Social Media | Indian Social Media Landscape - Part 10 Indian Social Media Landscape

Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

Blogger of the Fortnight : Mehak Sagar

Monday, December 31st, 2012

Current Position and Organization:
Editor at Peaches & Blush Founder of Personal Bridal Shopping Service in Delhi

Mehak Sagar, an analyst, economist or a beauty specialist as we can call her best is the Editor at Peaches and Blush, a Beauty Blog. She loves the colour peach and loves blush too. Hence, together they blend to form the name of her blog, Peaches and Blush. Analyzing beauty is her much adorned passion and she lives with it every day exploring the best possible Beauty trends across the globe.

She is also the Founder of Personal Bridal Shopping Service in Delhi –Brides By PB. Chocolate Hog, Compulsive worrier, Online Shopping Addict etc., are a few places where you can spot her!

Beauty is her passion, but apart from this she loves traveling, painting, dancing and food. She is completely obsessed with chocolate cookies.

Well, what led her to start her own blog was nothing but her desire for a daily dose of beauty and fashion. Along with beauty, she also makes constant effort to enhance the online shopping experience for the readers through her blogs, reviews and conversations online. Mehak ensures to keep her blogs fun, light and indulging; as beauty is all she talks about. The tone and flair of her blogging about the beauty World helps people connect to what she talks about. She blends her words so aptly with the thought process of people that her every blog ends up being appealing to everyone who is reading it.

Scooping out the best on Indian Makeup and Beauty, looks and fashion, this Delhi based blogger does a commendable work in her blog. It keeps the readers and beauty fanatics gripped to her writings as they get a daily dose of beautiful knowledge encompassing beauty guidelines, product reviews and many more. Her blog, Peachesandblush is a place where you will find beauty & fashion trends, reports, product reviews, celebrity makeup breakdowns, outfit posts, recommendations on shopping and almost anything and everything related to the element of Beauty existing on earth.

Peaches & Blush was Featured by Cosmopolitan Magazine, named amongst the Top 5 influential Bloggers in Delhi, announced as One of the Top Indian Bloggers, Official Blogger for French Connection and also the India Contributor for Temptalia. Mehak’s enthusiasm to talk about the world of beauty through her Blog which is consistently taking beauty industry to an all new level of success, entitles Mehak Sagar to be our Blogger of the Fortnight.

Click here to read more about our Blogger of the Fortnight series.

Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

Social Media Leverages the Beauty Industry

Monday, December 31st, 2012

Social Media is emerging like wildfire, with sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube growing by leaps and bounds. The beauty Industry has realized the advantages of social media and is using this platform to market and engage new customers. Many reputed beauty brands have already taken a leap into the bandwagon and have successfully leveraged social media to connect, engage and interact with consumers, current and prospective thereby building strong relationships.

Beauty is a worldwide phenomenon with a multitude of brands making name and building reputation from the consumers wanting to look pretty. Beauty is slowly turning into a breeze in Social Media and people are happily buying into it.

Have you ever wondered that social platforms like YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Blogs do keep us connected, help us gain knowledge etc. but can they make us beautiful too?

Its very much apparent that whenever somebody talks about the possibilities of social media for the beauty industry all faces light up. This lighting up indeed is followed by a series of questions with raised eyebrows as to how to handle it? What about the monetary aspect behind it? How to do it properly?

Well, one perfect start and a premium marketing strategy will speak for itself in the long run.

Women are very much passionate about their beauty, looks, beauty products and overall skincare. This is a strong point for the entrepreneurs who want to get into the league of leveraging their brand through social media. One thing that has to be kept in mind for sure is giving great experiences to your consumers, yes, and this is the key!

Beauty Industry is very competitive as every brand aims to stand distinct from the crowd, creating a social brand identity. Social Media plays a vital role in uplifting and highlighting your brand’s strengths and forte to the World.

Integration of Social Media strategy into the marketing mix when focused in the right direction generates brand awareness, attracts more fans to your product and thereby increases customer loyalty.

Word of mouth endorsement, when it comes to selling beauty products is incomparable. Target audience for this sector being women, they always admire the first hand personalized experience of any product. Beauty Brands like Lakme, Ponds, Be Beautiful, Avon etc. to name a few have embraced the power of social media in a way that increased their graph of brand awareness and customer loyalty. Regular interactions, enticing product updates, contests, freebies etc. are a few activities through social media that create engagement.

Studying the growth happening online, there lies a great potential for the Beauty Industry to craft online communities of fans and attract the authentic customers for your brand. They can basically help you promote your brand. ‘User generated content’ here holds high power as when it is about beauty products and cosmetics, an advice or commendation from a user or consumer does a great job.

Beauty Industry is also realizing the importance of communication with their customers through social media. Besides, social media is also generating revenue for this industry like never before. Analyzing the current scenario, Blogs are more likely to drive product purchases than magazine ads.

When we talk about fans and followers we can clearly see how the reputed names in the beauty industry are racking up the fans on these social media platforms.

