UNIT-III

SOCIAL MEDIA OVERVIEW AND SECURITY

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL NETWORKS:

As you can see from the tree chart, only a subset of networks in the world as social
networks. The key difference between social networks and other networks is that social networks
have to involve people (or groups of people) and their perceptions, thoughts, interactions, and
behaviours. Sometimes interactions between people are mediated by technologies. For instance,
people can connect to one another by texting on their phone or travelling by plane. The primary
perspective that we will take is that of social network analysis as developed in the discipline
of sociology since the 1970s. The inter-disciplinary field in charge of studying social networks is
called social network analysis (SNA). SNA in its turn, is part of an even larger interdisciplinary
field in charge of studying all types of networks called network science which includes work in
physics, computer science, data science, biology, engineering, mathematics, and other fields.
TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA:
Social media consists of many types of networks for people who engage in a variety of different
interests. Marketing and advertising on social media are economical and effective, helping you to
connect with a wider audience.

10 types of social media

Knowing the differences between types of social media and how users interact with them can help
you engage more effectively with prospective customers. Here are some of the most popular types of
social media:
1. Social networks

Social networking sites help people connect with each other and offer a multitude of ways for
different brands to attract individuals. Users can share their thoughts, form groups based on their
interests, curate content, upload photos and videos and participate in group discussions.

Learning what people post about your brand on social networks can help you use that information to
create a positive presence and boost brand awareness. Examples of social networking platforms:

 Facebook
 Twitter
 Instagram
 LinkedIn
 TikTok

2. Discussion forums

Discussion forums encourage people to answer each other's questions and share ideas and news.
Many of these social media sites focus on posing questions to solicit the best answer. Answering
them correctly and honestly can increase your credibility on the forum.
That credibility and respect could lead to an increase in visits to your business or product website.
You can also use discussion forums to do market research by asking people what they think of your
products and brand. This can help you create more focused marketing campaigns. Examples of
discussion forums:

 Reddit
 Digg
 Quora
 Clubhouse

3. Image-sharing networks

These social media sites let people share photos and related content. They offer a platform to start
conversations, inspire creativity, make products seem more appealing and encourage customers to
talk about your brand.

For example, a clothing company could give everyone who posts a picture of their gear on the
image-sharing network a chance to win a gift certificate. Examples of image-sharing networks:

 Instagram
 Flickr
 Photobucket

4. Bookmarking networks

Bookmarking networks are platforms where users save different ideas, articles, posts and other
content for later use. Many people also share links to lists of online resources. The purpose of these
websites is to discover new content based on shared interests and to discuss trends.

You can use these networks to direct people to your website and engage with and influence their
opinion by sharing your own content to bookmark. Examples of bookmarking networks:

 Feedly
 Flipboard
 Pocket
 StumbleUpon

5. Blogging and publishing networks:

These social media networks give you a place to publish your thoughts on your job, current events,
hobbies and more. You can enjoy many of the benefits of having your own blog without having to
host it on your own website.

You can also attract new readers from the pool of people who visit the network looking for
interesting content. Consider writing blog posts about how to use your product in creative ways or
post news about your industry to drive more traffic to your account. Examples of blogging and
publishing networks:

 Medium
 WordPress
  Facebook
 Tumblr

6. Consumer review networks

These sites display customers' reviews of businesses, giving users a full perspective of the type of
services and products offered and the overall satisfaction rate. Customer reviews can help you
identify any common problems that many people share and allow you to improve their experiences
over time.

Promoting positive reviews and thoughtfully handling negative ones can make your business more
popular and boost brand awareness. Examples of consumer review networks:

 TripAdvisor
 Yelp
 OpenTable
 Google My Business

7. Interest-based networks

Use these specialized networks to share your hobbies and unique interests with others. Sites and apps
related to your industry can help you network by shared interest as well.

For example, an interest-based site could allow people to discuss their favorite books and get
recommendations about what to read next. Authors could create profile pages to promote their work
and answer questions from readers. Examples of interest-based networks:

 Strava
 Peanut
 Goodreads

8. Sharing economy networks

These sites give people access to resources by encouraging them to share goods and services. For
example, a sharing economy site focused on pets could help a user find someone willing to take care
of their dog while on vacation.

It would be less costly than a kennel and more comfortable for the pet. If your company sells pet toys
or food, you could gain new customers by advertising, perhaps by offering promotions of your
products or services for users to try. Examples of sharing economy networks:

 Lending Club
 Couchsurfing
 Eatwith
9. Social shopping networks

These networks help people spot trends, share great finds, make purchases and follow their favorite
brands. They focus on e-commerce, and the social element makes it engaging and entertaining.
These social shopping sites are ideal for building awareness about your brand and selling to a wider
audience.

Many of them let hobbyists and small business owners sell their art, jewelry, crafts and other items.
Sellers are able to reach customers who are looking for unique, handmade products. Other social
shopping networks offer home-related products along with content about home improvement,
making them interest-based networks as well.

 Instagram
 Poshmark
 Etsy
 Facebook

10. Video hosting platforms

Video hosting platforms give independent filmmakers, journalists and other creators a way for their
audiences to stream videos quickly and easily. Brands can use paid ads to reach new customers, they
can ask influencers to use and talk about their products or they can film their own video content.
Examples of video hosting platforms:

 YouTube
 TikTok
 Snapchat
 Vimeo
 Instagram

social media platforms:

7 TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

1. Traditional social networking sites

Examples: Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Threads

Used for: Connecting directly with customers in specific areas, communities, or interest groups.

How your business can use them: Traditional social networking sites are a great way to amplify
your voice and connect with your audience. These flexible platforms are designed to help you share
both text and visual content with whomever you like. They share features like networking, event
organizing, and advertising.

