January 31st, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink
As announced earlier, www.paritoshsharma.com is a dedicated content partner with Social Bakers. We are publishing India specific statistics which can give you insights into what are various social networks doing in India. Here’s an update on facebook and YouTube this time!!
Keep plugged into this space for more interesting numbers!!
October 30th, 2009 § 4 comments § permalink
Well, I am back from a very good trip to Bangalore. Met some old entrepreneur friends, some interesting people. Connected with some very established people and re-fueled my engine for my entrepreneurial journey ahead!
Though while on the way I connected with some online marketers on the flight back and here I am writing a piece which I have wanted to since sometime now!
Let me start by saying: Branding and Obscenity are Pretty Much the Same
Why do I say this? Well, the guy sitting right next to me looked at a book I was reading, which was about Branding and how radical concepts have changed consumer perception overtime. I was reading a few case studies and making notes, for a couple of Offline Branding Campaigns I am working on. Now suddenly this guy shoots, about how he is an Online Marketer and does handles campaigns online and how his firm has been doing lots of work.
Without an introduction, I heard him as a client, and asked queries, and he started telling me about how Google helps, SEO, PPC and SMM works. Especially SMM, which we also know by Social Media Marketing. Since I was in the Case Study mode, I posed a question:
Give me 4 solid case studies with the ROI that you have generated for the client or where you have actually gone back to the client telling him that he needed offline/ other marketing techniques as well, and how did you execute it!
And this gentleman starts discussing the best works he has done. A viral campaign, which had x number of hits…Helped a company generate these many leads online (which he had no ideas, of how much was the conversion).
Anyway, being a good listener, I patiently heard him, and then asked another question:
What is the difference between Branding and Marketing and why did some of his campaigns did not survive and what he then suggested to those clients?
I am NOT generalizing this, but I have been interacting with Online Marketers, majority of them in their late 20′s and early 30′s who have had no experience of raising a brand. Who have not seen the entire cycle, boasting about serving the Indian SME in scaling up.
I have been into the Social Media scene, since sometime now, and have struggled with the statistics, which I could really go back with, to a client and suggest him, this is where you should increase/ decrease your marketing spend and this is what you should look at diversifying.
I have NEVER heard from an Online Marketer that they have ever gone back to the client telling them, that look you product needs this, as this is what you customer is looking for on the internet
Majority of Online Marketing companies optimize campaigns according to what the clients are searching a product/ service with. Well, I challenge this thought. How do you that it was the right consumer who was searching this term which you just took from suggestions which Google Adwords provide you.
Branding – YES, Social Media helps You do Just That
Okay, so now I have my Branding lessons on. I get to know how Branding is established, online:
And if you still cannot achieve traffic numbers, well, go and post this content on various multiple platforms which are identical, so your content will be looked upon by more and more people an chances by simple probability to achieve are higher.
Okay, so I understand probability, but I am still not convinced with this number generation method, I remarked.
I am a Social Media guy and I have a problem with how things are going in India today
Okay, so for all those, who feel I have a personal bias, I have explored the online media to a good extent and hence I write my thoughts here. Majority of bloggers, social media experts/ evangelists/ marketers, strategists, have not had any Branding experience and talk Brand all the time. I have a particular issue with this, as many a times, what they dont realize is they can grow only if their client(S) grow.
Online is the new thing – you have to get on Social Media coz DELL made 3 million dollars from twitter
This is what I have heard from every religious online marketer, I have interacted with, who is pitching to any business from technology to holiday to whatever. Coz DELL did it, hence the opportunity exists and as in India, a small company thinks, even if I can achieve 30% of this, at a low cost, well I will make decent numbers.
And what happens month on month when you go ahead with Online Marketing for your business
What did you till now, after a quarter?
Well, Sir, look at your brand, look at how many people came to this landing page, look at all of this. Sales will start happening soon.
Lets See – the client now is thinking of how to convert the contract into a pay for performance?
Well, and this is where problems start. Retainership goes down and performance kicks in, knowing well, you dont even know what GAP EXISTS (if any) between the following parties:
The majority of online marketers, go ahead with no such GAP analysis, and without knowing what exists in the market and what needs to be addressed, just go ahead because they have a medium to connect people with, because out of the 300 million plus people on facebook, there will always be some who will be looking for your product/ service.
Well, I have no inherent bias against anyone, but if I strongly feel, if you are not clear of something, well, dont fluke and sell, coz what you don’t realize is anyway, after 3 years, there are only the better ones, who will be having the repetitive business, because you will be out of market to which you have been marketing.