Many international brands are doing a great job via this platform. Mac Cosmetics, Sephora, Maybelline, L’Oriel Paris, Estee Lauder, Revlon to name a few have a great fan base that not only follow these brands but represent the complete brand.

The top searches on YouTube and Google tend to be from women searching for beauty information.

Integrating the Beauty & Social Media aspect

People do share about beauty online. Social networks today, enrich a complete brand experience for consumers. Product recommendations, opinion building, sharing interests etc is a common happening that is spreading online on social networks. The strength of word of mouth is clearly illustrated through the way people share views about beauty products online. It influences the consumer behavior towards the purchase of any product.

Facebook:

Top barnds like MAC, Lancome and Unilever surfaced as leaders on Facebook with powerful campaigns. Dove & P&G being the next, who also used Facebook as the CRM tool.

Focusing on Community & Engagement and not sales is sure to give you fruitful results. Reward fans on a regular basis. Create a communication plan. Interact with your customers and provide them support on a regular basis. Below are the snapshots of what Lakme Salon, Be Beautiful, Pond’s India, Dove Avon etc.

Twitter:

For an engaging Twitter experience for your customers in just 140 characters you need to take into consideration a few techniques.

You can release special codes and discounts via Twitter. Crowd sourcing is a new untapped resource which can be thought of too. Customer service, interactions and regular tweets on your products through your brand profile on Twitter builds your brand identity to a great level.

Pond’s India

Dove

Lakme Salon

Avon

Google+:

We believe a Beauty Brand’s presence on Google+ keeps the consumers updated with the content or discussion from the though leaders in social media & marketing. Google+ is expected to gradually roll out more features for brands in times to come.

So, if you are on Google+, you standout in the Google search. Retaining customer loyalty is another advantage wherein, you as a beauty sector on Google+ reflect both social and search influence through your actions and activities on this platform. You can therefore appear in the search results by sharing keyword related posts about your brand or product.

Be Beautiful

YouTube:

Video sharing websites are flooded with Beauty or Hair & Make-up related videos like: How to get a perfect eye makeup? How to straighten or curl your hair? Or maybe How to get that star or celebrity look?

After you upload them, these beauty videos have the potential to receive millions of views. Beauty video holds great possibility of going viral in a very short time as people will be sharing it via other social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. interested users can watch, comment and post their responses on the videos. This is very helpful for the brand to reach out to the World.

Dove

Be Beautiful

Avon

Pinterest:

Pinterest is a great social media tool that creates a lot of Beauty noise visually. Its a complete visual treat to the eye as consumers get to see what they love and pin it. They can create boards for a variety of styles they like, for makeup and other such beauty related material. For brands it is a very essential tool as Pineterst encourages the sharing & re-pinning of photos enhancing the possibility of them spreading worldwide audience over a very short period. Photos can also be linked to the websites and blogs.

Lakme Salon

Avon

Blogs:

As compared to the magazine ads, Blogs hold great power in terms of the beauty information they provide. Purchase graph also is more likely to rise. Beauty bloggers post about the brand, its products, trends in the market, tutorials, beauty tips & techniques and a lot more on topics to which users are more likely to relate themselves with.

Beauty Industry or companies can take another beautiful route of enlisting the reputed beauty bloggers and giving them a product or service to blog about. This will help your company receive a huge amount of publicity not only from the blogger’s audience but beyond that too. There rests a immense chance of them to visit your website and maybe make a purchase.

Let’s talk about some of the best practices for any beauty brand online. In a Nutshell,

A beauty Industry needs to:

Get Visual: Be it Facebook or Twitter, pictures speak a lot and get a lot more response than the textual posts only. You can try updating a trendy haircut, or a smoky eye makeup, your latest salon equipments, or some nail art etc. People love the visual treat a lot.

Engage Fans: Communication, when done in a two-way process goes a long way. People generally start talking about your brand. You can start asking questions and engage with your fans or consumers. Start asking questions, conduct surveys or start etting feedback on your products and services.

Keep it casual & Have fun: Social Media is not designed to keep it all corporate, so ensure you design your posts, tweets, pins & updates in a way that reflect your brand identity & your business on the whole. Whether your brand deals in cosmetics, spa or hairstyling; you should keep it in mind to display your brand standards.

Cross Promotion: This is where you need to take into use all your Social Media handles. You can include the links into your social media accounts, website etc. Placing a signage on your salon windows, style stations help a lot too. You can also state the link on your business cards shifting your business cards encouraging the people to follow you on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Track the Results: Keep a regular track of the responses your brand is getting on the Social Platforms its present on. Types of posts, time and day, social media promotions, everything can be measured. A consistent analysis of the same will help you plan out your online strategy accordingly and drive more and more traffic to your spa, salon or store.

