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How your Personal Branding on Social Media Affects your Recruitment Possibilities

Friday, September 11th, 2015

clip_image002If you are still under impression that only your resume and technical & communication skills are considered while recruitments, you need to revise your assumptions, especially if you are a job seeker and active on various social media platforms. Your social media activities have a major impact on your recruitment possibilities.

Gone are the days when potential recruiters would just study your resume, talk to your recommenders, test your technical skills, interview you and hire you right away. Today, as soon as you are shortlisted for a job position, your social media profiles are scrutinized to peek in your lifestyle. The practice is a convenient way to understand the candidate, his/her association with people and basic lifestyle choices.

clip_image003If a company has strict policies against internet and smartphone usage, it may want to avoid a social media addict who updates his whereabouts and activities every hour. Similarly, posts about hating Mondays and weekdays can put a negative impression about your professionalism and passion for work. The smart way to get through the social media scrutiny could be narrowing the industry you want to join, studying the basic criteria of judging a candidate’s personal branding by the firms and designing your personal branding strategy accordingly.

For a firm relying highly on LinkedIn profiles, you can keep posting your professional and academic achievements regularly and get recommendations from industry influencers. Similarly, for a marketing job or leadership position, you can voice your opinion about latest happenings regularly on Twitter, and let them know that you like getting engaged in social conversations.

clip_image005There are certain don’ts and no-no’s too that you should always take care of while posting stuff on social media. Writing a post about how you felt after a hangover, a rendezvous with local police, caste-race based comments, supporting use of abusive language, etc. are the things that might land you in trouble. What can help you authenticate your profile can be your posts and pictures of doing the tasks for the social causes that you have signed up for in your profile introduction.

You put your best step forward when you are appearing for a job interview and try to appear perfect in every aspect that you are judged upon. This is exactly why your personal brand on social media should stand a testimony for everything that you claim to be.

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Posted in Blog Content, Employee Relations, Social Media, Social Media Research, Windchimes Comm | No Comments »

Television Commercials or Ads on YouTube-What do you choose?

Tuesday, August 4th, 2015

Are brands relying more on YouTube for their advertisements than stereotyped television commercials for their branding?

clip_image002[6]When was the last time you watched a television commercial without cursing the show you are watching for making you go through it? Cannot recall? We guessed so. Now, let’s take YouTube. For short videos on YouTube, it is easier to anticipate when exactly an ad is getting over and whether or not it would pop up again. Things like this influence people’s choice of the platform they want to watch your ads at. The platform of broadcasting your video advertisements is important, but a perfect combination of timing and content is the key here.

Sometimes, the ads are better watched on YouTube first when multiple viewers have already watched it, liked it and shared it. You may even watch an advertisement intentionally, thinking it’s an interesting short video. Deepika Padukone’s Mother’s Day special video for Tanishq was a hit on YouTube before it was telecasted on television. Alia-Siddharth’s Coke advertisement gained enough loyal viewers through YouTube before the ad hit the television.

Can you recall Google’s ‘Help your mother get online’ advertisement that got viral on social media? Given that people have mastered in skipping channels to avoid the television commercials, sharing and circulation of advertisements across social media platforms by them is a revolution in itself.

Blog Image (in the content) (1)It all comes down to the timing and content of the advertisements. Once you have uploaded your advertisement on YouTube, you can sit back and relax to see it getting circulated. It’s all about building a beautiful and strong story, and giving people sufficient time, not too much, not too less, to watch and appreciate it. When you force your advertisements on the viewers, you force them to repel it. Online shopping websites, which bank a lot on social media, are also focusing on online ads. The ad titled as ‘The Visit’, by Myntra gained more than 2 Lakh hits within 10 days.

The media industry is now shifting from the television commercials to online advertisements. The platform is interactive and viewers can have fun with various ad formats. It also gives them the liberty to share their thoughts about the videos. The cost is also quite less as compared to television commercials, as Google Adwords relies on Pay Per Click and Pay per View themes. Technology is taking over the traditional media and hence, video ads have an average click-through rate (CTR) of 1.84%, the highest click-through rate of all digital ad formats.

