Executive Summary

Social media marketing is the demand of the new age. With the increase of internet usage this idea has become influential. The countries which have an edge in technologies are already capitalizing on this idea. And now days the social marketing media works better than other media to communicate something to the society. Business organizations are having good results using the social sites to exert their marketing communications. Although internet usage is increasing in Bangladesh, it is still focused on selected geo-demographic segments. Questions are bound to arise on authenticity and also whether the views and opinion represent the entire market.With this view the research conducted for this study also reveals the same result. Most of the respondents feel that social sites are not effective enough for marketing communication in Bangladesh, compared to other media.

Chapter 1

IntroductionSocial media marketing is conducting marketing actions in social sites. It mostly explains the marketing communication practice on the social sites. The web presence has given the marketing communication a new dimension. Social Media Marketing is primarily driven by off-site activities that are initiated on social media web sites, such as Digg, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Reddit and others, to spread a message or content (video, text, images, audio, widgets) virally through the social web.

1.1 Background of the study:

All over the first world social media marketing communication is having a good speed and importance. This is because the percentage of people having access to the internet is big there. When we talk about Bangladesh some obvious truths come into action. Bangladesh belongs to those countries that are developing. Access to internet in this country is not huge compare to other first world nations. Moreover access to internet is only based in urban areas. So the effectiveness of social sites in marketing communication is in question.

Bangladesh is a country of huge population. Due to the population here there lies more or less good market for consumer goods. Some specific media is dominant in the country in carrying communication messages of goods, like TV, Newspaper, Magazines, Radio, and Outdoor etc. Social sites can be the next medium which can carry the communication messages to the people of Bangladesh. But will it be effective in present time?

Well that is the point from where this study is conducted.

1.2 Origin of the study:

This study has been conducted under the suggestion of my guide teacher. As a social media site user I have some experience regarding the inner activity of social sites and the marketing communication given on the sites. I am also surrounded by lot of people who are users of social sites. This is how I could think about the topic of the study and execute the study.

1.3 Objective of the study:

To focus on the activities of social media sites. To figure out the trend of social media sites in Bangladesh To understand the strategy of the social sites. To figure out the communication process of the social sites. To measure the prospect of social sites in marketing communication.

1.4 Scope of the study:

It is believed that this study would help both the social site users and the business organizations that want to provide their marketing communication messages on social sites. In a country like Bangladesh, where business organizations are more concern about the communication side of their business, social sites can be a potential area where they can put their communication. But the effectiveness of the communication needs to be considered first.

The specific scopes are: It will help Business organizations to understand how effective their

marketing communications are going to be. It will help to understand the concept of marketing communication in

social sites. It will also give the site users how organizations are trying to capture their

attention.

1.5 Limitations of the study:

There was no relevant study in Bangladesh. The statistical data regarding this topic was not good enough.

Chapter-2Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is a term that describes use of social networks, online communities, blogs, wikis or any other online collaborative media for marketing, sales, public relations and customer service. Common social media marketing tools include Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, Wikipedia, Orkut and YouTube.Social media marketing has three important aspects.Creating buzz or newsworthy events, videos, tweets, or blog entries that attract attention, and become viral in nature. Building ways that enable fans of a brand or company to promote a message themselves in multiple online social media venues. Fan pages in Twitter, MySpace of Facebook follow this model.It is based around online conversations. Social media marketing is not controlled by the organization.

2.1 Social network marketing

Social network marketing or social level marketing is an advertising method that makes use of social network service and to increase their web presence.

2.2 Social Media Marketing and Businesses

Social Media has started to become a viable marketing venue for businesses. They have especially become popular for media outlets to use. CNN has a podcast and a facebook. In addition to CNN, as a company using social media, their employees use different social media. For example Anderson Cooper, of Anderson Cooper 360 has a blog, a facebook and a twitter. Facebook seems to be the leading social media outlet for businesses by having pages from different companies such as Dots, New York and Company. Twitter comes in 2nd place and Myspace comes in 3rd place.

“A customer oriented mindset stemming from deep social interaction allows a company to identify and meet customer needs in the marketplace, generating superior profits." - Wetpaint and Altimeter, The Engagement Report [7]

2.3 Myths about social media sites:

1. Social media sites are free.

2. Social media sites are a great place to find new customers.

3. You need to be on all the big sites.

4. Social networking sites are for marketing.

5. Social networking is the future.

Social media marketing is the process of promoting your site or business through social media channels and it is a powerful strategy that will get you links, attention and massive amounts of traffic.