Beauty Industry embraces a huge scope in terms of growing through social media. Brands need to be honest when they speak out their brand or products to consumers; the sole reason being people. Yes, people nowadays are too much into online research before they head to purchase something. So you as an organization need to listen; talk and then share valuable brand information. Fan following reaches to its peak when you showcase your passion and expertise in the beauty product you are talking about. To create that special beauty buzz, contests and giveaways are very effective. What we mean to say is, the strategy with which you move ahead should make your fans talk about you and love your brand.

Social Media marketing is the talk of the industry nowadays. Amidst the innovations and developments, Beauty and personal care companies must work towards growing their channels of communication with their consumers. Creating applications that sync with the technology today will go a long way in leveraging the Beauty Sector.

In this Industry, where every new day witnesses a brand evolving with a strategic Social Media plan and gaining successful outcomes, what is your take on the Beauty Sector going Social? Will this sector touch the graphs of success leveraging it through social media? Will it stand out as the one stop shop for all Beauty needs post identifying their business niche’ in this crowded market segment?

Tags:Beauty, Beauty and Social Media, Beauty Industry, Cosmetic Sector, Social Media
Posted in Blog Content, Blog Visibility, Social Media | No Comments »

Blogger of the Fortnight : Ankita Sinha

Saturday, December 15th, 2012

Current Position and Organization:
Travel Adventure Blogger at Anki On The Move Educational Background:
Bachelor of Engineering at Manipal Institute of Technology Blog Name: Ankionthemove

Ankita Sinha, a travel and adventure Blogger is always on the move. Yes, that’s right, as this is what her Blog speaks ‘Ankionthemove’. She loves to explore places and travel. With a strong passion in exploring each and every corner of India she loves to share her exuberant experiences with the World.

The blog Ankionthemove encapsulates the reviews of beautiful destinations across the nation and beyond. Clearly conveying the magnificence of natural beauties of great locations, her blog features an array of awe-inspiring videos, photos and reviews which are beyond imagination. The blog stands on the core foundation of places, people, adventure and travel. Penned down with a wonderful description of beauty, events, style etc., the blog inspires a lot of people to feel the essence of travelling to unseen places and exploring their splendor. She speaks about these travel locations and their beauty in a unique style.

This travel galore blog was thus initiated by Ankita Sinha to help people admire the travel places on their own and try out new adventure sports. The blog also includes interviews of people, bloggers, followed by event participation and extreme sport reviews along with the personal stories by Ankita.

The beauty with which the thoughts of travel places and amazing getaways are spoken about is one thing that attracts the readers to the blog. Personalized touch that Ankita adds to her Blog when sharing her stories makes the readers connect to it and yearn for such an experience. In her words she describes world as a book and those who do not travel read only one page wherein she helps one open up the unread pages. Travelers and travel enthusiasts from various locations appreciate and get inspired by this travel blog which is a great work in the world of travel and restoration.

Featured as the guest editor by Fox Traveler, published in Hindustan Times, Published by Outlook Traveler Magazine for All India Road Trip; Part of the esteemed Four Seasons and Black Dog (UB Group) blogging team, Interviewed by a leading travel group "Thrillophilia" and Runners up in Avirate Real Women Contest; appreciated by Lonely Planet India with her Ankionthemove Blog that is reaching heights entitles Ankita Sinha to be our Blogger of the Fortnight.

Click here to read more about our Blogger of the Fortnight series.

Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

Tourism Industry Enticed to Social Media

Saturday, December 15th, 2012

Tourism Industry has witnessed a great transformation compared to the bygone days. Today, with technology taking a superior stand in people’s lives, an era of connectivity and engagement is born. A large part of traditional way of communication is swapped with the Social Media way of communication. This change and adaptation was expected as there rests a great potential for this sector to implement social media in the way they market or brand themselves as tourists and travelers. Not forgetting what some of the brands like Make my trip, Yatra, Travelguru, Expedia India, Kerala Tourism, Cleartrip are already doing.

Harnessing the power of social media for Tourism Industry will go a long way. The cut-throat travel communications online are also functionally leveraging tourism industry worldwide.

We have made an attempt to throw light upon this globally booming sector of Travel and Tourism and discuss the most effective tools and applications that will help you promote and leverage your business and attract more people to your website, in turn increasing the profits. Let us discuss the ‘Why’s’ and ‘what’s’ of the social media integration into this sector.

To start with,

Why would a Tourism Industry need a Social Media?

The reforms in the usage of Internet and the facilities one gets through it are tremendous. Nowadays, along with the industry experts, we find internet users publishing and exchanging information about their favourite destinations, photographs, videos, and reviews on the places they have or want to travel etc. what is more to this is Social Media spreading this information across places and with minimal or no cost. Word of mouth has always been proved to be essential part of promoting businesses. Thus, you can build your marketing techniques to reach this rising engagement of people that will render great prospect of profit to this sector.

You can basically create a buzz about your brand and services around the world with social media tools, showcasing and discussing about best travel destinations all over.

You can basically look into:

Monitoring: Travel and Tourism companies can analyze or monitor the preferences, reviews and interactions online and use it to generate more traffic to their brand increasing loyalty and driving sales.

