Social Media Influence on Politicians

Just one move and let the whole world know about it in seconds. Yes, this is our internet! Not just that, all will have a view or suggestion about it and this is all possible through different social media platforms available.

With everyone using social media at present for promotional purposes in our nation, our politicians are not that far behind in the race and are highly active on various social media platforms. As per a recent study, it has been revealed that social media and online presence of the politicians and their parties will influence the result of 2014 general elections. So, who are our social media friendly politicians?

The population of India is majorly comprised of youths. Therefore, the political parties currently are incorporating it by making well-known individuals a part of their political party, the most common and prime examples being, Rahul Gandhi from Congress, Milind Deora from Indian National Congress etc. Being from the same generation, they easily connect with the youth and express their thoughts and opinions through different online channels along with other mediums.

However, apart from these young politicians others too are actively taking part in it. Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Ajay Maken are completely different from each others. The former is from the old guard while the latter is from the youth brigade. Although one is rooted in Rajasthan and the other takes a bigger role on the Indian politics, both of them have one thing in common. Both have a huge fan following in Turkey.

Maken, the general secretary in charge of Congress' high profile communications cell is one of the handful politicians of our nation with a verified Facebook page which ensures that the page is managed by him and not others. The page has 99,154 'likes', or virtual endorsements. However, just 3.1% out of the total likes is from India and the remaining 33.9%, 24.9%, 12.5% and 9.5%) are from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the US respectively as per analytics tool.

He is really an exception among all Indian politicians to have such a huge number of fans following globally on Facebook. From India, Narendra Modi and Akhilesh Yadav, both have verified pages and with more than 90% followers from India itself.

Other than Maken, another exception is the Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh with 4,636 likes on an unverified page on Facebook. Turkey accounts for 53% of his total fan followers and rest from India.

These days, almost all the politicians are trying to be social. These include Sonia Gandhi (86.5%), Rahul Gandhi (92.1%), Nitish Kumar (94.2%) and Mamata Banerjee (93.4%).

Recently, on being asked in an interview about the power of social media, one of the leading political icons, Narendra Modi said that, "To me it is not just about Twitter and Facebook. For instance, I am amazed at how YouTube as a medium of video sharing has made e-Learning accessible to so many people. Or when I look at an application like WhatsApp and how simple it is to use. Often the first reports when a disaster strikes or an unfortunate incident happens are received via one of these Social Media channels. I see the real power of Social Media come through, during such moments of crisis. Recently during the Uttarakhand disaster I was pleasantly surprised at the positive role played by Social Media in bringing home news of the missing to their loved ones."

As per the tech savvy Human Resource Misinter, Shashi Tharoor, social media should not be ignored. He added that, "No politician wants to turn away from an audience of even 100 people, so who is going to turn away from an audience that has numbers in millions. You should seize that audience."

He thinks that it will take an exciting turn soon after the introduction of 4G service. Faster technology will let the users to get connected more easily than ever.

Social media provides all the up-dates and also outshine the latest news that reaches millions in seconds. It has become the fastest coverage source of any news or event. It lets the politicians interact with the common people and know their opinions which are really a great way to reach them and to increase their popularity.

Source: http://mediapoliticsinperspective.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/india-narendra-modi-reveals-secrets-of-social-media-success/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/social-media/We-should-not-ignore-social-media-Tharoor/articleshow/22001389.cms

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-08-22/news/41437245_1_facebook-page-iris-knowledge-foundation-facebook-account

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Chennai Express’s Marketing Express – Did you see the Train? Oh, the movie?

Let us take you to the journey towards 100 crores! 

Flying cars’ expert– Rohit Shetty and very famous King Khan– SRK, proved themselves the champions of marketing when it comes to film promotion. When they joined hands for 'Chennai Express', it was expected that the movie will be the houseful in the first week but to everybody’s surprise it has broken all the records and became the first film to cross Rs 100 crores in just four days in the history of Indian cinema.

Kudos to the marketing team and their strategy that has let the film become a record breaking blockbuster! Unlikely the Ra.One’s promotion, when huge money was spent during marketing, movie proved to be a fuss bomb. This time SRK team has decided to go and promote with the real time audience wherever they are– Facebook, watching daily soap, watching video on Smartphone, doing shopping…Everywhere!

Let's have a look at the innovative ways through which they have publicized 'Chennai Express'.

