in the right context, will spark relevant conversations for the brand. This will showcase the brand in a positive light.” Milan adds, “Never sell on social media. Instead, concentrate on creating a product or brand related dialogue with the audience. It’s about being social, not a one-way communication.”
IT’S TIME!
Many feel that social media is still just a drop in the ocean since internet penetration in India is low. However Mehta opines, “Internet usage is on the rise each day. There are several companies without brick and mortar stores who survive only via online sales. Tablet sales in India tell you that people in tier III and IV cities are also online.”
    So if you want to reach a wide user base for building your brand, you know where you should be.
BEST WAY TO DO IT?
Try making your brand a likeable Understand consumer base well and recognise what they seek Communicate your brand ethos and always develop content so consumers participate Make it funny, engaging or contradicting

PAYAL TALWAAR MM130930