How To Get Started With Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing is crucial for today's businesses. Each day new businesses are establishing their presence online through various social media sites. When competitors are gripping the social scene, it is important that you follow suit. Otherwise your business will the hit rock bottom in no time.

Let's take a look at the basic blueprint of social media marketing.

First, setup your social presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube. Then, follow these steps to get started with social media marketing for your business.

Blog

Setup a blog on your company domain (blog.company.com) or on a free hosting platform like Blogger. Make sure it links to your company website. Add social media integration in the form of buttons linking to your social media profiles and also setup social sharing buttons. Write a new blog post every week using your target keywords in post title and content. Share the post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Facebook

Setup a Facebook page for your business. Share the page your family and friends and ask for likes. Find and like pages related to your business. Update the page daily with topics related to your business. Posts can be questions, tips, images or anything interesting. Don't forget to tag people and pages in your posts. Ask people to like, share and comment. Once you have a reasonable number of fans/likes, setup Facebook ads to reach out to target customers. You will see a steady increase in likes and comments. Keep the page alive and engaging by adding content daily and interacting with fans.

Twitter

Setup the company profile on Twitter. Ask friends to follow. Make sure you follow 10 new people in your related industry every week. Add up to 5 tweets daily. Tweet topics can include business, fun and interesting, promotional. You can also share your blog posts. Re-tweet 2 interesting tweets per day. Add #hashtags so your posts appear in trending topics.

LinkedIn

Once you've setup a company profile on LinkedIn, connect with people and companies in your industry. Update your company profile and status. Connect with 3-5 new people per week and follow 3 new companies per week. Join groups related to your industry. Post relevant blog posts in groups which you belong and ask for feedback.

Google+

Setup a Google+ company page. Share content at least twice a day to your personal profile as well as company page. Make sure the posts are set to 'Public' to reach out to maximum users and search results. Host a monthly Google+ Hangout session for topics in your industry or related industry. You can publicize it using Google+ events. Keep expanding your circles by adding 5 new people every week. 

Pinterest

Setup Pinterest profile and boards. Each month post product images and examples of your work from your website as pins leading back to your website. Add 1 new board with at least 6 new pins every week. Remember to use keywords in your pin descriptions and board titles. Follow 5 new interesting and inspiring pin boards each week from users related to your field.

YouTube

Setup your channel and subscribe to 3 new channels in your industry per week. Find 3 new videos each week to share on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Keep the videos relevant to your industry, but don't forget to sprinkle in some fun. Plan a video that showcases an area of your business expertise. Add videos from special events your company hosts are attends each month. Collect testimonials and conduct interviews and post on your YouTube channel.

Once you've setup your presence be consistent and engage fans. Build a community of fans who'll promote your business indirectly. 

10 Super Powers Of Social Media Managers

Social Media Managers are folks who implement the Company’s Social Media Strategy, developing brand awareness, generating inbound traffic and encouraging product adoption. 

They are superheros of social media marketing! Let's see what they are made of. These are the 10 super powers we found..!

1. Listening

Social media managers are relationship builders. They listen like a friend, ask questions and listen some more.

2. Nurturing

Social media managers never try so hard to sell stuff. Instead, they are nurturers and aim to be very helpful to the needy ones. 

3. Sharing

They are humble and generous and always ready to recognize and share expert opinions to the community.

4. Leadership

They empower people and build a tribe of like-minded professionals.

5. Engaging

They know the importance of networking online and offline. They actually connect by phone and mail.

6. Responsiveness

Their aim is to engage the community. Ask them questions or comment and they are right on it.

7. Patience

Social media managers are never pushy. They know the path to social media marketing success takes time.

8. Writing

Their words are provocative. But they write with confidence and humility. They can be humorous, but taken seriously.

9. Newsworthy

They make news, but also act as curators. They are always topical but never predictable.

10. Unpretentious

No masks, no veils and no BS. They are who they are. Sincere, Genuine and Honest.