Game Development: Who doesn’t like playing games on their Smartphone? Well, everybody does from a toddler to teenager to senior generation. The promoters of the movie have launched a game based on Chennai Express. This move was taken to hit the cyber game users as it covers a large number of audiences with the introduction of Smartphones. The game is available on both Android as well as Java based mobile phones. To score points, the users have to fight with the roadside goons. You can see the app here: http://bit.ly/185vUvR

Lungi Dance: South Indian’s all time favourite dress– Lungi! Correct? Composed & produced just for the promotional drive, 'Lungi Dance' has become the main attraction of the movie. It has taken over television, radio and all other social media platforms currently and hence is one of the most important parts of the promotional activities. Even the Punjabi rapper & singer - YoYo Honey Singh too has come up with a beguiling tune (listen to it, you will stress your mind to believe that it was sung by him) and as expected, it has fetched up benefits too for 'Chennai Express' at the box-office. Watch it here: http://bit.ly/18LRIyY

Promotion on TV: The TRP of any channel rises high when superstar appears. ShahRukh has given interviews and talked about the movie while appearing on several shows with his charisma and trademark smile. You must have seen him on – Comedy Nights with Kapil (he appeared there twice), Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Indian Idol, Madhubala and Diya aur Baati Hum.

Posters in different languages: Since the movie has been released in ten different languages including English, French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Hebrew, Dutch, Turkish and Malay, the promoters created posters of the respective languages. These posters added a sense of belongingness and worked as a great marketing tool.

Tie-up with products: When it comes to marketing and promotion, SRK is one of the leading actors. He is associated with numerous products and many of them have been featured in the film as well.

The 'Rajni' brand: 'Lungi dance' is a very well planned marketing move. The movie is based in South India where Rajnikanth still rules and his name matters a lot. A similar trick was applied by ShahRukh in Ra-One as well, however, the strategy worked outstandingly in Chennai Express.

Interactive movie channel: Recently a media house is going to launch its channel with 'Chennai Express'. It is indeed one of the greatest achievements ever for a film. ShahRukh is known for his enduring spirit and elegance. Hence, this film will assist the movie channel to become a successful brand.

Fashion shows: Recently, SRK was spotted at a fashion show walking the ramp. Although it was completely an alien territory for King Khan but it is known to all that everything is fair in love, war and movie promotion.

Introduction of a new range of Sarees: The star-cast of the movies has launched a new series of Chennai Express sarees. The designs of the sarees are as similar to the ones worn by Deepika in the movie. As per reports these are in huge demand in the market at present.

Social Media Express:

Social media channels were used to create pre-buzz for the movie. Apart from other promotions on Facebook and YouTube, UTV Motion Pictures created a special hashtag #ChennaiExpressArrives for the movie to give the opportunity to watch the trailer of the film earlier than scheduled. Fans just needed to tweet on #ChennaiExpressArrives and get linked to a virtual train reaching Chennai, where the trailer was revealed.

Facebook: You have seen many fans wait in line for one glimpse of SRK. But guess what happened when he invited his fans to do live chat on Facebook with him and Mr. Shetty. It was decided to take place on Tuesday, August 14th at 9 PM (IST). This was the first time when any actor hosted a Facebook live chat to connect with millions of fans in India and globally on his page. To chat with Shahrukh Khan fans had logged on to – facebook.com/iamsrk.

Twitter: With a fast moving stream on Twitter it is likely that anyone can miss anything in the conversation express. He made an intelligent move by sending Tweets via SMS. Now Anyone with a mobile phone in India can follow @iamsrk. They just need to dial the number 09015500555 and register themselves to get his tweets via SMS. See how the promotion went viral with #09015500555Express. (Note: Sorry ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately it’s not SRK’s personal phone number).

Instagram: We didn’t get to see official SRK’s Instagram. But Rohit Shetty seems to be highly active on it. Check out his photos - http://statigr.am/tag/rohitshetty

All the above promotional tactics were enough to popularize the movie to become the talk of the town. From internet users, to households, to gamers the CE team reached everybody (read with a capital E). Also, as they say, oldest and evergreen marketing tactic is – ‘Word of Mouth’. Those who are left out to get in touch with the promotion, their friends must have dragged him/her to the theaters. Honestly I was the one. I had no intention to watch the movie, but unfortunately was dragged to the theater. Anyways, leave my story here. I am not going to rate the movie, let's leave it on Movie Critiques.

Nevertheless, whatever said and done, we all know the fan following of SRK. Until the movie was released, all the theaters were houseful already! Everybody wanted to have a ‘first day first show’. So you can imagine the multiplying profit and the journey towards 100 crores. Still the numbers are growing.

All the best SRK & Team!

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5 Tips for Using Instagram for Business

Instagram, the image based social network is there on all iPhone and Android smartphones that boasts more than 100 million users. Currently, this most popular networking site is the talk of the town and brands like Starbucks, NASA, MTV, and NBC News are few of the most successful Instagrammers.