Traditional social platforms also gather lots of information about their users. This allows you to run
specific targeted ads and connect with the right audience to share useful information, You can also
use these platforms to connect directly with customers using direct messaging tools. These can be
valuable for customers who are looking for quick answers to simple questions.
2. Image-based social media
Examples: Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok (photo mode)

Used for: Visual storytelling, brand-building, and social commerce.

How your business can use them: Almost all image-based social media platforms are great
for social commerce. They offer various ways to shop in-app and eliminate the need to drive traffic
to an external site. You can sell directly to your customers by building a robust in-app shopping
presence.

Instagram Shopping allows businesses to create a storefront. You can tag specific products in your
images and videos and mention products in your profile bio.

Pinterest Shopping allows you to connect your store catalog and add shoppable links to search
results. You’ll also get a Verified Merchant badge on your profile, which creates a sense of security
for customers.

With the Snapchat Store feature (currently in beta), brands with verified Snapchat Business profiles
can upload a catalog and include a Shop tab on their profile.

If your business caters to a younger demographic, Snapchat is a must. The platform reaches 90% of
the 13-24-year-old population and 75% of the 13-34-year-old population in 20+ countries.

3. Short-form video social media

Examples: Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts

Used for: Sharing short-form video content (usually between five seconds and ninety seconds long)

How your business can use them: Short-form videos are great for driving brand awareness and
bringing products to life.

This type of content is quick to film and edit, making it perfect for businesses with a lean social
media team. Short on inspiration? The constant stream of trends on each platform means that
inspiration for your next short-form video is at your fingertips.

4. Livestream social media

Examples: Facebook Live, Instagram Live, TikTok Live, Twitch, YouTube

Used for: Broadcasting live video to many viewers at once

How your business can use them: Livestreaming’s popularity exploded during the pandemic. By
late 2022, nearly 30% of internet users aged 16-64 were watching livestreams every week.

5. Discussion forums
Examples: Reddit, Quora
Used for: Asking and answering questions, networking, and forming communities around niche- and
interest-based topics

How your business can use them: It can be challenging for brands to crack discussion forums.
Users can be naturally wary of businesses inserting PR-speak into a community-oriented space.

6. Private community platforms

Examples: Discord, Facebook Groups, Patreon, Slack

Used for: Creating communities, with the possibility of requiring registration or other screening
measures for new members.

How your business can use them: Private groups bring your community members together. They
can bond over shared challenges and help answer each other’s questions without the distraction of
unrelated conversations.

7. Decentralized social networks

Examples: Bluesky, Mastodon

Used for: Building brand awareness, engaging with your community, and monitoring ongoing
conversations.

How your business can use them: Connecting with users to do community outreach and run UGC
campaigns. Conducting market research using social listening.

SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING:

Social media monitoring is the process of collecting social conversations and messages into a
database of useful information.

To be successful, any business strategy must incorporate social media. Organizations need to be able
to hear the conversations taking place about your company and your brand in order to reach the
right people at the best time with the most insightful content. Social media monitoring is exactly
what you need to achieve this.

Social media monitoring is the use of tools to listen to millions of conversations on the web to
determine what is being said about a particular brand, issues, people or producst, and to discover
opportunities. It is how we monitor the web world. Social media monitoring can be passive, for
example, listening to people to discover what interests them, or it can be active, searching for
references to your brand, campaigns or actions.

How does social media monitoring work?

Most social media monitoring tools work by continuously crawling and indexing sites, sometimes in
real time, such as Twitter. Once all of those sites are indexed, they can then be searched to find
mentions, opinions and sentiment on specific products, brands, companies, people, places, etc.
The unstructured data created by millions of users posting and tweeting each day can fuel
competitive advantages and help support marketers and other decision makers make more informed,
critical decisions. This is possible if you can this still those millions of posts and tweets down into
concrete information, and when you are able to understand what the users are actually saying.
Using cognitive computing technology, social media monitoring tools can really understand users
and what they express on social media, comprehending intent, sentiment, opinion and preferences.

Why is social media monitoring so important?

Customers want to be sure that their opinion is heard by the companies they are targeted on social
media, and it is relevant for other people in order to actively contribute to change or fuel
improvements for the services and products that they buy.

By listening to conversations on social channels and on the web, companies can identify new
opportunities or collect worthwhile feedback and information about competitors. The possibilities for
what you may discover using social media monitoring is only limited by your imagination.

HASH TAG:

Do you use social media? Whether you're updating your status on Facebook, tweeting good news
on Twitter, or posting a selfie on Instagram, there's probably a symbol you've become very familiar
with. What are we talking about? The hashtag symbol, of course!
So what exactly is a hash tag? It's a word or phrase without spaces preceded by the hash tag symbol
to form a label. Used as a type of metadata tag on social media services, hash tags allow users to
classify and search for messages by topic. By using hash tags, social media users can join in a
wider conversation about a topic. Many social media sites automatically turn any word or
unspaced phrase preceded by the hash tag symbol into a searchable hyperlink.

Use of hash tags has become so widespread that the Oxford English Dictionary added “hash tag" as
an official word in 2014. But how did the # symbol go from a number sign, a pound sign, or a tic-
tac-toe board to a hash tag?

Researchers believe the # symbol was referred to as a “hatch mark" in computing and
telecommunications contexts many decades ago. Eventually, it was altered to a “hash mark" and over
time shortened to a “hash." Given its use as a metadata tag, hash tag was the natural evolution of
the word.