Reviews by customers: During a travel plan, a positive review or feedback online is very influential. Customers make informed decision based on fellow travelers feedback and ratings by reputed travel sites like TripAdvisor for instance.

Social Media Platforms: From Facebook and Twitter to Bloggers the Tourism industry is penetrating the market aggressively. For example an attractive Facebook page to display ads etc. also works well with this industry. Location based search can also be done through Facebook or Foursquare making it more significant.

Here’s an insight into how you can shine across platforms as a Tourism Industry. Create/Improve your Social Media Presence with:

Facebook

You can create a page and share informative content, photos, videos, news etc. You can, as a Tourism Company promote a lot of events, integrate applications or custom tabs, come up with offers for your fans, get reviews from your customers. You should make a great effort so that people ‘Like’ you. Have a look at the Kerala Tourism & Expedia India Facebook page.

Twitter

Here you can update travel related news, facts etc. Explore or search for travel experts and bloggers as the inputs given by them on travel influences a lot of people. You can follow them on Twitter and share your views and your content. You can engage guests on your Twitter page in interactions. You can try being an active part of travel forums which will drive them ‘follow’ you.

Kerala Tourism on Twitter.

Blog

Blog can help you build a much closer connect with your customers and potential visitors. An inside view of destinations, offers and experiences create an interest amongst the visitors. Pictures shared in the blog will help build a curiosity in them to be at that place. People who have already visited places and planned a package through you and have liked your service will comment happily. This will help you build the trust and loyalty and more visitors will visit you. For example: – Cleartrip went social with a belief that travelling is a naturally social activity. Once on their website, one can sync it to their Facebook page and explore and extract the information needed.

Youtube

People get attracted to the audiovisual substance majorly. Therefore, you can set up your own YouTube channel and place a call to action for your viewers to ‘watch’ your videos & subscribe. Videos throw a light upon the admired destinations worldwide, which makes people yearn for exploring the same. A great amount of information can be given out through these videos. Just like Epediaindia’s presence on Youtube is liked by everyone.

Flickr

Sharing photos of beautiful destinations that embark a curiosity amongst travelers is a great concept. Uploading them on regular basis will attract a lot of people. With many other Tourism Companies present in the market, Yatra is also on Flickr.

Foursquare

Get listed on Foursquare and let people find you and ‘Check in’. It is also an interesting way to gain information on social networks. Makemytrip, for example is present on Fourswuare.

Trip Advisor

You need to list your company with Tripadvisor which is an online travel community reached by lakhs of monthly users. Comments and reviews made by you visitors will help you promote your brand in a great way. It will be easy for you to manage your brand well when you get the feedback directly from your visitors. You can motivate them to ‘recommend’ you.

Twitter presence of TripAdvisor:

Website

All your Social Media handles can be promoted through your website. This is an effective way to drive the traffic or potential customers to your online presence. It will enhance the interaction and engagement. Content creation should be interesting in a way that more and more readers get attracted to the word given out by you and leverage your brand identity across the Tourism sector.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism’s website is creatively designed. It persuades a major audience to explore their website.

Pinterest

People view, admire and follow and pin to the boards they like. It is also a great platform for a Tourism Industry to add images of awe-inspiring travel locations with the reviews. People get attracted to the visual presentations majorly. Tamilnadu Tourism has beautifully created boards on Pinterest on various travel locations.

Google+

Expedia US has their presence on Google+ which helps them connect to a wider audience globally. This helps them spread their word for travel locations, experiences and everything about tourism. Businesses can very well leverage their organizations through this platform.

Social Media Bookmarking

It goes a long way to leverage your business online. You can convey your brand message clearly and promptly just like Delicious, Digg etc. are doing. Blog promotion can also be done successfully with this effort.

In a Nutshell,

Engage with wider groups and build a community to interact.
Keep a consumer centric approach.
Share experiences and ideas to maximize impact.
Encourage visitors to upload and share photos of real experiences.
Engage through rewards and offers.
Offer free WIFI to visitors/guests making it easy for them to share their views on the place.
TripAdvisor can be utilized to a great extent with its listings and forums.
Emphasize on value generation for your brand.
Integrate location based services or have QR codes to let people through links with offers etc.
Aim to integrate your Tourism Company with web presence to convert them to bookings.
Testimonials or foreword from the work force of your organization goes a long way in engaging people by invoking fruitful communication.

You can leverage online bookings and travel plans as major of the World’s travel is now researched looked for, advertised, booked and procured online. The decisions of travelers, tourists and other people are influenced by the technology, mobile apps and social media when they are planning their travel. Even the bulk travel plans by travelers are done via internet.

Though changing trends, booming technology and numerous options depict a great shift in the consumer buying behavior patterns; they still trust word of mouth. Digitally speaking, word of mouth is everywhere! For example – a status update by your friend on a vacation on Facebook, a hotel or an accommodation review on Foursquare, a trend followed on Twitter, a Youtube video, a travel blog and so on so forth. All these activities online create a spark of inspiration within the users of Social Media platforms. They view, like and get inspired!