Instagram, the photo sharing community is growing at a much faster pace as it can enhance your business’s exposure, boost brand recognition and generate demand for your products and services. Most of the top brands are turning to Instagram to engage customers and increase their brand identity in the global market.

Instagram for business was started by the Instagram team itself where you can easily find best-practices for enterprises, latest offerings of interest to brands and a number of methods to make yourself an Insta-success.

There are few tips for using Instagram for business:

1. Promote your products

Promote mobile window-shopping to showcase your products. Take a snapshot of your latest product and upload it to create a buzz. You can also zoom in the product and ask users to guess what it is. As we all know that pictures are something that attracts the most and if there is some conversation then it enables to engage as well. On the other hand, if you are a service provider then show off the supplies and tools that are necessary to the services you offer.

2. Interact directly with users

To get response or to engage users through the pictures posted by you, caption them with questions and reply to their comments. You can also invite them for local Instagram meet ups and can continue with the conversations.

3. Introduce your staff

Introduce your employees through this platform. Cast the Instagram spotlight on special employees and caption their image with a small detail. Continue with this campaign as it let you feature your staff and also let you put a human face on your brand.

4. Show what your products can do

Through Instagram showcase how your products can be used in the most unique style. Engage users by generating captivating content. Compel or challenge them to share images showcasing innovative use of your products. If you are a service provider then show the impact of your services offered. You can also showcase the before and after consequences of the service offered by you.

 5. Expand your users

By using relevant hashtags, connect your Instagram account with all other social networking sites. It makes it easier for the user to find your account.

There are several ways to use Instagram for business. You need to make the strategy first and then execute it for better exposure and more engagement.

All the best. In case you have idea, do let us know in comment section.

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The latest Google Maps Web App: Open to All

The amendments to Google Maps that Google confirmed at its I/O conference last month is not in the preview stage anymore. The latest version of the maps is now available for all to use without any invitation. Visual tweaks, customized results and more transportation selections are yours for the taking.

In one of its tweets, @Google Maps stated users are just needed to "sign up" to use this latest app. Just hit the blue button and explore this new version.

This latest one has a few improvements and to run this you need to have the latest browser as well as a bit of horsepower to take benefit of them. You can also switch to a 3-D Google Earth view instantly along with pop-up showcasing 3-D buildings. The maps themselves have been amended and elucidated as well.

Transit data trouble free through the slick little interface. It showcases and informs you about where and when to catch the next bus or train. Restaurant reviews, street views or previews are also available on this smart Maps app.

Although it is currently available on the Android platform but very soon you will explore it on your Apple device too. Apple already has a map of its own but it will also feature this latest app on its gizmo soon after approval.



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What are the Uses and Benefits of Hashtags!

Although hashtags are typically associated with Twitter, these are now nothing new for other social media networks. Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and many other social media sites are already using it.

The # symbol is generally used to denote or highlight keywords or any specific topic. This small cross hatch symbol is a very powerful tool that enables the user to navigate the social media landscape. It has now become an essential part of the digital space as they are so frequently used in creative styles to promote events, ideas and products.

Twitter: The Twitter hashtag is a great way to follow any conversation which is of your interest. Moreover, it is also a good way to start off with a Twitter conversation. The hashtags on Twitter simply collect all the tweets and organizes them in a streamline so that a person can understand and follow it. One can follow the streamed conversation by clicking on the hashtag link.

Instagram: For photo enthusiasts, Instagram is a great platform which is available on iOS and Android devices. With the introduction of hashtags in this app, it has become much easier to find and make pictures available. One can caption the image with a hashtag or can comment with a hashtag. Now, anyone can see all the photos with the same tag just by tapping on the tag. One can also hashtag any contest or event so that it reaches to a large number of users whenever they search with the same tag.

Facebook: The web is buzzing with the latest launch of hashtag by Facebook. This self-indexing tool that searches anything and highlights any topic is now an indispensable tool on this most popular social network site. This new functionality on this site is grabbing the attention of the users currently. Though it has not reached to all the users yet but users will soon follow it to find out specific topic or to get engaged in certain conversation.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn, the most popular professional network site has added the hashtag feature too that enables the job seekers to increase their chances to search an ideal position or profession. It works exactly in the similar way it does on Twitter and makes it easier for potential employees to get connected to key companies that they are eyeing.

Benefits of using hashtags for brands:

• It helps you to create awareness for your brand.

• It makes it easy to track what others are talking about your brand.

• You can keep track of your online reputation in the market.

• It lets you monitor and measure your reach.

• It makes your posts easier to search.

• It lets you keep an eye on all the conversations around your chosen keywords/topics so that you can understand where your company is being mentioned.