The Value of Marketing Through Social News Websites

Primary and Secondary Traffic. High Quality Links.Here are some reasons why you should consider using social media:It’s natural. le.It’s low-cost/high returns. It complements other efforts.

2.4 The Importance of Social Media Marketing: Why We Should Learn and Master It

2.6 Social Media Marketing Plan

Social Media Marketing is primarily driven by off-site activities that are initiated on social media web sites, such as Digg, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Reddit and others, to spread a message or content (video, text, images, audio, widgets) virally through the social web.

Goals and ObjectivesThe campaign goals and objectives section includes:Setting the client’s specific goals and objectives - building brands, links, buzz, web traffic, other.

Determine the implementation and execution timelines and milestones

Market AnalysisThe Market Analysis section describes the clients’ target market (audience), target market trends, characteristics and the social activities.Target Market (Audiences)Target Market TrendsTarget Market Characteristics and Needs

Social Media Campaign Implementation PlanMarketing Campaign FoundationSocial Media Technologies and PlatformsContent DevelopmentIntegration with Traditional Online MarketingSocial Media Campaign Management and Support

rce PlanningThe Resource Planning section details the cost and resources required to

implement and succeed with the Social Media Marketing plan.Review Process and DeliveryThe Review and Delivery process of the Social Media Marketing Plan is as

follows:Review of the clients’ business objectives and goals.Preparation and delivery of a written 8-9 page Social Media Marketing Plan.Follow-up session by phone to review the plan.The project turnaround time is maximum 20 business days.

2.7 Social Media Marketing Strategy Checklist:

Vehicles for communication in social sites Attention span is getting shorter and as an Internet marketer we need to constantly create

awareness about products, services and businesses. Social Marketing makes this lot easier. But with increasing competition, social media sites are also getting cluttered as a result of which the question arises – How can we make ourselves heard over the din? The answer is by pursuing a Social strategy which includes all aspects and avenues. Here is the checklist:

Blogs:. Microblogging: Online video: Photo sharing: Podcasting: Social networks: Apps, fan pages, groups, and personalities: \ Presentation sharing: ookmarking: Discussion boards and forums: Content aggregation: Brand monitoring: Review Sites: Widgets: Wikis:

2.8 How organizations can use social media sites for their marketing:

Capacity – especially to plan and execute effective marketing strategies – is a big challenge for every small business. In this post, I’ll offer 10 suggestions for how small businesses can supercharge their marketing efforts by leveraging social media. For each suggestion, I will discuss a basic strategy – for those who simply want to get their toes wet, as well as an advanced strategy – for those who want to spend a bit more time and go a bit deeper in their social media marketing efforts. These tips are based on my experience leveraging social media marketing for my company, crowd SPRING.

I suggest you begin by outlining clear goals for your social media marketing efforts and figuring out how you’ll measure success. Once you’ve outlined your goals, let’s look at 10 great ways you can begin to leverage social media for your marketing efforts.

1. Facebook

Facebook () offers exceptional, low cost marketing opportunities for small business. Facebook now has over 300 million users, and while that seems like an outrageous number for small businesses to be targeting, Facebook offers a very powerful platform on which to build a presence. If you’re not already active on Facebook; you should get started right away.

2. Twitter

Twitter has grown tremendously over the past year. For some small businesses, it offers an incredible marketing platform. BusinessWeek’s recent profile of 20 ways businesses use Twitter might give you some ideas about how you can leverage Twitter for your business.

3. Company Blog

Although there’s more attention focused today on social networks than on company blogs, blogs continue to offer great value for small businesses.

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn () is a business oriented social network for professionals, and it’s huge, with nearly 50 million users from over 200 countries.

5. Participate On Other Blogs

It might seem counter-intuitive for you to spend your valuable time by participating in discussions on other people’s blogs, but the payoff can be very valuable. Remember that it takes time to build a reputation and establish your credibility, and you can’t always expect everyone to come to you. Sometimes, you have to go out and build your own credibility and reputation.

6. Mobile Social Networks and other Local Strategies

Yelp () publishes millions of reviews about local businesses. Foursquare () is a combination city-guide, friend finder and competitive game. It allows users to “check in” by cell phone at a local venue and announce this via other social networks such as Twitter.

7. Comments and Conversations About Your Company

Whether or not you are a party to the conversations, people will talk about your company. How do you monitor and, when appropriate, join those discussions?

