The World Of Social Media – The New World Of Revolution

For a strong and successful company, today, an unbeatable social media strategy is the cornerstone. We have seen companies like Team Ants, Lane12 and Creative Chaos climbing the ladders very fast and there are many others which are following same footsteps. Todays world is all about social media, be it social media marketing/advertising or social media engagements and communication. Undeniably, social media has revolutionized the entire world and Pakistan is pacing up in not only social media but also nurturing entrepreneurs (in the form of online start ups). The easiest way to understand the power of social media is to answer this one simple question;

“Are you using Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn or Pinterest?”

If yes, then you are in the social media game!

People order food, gifts and even grocery through social media accounts of businesses – this is the height of revolution is a third world country like Pakistan. Daraz.Pk, Deal Today and FoodPanda are just a few names to quote.

Online Start ups – Blessings In Disguise For Entrepreneurs:

Many businesses have made it mandatory to incorporate social media profiles into their websites that is helping in increased consumer outreach. Campaigns are designed specifically, keeping social media engagement and crowd in mind. Online start ups are doing wonders and gaining recognition rapidly with the help of integrating social media in to their sites. It’s just a click away to like or share any product, business or service that is new in the arena – and after that it gets viral.

Online start ups and budding entrepreneurs absolutely understands the significance of effective social media presence. After all, it helps in creating lasting and meaningful relationships with clients, consumers and target audience. What would you call it, now any business can be approached and communicated by individuals looking for vacancies or tie-ups? Isn’t it a blessing? Whether you are looking for business contacts (PR) or a job, you can easily connect with the business and share your CVs and resumes.

Social Media Strategies For Start ups:

Being associated with digital marketing (encompassing content consultancy and social media marketing) for the last 8 plus years, I often get questioned from budding entrepreneurs and start ups related to leveraging and developing social media strategies. I always share with them the tried and tested strategies that I have applied myself while handling multiple business and personal accounts.

• Offer Virtual Gifts, And Get Viral:
• Smart Use Of Videos:
• Keep Blogging:
• Create A Community:

6 Social Media Tips For Online Start ups To Excel:

In order to grow a start up, certain social media tips are very significant, provided they are followed religiously. Online start ups don’t have much capital or funding and this is why it is crucial. Following are 6 social media tips which have helped numerous start ups and entrepreneurs in Pakistan and other parts of the world to excel:

• Before creating a social media profile, always create a solid, concrete and measurable social media strategy.
• Always select the right social media network for your business – Facebook and LinkedIn have different audience.
• Recruit / headhunt new team members through social media.
• Brand ambassadors – The most powerful tool to multiply your audience and authenticity
• Evaluate your social media strategy periodically – ROI is a must.
• Keep experimenting but keep learning from your experiments

Myths About Social Media:

With everything in Pakistan, myths are complementary associated. As if they come in handy. Similarly with social media for start ups certain myths are associated; let’s discover what these myths are!

• Myth # 1: Social media is free

Reality: Social media is free, but time and efforts aren’t. Nothing is absolute free in business world. Right?

• Myth # 2: Brand awareness and loyalty is created in a jiffy on social media

Oh really? More than half of the world is on social media but do they have customer loyalty or brand awareness? One should understand the difference between loyalty and brand awareness, brand awareness can be – I repeat, can be, created in some time but building customer loyalty is an ongoing process directly dependent upon nature and level of services and products.

• Myth # 3: Social media is just so very easy!

Okay, go ahead and do it poorly then calculate the results. Nothing is easy as long as it done wrongly. Even walking needs calculative steps, to reach to a destination. Social media is no rocket science either all you need to do is understand your product, niche and target market. Share what your audience wants to see, read and get involved with.

• Myth # 4: Things go viral on social media

I have heard a hundred times from clients, students and young entrepreneurs that they want their business or idea to go viral! It’s just like winning a lottery, how many of the entire population win a lottery? Going viral is possible but extremely rare, if it’s not then start counting the viral marketing concepts by giant businesses.

Finally!

Social media has definitely changed the world and people living in it. Businesses and individuals are on social media networks and platforms for satisfying their respective needs. Online start ups are doing great nowadays because of social media push. Within minutes you can get genuine likes and target market on your social media business page. Keep following the rules or create your own, the business world is very fertile.

Keep adding your experience and practices by commenting and don’t forget to visit Shafiq Siddiqui’s website, like Facebook, join at LinkedIn and follow on Twitter.