With millions of users present in social media world they are sure to Like, Follow or Share the things they admire before planning a vacation!

Effective communication, commitment and authenticity in the response you make to your guests through social media are essential. Social media strategy will help you persuade your Tourism business to new heights. Therefore, use your social media presence to give value to your customers, treat them like royals, reward them; then see how they recommend your brand when spoken about travel.

To conclude on the points stated above, what is evident in the social media driven psychology of today’s travelers is that they rely almost completely on the resources online, wherein Tourism Industry needs to keep a check to strategize their targeting. Tourism Industry specialists need to upgrade to latest technology and concrete social media strategy to connect with their customers better. They also need to track the development of mobile apps which also prove beneficial at most places.

Integration of Social Media aids in establishing a brand with a strong foundation and promising the best travel experience. Therefore, a well planned central marketing strategy will help the Tourism companies go a long way in building their brands and making them known.

While a few major players of the Tourism and Travel Industry explain a remarkable presence on social media platforms, what do you think should be the next step towards leveraging their brand? What effort should be taken to create a long lasting impact on the population? Do you think Social Media tools, if implemented in a competitive way will help promoting and building their brand in the industry. Will Social Media escalate the interactions, engagements and excitement for the brand?

Tags:Social Media, Tourism Industry, travel, Travel and Social Media
Posted in Blog Content, Blog Visibility, Social Media | 1 Comment »

Social Media Powers The Energy Sector

Saturday, December 1st, 2012

Recent developments in the power and energy industry are creating a revolution wherein a need has arisen for this thriving sector to go social. What we hope to see now is a social breakthrough in this segment which has started reflecting faintly in India and a little more across borders.

Through this social step, organisations can augment their reach by communicating with their users on matters pertaining to new developments or launches, pricing, billing and other such customer concerns. Developing an innovative application that utilizes social media platform can be a potential attempt towards sustainable development.

Being a part of Power and Energy sector, an organization can leverage the prospects by pushing this utility sector to utilize social media. This will not only foster brand awareness & brand relationships but also enhance customer service. There are a few companies namely Chevron, Shell, Maersk & General Electric who are using this platform to penetrate the consumer minds and initiate engagement.

Now, a question may arise that maybe this would work for B2C, so what about B2B?

The rules would still be the same because in the end people want to do business with people and social channels allow that path for you to communicate with your stakeholders, including your shareholders or any other groups or businesses you deal with. What matters is the culture shift in the way you work with digital presence that you showcase. Integrating social layers into your existing online presence will help you extend your reach and get closer to your audience.

There are a few major electric utilities nationwide which are active on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and talking about their business, goals & needs to heighten the rising needs for energy conservation etc.

Let us take you through what some organisations in the energy industry are already doing and shining through Social Media:

Chevron

Chevron, an American multinational energy corporation tried engaging people through Twitter. They used a great number of photos on Twitter and drew people’s attention to it.

Engagement and involvement into the Chevron Twitter page increased as the followers appreciated the collection of pictures used by them.

Shell

Shell, a global group of energy and petrochemicals companies is active on Facebook and Linkedin. In the recent past, they used Facebook timeline to tell about those who researched or showed interest towards the brand Shell.

To get people to visit your page, understand the content, ideas and objectives of your brand it is very essential to incorporate audience specific content on your Facebook page.

Linkedin has also branched out proficiently. Shell’s presence on Linkedin, gives a professional insight of their brand. Hence, it also helps them to connect to the various experts of the industry.

Maersk

Maersk used the Facebook custom apps to increase the interactions. People/followers could check which app meets their interest. Accordingly, one can click on either explore Maersk, jobs, photos or page guidelines and explore the apps.

General Electric

General Electric, India has its social media presence through Twitter. It’s a fairly balanced page where interactions are consistent, carried out with the followers on the page.

Gone are the days when Energy sectors were stung by a newspaper, trying to show the full page ad where its route was controlled by the organization itself. Hence, targeting the target audience through social media platforms will not only mean spreading their business/goals/objectives virally, but also tracking the conversations building up around the same. People view, engage and at the same time interact once they are aware of the turn of events related to their environment, especially when you are talking about reforms in the energy sector or current issues.

With solar plants, wind plants and turbines operating continuously and the demand for energy being on a steady rise in the forthcoming years, there’s a need for this sector to spread the word online, reach out to specific people and build a long term connect.

India is yet to see a great deal of Organisations from the Power and Energy sector integrating Social Media into their marketing goals.

Although certain organisations in the power and energy sector do have a fair presence on platforms like Facebook and Linkedin what do you think of their future social presence? Do you think Social Media will play a significant role when the escalating demand and competition among utilities and consumers regarding this industry and the real time interaction between them rises?