Several other networking sites are adding this feature currently. The adoption of hashtag by all the most popular social networking sites is also a response to three major aspects: their use by major advertisers, customers and the necessity to provide ways to sieve through mountains of social chatter and swiftly cut through the clutter.

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Top 10 Mobile Chat Apps That Beat SMS

In the recent time, the number of messages being sent on various apps has taken over SMS for the first time ever. According to a survey, till 2012, around 19 billion instant messages were sent using chat apps, compared to 17.6 billion SMS texts.

The top ten apps being used these days beating the text messages are:

1) WhatsApp:  WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app that let the user to exchange messages without any charge. It runs on iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia. It is said to be the granddaddy of the mobile messaging app space. Even with the continuous entry of the myriad messaging newcomers, this stupendous app appears to be continuing to build usage momentum.

 2) WeChat: This smart app generally offers multimedia messaging options, with support for emoji/stickers and video. The app runs smoothly on Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Symbian platforms and supports English, Chinese, Indonesian, Portuguese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Russian languages.

 3) Line: Call and message as much as you want with this latest app, Line. It is a new communication tool that let you make free voice calls and messages whenever and wherever you are. Around 190 million users worldwide across 231 countries are using this app to communicate.

4) Nimbuzz Messenger: Another great app ever invented is the Nimbuzz Messenger that combines the power of web and smartphone both into one. It enables you to make affordable international calls, send messages, share files on any other handset. It is available on all the popular platforms including Android, iOS, Blackberry, Symbian, Java, Windows and Mac.

 5) Skype: Now with this advanced app, Skype talk with your fingers. No matter in which part of the world you are, by maintaining your privacy it connects you with your friends and family with free instant messaging. Millions of users are now using it to get in touch with their loved ones.

 6) ChatOn: Stay connected with your buddies or group of buddies through this advanced app ChatOn. It is well supported on most of the platforms. In most of the Samsung mobile phones, you get this impeccable app preloaded. You can post messages and check out your buddy's comments.

7) BBM: To exchange between BlackBerry users only, BBM is one of the best inventions. It will soon be available on the iOS platform too. However, you can carry on a real-time conversation with friends and colleagues in several different locations or carry on numerous conversations simultaneously.

 8) Facebook Messenger: Facebook Messenger mobile app is as similar as the Facebook chat on a desktop. It allows the user to chat either one to one or in groups. You can share pictures, texts or voice recordings and also emoji to make your conversation interesting.

9) Viber: Viber is a VoIP app that is becoming more popular with each passing day. You can not only message through it but also communicate using VoIP for free bypassing your mobile network. You can make unlimited calls and text messages to other Viber users. Registration via your mobile number is not required to make calls.

10) GTalk: A number of apps have come in the market in the current time but GTalk is one of the oldest and most excellent communication tools. This instant messaging service allows both texts as well as voice communication. You can stay connected with your friends and family anytime and can see the actual availability and status of friends online.

All these latest apps have taken over the market and changed the way of communication. Mobile texts have lost somewhere with the introduction of these apps which are much cheaper and easy to access. No matter in which part of the world you are, you can easily connect with your loved ones and can interact and see them which is not possible via SMS.

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Mobile Applications for Hotels: Significant Need of the Hour!

According to a survey, 38% users use their handsets to organize a trip. Almost 60% admitted that they have downloaded travel apps on their gizmos, 62% of the travelers said that they have used their widgets to search restaurants while traveling, 51% used it to know about the flight status, 46% searched for the attractions and 28% have checked into a restaurant, hotel or attraction using their cell phones while on a tour.

As per another survey, it has been revealed that regular business travelers who make trips minimum five times in a year possess a Smartphone. Almost 50% of regular leisure travelers have Smartphones that they use for various activities such as searching restaurants, check in hotels and other places etc.

There are enough reasons for the industry to use mobile applications. In fact, there are many who are using it and gaining huge success out of it.

These days, the most important and a must have thing for a hotel is to have a dynamic website from where one can know about it in detail and access all the required information within minimum clicks. Next is the mobile app that let the hotel to connect with the guests more closely. The good thing is, the cost of developing these apps has decreased as compared to previous years. Now even if you do not own a luxury hotel or a chain of luxury hotels, you can create your app for the growth and development.

As they say – ‘What is visible, sells'. After app development, you need to promote it wisely on each platform so that people get to know about it. Having a mobile app also increase the brand value of the hotel. Customers understand that the hotel is up-to-dated with the latest technology and hence must be offering high quality services too.

 Now, the important question - which platform you should choose to develop the app? Android or iOS? Well, nothing to worry about it as the answer is in your website analytics. Go through it and find out that how many people from which platforms are coming to your website and start with the one having the most number of users and then move to the rest of the platforms.

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