The ‘Skip Ad’ option could be a minor hiccup in this, but the overall demand for online video is too high, and it has increased the number of video advertisements that are being uploaded on YouTube.

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Posted in Blog Content, Blog Visibility, Blogs, Brand Promotion, Digital Media, Online Videos, Social Media Marketing, Traditional Media, Windchimes Comm | No Comments »

Social Media Hierarchy

Monday, October 1st, 2012

social_media_communities_mainWhen 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 Crowd, Connectors, Customisers, Commentators and Creators. With time though, a new breed began to take shape, one that could not be ignored. And thus emerged what are categorized as ‘Social Collectors’.

Keeping all of these in mind we have formulated the Windchimes 6C Social Evolution Principle.

6C’s of social media in order of decreasing numbers and increasing influence:

· Crowd

· Connectors

· Customisers

· Collectors

· Commentators

· Creators

 

In the initial stages, an 6Cindividual 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. Once comfortable with it, he moves on to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter where he first starts interacting with others, or connecting, 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 beyond the basics. Also, he starts using advanced features and applications on his profile. Giving a new look to their profiles, adding features that show their personality becomes a part of the profile.

Twitter

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. 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 Colectionlike 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.

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. 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. Get to know more about top 10 social media writers who are key influencers in our new edition of Social Media e-book.

Tell us which category of social ecosystem do you classify yourself in?
Are you a collector or a creator? Share your work with us. We would love to see it and feature some of the best stuff on our blog.

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Posted in Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Research, Windchimes Comm | No Comments »

When money matters, grow social

Friday, July 27th, 2012

Social-Media-SalesPuzzled by the all invasive barrage of social media around you? If you’re working in the finance sector, chances are high that you have more reasons to feel the urge to decipher this behemoth of a tool that marketers all around are raving about. If you are still wondering as to what an organization could do to strengthen their brand’s appeal in the minds of its audience and how, look no further. A comprehensive workshop devised specifically for officials in the finance sector is set to iron out the creases and get the ball rolling.

Belief of the past:

Banking, insurance and other financial services have been traditionally known to be relying on mainline advertising to reach out to their target audiences. Primarily, perhaps, because of the general perception that diverting marketing expenses to social media (which was until recently considered to be at a nascent stage) would not reflect highly on the ROI. Although there is a constant fear lurking in the minds of most, if cautious and well measured steps are taken, this perception could be used to turnaround the perception of an industry that is previously known to be non-marketing savvy.

Happenings of the present:

Today, a large segment of these institutions are waking up to the proven potential of social media in engaging audience on a one-on-one basis. Internationally, companies operating in the finance sector have already identified social media as a crucial element in the marketing mix. Campaigns are either exclusively being run on social media or in confluence with the traditional media. Needless to say, the very nature of a financial service institution is such that it requires a personal touch in addressing the wants, requirements and scopes of an individual”s monetary needs. Social media enables such brands to bridge the gap in remarkable ways. To gain a deeper insight into how social media can benefit financial institutions, click here.

Scope of the future:

We at Windchimes Communications have explored various facets of how an organisation in this sector can utilise social media to its optimum mark and establish a chord of connect between self and the target audience.

Keeping the same in mind, a workshop service has been introduced to help financial institutions stay abreast with an in-depth knowledge and application of social media. It essentially will, initially, help the brands to generate leads and enquiries both organically and inorganically through social media. In the long run, it will help build the financial brand stability of the firm and get the products endorsed by the influencers of purchase decision. So, if you think you are ready to take the leap and set marketing benchmarks for your organization, you know where to head this August.

Digital and Social Media Workshops:

Click here to know more about Digital and Social Media workshops.

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Posted in Brand Promotion, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Windchimes Comm | No Comments »

Through the Looking Glass

Sunday, December 25th, 2011

This article of ours was first published in Business Today”s 20th Anniversary edition

It was only in 2008 when social media took its fledgling steps in India. 2011 was the year social media got truly established with Indian corporates as 20 million Indians went social! In 2015, we foresee, an exponential growth and significant innovations as 500 million Indians log on given the high mobile penetration and $35 tablets!