Sounds familiar? Then rush your resume to us! We're waiting for you!

Delhi-gang rape case : “Death to all,”

Four convicts in the December 16 Gangrape-cum-Murder case were today awarded death penalty by a Delhi court which said the gravity of the offence cannot be tolerated. After a nine-month-long trial, fast track court today handed down death penalty to all the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case at New Delhi. It had provoked the country and triggered a wave of angry protests over rising sexual violence against women in India.

 The court while pronouncing the judgment said that "it cannot turn a blind eye on the rising cases of sexual assault against women" and that the incident shook the "collective conscience of the society". The court said the case falls under rarest of rare category.

Gym instructor Vinay Sharma, bus cleaner Akshay Thakur, fruit-seller Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh, who were found guilty in all 13 charges, including murder and rape, were given death sentence by judge Yogesh Khanna today. Out of the six men arrested in the case, Ram Singh committed suicide inside Tihar Jail. Another accused, who was 17 at the time of the crime, was sent to reform home for three years by a juvenile court.

The shocking rape-murder case had triggered nationwide protests and debate over women safety in the country and eventually saw the Parliament passing a stringent change in rape laws.

The Indian Penal Code (IPC) was amended to provide death penalty in rape cases that cause death of the victim or leave her in a vegetative state. The Act also introduced several other new offences such as causing grievous injury through acid attacks, sexual harassment, use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe, voyeurism and stalking.

Besides gang rape and murder, the court had held Mukesh (26), Vinay Sharma (20), Pawan Gupta (19) and Akshay Singh Thakur (28) guilty of attempt to murder, unnatural offences, dacoity, destruction of evidence, conspiracy, kidnapping or abducting in order to murder, while acquitting them of the charge of murder in dacoity.

Additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna, presiding the special fast track court, also convicted them for kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confining a person, abducting to subject a person to grievous hurt and slavery, abducting woman to cause her defilement, voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery and dishonestly receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity of the IPC.

"The accused have also tried to destroy the evidence after the incident, so they are convicted under section 201 of the IPC. They had abducted the victim to have illicit intercourse with her, so they are convicted under section 366 of the IPC," the judge had said while pronouncing the judgement on Tuesday.

While pronouncing the verdict, the judge said, even though the proceedings against accused Ram Singh (34), who was found dead in his prison cell after he committed suicide on March 11, were abated, "he is also convicted under same sections (gang rape, murder and other offences)".

Let India's daughter Rest in Peace hereafter.....

Athapookalam - a flower bed that transcends space and time

When we think about Onam, one of the first images that comes to mind is that of the traditional flower bed or floral (designs) arrangement known as Pookkalam or Athapookalam. It is a distant cousin of Rangoli in North India and Kolam in Tamil Nadu. 

Traditional Pookalam pattern are created in ten rings, which stand for the ten days advance of the festival. Today's Pookalam Designs have grown from this traditional shape into square, oval and other geometrical patterns. These designs are an ethnic highlight of the Onam festival. The beauty of vibrant floral designs are exposed in inventive, imaginative form. It is a remarkable work of art accomplished with an overcautious touch and a highly desirable sense of character and blend.

Thulasi

Thumba

The pookalam is traditionally circular in shape and about four to five metres across. The outline or kalam is drawn using white clay or dough. Starting from the Atham day, every day a ring of flowers and leaves is added to the pookalam making it grow in size till it reaches its final shape on Thiruvonam day. Each day of the 10-day Onam festival is represented on the Pookalam. On the Atham day, there will only be a single ring, the next day which is Chithira there will be two rings and finally on the Thiruonam day there will be 10 rings. On the first day only a single color flower is used, second day two colors and on the final day 10 different colors of flower is used. 