The hash tag’s use in social media is closely associated with micro blogging site Twitter. Using #
followed by a word or unspaced phrase to create a hash tag was first suggested by
software advocate Chris Messina in an August 2007 tweet. Researchers, however, believe that this
tagging method actually dates back to at least 1988, when it was used in a chatting protocol known
as Internet Relay Chat.

Today, it's easy to see which hash tags are the most popular. All you need to do is check out Twitter's
“Trending Topics" online to see which topics Twitter users are tweeting about the most. You can
also search popular hash tags on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Google+, and a variety of other sites.
Using hash tags is easy. All you need to do is put a hash tag symbol before a word or phrase. The
only rules you need to be aware of are quite simple: no spaces are allowed and neither are special
characters and punctuation marks, such as commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks, etc.

Hash tags can be a fun way to enhance communication and connect yourself to others discussing the
same topic. They offer a shorthand way of referring to a topic, providing context, or simply adding
humor or sarcasm to a message.

You can use a hash tag that someone has already started, or you can start your own. There's no end to
the creativity you can employ when developing your own hash tags. In fact, many marketing experts
now regularly use hash tags to draw attention to the brands they represent.

VIRAL CONTENT

Viral content is online content that achieves a high level of awareness due to shares and exposure on
social media networks, news websites, aggregators, email newsletters and search engines.

Why Is Viral Content Important?

A single piece of viral content can generate significant amounts of brand awareness and traffic to
your website. And because most of the traffic that you get comes from social shares, viral content is
relatively cheap compared to paid ads.

How to Create Viral Content That Drives Traffic

Honestly, there’s no guarantee any content you create will go viral. However, you can do different
things to maximize your chances of running a viral digital marketing campaign. With that in mind,
here are seven steps to work through if you want to give your content a shot at going viral.
1. Start With Research
You can’t hope to make viral content if you don’t have a solid plan in place for making it happen.

First, set a goal. Whether you want 100,000 followers or you hope 100,000 people watch your video,
set a concrete goal and work from there.

Then, figure out what your audience likes. Where do they hang out? What type of content do they
like, share, and engage with the most? Use your answers to determine where to start your campaign
and what medium to use (e.g., images or text).

Finally, check out past examples of viral content from your competitors. Figure out what made the
content so successful and aim to deliver something even better.

2. Be Different
What does all viral content have in common? It’s original and authentic in some way. It delivers the
unexpected.
Here’s a great example. You wouldn’t usually expect a police force to post “fun” content, and yet,
the NSW Police Force delivers. The officers make themselves relatable to younger people by using
wit and humor to drive home the importance of, for example, fraud detection:
The NSW Police Force uses a unique approach to foster community relations and build audience
trust. This strategy has earned them an active follower base and engagement rate.

The take-home message here? Don’t be afraid to be a little different.

3. Hook Your Users

Your hook is your concept. It’s why people stop and pay attention to your content. It’s why those
same people share your content with their social networks.

In other words, your hook is your content’s unique selling proposition (USP). A hook should:
 convey a clear message

 appeal to your intended audience

 encourage your target consumer to engage further with your content
Think of your hook as bait. It captures your audience’s attention and lures them into taking the
desired action like visiting your website, signing up for more content, or following you on social
media.

The type of hook you use varies depending on the content medium. For example, every video needs
a great intro and thumbnail, an article needs a catchy headline, and images often benefit from cool
taglines.

In every case, though, less is usually more. Don’t overthink your hook. Stay true to your brand voice,
promote a consistent brand image, and let your company’s personality shine through.

4. Get Visual
If you want a viral campaign, you need visuals.

What are you more likely to share on social media: an article with walls of unbroken text, or an
image with a cool caption?

Unless you’re dealing with a niche audience, chances are you’ll share the image first. Why?
Well, visual content is easily consumable. It’s fun. Ultimately, although you’re trying to inform your
audience, you also want to entertain them.
Think back to our example of the NSW Police Force. What do you think works best for their
intended audience: a serious article on scam statistics, or a fun graphic emphasizing the importance
of scam detection?

Here’s another example from their account to show you what I mean:
5. Measure Your Success
OK, so you’ve launched your campaign, and you’re going for viral status. How do you track your
progress to check if you have reached your goal?

By measuring your performance, that’s how. There are a few programs you can use for this purpose,
such as Google Analytics, social media analytics, and content marketing tools. It all depends on
where you run your campaign and what platform you’re most comfortable working with.
What measurements should you track? It depends on your campaign, but you’ll probably want to
track, for example, how many times people share your content on social media and on which
platforms people share your content the most.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:

Social media marketing first started with publishing. Businesses were sharing their content on
social media to generate traffic to their websites and, hopefully, sales. But social media has
matured far beyond being just a place to broadcast content.

Nowadays, businesses use social media in a myriad of different ways. For example, a business that
is concerned about what people are saying about its brand would monitor social media
conversations and response to relevant mentions (social media listening and engagement). A
business that wants to understand how it’s performing on social media would analyze its reach,
engagement, and sales on social media with an analytics tool (social media analytics). A business
that wants to reach a specific set of audience at scale would run highly-targeted social media ads
(social media advertising).

The Five Core Pillars of Social Media Marketing

1. Strategy

Before you dive right in and publish something on social media, let’s take a step back and look at
the bigger picture. The first step is to think about your social media strategy.

What are your goals? How can social media help you achieve your business goals? Some
businesses use social media for increasing their brand awareness, others use it for driving website
traffic and sales. Social media can also help you generate engagement around your brand, create a
community, and serve as a customer support channel for your customers.