Tags:Chevron, Energy Sector, Leverage Energy Industry, Maersk, petrochemicals, Power & Consumer Energy, Shell
Posted in Brand Promotion, Social Media, Social Media Marketing | No Comments »

Social Reinforcements For Trade Fairs

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

When it comes to trade fairs and/or exhibitions, employing a sturdy social media strategy ensures that the on-ground face-to-face efforts by an organisation goes down smoothly and reflects a desirable quantifiable output. In spite of the proliferation of social media into almost all aspects of business, there are still places like trade shows (a place where the brand comes alive in the physical world for user/customer experience) which leaves an enormous scope for social media to jump right in and augment a favourable impression as a product/service of consumer choice.

Having said that, careful and meticulous planning often goes into effect before the actual booth is setup at the event. Social media strategies are hence, usually prepared well in advance and are devised in three stages; pre-event, at the event and post event. Here we look at some of the ways in which trade fairs/exhibitions are leveraging few of most popular platforms out there on the social network.

Facebook:

The big daddy of social networks is the first platform that comes up in discussions when a social media strategy is being discussed for an upcoming trade fair. Understandably so, Facebook is a platform where it is possible to tap on to a vast reserve of existing as well as potential customers owing singularly to the massive reach and expanse.

Pre-Event:

Setting up an exclusive event page is the first step in creating a presence on the social map. This should ideally happen a few months prior to the actual day of the event. A careful screening of potential attendees, individuals or groups, has to be done prior to event invites being sent out.

Once the page is set up and invites sent out, content pertaining to the event has to be posted from time to time to spark discussions among the attendees. Having compelling content on the page is the one of the key measures to ensure the audience does not lose interest in the event. It could be anything that concerns the trade fair. From fun trivia about the venue, legacy of the event, increasing number of attendees to serious numbers that speak volumes about how such events and exhibitions have benefited brands and companies over time. Besides this, there could be incentive based posts that could be redeemable at the booth on the day of the fair. This would definitely add traction to the event page.

@ The Event:

Continue the pace set during the pre-event by posting pictures, candid moments, interviews etc. on to the event page. At this stage, the focus should be at the happenings at the fair and the booth in particular. A product/service showcase to the customers at the booth and in the venue is the real time experience that is going to drive sales, eventually.

Post-Event:

This is one of the most crucial stages that cannot be overlooked as it is in this stage that one mines out data, information and cues that determines what/how the next trade fair should go down. On the event page, it is important to keep the dialogue and engagement going on. This serves as a goldmine of insights as the page conversations are evaluated for customer likes/dislikes, needs and wants. Not to mention the frequent follow up lets the audience know that they’re valued and their say is taken into consideration by the firm to come up with products/services that are more aligned to their interests.

Twitter:

The rapidly growing real-time social networking and micro-blogging platform is the key to win loyal and potential customers in the long run.

Pre-Event:

Generate ample amount of awareness and anxiety by running tradeshow #hashtag campaigns to feature in trends. While the awareness is in the process of building, follow partners, associates, sponsors, decision makers and key influencers and follow their movements about Twitter. Run contests and sponsored ads or promoted tweets, if the budget permits and engage with the potential audience while answering queries. Share links about the trade shows and practices from the past from time to time along with the brands that are to be present at the fair. This way, participating brands and companies will also gain enough traction besides returning the favour and highlighting their presence at the trade fair.

@ The Event:

Create topics according to the brands present at the fair and host contests while engaging in quick real time plays. Keeping the followers on the move by encouraging them to participate builds up the tempo and lets the tradeshow trend and gain recognition from other similar tradeshows. A plus side to this is that it falls under the non-participating brand scanner and highlights the potential of the tradeshow to provide a ready set of customers at the next installment of the same. Hence, an increased possibility of tie-ups with more brands and companies.

Post-Event:

Tweet links to the happenings at the event. Interviews, customer-engagement with staff, photos of participants of various contests etc. usually let the followers know that they are not forgotten. Engage with them and make new connections based on leads generated at the event. In fact the regularity and frequency of engagement is one of the key ingredients that go into building up the tempo for the next year. Gauge the results of engagement by getting to know exact numbers of followers gained. There are many online analytics available that throw out such data.

Linkedin:

Linkedin is undoubtedly one of the best social networking platforms where the business networkers and professionals of the world get together to chart a dynamic convergence of ideas pertaining to business growth and opportunities. Let’s see how this forum helps in popularising the trade fairs.

Pre-Event:

Trade shows are all about giving a physical facelift to business and professional connections and in the process, expanding the pool of potential customers and brand evangelists. Since it is relatively easier to profile individuals on Linkedin than other forums, the first order connections of the trade fair group should ideally be the first ones to receive invites. Needless to say, invites could be sent out to other similar groups of interest too. Besides this, adequate buzz created well in advance through posts and engagement with brand or other trade show groups would enable a top-of-the-mind recall.

@ The Event:

Update the group profile with grabs from interviews of the brand representatives at the booth; build up on the engagement by tagging brand pages of brands that are hosting a booth at the tradeshow. This increases synergy and the potential customer base that is part of these discussions on groups could even migrate to the tradeshow group for exchange of ideas, contacts and know-how.

