SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE FOR MARKETING

Proceedings of National Conference on New Horizons in IT - NCNHIT 2013

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Social Networking Site for Marketing Harshit Zhaveri Abstract--- The Internet and the World Wide Web have become two key components in today's technology based organizations and businesses. As the Internet is becoming more and more popular, it is starting to make a big impact on people's day-today life. As a result of this revolutionary transformation towards the modern technology, social networking on the World Wide Web has become an integral part of a large number of people's lives. Social networks are websites which allow users to communicate, share knowledge about similar interests, discuss favorite topics, review and rate products/services, etc. These websites have become a powerful source in shaping public opinion on virtually every aspect of commerce. Marketers are challenged with identifying influential individuals in social networks and connecting with them in ways that encourage viral marketing content movement and there has been little empirical research study about of this website to diffuse of viral marketing content. In this article, we explore the role of social network websites which has influence on viral marketing, and the characteristics of the most influential users to spread share viral content.

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INTRODUCTION

A. Social Networking Sites OCIAL NETWORK SITES (SNSs) such as MySpace, Facebook, Cyworld, and Bebo have attracted millions of users, many of whom have integrated these sites into their daily practices. As of this writing, there are hundreds of SNSs, with various technological affordances, supporting a wide range of interests and practices. While their key technological features are fairly consistent, the cultures that emerge around SNSs are varied. Most sites support the maintenance of preexisting social networks, but others help strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing. Introduction is to provide a conceptual, historical, and scholarly context for the articles in this collection.

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MARKETING

Marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others.

The right product, in the right place, at the right time, at the right price (ADCOCK). The important elements contained as follows: •

Marketing focuses on the satisfaction of customer needs, wants and requirements. • The philosophy of marketing needs to be owned by everyone from within the organization. • Future needs have to be identified and anticipated. • There is normally a focus upon profitability, especially in the corporate sector. However, as public sector organizations and not-for-profit organizations adopt the concept of marketing, this need not always be the case. • More recent definitions recognize the influence of marketing upon society. Marketing includes the advertising and sales people of course...but it ALSO includes the customer service people...it includes company procedure...it includes policies...it includes environment and attitude...it includes even the bosses. "Making and Keeping Customers" is the most important function of business...anything within a company that does not work toward that end, is a waste of time, and is thus promoting the failure of the company. 2.1 Definition A. Social Networking Site Social Network Sites as web-based services that allow individuals to, 1.

Construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, 2. Articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and 3. View and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Term "social network site" to describe this phenomenon, the term "social networking sites" also appears in public discourse. Term "networking" for two reasons: emphasis and scope. "Networking" emphasizes relationship initiation, often between strangers. While networking is possible on these sites, it is not the primary practice on many of them, nor is it what differentiates them from other forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Social network sites unique are not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks.

Harshit Zhaveri, Software Engineer, Credence systems. E-mail: [email protected]

A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social

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networks or social relations among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities. Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Online community services are sometimes considered as a social network service, though in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks. B. Types The main types of social networking services are those which contain category places, mean to connect with friends and a recommendation system linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with Facebook and Twitter widely used worldwide, Nexopia (mostly in Canada); Bebo, VKontakte, Hi5, Hyves (mostly in The Netherlands), Draugiem.lv (mostly in Latvia), StudiVZ (mostly in Germany), iWiW (mostly in Hungary), Tuenti (mostly in Spain), Nasza-Klasa (mostly in Poland), Decayenne, Tagged, XING, Badoo and Skyrock in parts of Europe; Orkut and Hi5 in South America and Central America; and Friendster, Mixi, Multiply, Orkut, Wretch, renren and Cyworld in Asia and the Pacific Islands and Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Orkut are very popular in India. C. History Features of social networking sites were also present in online services such as America Online, Prodigy, and CompuServe. Early social networking on the World Wide Web began in the form of generalized online communities such as Theglobe.com (1995), Geocities (1994) and Tripod.com (1995). In the late 1990s, user profiles became a central feature of social networking sites, allowing users to compile lists of "friends" and search for other users with similar interests. New social networking methods were developed by the end of the 1990s, and many sites began to develop more advanced features for users to find and manage friends.

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D. Issues 1.

Privacy Privacy Concerns with social networking services have been raised growing concerns amongst users on the dangers of giving out too much personal information and the threat of sexual predators. Users of these services also need to be aware of data theft or viruses. There is an issue over the control of data— information that was altered or removed by the user may in fact be retained and/or passed to 3rd parties. This danger was highlighted when the controversial social networking site harvested e-mail addresses from users' e-mail accounts for use in a spamming operation. Privacy on social networking sites can be undermined by many factors. For example, users may disclose personal information, sites may not take adequate steps to protect user privacy, and third parties frequently use information posted on social networks for a variety of purposes. 2.

Data Mining Data mining, companies are able to improve their sales and profitability. With this data, companies create customer profiles that contain customer demographics and online behavior. A recent strategy has been the purchase and production of “network analysis software”. Facebook has been especially important to marketing strategists. Facebook’s controversial and new “Social Ads” program gives companies access to the millions of profiles in order to tailor their ads to a facebook user’s own interests and hobbies. 3.

Access to Information Many social networking services, such as Facebook, provide the user with a choice of who can view their profile.

This prevents unauthorized user(s) from accessing their information. the social networking sites require you to login or provide a password. This prevents unauthorized user(s) from adding, changing, or removing personal information, pictures, and/or other data. III.