Which social media platforms do you want to focus on? The major social media platforms,
mentioned above, are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Snapchat.
There are also smaller and up-and-coming platforms, such as Tumblr, Tik Tok, and Anchor, and
social messaging platforms, such as Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat. When starting out, it’s
better to pick a few platforms that you think your target audience is on than to be on all
platforms.

What type of content do you want to share? What type of content will attract your target
audience best? Is it images, videos, or links? Is it educational or entertaining content? A good place
to start is to create a marketing persona, which will help you answer these questions. And this
doesn’t have to be fixed forever; you can always change your strategy according to how your
social media posts perform.
2. Planning and Publishing

Social media marketing for small businesses usually starts with having a consistent presence on
social media. Close to three billion people (3,000,000,000!) use social media. By being present on
social media platforms, you give your brand an opportunity to be discovered by your future
customers.

Publishing to social media is as simple as sharing a blog post, an image, or a video on a social
media platform. It’s just like how you would share on your personal Facebook profile. But you will
want to plan your content ahead of time instead of creating and publishing content spontaneously.
Also, to ensure that you are maximizing your reach on social media, you need to publish great
content that your audience likes, at the right timing and frequency.

3. Listening and Engagement

As your business and social media following grow, conversations about your brand will also
increase. People will comment on your social media posts, tag you in their social media posts, or
message you directly.

People might even talk about your brand on social media without letting you know. So you will
want to monitor social media conversations about your brand. If it’s a positive comment, you get a
chance to surprise and delight them. Otherwise, you can offer support and correct a situation
before it gets worse.

You can manually check all your notifications across all the social media platforms but this isn’t
efficient and you won’t see posts that didn’t tag your business’s social media profile. You can
instead use a social media listening and engagement tool that aggregates all your social media
mentions and messages, including posts that didn’t tag your business’s social media profile.

1Password engages

4. Analytics and Reporting

Along the way, whether you are publishing content or engaging on social media, you will want to
know how your social media marketing is performing. Are you reaching more people on social
media than last month? How many positive mentions do you get a month? How many people used
your brand’s hashtag on their social media posts?

The social media platforms themselves provide a basic level of such information. To get more in-
depth analytics information or to easily compare across social media platforms, you can use the
wide range of social media analytics tools available, such as Buffer Analyze.

5. Advertising

When you have more funds to grow your social media marketing, an area that you can consider
is social media advertising. Social media ads allow you to reach a wider audience than those who
are following you.
Social media advertising platforms are so powerful nowadays that you can specify exactly who to
display your ads to. You can create target audiences based on their demographics, interests,
behaviors, and more.

When you are running many social media advertising campaigns at once, you can consider using a
social media advertising tool to make bulk changes, automate processes, and optimize your ads.

Advantages of social media marketing

 Reach a wider audience. There are more than 3.6 billion users across all social media channels.
A single post share can exponentially increase brand exposure.
 Improved customer satisfaction. Organizations don't just market to customers on social media,
they also interact with them. This can improve customer service and create one-to-one
relationships.
 Cost-effective tool. When executed correctly, the cost of managing a social media program can
be low. Once the knowledge, team and program strategy are in place, marketing teams find it
easy to use with very little overhead.
 Increase website traffic. Social posts are a great way to drive traffic back to a brand website.
Promoting blog content, landing page offers and more can entice users to click through and
engage further with a brand.
 Gain better insights. Using the analytics and reporting features from each social media platform
gives insight into who page followers are, what content they are interested in and how they like
to engage with a brand.

Disadvantages of social media marketing

 Time-consuming process. A lot of time can be spent on social media campaigns to ensure they
are effective. Marketing teams also need to constantly fill the calendar with new content and
respond to inquiries. This can make it difficult for small marketing teams to tap into the full
capabilities of SMM.
 Need qualified resources. It takes the right person or team to run a social media marketing
program. Social media marketing programs don't benefit from entry-level employees. Instead,
skilled and seasoned social media marketers are key.
 Have to wait to see ROI. SMM is a long-term investment. Social media platforms yield a high
ROI, but not in the form of immediate results. The success of an SMM program isn't determined
by one piece of content, but rather several over long periods of time.
 Competitor's market research. Posting to social media is a public forum and everyone can see
the content, including the competition. There is no workaround for this.
 Brand reputation is vulnerable. SMM can open a brand for public embarrassment and bad
press. Negative reviews can be plentiful as customers take to social media to vent frustrations.
And because of the public nature of the platforms, anything a company says or does will be seen
and reacted to. Brands should expedite response times to mitigate this risk.
SOCIAL MEDIA PRIVACY:
COMMON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIVACY ISSUES
With the large amount of data on user social media accounts, scammers can find enough information
to spy on users, steal identities and attempt scams. Data protection issues and loopholes in privacy
controls can put user information at risk when using social media. Other social media privacy issues
include the following.

1. Data mining for identity theft

Scammers do not need a great deal of information to steal someone's identity. They can start with
publicly available information on social media to help target victims. For example, scammers can
gather usernames, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers to target users with phishing
scams.

Even with an email address or phone number, a scammer can find more information, such as leaked
passwords, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers.

2. Privacy setting loopholes

Social media accounts may not be as private as users think. For example, if a user shared something
with a friend and they reposted it, the friend's friends can also see the information. The original user's
reposted information is now in front of a completely different audience.

Even closed groups may not be completely private because postings can be searchable, including any
comments.

3. Location settings
Location app settings may still track user whereabouts. Even if someone turns off their location
settings, there are other ways to target a device's location. The use of public Wi-Fi, cellphone towers
and websites can also track user locations. Always check that the GPS location services are turned
off, and browse through a VPN to avoid being tracked.

User location paired with personal information can provide accurate information to a user profile.
Bad actors can also use this data to physically find users or digitally learn more about their habits.