Post-Event:

Convert the leads generated during the fair and build up on the newly formed first order connections. Share and welcome ideas and feedback from them. It is also possible to keep the activity on the page abuzz by talking on various topics on brand marketing, product features, customer service etc.

YouTube |Blogs | Pinterest | Foursquare:

Apart from the big three platforms in the social media space, trade fairs could use a combination of few of these prominent channels to maximize their impression in one, two, or across all the three stages. Say for instance, if the fair is showcasing brands that are high on design factor, it makes sense to create boards on Pinterest during the Pre-Event stage. Visual presentation of the booths or products creates a slight spur in the minds of attendees or potential customers and aids in better reception at the event.

Foursquare, the location based geo-targeting social networking platform allows to place the trade fair (venue) on the map. Creating a check-in venue prior to the event and following it up with quick contests keeps the audience on the hook. Give away goodies for check-ins and put out customised badges till the actual day of the event to build buzz, all the while keeping the audience on the hook.

Also, having a dedicated blog and YouTube channel only adds up to the appeal of an event. Blogging early prior to the live fair, sets a voice. This establishes what the trade fair is going to be about, what people could hope to be greeted with, the purpose and all that goes into making it a grand success story. To aid the blog, a micro-site is often set up alongside in order to hold contests, share information, audio-visual links, photo gallery etc. and let people keep a tab on the pulse of the fair. A YouTube channel meanwhile could be used to showcase video clippings of previous years. For the current running of the trade fair, live feed could be telecasted to those who are not physically present at the venue. Interviews with brand managers, representatives at the booth and customer interaction and contests could be uploaded post the event to have a go-to archive at any point in time for reference.

Do you think trade fairs stand to benefit from these strategies? What are some of the ways in which you think trade fairs can use social media better? Although integration and having the right social mix is what must have crossed every social media strategist’s mind, how do you think these platforms stock up in the long run?

Tags:@ The Event, Blogs, brand visibility, customer interation, exhibitions, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, micro-site, Pinterest, Post-Event, Pre-Event, trade fairs, trade shows, Twitter, YouTube
Posted in Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Research | No Comments »

The Art Of Social Performance

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

Just like any other business across industries and sectors, art and performance too need a boost when it comes to reaching out to a wider audience and grow. Having a social media presence was and will probably not always ensure direct sale of tickets or contribute to the income of artists. What it will rather do is build engagement and conversations and in the process help people in remembering and recognizing the name and who knows, it might even drive audience in. Let’s look at how social media is pioneering a whole new culture of enhanced audience reach out and increased awareness.

With the explosion of social media came a tech savvy breed of artists, musicians, performers and the likes of other creative individuals and organisations who ushered in the age of dynamism; not just in the ways of personal expression, but also in ways how it is consumed/experienced by the audience.

For the Shutterbugs:

For instance, Andy Adams’ Flak Photo, integrated with Twitter and Facebook and Slideluck Potshow’s extensive use of Ning network (enables users to create custom social network) are unique photography-driven initiatives that sets up a community of photographers who appreciate visual art and furthermore fuel art education. Curators, editors and photography fans throng these portals in search of rich and original visual captures, often lesser heard of in popular circuits. According to Adams, the major benefit of such forums and Facebook is to inspire and encourage international dialogue about the works and artists featured.

Besides these highly customised and type-centric portals, there are blogs, of course, which serve as one of the most affordable and the most feasible platforms to get the word out.

For the lovers of brush and canvas:

Individual artists or art organisations or museums are coming up all over the over the world and a lot of them usually treat social media as their second nature. To serve as an example or two, the Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center offers a platform for art aficionados to connect and join on various discussions, showcases and events with the content put out on the site pertaining to design, education, new initiatives and visual and performing arts. In addition, they publish art history and podcasts are made available through their iTunes U channel. One of their tabs on their Facebook page, At the Center, gives out details of exhibitions and events at their modern and contemporary theatre that is home to performing arts, dance, theatre and music. To keep patrons and enthusiasts hooked in real time, Twitter serves as an ideal medium.

The Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York, follows a similar approach by employing community tools and integrating various multimedia options to garner and tap on the socially savvy audience. The museum provides and encourages users to explore the museum’s collection online. In addition, an aggregated blog to keep the dialogue live and a regularly updated Facebook and Twitter accounts let people discover the plethora of artists that the museum endorses; all the time ensuring they point to the website/blog for fresh content. For a nominal fee, one can choose to take up the social networked museum membership that allows access to exclusive events and artist-created content.

For most independent artists, a blog usually provides an economical and effective option to exhibit and publicise art works and philosophy. This builds up the steam and in due course a fan page/profile on Facebook or a profile on Twitter augments the artist’s independent online gallery. After a point in time when an artist/ organisation/museum gathers a critical online mass, videos of interviews, concept development, influences, exhibitions, user reviews among others could be posted on YouTube.