With so much happening, social media promises to be like the plot of a Bollywood blockbuster in the coming years – full of drama, triumphs and twists. Let’s take a quick peek into some of the future trends.

  • Emergence of Rural Social Media:

Airtel believes that 700 mn rural Indian Internet users exist that remain untapped. Given that, Indian businesses will have to think rural in all aspects – social communication strategies, customized content as media consumption will be drastically different from urban centers, and rural workforce. Companies will have to divert advertising resources into creating content that is both captivating, relevant and ultimately building brand affinity with the users – be it in the form of videos, applications or plain text.  Also companies will need to educate and nurture rural workforce. After all a 24-year old executive in Gurgaon will not be able to write content for a farmer in Warangal!

  • Community Development:

There already is a shift in advertising spends as more monies are being diverted to BTL activities. This trend will see as significant boost as going forward companies will have to start investing in creating and maintaining social ecosystems for their brand. Ecosystems would involve building community of individuals who will spend their time and effort by being not just customers for the brand but also product innovators and ideators! Brands especially those operating in passion-led sectors like photography, bikes, etc will need to identify these individuals and panelize them to seek their ideas from product development stage to marketing and distributing it!

Few brands in India that have taken first steps in this direction are Royal Enfield and Canon. Both companies have built a social ecosystem that helps them leverage it not just for sales but also engage in a more profitable and wholesome manner! By doing that, they are betting that the collective social presence of this group will endorse and influence a much wider and larger audience towards their products as close to 40 million Indians today base their purchase decision based on online reviews.

  • Profiles of brand managers:

The biggest change that we anticipate will be a change in the profile of the brand manager. Today, several corporates have global brand teams that manage the larger nuances of brand building and the local teams are involved with execution and activation work around the brand. The profile of the local brand activation team will undergo a drastic shift as social media gains significance. In order to operate successful online communities as mentioned in the previous point, corporates will seek out individuals who exhibit and follow their hobbies & interests that are in sync with their business. A clear case in point is Red Bull that has individuals on board with specific skill sets and inherent passion who lead their various sports & cultural initiatives! Hence an employee list that boasts of former cricketers and sports journalists!

  • Social Media for Senior Leadership:

As Indian companies go global, it will be imperative for the senior leadership to build their presence in the social space. Global media would want to know more about the company and its team and would look at social media presence for the same. It is not uncommon today to read CEO tweets as newspaper headlines.

Also senior leadership will have to address other stakeholders – employees, customers and shareholders to help build connect with the company, receive direct feedback on their brands and assure safety on the monies invested respectively. Few good examples of this that come to mind are Mr. Anand Mahindra’s Twitter presence, HCL’s Mr Vineet  Nayyar’s blog and GE India’s CEO Mr. John Flannery’s internal blog meant for employees.

  • Individual Celebrities:

Brand endorsers will change completely. Gone will the days where the Bollywood and Sports brigade lapped up everything! Brands will sign up more real life individuals to bring in relevance and connect with their customers. These real life celebrities will be specialists in their own field and hence influencers on social media platforms. Offlate, various writers such as Chetan Bhagat (Revolution 20-20), Ashwin Sanghi (Chanakya Chants) and Sidin Vadukut (Dork & God Save the Dork) have successfully leveraged social media to gain celebrity status! Given that, Huawei India signed Chetan Bhagat so that they could connect with his fan base for their mobile and tablet offerings.

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Posted in Corporate Communications, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Windchimes Comm | No Comments »

The 3lling Party

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

For they’re a jolly good team ho! For they’re a jolly good team ho! They’re a jolly good team ho! And nobody can deny. Read on to know why.

Singing and bellowing away to glory on the bus to Igatpuri, the Windchimes family ushered in their 3rd Anniversary celebrations with much pomp and show. The team was all geared up for a party like never before amidst the pristine and calm ambience of the hill station.

                                    2011-09-30 10.07.14

The treatment upon arrival was nothing short of majestic. Greeted with welcome drinks and flowers at the reception, the chimers were led to their respective rooms that offered a breath taking view of the surrounding landscape.

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But, being restricted to the comfort of the rooms was not something the group had on mind. Everyone was quick to head towards their respective leisure zones (swimming pool, the sports room that housed a TT table, carrom board, a pool table, card decks etc.)