4. Harassment and cyberbullying

Social media can be used for cyber bullying. Bad actors don't need to get into someone's account to
send threatening messages or cause emotional distress. For example, children with social media
accounts face backlash from classmates with inappropriate comments.

Doxxing -- a form of cyber bullying -- involves bad actors purposely sharing personal information
about a person to cause harm, such as a person's address or phone number. They encourage others to
harass this person.

5. False information
People can spread disinformation on social media quickly. Trolls also look to provoke other users
into heated debates by manipulating emotions.
 Most social media platforms have content moderation guidelines, but it may take time for posts to be
flagged. Double-check information before sending or believing something on social media.

6. Malware and viruses

Social media platforms can be used to deliver malware, which can slow down a computer, attack
users with ads and steal sensitive data. Cybercriminals take over the social media account and
distribute malware to both the affected account and all the user's friends and contacts.

Other ways to keep information safe include the following:

 Use strong passwords. Don't reuse passwords across multiple programs or websites. For help
remembering sign-on credentials, use a password manager to store information securely.
 Avoid public devices. When using a shared device, be sure to log out when finished.
 Don't overshare. Avoid providing more details than necessary. Users shouldn't have to share
addresses or date of birth on all platforms.
 Disable geolocation data. Disable sharing location information on apps in the privacy and
security settings on the phone.
 Don't click on suspicious links. Even if the link appears to be from a friend, avoid clicking on
links unless it's from a trusted source.
 Use two-factor authentication. Implementing two-factor authentication, such as a passcode and
biometric recognition, adds another layer of security to the app.
CHALLENGES IN SOCIALMEDIA
1) Creating a social strategy that performs

Creating a social strategy can be intimidating. First things first, let’s make sure we’re on the same
page when we talk about a social media strategy.

A social media strategy pulls together everything you want to achieve on social and how you plan to
do it. A good place to start is to define your social media objectives. Here are a few things to
consider when it comes to your objectives:

 They should slot in with your wider marketing strategy and business goals
 They should be as concise as possible
 They should be realistic

Not only will a social media strategy help to keep you on track, but it will also allow you to measure
how you’re doing.

When defining your strategy, it’s a good time to choose which metrics you’re going to monitor.
These will be influenced by the objectives you have. We recommend looking beyond vanity metrics
such as likes and follows alone. To really understand the value of your social media, it’s best to place
focus on metrics like impressions, clicks and leads.
 If you already have a social media presence but want to improve it, a social media audit is a good
place to kick things off. An audit allows you to assess your current social media presence including
what works and what doesn’t. Reviewing content across all social channels, audience insight and
performance alongside industry and consumer trends can help to form a successful social strategy.
Once your social strategy is underway, we recommend carrying out an audit on a quarterly basis to
keep track of performance.

2) Proving your social media ROI

Social media campaigns aren’t always based on monetary goals. This makes proving ROI one of the
biggest challenges. You may reach thousands of users every day but how do you translate this impact
into financial return?

Social media ROI comes back to those well-defined objectives which can be easily communicated to
senior management and stakeholders.

Defining quantifiable goals allows you to attach a number to them so they can be tracked. For
example, this could include app downloads, purchases, newsletter sign-ups or gated content
downloads.

Alongside this, the majority of social media channels now have impressive analytics functionality
allowing you to track your performance with accuracy. Here are some of the top metrics we
recommend keeping an eye on:

 Page engagements: Comments, shares, saves – they’re all important. This metric gives you an idea
of how well your audience is engaging with your posts allowing you to track performance and take
learnings from your campaigns.
 Sales: Some platforms, such as Instagram, offer shopping functionality within the app. Using
features like Instagram’s shoppable tags now makes it possible to attribute purchases directly to the
platform.
 Referral traffic: Use UTM parameters on all the links you use on your social accounts. This will
allow you to accurately track and attribute traffic to these channels using Google Analytics.
 Bounce rate: This is the percentage of people who visit one page on your website and leave without
going any further. If you are driving people from Facebook to your website and they are leaving after
a couple of seconds, it could be worthwhile taking a look at the content you’re posting and whether
it’s relevant.
 Return on ad spend: ROAS can tell you how effective your paid social ads are. This metric can be
used to show how much revenue you are generating through your social media marketing and is also
another way of proving engagement.

3) Keeping up to date

It’s no shocker how fast the digital world moves. But as platform features, best practices and
algorithm updates progress at speed, it can be hard to keep up. And that’s even before adding the
countless other areas of marketing you’re likely trying to keep tabs on into the mix.
 One way to remain up to date is to subscribe to reputable sources and publications to receive the
latest news and announcements. As cliché as it sounds, it’s crucial to carve some time out to keep
learning – it will bring huge benefits to your marketing efforts and helps keep those creative juices
flowing too.

We know it isn’t always that easy though. If you’re really struggling to make time to keep up to date
on industry happenings, seeking support from an expert can really help. A social media or digital
marketing agency’s time is dedicated to driving results for you. A big part of this is being in tune
with what’s happening in the wider landscape and applying what’s relevant to your campaigns to
drive even better results.

4) Improving social media engagement

Engagement is a significant part of social media marketing. It’s more than just a metric to measure
effectiveness. It’s also used by many of the major platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to
decide which content to deliver to a user. Yes, we’re talking about dreaded algorithms.

Algorithms can make even the savviest social media master shudder. They’re often seen as the
unknown that’s holding your content back from performing. But they’re extremely important and not
as mysterious as you may think.