For the purveyors of performing arts:

Music, dance, theatre, films and all associated events/festivals globally are increasingly taking to social media to expand their pool of fans and deliver to them an experience unparalleled. To begin with, let’s consider films.

Hollywood launched the Inside Experience sometime last year in collaboration with Toshiba and Intel to create one-of-a-kind social film directed by D.J.Caruso and starring the award winning actor, Emmy Rossum. The huge success that it amassed was primarily driven through social media. The concept was such that Emmy’s character was left stranded in a room with just a laptop and an untraceable internet connection. The promo clip that was shot and released on July 25^th last year acted as a prelude and offered the audience a chance to shape the film. Up till July 20^th, the audience could audition on YouTube for a cameo in the film. The film got aired in short bursts of episodes that later got edited and shown as one whole film.

The concept required the audience who could be Emmy’s friends, family and a world of strangers to offer solutions and help her escape out of the room she was trapped in. They could tweet to her or/and suggest actions on her Facebook timeline. The best answers were weaved together to form a cohesive plot. Well received by the online community, this stands out as a novel way for today’s film makers to identify the right mix and utilise social media in their favour.

Most importantly, the buck doesn’t stop here. Today, social media offers a host of opportunities to anyone ranging from a documentary or a short film to big budget film-makers. Film festivals have suddenly become a rage with the celluloid lovers. How is this made possible? From the much acclaimed Cannes Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival to our very own International Film Festival of India (IFFI), everyone is using social media to bite a grab a bite of the global audience.

IFFI, for instance, launched dedicated pages on Facebook and Twitter besides aggressively promoting their cause on blogs, consumer forums and news sites. This was followed by closely monitoring and following the partners, prominent celebrities across the globe, directors, producers and other related film festivals. Grabs from films featured, the schedule, major star attractions and exclusive grabs of interviews along with pictures were circulated through select social networks in the run up to the main event. In a span of a month numbers shot up and garnered a lot of international attention and interest.

The music and the theatre community have soared to great heights in terms of using social media too. Although many musicians, theatre groups, organisations and festivals/events are using Facebook and Twitter extensively, this segment is focusing more on niche social marketing. Companies such as Ning provide an excellent platform for any performing group to launch their own social network and have discussions and interactions with a select batch of patrons/fans who could later on become potential ambassadors for the brand. Meetup is one such community that thrives on gathering talent pool with people who share common interests or hangout or collaborate for projects.

Even music festivals and theatre groups’ closer home are not missing out on an opportunity to capitalize on the potential of social media. Take for instance, the recent success of India’s gradually growing into a wide scale and one-of-a-kind music festival, Bacardi NH7 Weekender. Two years into running and bringing together various acts and gigs at a single venue, it has reached out to a growing niche segment of music aficionados and the glory of open air music festivals. Much of its success is owed to the aggressive use of social media. In a span of less than 2 years its Facebook page already boasts of acquiring close to 50, 000 fans and during the festivals it regularly features in twitter trends. The recently launched Festivapp, integrated with Google Play and downloadable from iTunes, is a definitive mobile app that gives a list of similar festivals/events happening in the country. The feeds are reflected on the user’s Facebook and Twitter feed, should they choose to publish it. Besides this, there is an interactive map, interactive schedule and photo booth (allows user to take photographs themed around the festival) feature also available for exploits.

Individual music groups are already a hit on the social media with fans. From announcing tour dates to candid behind the camera grabs, making of a video to exclusive bites from band members and fan interaction; Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and YouTube have become crucial platforms for the bands/groups to get inspired and grow. From bands like Coldplay, Metallica, DJ Tiesto to individual artists such as John Mayer, Rihanna and even the ones closer home; Parikrama, Indian Ocean, Pentagram and others, they’re all branching out to social platforms where there audience already is.

When it comes to theatre, there still is still a lot to be done as there are only a handful of scattered theatre groups or organisations that have a social media presence. Consider for instance, the Mikron Theatre Company in the UK spends a lot of time (40 years) touring (mostly on an old canal narrow boat). Mikron has a page on Facebook, an account on Twitter, a dedicated YouTube channel that showcases open rehearsals, trailers of plays, tour kick-off exclusives etc. and a blog that is integrated to the website that gives sneak-peaks to backstage activities.

Closer home, Prithvi theatre, one of the most popular and illustrious theatre organisations from Mumbai is gradually catching up with the social media buzz. The Prithvi Theatre Festival that is held annually brings together some of the best known playwrights, directors, actors and theatre groups. Promotion primarily takes place through their website, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Although, they have a channel on YouTube, it is sparingly used and there’s a huge scope to utilise this platform.

In your opinion, what do you think of creative entities using social media to draw in audience and deliver entertainment and learning? Share them in the comments section below.

Tags:Andy Adams, Art and Performance, Brooklyn Museum, Coldplay, Events, Facebook, Festivals, Film, Flickr, museum, Music, Parikrama, Photography, Prithvi, SLideluck Potshow, Theatre, Twitter, Walker Art Center, YouTube
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