Follow Your Heart. Lead Your Mind. You'll find a window everywhere.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

How to ensure content goes viral off your Facebook fan page.

Social@Ogilvy is Ogilvy's official Social Media wing cum the Facebook Fan Page.

On Thursday i.e on March 22nd, 2013, they uploaded on their fan page a FABULOUS on-ground anti-smoking activation campaign video done by Ogilvy.

So far, (while I'm posting this blog), that video achieved '27 shares' - the most crucial component in the number game for SMM - Social Media Marketing.

The same video was uploaded https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=436583829763364&set=vb.102896359840909&type=2&theater on the page of 'Mind Blowing Resources' and it was shared for 102 times.





Whereas, off Ogilvy's page the video was shared for 2,319 times.

It's a 'case study' actually, which reveals the following -

a) An individual's page / account creates better experience and engagement on the social media than his brand's or company's fan page.


Because even on a digital media, humans like humans.

b) A Brand or an Organisation's Fan Page can't really push a Content to go 'viral' despite the best of efforts.

Because a Fan Page by default contradicts the basic premise or condition of virality. So unless and until the content is properly ambushed, disguised, or incentivised, it's almost impossible to generate even 20 shares per content.

c) Third party recommendations beyond fan page do wonders on the social media for greater virality. Which is why; brands or companies need to identify the communicators cum evangelists on their page and develop a good rapport and relationship with them.

And ideally such communicators or evangelists should be taken on a payroll or into a collaborative partnership as consultants or advisors because their communications and engagements matter - and those guys are the bait.

Any brand or organisation, if really serious about SMM - Social Media Marketing - shouldn't ignore this case-study to reap in rich benefits.

Because EGO doesn't help in business but FRANKNESS does wonders. Since, today is for COLLABORATION, where the concept of 'my company, my profit, my family' is totally FUNNY, BASELESS and UNPRODUCTIVE.

Bottom-line: Lesser vertical profit, more horizontal investment for an ensured overall gain and growth. Continuously.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

How can your business survive the consumer evolution? Understand the Brand Core, not just digital.

Good, old days have long gone. 'USP' is no more any 'Unique Selling Proposition'. Because 'Feature' based 'Brand Core' has become history now.

Therefore, with due respect to Rosser Reeves and Philip Kotler, we need to move on. Fast. The need of the hour is to understand that the Brand Core is already present in every consumer as 'Greed'. What leads to 'Act' > 'Experience' > 'Engagement' > 'Need' - which forms a 'Brand', eventually and contextually, that 'Promises' to cater to the 'Market' that is already created by consumer based on 'UBP' i.e. 'Unique Buying Proposition'.

See the pic below. Click on it to enlarge.


And this entire process would be aptly backed by mushroom like 'Media' proliferation - where 'Humans' are likely to be the BIGGEST media in fact.

Plus, it's imperative to note that 'Experience' will create 'Engagement', not the other way round what the stereotype thinks.

For, unless an experience is good, innovative, and conducive, no engagement will take place more than once, maximum twice. Hence, there's no need to consider that just an 'Act' is an 'Engagement'.

"One-night stay is not engagement, sorry!"

Given this, to ensure an 'Engagement' (in real sense) via nonstop 'Interactions' for 'Need' development and evolution, 'Idea' holds the key. Because only a BIG Idea can create the right 'Experience' i.e. 'Product' and the right 'Content' i.e. 'Communication' that won't fizzle out just like that.

YES! Product = Experience today; forget 'Commodities'.

If it's done, then only there will be some hopes for Brands and Agencies alike, precisely for Digital Agencies, to survive, complementing Darwin's theory of survival.


Otherwise, consumers will make sure neither Brands nor Agencies are alive - thanks to whom they have already turned 'Data' for nothing.

Moral of the story: Before fiddling with 'Technology' and 'Jargon-ism', it's wise to UNDERSTAND THE GROUND REALITY OF BUSINESS.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Content quality doesn't always influence the virality on a social media like Facebook.

The world is abuzz with three words: 'Innovation' (Uff), 'Engagement' (Ugh), 'Experience' (Err) in the digital age and landscape, which can be aptly termed as 'UUE' i.e. 'Ubiquitously Ulcerous Eccentricities'. 

3 persons or brands out of every 2 - please don't get into the mathematical possibilities whilst you can enjoy the magic of probabilities - are swearing by the 'UUE' in the name of digital marketing, leveraging on the social media, predominantly Facebook and Twitter in India. 

Such individuals or brands and their digital agencies abhor to acknowledge and  appreciate though that their marketing process leads to any communication, as, to them, whatever they have been doing is an 'interaction' - taking place by the magic of data, digits, numbers, analytics, algorithms, etc.; so 'content' is not that important in the scheme of things in terms of 'commonsense' for 'sensibility', 'sensitivity', 'rationality' and 'relevance'.

How come an interaction happens minus a communication is a different issue altogether, so it's wise to avoid a debate on that in order to comprehend 'digital is awesome' and what is 'awesome' should never be questioned. 

The more the Likes (or Favorites); the more the Comments (or Mentions / Replies); the more the Shares (or Retweets)... the greater the engagement... the 'awesomest' the experience.

And if that takes place, a 'brand salience' - even if the brand is an individual - is assured, and frequently beyond all expectations. 

In fact, it's observed more often than not that a 'crappy or mindless content' helps a brand generate more and better interactions on the social media in case the content has some visual elements in it - a picture or a video.

Because, such a content doesn't require or involve any brain so can be consumed just by a click on the mouse or touching the screen of a smart phone or tab with a finger. 

That is, instant gratification for self without any labour or sweat. 

To understand the 'crap is cool' phenomenon, open this link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=299865530143189 and see the commercial done by a product (sorry, I can't call that a brand), a mobile phone to be precise, which went viral like anything. 

On last Wednesday i.e. on March 06, 2013 at 11.30 PM, someone uploaded the commercial on the ROFLIndia's page on Facebook and the video got spread like a quickfire, courtesy the audience (including me) who are the Fans of ROFLIndia but not of QUBA Mobile. 

Look at the screen-shot taken on March 11, 2013 at 11.30 PM, and you will get know the content has already been shared by '3,253 people' and the share continues... 



When 3,253 people share a content, obviously that content gets exposed to minimum 32,530 people, even if the most modest assumption takes place, ignoring the Likes and Comments - favourable or unfavourable. 

Out of 32,530 people, if at least 2% i.e. 650 people remember the product name for a week - which generally happens for an unknown product / service - then QUBA mobile is home and definitely its viral campaign is a huge success in terms of ROI, since, the product spent literally zero for marketing and communications. 

And out of 650 people, if just 7 people buy the product, there's every reason for QUBA Mobile to feel elated and ecstatic, because over 1% conversion into sales from a viral ploy on and off Facebook is no joke.

For, the success rate of sales doesn't even touch 0.5% in reality in most of the cases unless a SMM (Social Media Marketing) process was heavily incentivised by contest, freebies, sops, and the like. 

In this situation, of course, it cannot be denied anymore that quality of content shouldn't be fussed upon, as the real experiences are duly showing that to generate quantities i.e. ROIs, craps work better than substance. 

Plus, to produce craps no such investment is required, especially on the mind-power that actually creates a real BIG IDEA led content like this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=500756786628015 - as showcased on the page: 'Mind Blowing Resources' on Facebook. 

So, the bottom-line is, in order to leverage on the social media via social networking as part of digital marketing, a content should ideally feed to the 'UUE' - Ubiquitously Ulcerous Eccentricities.