HOW SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE IS RELATED WITH MARKETING

This newer generation of social networking sites began to flourish with the emergence of SixDegrees.com in 1997, followed by Makeoutclub in 2000,Friendster in 2002, and soon became part of the Internet mainstream. Friendster was followed by MySpace and LinkedIn a year later, and finally, Bebo.

Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it is coming from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself.

By 2005, MySpace was reportedly getting more page views than Google. Facebook, launched in 2004, has since become the largest social networking site in the world.

Social media has become a platform that is easily accessible to anyone with internet access. Increased communication for organizations fosters brand awareness and often, improved customer service. Additionally, social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform for organizations to implement marketing campaigns. With emergence of channels

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like Twitter, the barrier to entry in social media is greatly reduced. Key factors that ensure its success are its relevance to the customer, the value it provides them with and the strength of the foundation on which it is built. IV.

SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS

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Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs Social networking websites allow individuals to interact with one another and build relationships. When products or companies join those sites, people can interact with the product or company. That interaction feels personal to users because of their previous experiences with social networking site interactions. Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs allow individual followers to “retweet” or “repost” comments made by the product being promoted. By repeating the message, all of the users connections are able to see the message, therefore reaching more people. Social networking sites act as word of mouth.Because the information about the product is being put out there and is getting repeated, more traffic is brought to the product/company. Through social networking sites, products/companies can have conversations and interactions with individual followers. This personal interaction can instill a feeling of loyalty into followers and potential customers.Also, by choosing whom to follow on these sites, products can reach a very narrow target audience.

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How SNS is Beneficial for Marketing Wave of social networking site came in the form of connecting with old and new friends, colleagues and people located in different geographical locations. But after a particular period of time corporate enterprises see business opportunities within the trend and soon it also became a buzzing place for people to explore business ventures and ideas. Companies have a lot to gain through social networking websites by making them a platform to establish their presence before millions and millions of people on a global level and that too without any initial investment at their end. Here are some benefits businesses stand to gain: • Effective communication with existing customers and market audience at the same time being accessible to a large audience. • Business promotion before a global audience surpassing all geographical boundaries and time differences. • Employee recruitment from a pool of talented personals. Conducting effective market research by interacting with target market on a personal level. • Cost effective marketing for small scale businesses with limited financial resources by placing them before global markets with millions and millions of people from across the world.

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Cell Phones Cell phone usage has also become a benefit for social media marketing. Today, many cell phones have social networking capabilities: individuals are notified of any happenings on social networking sites through their cell phones, in real-time. This constant connection to social networking sites means products and companies can constantly remind and update followers about their capabilities, uses, importance, etc. Because cell phones are connected to social networking sites, advertisements are always in sight.

Example: Johnson’s Baby India Advertisement on Facebook. The company has placed advertisement on facebook depending upon that they have created a page as a link on each user account of facebook for the promotion of their brand because this provide a great approach towards marketing by getting their feedback in the format of like and dislike. And also they contact to the person who posted on their wall and to confirm they are valid user or not. Depending upon the feedback they enhanced their product. Particular screenshot of Johnson’s Baby is provided below for your reference:

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Advantage 1. Low Costs: it's cheaper to use online social networking for both personal and business use because most of it is usually free. 2. Builds Credibility: Despite having to do a bit of work, it definitely pays off as you can be tapped for an offer if someone catches wind of your products or services.

3. Connections: By using a social networking site, you can do what you can and get connected with these people to form a web of connections that can give you leverage if

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you play your cards right. As long as you give as well as you receive. •

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Disadvantage 1. Lack of Anonymity: You are putting out information about your name, location, age, gender, and many other types of information that you may not want to let others know. Most people would say be careful, but no one can be certain at any given time. As long as people can know who you exactly are, then some can find ways to do you in. 2.

Scams and Harassment: many sites apply certain measures to keep any of these cases of harassment, cyber-stalking, online scams, and identity theft to an absolute minimum.

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Time Consuming: The key to social networking is that it is supposed to be fun, whether you are just doing it for kicks or clicking around for business purposes.

Most Popular Social Networking Site SR.NO.

Facebook • • • •

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Tweets grew 1,400% last year to 35 million per day. Today, we are seeing 50 million tweets per day— that’s an average of 600 tweets per second.

Facebook keeps its stats page updated, and boasts over 350mm users. Facebook has announced 400mm users. Facebook demonstrates growth in total number of visitors and a high degree of attention. Usage of casual gaming (Farmville, mafia wars) is suggested to be by moms. A PopCap survey reports that “The PopCap study showed that 55 percent of all social gamers in the U.S. are women, as are almost 60 percent of those in the UK. Facebook visitors to other sites are apparently more sticky at least by a few margin points: “To offer one example, 81% of visits to CNN.com were returning visitors while 84% of visitors to CNN.com that came from Facebook.com were returning visitors and 72% from Google News were returning visitors.” Facebook has cross the 500mm user mark. Top countries adopting Facebook: United States, UK, Indonesia

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DETAIL OF NUMBER OF VISITER 550,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

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98,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

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Twitter • •

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Hubspot luanches a report of Twitter.com registrations and shows a decrease in rate of adoption. Sysmos launched a report about global usage of Twitter, with most adoption in US. Interesting that the key nugget is “The number of U.S. unique users was 50.8%, a sharp drop from 62.1% in June. Data indicates that many Twitter users are not active. read “The number of Twitter users has climbed to a lofty 75 million, but the growth rate of new users is slowing and a lot of current Twitterers are inactive”. Twitter themselves finally publish numbers indicating there are 50mm tweets created each day. ”Folks were tweeting 5,000 times a day in 2007. By 2008, that number was 300,000, and by 2009 it had grown to 2.5 million per day.

ISBN 978-93-82338-79-6