Social media algorithms sort posts in a person’s feed based on what they think that user wants to see
rather than displaying content in reverse chronological order of when it was published. For example,
Instagram might place posts from your closest friends or favourite influencer up top because those
are the accounts you interact with most often.

So, how can you decode algorithms to improve your reach and engagement? These tips should help:

 Engage with your audience: The more engagement a piece of content gets, the more likely it will
be rewarded by the algorithm. Ask questions and encourage comments from your audience to not
just generate likes but also comments and shares. Don’t forget to respond to your audience too. If
they’re asking a question or making a comment, it’s good social media etiquette to acknowledge the
interaction. This engagement with your audience is a great way of connecting with them too.
 Tag other accounts in your posts: Where relevant, tag businesses and customers in your posts. For
example, if you’re mentioning a brand in a post, tag them in the image. If you’re republishing
content from a customer wearing one of your products, tag them (don’t forget to ask for permission
first before reposting other’s content). These types of posts are particularly successful for promotions
and competitions but should be used sparingly so they’re not seen as engagement bait.
 Use relevant hashtags: Hashtags make your content searchable and also categorise your campaigns
making it easier for users to find your posts. Hashtags can help the algorithm by assigning a category
to your post so it’s more likely to appear to users interested in that topic. It’s important not to use the
same hashtags over and over again. Instead, make them specific to each post for better engagement.
 Encourage UGC: User-generated content is content that your audience creates which you can then
share on your accounts. Not only does it encourage users to share your brand with their following,
but it also creates authentic and real content for you to promote which will help build trust with your
audience. You can encourage your followers to post photos and tag your business in the image
before asking them permission to use it on your accounts.
 Work with influencers: Collaborating with influencers is going nowhere and can be a valuable part
of your social media marketing. But making sure your influencer marketing is authentic and natural
is key to a successful partnership. Micro-influencers are a great way to reach highly engaged and
relevant audiences.

Experiment with different types of content and ways of engaging your audience. Don’t forget to
track your performance to capture what’s working best for you and your customers!

5) Growing your social media following

Growing your social following fits hand in hand with growing your engagement. The more people
you reach, the more people discover your brand and the more likely they are to follow and engage
with you.

Make it easy to find, follow and engage with your profiles. Add social media icons to your site and
product or delivery packaging. If you’re an eCommerce business selling visual products, why not
add your social feed to your website’s home page? Ask people to follow and interact with your social
platforms at the end of your blog posts and don’t forget to promote your social media accounts in
your email marketing too. The more places you can feature your accounts, the more exposure they’ll
receive.

It’s also important to be regular and consistent with your posting habits if you want to keep reaching
new followers. One way to ensure this is to use a social media scheduling platform such
as Hootsuite to help you plan and automate your posts.

6) Building authentic connections

As great as social media can be, it has inevitably reduced human interaction. Many people now turn
to their phones to be part of an online community, to engage with one another through comments and
likes and even ‘meet’ new people. After all, social media is about being social.

You may not speak to your followers in person, but as a brand operating on these channels it’s still
important to connect with your target audience in an authentic and personal way. The key to
achieving genuine audience engagement and, in turn, greater reach and more followers, is to build
connections that are real and rewarding.

Developing connections builds brand loyalty and soon, you’ll have first-time customers returning to
you time and again. To get your audience engaging with you, you need to engage with them. This
can be done by:

 Replying to comments with a personal response

 Asking your audience questions that are relevant to them
 Respond to negative feedback as well as positive to make them feel valued
 Show them how you are listening to them
 Don’t make all your social media efforts about selling – tell your story, introduce your core values
and give them a reason to stick around
 7) Making sure your visuals are on point

When people hear information, it’s estimated that they’ll only remember 10 percent of that
information three days later. If relevant visual content is paired with the same information however,
that percentage jumps significantly to 65 percent!

Many social media platforms revolve around visual content and great visual content can make you
stand out on the feed. It takes time and skill to create imagery and videos that really work. Here are a
few pointers to consider when creating your visual content:

 Avoid overused stock imagery: There’s nothing worse than seeing multiple brands using the exact
same images across social media. Not only does it lack personality, but users won’t remember who
you are. Where possible, use your own imagery or create graphics to support your posts that are on
brand and unique.
 Test what works: Whether it’s short, energetic videos, single high-quality images, multiple images
in one post or graphics, test what works! This is the only way to understand what resonates with your
audience. In an ideal world, a mixture of all formats is best as it keeps your feed looking fresh.
 Optimise your imagery for SEO: Visual content can be used to drive traffic to your website and
social media channels by tagging and using keywords that Google will recognise. It’s also important
to tag your images using alt text which describes the image.
 Use infographics: If you have more to share than just product imagery, infographics make a happy
medium. They’re a great way of communicating information in a faster, more engaging way.

OPPORTUNITIES AND PITFALLS IN ONLINE SOCIA LNETWORKS:

Let’s take a look at some potential pitfalls of using social media.