Symbolically the ten rings or steps represent the ten deities in the Hindu pantheon. First step is Ganesha, second is Shiva and Shakti, third is Shiva, fourth is Brahma, fifth is Pancha Boothangal, sixth is for Shanmughan or Muruga, seventh step is for Guru, eighth step is for ashta digpalakar, ninth is for Indra and tenth is for Lord Vishnu. At the center of the floral decoration, the clay idol of Vamana, known as Thrikkakkarayappan, is placed. There is also a belief that the floral carpet symbolically represents the fight between Asuras (demons) and Devas (Demi gods). 

Konginipoo

Mukkutti

Onam comes in August-September in Kerala which is the spring season. Nature is in full bloom and the women and children find no shortage of flowers for the Athappoo. Thumba, Thulasi, Kadali, Mukkutti, Chethi, Shankupushpam, Manthaaram, Konginipoo, Jemanthi and Chembarathi are some of the main flowers used. A flower is dedicated to each day of Onam and dominates the decorations of that day.  

While the boys compete to gather flowers of varying colours, young ladies, assisted by children make the floral decoration every morning. Girls in a neighborhood join together and taking turns, perform the "poovideel" (ritual for flower offerings) before sunrise at the pookkalam, with accompanying songs, during all ten days.

Now the Pookalam designs have gone beyond tradition and comes in all shapes and sizes. Many pookkalams concentrate more on the design part and in the process the ten rings are avoided. Today, the tradition is rarely followed and importance is given to design. People even use Rangoli and artificial colors to make Pookalam. Some make pooklam on concrete floors and indoors for lack of space. Even ready-made pookalams are available. But Onam still brings back good memories of childhood with prosperity and warmth togetherness.

We wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous Onam :)

7 Things We Can Do To Achieve Gender Equality In India

Why are our cities so unsafe for women? Why do some Indian men still believe that a girl is to blame if she is teased or raped? All this happens, in spite of being a country rich with "values", "traditions" and "morals". Why do these distorted thoughts come in some Indian men in the first place? All of us, have female family members that we would kill for if someone were to trouble them. And yet, somehow people are willing to commit the same disgusting actions on other women. 

India has been ranked in the bottom half among 134 countries in progress towards equality between men and women. The root cause of this problem lies in the fact that in most of the families men are considered to be superior to women. It is usually assumed that men in general are more brainy and professional that the fairer sex. Once you are raised up in such societal influences then it is quite obvious that men will develop an egotistical attitude while women are more likely to be submissive. Call it the flip side of our culture, we don't preach equality - that a woman is as important as a man be it her job, opinions or intelligence. Sure you educate daughters, but do you make them as equal as your sons? Let's take a look at some of the things we can do to practice equality right from home. 

1. Ban any movie, TV show, writing or any form of media that openly portrays violence, persecution, sexual offence, general treatment against women. 
2. If a male child is allowed to do something at home, the female child should also be. If you don't want the female child to do something for safety or tradition, the male child should also not be allowed to do it. A sense of equality starts at home, from parents and siblings.
3. There should ONLY be co-education schools. Boys and girls should be allowed to go through awkward adolescence. A boys school or a girls school effectively reduces the awkwardness that can be slowly, over time, eliminated inside a closed environment so when they get out into the world, they have already met and interacted with enough members of the opposite sex.
4. Husbands should not be allowed to beat their wives and vice-versa.
5. If a parent notices a boy treating a girl any different than his boy friends he should be taught that both are equal. 
6. Sex education at home and school. Parents should explain to their kids the different sexual changes that happen as they grow up and be approachable with any doubts. 
7. Friendship between opposite genders should not be discouraged. In fact, it should be encouraged.

Above all, the women should take this matter into their hands and from where we can see it, only a woman can help another woman. If you see someone troubling a female, intervene. Your actions will be reciprocated by someone else. Don't expect a man to come for your help because most of them are not men enough. You can be the eyes and ears for another woman.

Lastly, not all Indian men are misogynists! There are sane people in India and we want more of them!