March 21st, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Shama Hyder, one of the most powerful women on the Internet, shares exclusive insights into the Web and shares her experience through Shama.TV!!
For the fans around the world and in India, I take the privilige of bringing to you, all access to Shama and her amazing innovations into the world of web. Shama is an entrepreneur based out of Dallas Texas, and is the Owner and Principal, ClicktoClient
If you have any questions for Shama, leave them as comments and I’ll forward them to Shama!
You also stand to win a chance to get an exclusive copy of “The Zen of Social Media Marketing” – A book by Shama Hyder.
February 18th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Well, to start with, I was talking online with one of my friends who is pursuing her HR in Canada this morning. We generally talk about lots of stuff, and today she remarked ‘why be such a pessimist’? And well I realised yes, that’s it!
Being a Social Media Marketing Evangelist –
What do I do she asked, and I started giving her all the fundas and tips and tricks on all what goes on and is going on and what’s the way ahead: which I wrote in my previous post: what would Social Media be in 2009 and then it struck me are we going the right way?
What is Viral Marketing? How do you define the success of your Viral campaign? How do you creae that Oh! So awesome viral message which your followers would take forward?
I know these are common questions anyone can think of, but what I am stuck with is this: Does your Oh! so Viral Campaign really markets you out?
Well, and the next thing I did was to Google on the topic and what I found was this: a classic Seth Godin post, what is viral marketing, Seth raises a very crucial point here:
There are two kinds of Viral marketing:
- text taken from Seth Godin’s blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/12/what-is-viral-m.html
And I was amazed to think how my thought process connected with Seth’s
Well, What I have been rattling my brains over is does your Viral campaign really achieves your marketing purpose?
And Seth does answer this question in a really effective manner: He says Virality is not a feature that you attach to your campaign.
The critical element of viral marketing is this: it’s built in. It was built into Hotmail and built into YouTube. The more people used the camera on their cell phones, the more the idea spread, the more people wanted a camera.
What do I feel?
Well, Viral Marketing is not a value-added-service. In fact it is in-built. Its inside your offering. So the game changes here.
The Game changes here – for marketers
For all those marketers who have been selling over time and doing all the things possible to reach to the clients, trying to customize the offering according to the needs, and expecting WOMM (word of mouth marketing) to happen, the game has changed.
There have been a number of Un-successful attempts at Viral marketing. To tell you about an interesting one I saw a few days back is the “AdultDost.com” a Viral Marketing message for Tata Sky done by a media company. Well looking at the name doesnot it sound like an adult site? And YES! the message works!
You think it is, and you go there and well, the rest is “I went there, I liked it and I am blogging about it”
Its not about creating that message, It’s about: Creating a message that would be of value to the target market that you are creating the message for!
Go Viral…this new year.
February 18th, 2009 § 1 comment § permalink
The year 2008 has been all action and Action and more INNOVATIVE Action!!
Things have changed in a way which have certainly created new offerings, newer business models, personal branding are amongst the BUZZzzzz today!
Great is, we have all this!! Let me now come straight to the point!
There is all this and MORE. Things have moved really fast in the past year. 2008 has been an year full of action, the coming year 2009, is according to me the ‘Year of Consolidation‘!!
YES! I have met so many people both online and offline saying that lets connect here, lets connect there. but what happens post connecting! There have been great stories of people making lots of money on the Social platforms. We are all amazed at how one can be a millionaire on YouTube!!
So I have put on my thinking hats!!
The question now is what NEXT? After you have been bombarded with content all around, you have flying social media tags and clouds, how do you recognize the silver lining within?
Where does all this content lead to? Isnt’ it leading to finding the needle from the hay? Isnt’ it all becoming too much?
Well, I would say YES and NO!
2009 would be the year of Consolidation!!
Yes you have it! With economies all around in bad shape, I feel there would definitely be some more innovations around which would follow on from 2008. But the year would sound and spell CONSOLIDATION.
I know of people across the globe through a popular professional social networking channel, who are doing probably the similar work as many of their counterparts in India (like us). And all these people are looking towards gaining the first movers advantage in defining a solid offering into Social Media.
The question I ask are:
These are a few of the list of questions I have on the Social Media consolidation front. And I feel its the time to answer these questions to stand apart and be able to “Find the needle for your clients, from the stack”!!
Happy Socializing and my wishes to all Social Animals on this new year!
Best,
Paritosh Sharma