1. Distraction. This is quite alike to mindlessness. There is so much beauty, so many

connections to be made, and so many experiences that are wasted in the real life you live in
because of being too focused on and absorbed in the virtual world you hold in your hand. As
you are distracted by the virtual world, real life passes you by and leaves you with a deep
sense of dissatisfaction.
2. Comparison. When you look at other people’s posts and pictures, you compare yourself to
them. Am I prettier? Am I uglier? Do I have as many friends? Am I happier? Sadder?
Cooler? Do I have a more dramatic story to share? Am I better? Am I worse? Comparison
creates inflated feelings of superiority or inferiority, depending on how you view yourself
compared to the other. These feelings lead to disconnection and separation from others and
can bring about feelings of loneliness.
3. Too many opinions. You are wired to belong…to a relatively small group of people. You are
wired to care (to a certain degree) about the opinions of the people in that group so that you
know what your group or tribe stands for and whether or not you belong. But when the group
is thousands or tens of thousands of people, instead of ten or one hundred people, it can be
difficult to find a sense of belonging and you can develop a sense that no one understands
you.
4. Lack of authenticity. You can loss yourself and your self-expression because you see
someone else’s self-expression being praised and “liked” more. For example, a photographer
may notice that another photographer that has a different style gets a lot of followers and
likes on their stuff, so the first photographer changes his style and abandons himself, trying to
 win the approval and the “likes” of others. It takes a lot of energy to be something you are not
and eventually you become exhausted and deeply dissatisfied because no one really knows
who you are - not even you.
5. Emotional backlog. There are a lot of stories on social media. Some sad, happy, exciting,
frightening, overwhelming, boring, angry. All kinds of stories. With the flick of a finger, the
stories come faster than our emotions can get processed. This can lead to what I call
“emotional backlog”. We emotionally respond to reading/listening/watching one story and
don’t have time to fully process it before we move on to the next story with another emotion
that doesn’t get processed before moving on to the next.
6. Shortened attention span. Because there is so much content on social media, if you aren’t
interested in what you’re looking at, you can just move on. And because of this, we lose the
skill to tolerate the “unpleasant” or “uninteresting”. Eventually, we just don’t know how to
handle the feeling of “boredom”.
7. Impatience. When on social media, we get accustomed to things moving fast and to getting
what we want when we want it with a couple finger moves- be it more information, or more
details about a topic, or more videos like the one we just saw. We come to believe that we
have control over what happens to us. So when real life doesn’t go the way we want or it
doesn’t move as fast as it does online, we get impatient because real life isn’t meeting the
unrealistic expectations we set for it.
8. State of emergency. Dings, alarms, whistles, vibrations. They all mean that something is
demanding your attention…NOW! “Look here! Look now!” Getting these notifications puts
you on edge. Ever notice how your heart beats a little faster or maybe a little harder when you
receive a notification? The sound and feel of it can surprise and startle you. We were not
meant to be startled 50 times a day- that’s living in a state of emergency.
9. FOMO- Fear Of Missing Out. This is a feeling/belief/perception that others are having or
experiencing something good and fundamentally important that you are missing out on. It
involves a deep sense of envy and helplessness and affects self-esteem. This is similar to
comparing yourself to others, but more specifically, you are comparing yourself to others’
“highlights”. That creates a skewed sense of “normal”, where you then feel that you are
lacking, or something in your life is lacking.
10. Impunity. Because there is relative anonymity in a large group and because there are no
significant consequences to your actions on social media, hurtful comments, bullying, and
attacks on other people take place. This is divisive and creates a “lesser” humanity.

SECURITY ISSUES RELATED TO THE SOCIAL MEDIA:

Threats to Privacy on Social Media

Criminals are adept at tricking social media users into handing over sensitive information, stealing
personal data, and gaining access to accounts users consider private. Following are typical social
media threats.

Data Mining
Everyone leaves a data trail behind on the internet. Every time someone creates a new social media
account, they provide personal information that can include their name, birthdate, geographic
location, and personal interests. In addition, companies collect data on user behaviors: when, where,
and how users interact with their platform. All of this data is stored and leveraged by companies to
better target advertising to their users. Sometimes, companies share users’ data with third-party
entities, often without users’ knowledge or consent.
Phishing Attempts
Phishing is one of the most common ways criminals attempt to gain access to sensitive personal
information. Often in the form of an email, a text message, or a phone call, a phishing attack presents
itself as a message from a legitimate organization. These messages trick people into sharing sensitive
data, including passwords, banking information, or credit card details. Phishing attacks often pose as
social media platforms. In August 2019, a massive phishing campaign targeted Instagram users by
posing as a two-factor authentication system, prompting users to log in to a false Instagram page.
Malware Sharing
Malware (malicious software) is designed to gain access to computers and the data they contain.
Once malware has infiltrated a user’s computer, it can be used to steal sensitive information
(spyware), extort money (ransomware), or profit from forced advertising (adware). Social media
platforms are an ideal delivery system for malware distributors. Once an account has been
compromised (often by obtaining passwords through a phishing attack), cybercriminals can take over
that account to distribute malware to all of the user’s friends or contacts.
Botnet Attacks
Social media bots are automated accounts that create posts or automatically follow new people
whenever a certain term is mentioned. A large group of bots can form a network known as a botnet.
Bots and botnets are prevalent on social media and are used to steal data, send spam, and launch
distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that help cybercriminals gain access to people’s devices
and networks.
LAWS REGARDING POSTING OF INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Section 66C, IT Act, 2000 which deals with identity theft, provides for jail for three years a fine of
Rupees one lakh if it is shown that someone stole or dishonestly used another person’s password,
digital signature, or any other unique identifying feature. Section 66D provides similar punishment
for cheating by personation by using a computer source, i.e., if someone creates a fake social media
account in someone else’s name and cheats anyone through it.
Identity theft, Section 66C IT Act, 2000: Whoever, fraudulently or dishonestly make use of the
electronic signature, password or any other unique identification feature of any other person, shall be
punished with imprisonment of either description for a term that extends up to three years and shall
also be liable to fine which may extend to Rupees one lakh.
Section 66D, IT Act (Impersonation), 2000: Whoever, by means of any communication device or
computer resource cheats by personation (assumes the identity of someone else with the intention of
fooling or deceiving the person) shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term
which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to Rupees one
lakh.
Section 66B, IT Act, 2000 (Stolen Computer): Whoever dishonestly receives or retains any stolen
computer resource or communication device knowing or having reason to believe that the same to be
a stolen computer resource or communication device, shall be punished with imprisonment of either
description for a term which may extend to three years or with fine which may extend to Rupees one
lakh or with both.
Section 354D, IPC, 1860: Continuously following a woman or contacting her, either online or in
person, and where she has clearly shown that she does not want the attention is a criminal offence. It
is punished by three years for a first offense, and five years for repeat offenses. The only exception is
when a person is stalking a woman as a legal duty.
Section 354A, IPC, 1860 (sexual harassment): it includes the act of showing pornography against
the will of a woman.
Section 67, IT Act, 2000: It punishes sharing obscene material in electronic form. The punishment
can be jail for five years and a fine of Rs 10 lakhs.
Section 67A, IT Act, 2000: It punishes sharing material containing sexually explicit act in electronic
form with jail for seven years and a fine of Rs 10 lakhs. The provisions of the Information
Technology Act are not gender specific and apply to everyone.