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The day was half done but the energy was palpable and undying. Geared up for an evening of non-stop party followed by an after party that had in store many more surprises, the chimers revved up in their best outfits.

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The party began with the DJ churning out tracks that set the tempo for the rest of the evening. There were surprises being doled out one after another that including the ‘poking light fun awards’, an initiative on the HR’s part to breed familiarity amongst chimers. Top that with some lip smacking buffet spread, endless chat sessions, dance, music and merry making.

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The trip provided an excellent platform for the senior mavens and the ones who’ve just come on board to have a free exchange of ideas. It also gave the team an opportunity to gear up for more fun and excitement in the coming year. Like we say, at Windchimes, the party never stops.

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Answers to a successful Online Brand Relation

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

In today’s fast paced world, virtual social networking has always strengthened existing relationships, and continues to provide a foundation for border-less communities based on common areas of interest.

Some people like to share with others what they know. Some people like to learn by reading questions and answers. Q&A sites offer that kind of information from experts or from everyday people. Q&A sites have grown immensely in the last few years. People are, more than ever, turning to the internet to get quick information about any topic through these Q&A sites.

It’s kind of asking your neighbour, coworker or friend a question and getting a written answer. There are some questions that cannot be answered by even the best reference books or encyclopedias. They need a human expert that can understand a complex relationship.

Opportunity for Brands to be Human.

This provides a great opportunity for Brands to participate in conversation with people who are looking for information about products they manufacture or services they provide. Q&A sites work great for this, because people are already asking the questions.

Brands are driving leads using Question and Answer forums like LinkedIn Answers, Yahoo! Answers and Answers.com. LinkedIn Answers dominates the category usage, claiming 59.2 percent of use for companies participating in at least one Q&A forum. Yahoo! Answers is a distant second at 37.1 percent.

(Source: Social Media Best Practices: Question & Answer Forums. Business.com)

Providing quality answers and links to relevant pages can help Brands in the following ways:

  • Direct customers (and potential customers) to accurate information about your product.
  • Connect with people in the market, build reputation, and generate leads.
  • Provide links back to your site. Some of these links are Follow links, and thus also provide SEO value.

Also, the Internet has a reputation for being shady. You need to let readers know why your answer is reputable and why you’re the right person to answer it. This gives Brands a greater credence and integrity to the response, and a higher likelihood for a recommendation or a vote up. It is this process of informing and educating the general audience that can help the brand establish “Thought Leadership.”

Who is listening to the Brand?

In a recent Business.com study, 49% of companies that use social media said they ask questions on Q&A sites. Only 29% said they use Twitter to find business-related information. Among those who use Q&A forums, 92 percent say they are at least somewhat useful with 25 percent claiming them to be “very useful.”

(Source: Social Media Best Practices: Question & Answer Forums. Business.com)

How do Brands use these sites?

The general rules of social media apply here too:

  1. Help others
  2. Build relationships
  3. Push your products and services while answering somebody’s question or request.

In Q&A sites, the starting point is that somebody asked the question that you’re answering.

Specifically you shoul:

  • Search the Q&A sites for questions about your subject, and browse the relevant categories.
  • Answer questions fairly and accurately. If appropriate, mention your product or service, and / or link to a relevant page on your site.
  • Follow up & interact where appropriate. Use these sites’ message boards to see if you can be of further help, or to congratulate another contributor for a great answer.

Fill in your User Profile, showing why people should like and trust you. You can also usually link to your site from your User Profile.

In essence, the best practices is to be helpful first, don’t go in trumpeting your sales pitch and focus on long-term relationship building and benefits rather than seeing a sudden influx of leads. An answer should simply touch on all prominent points that deliver a comprehensive, well structured response to a question.

The best part of the Q&A sites is that, they are Search Engine Optimized. This helps in increasing the visibility of the brand. More importantly, it is a credible way of highlighting your product range without sounding like advertising. And finally, Q&A sites are helping Brands become more human. It has allowed a Brand to be the friend you turn to when you have a query. Objective Achieved!

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Posted in Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Target Audience, Windchimes Comm | 5 Comments »

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