8. Multimedia

Multimedia (video, photos, audio) is a bit more complicated for many small businesses to execute, but can provide excellent social media marketing opportunities.

9. Maintain Brand Consistency

We’ve discussed only a small handful of social networks. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of others, and new ones spring up every day. That means that your customers will have many different ways to find you. But they won’t find you if your brand is scattered across social networks using different usernames and profiles. Let’s review some strategies for making sure that your brand is consistent across social networks.

10. Leverage Combinations of Social Media Tools

One of the best ways for small businesses to leverage social media marketing is to use various social networks in combination with each other.

2.9 Successful social media marketing examples:

Implications of social networking sites for marketing:As consumers’ use of online media grows, advertisers need to review their strategies. Marketers can proactively engage customers on social networking sites via strategies such as placing paid advertising, posting comments or feedbacks, and adding a link from the social networking sites to a company’s or brand’s site. This section profiles companies that successfully leverage their marketing communications via social networking Web sites.

I. Improve Customer UnderstandingAdvertising on social networking Web sites and interacting with customers on these sites aids companies to generate greater customer insight and understand the purchasing habits and behavior of potential customers.

Creates discussion forums to directly interact with target customers

Integrates products into virtual worlds to determine customer Expectations Creates niche social networking sites to comprehend the Purchasing habits of women

II. Promote Issues of Social ConcernMarketing on social networks allow companies to communicate about environmental and social issues and engage in debate with key stakeholders.

Partners with social networking sites to spread awareness on CSR issues among the site’s visitors and Virgin Mobile users

Establishes a online interactive community for environmentally friendly automobile customers

III. Promote Products and ServicesCompanies may utilize social networking Web sites to promote usage and loyalty for a new service or product category.

IV. Facilitating Internal Knowledge SharingSocial networking Web sites provide a forum for companies to improve internal employee communication and encourage the sharing of best practices and knowledge across geographies.

Promotes services through social networking sites to foster loyalty with target audience  Establishes virtual businesses to engage globally dispersed business -to-business customers

IBM Uses social networking sites to communicatewith B2B customers

V. Increase Brand AwarenessMarketing on social networks provides companies with an outlet to reach a broad range of consumers and position product offering to increase brand awareness and improve consumer perceptions.29 “Social Network Marketing to Reach $2.5 Billion in 2011,” Market Wire (9 May 2007)

Provides visitors with entertainment content on social networking sites to promote brand resonance

Empowers consumers to design the company’s marketing message on social networking sites

Social media marketing communication in Bangladesh

3. Social media marketing communication in Bangladesh:

In Bangladesh use of social media sites are not very great, as urban based people are only the users. Marketing communication in Bangladesh is very important as there is huge competition among business organizations of particular goods. For doing these communication dominant media are TV, newspaper, magazine, radio and outdoor media.

Chapter 3

Access to internet by the people of Bangladesh is very low. People using internet though most of them have access to social

sites do not expose to the marketing communication of the companies very much.

The percentage that has access to it doesn’t have greater frequency of using it compare to other media.

Recognition of the marketing communication in social sites are very low.

3.1 Obstacles of social media marketing communication in Bangladesh:

3.2 Measuring the effectiveness of social media sites:

What a Business Should Measure to Understand the Marketing Effectiveness of Social Media

1) Facebook Fans & Page Views 2) YouTube Video Views and Subscribers 3) Del.icio.us bookmarks of your website 4) Rank in Search Engines - Both branded and generic terms 5) Number of Articles on Digg and Number of Votes

3.3 Measuring the communication effectiveness of social sites in Bangladesh:

Social sites are effective weapons for communication. Basically it serves the purpose of connecting people in the society. The marketing communication done through social sites is not a new phenomenon. It’s a very good technique to run the communication program of the companies and their product through the social sites as many people around the world are using it. But in case of Bangladesh where a few percentage of people have access to internet and a small portion use social sites, marketing communication are less likely to be effective on social sites.

Conclusion and Recommendations

From the above discussions if some recommendations are to be made, it will be like this:

1. Internet facilities should be made available in every areas of Bangladesh.

2. The cost of internet access should be minimized.3. Educational institutes should teach the students on the safe use of

internet.4. Organizations should put their communication messages on the sites

attractively.5. Site users should not be forced to watch and respond to the

communication messages.6. Yearly surveys should be conducted to measure the effectiveness of

communications given on social sites.7. The social sites should be kept safe, as there remains concern about

security of the sites.8. Native social sites could be developed.