BEST PRACTICES FOR THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Tell your story

Be authentic

Find out who is your buyer persona

Post diversified content

Develop a social media calendar

Make high engagement your purpose

Engage with your audience before publishing and after publishing

Place your star products under spotlight

Experiment with new tech

Integrate memes in your content strategy

Follow trends

Try to ease your approval process

Put together a top-notch social media team

Optimize brand for social commerce

Have specific content strategies for each social network

Upload more short-form videos

Analyze your competitors to learn what’s working and what’s not

Keep in mind SEO on social media

Conduct a social media audit

Bring customer care to a new level

Perform social listening

Track on performance data

 Avoid scheduling posts

Research your influencers

Get started with social media advertising

Ask customers for feedback

CASE STUDIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

1.Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”

In 2010, Old Spice launched a viral campaign on social media called “The Man Your Man Could
Smell Like.” The campaign featured a series of humorous videos featuring actor Isaiah Mustafa. The
campaign was a huge success and resulted in a 107% increase in Old Spice sales. During this
campaign, Furthermore, Old Spice’s Twitter following increased by 2,700%. This campaign
likewise generated over 1.4 billion social media impressions during the first week.
Campaign: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
Platform: Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook
Campaign outline: The 2010 Old Spice social media marketing campaign, known as “The Man
Your Man Could Smell Like,” was a multi-faceted campaign that leveraged various social media
platforms to engage with consumers and drive sales.
What worked? The 2010 Old Spice social media marketing campaign worked because it was
innovative, engaging, and effective at driving sales and building brand awareness. The campaign
demonstrated the power of social media as a marketing tool and set a new standard for other brands
to follow.

2.Airbnb’s Wonderlust Showcase

Airbnb’s social media marketing campaign utilized Instagram to showcase unique and inspiring
photos of their rental properties around the world. By sharing stunning photos that inspired
wanderlust in their followers, they were able to increase brand awareness and drive bookings.

The effect of this social media campaign garnered Airbnb over 6.7 million followers on instagram,
resulting in an increase in Airbnb’s engagement rate of 1.5% on Instagram, which is higher than the
average engagement rate for the travel industry.
Campaign: Airbnb’s Wonderlust Showcase
Platform: Instagram
Campaign outline: Airbnb’s success is attributable to its effective use of Instagram in showcasing
stunning and inspiring photos of its rental properties around the world.
What worked? Airbnb’s social media campaign was successful because it effectively used visual
storytelling, user-generated content, authenticity, and consistency to create a strong and engaging
social media presence. By showcasing the unique value of their brand on Instagram, they were able
to increase brand awareness and drive bookings.
3. Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Share Your Ears

Make-A-Wish Foundation was able to increase its social media reach, audience, and engagement
when it partnered with Disney in a “Share Your Ears” campaign.. The strategy of this social media
campaign is rather straightforward: Ask people to take a photo of themselves wearing Mickey Mouse
ears, post it on social media with a hashtag #ShareYourEars. After that, a $5 donation would be
made to the “Make-A-Wish” foundation.
This social media marketing campaign resulted in over 1.7million photos posted and 420 million
social media impressions., which ultimately led to a total increase of 330% in social media reach
and a 554% increase in engagement during the campaign.
Campaign: Share Your Ears
Platform: Twitter
Campaign outline: Take a pic with Mickey Mouse ears, then post it with #ShareYourEars.
What worked? The marketing strategy worked because it relied on the people to post or advertise
for the Make-A-Wish foundation. This not only increased the reach of the brand, but also made it
organic such that user engagement was prioritized.
4. Nike’s #BetterForIt

Nike created the #BetterForIt Campaign on social media, targeting women with inspiring messages
about health and fitness. They used a combination of social media platforms, including Instagram,
Twitter, and Facebook, to promote the campaign and encourage women to share their own fitness
stories.
The campaign was a huge success, reaching over 800,000 retweets on Twitter, with Nike’s
Instagram account gaining over 50,000 new followers within just a week following the campaign.
Accordingly, the success of this campaign is shown when Nike expected to garner over $2billion
additional sales in 2017.
Campaign: #BetterForIt
Platforms: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Campaign outline: Nike’s #BetterForIt campaign was a marketing initiative that aimed to inspire
and motivate women to embrace fitness and become more active. Its goal was to encourage women
to participate in fitness activities.
What worked? Nike’s #BetterForIt campaign was successful because it effectively targeted its
audience, delivered an inspiring message, used a multi-channel approach, leveraged influencer
marketing, and used data and analytics to optimize its approach. By doing so, they were able to
create a campaign that resonated with women and helped to build brand loyalty and engagement.