What Tumblr Expects of Its Users

Tumblr has now emerged as a highly effective platform that is allowing businesses to win new followers by showcasing their products and services to them.

SynapseIndia feels incumbent upon itself to apprise its readers of the benefits that Tumblr as a social media platform offers to different businesses, which have now found a new tool to pursue online marketing more persistently. Every social networking site requires its users to follow a given set of techniques and Tumblr is no different. If you are really keen to know what your approach should be, you could follow the guidelines written below. It is possible that as you  put the techniques discussed by us into practice, your may efforts may start to bear fruit and your active presence on Tumblr could become a really fruitful exercise.

SynapseIndia will now give a gist of what is expected of a user who has just taken to Tumblr:

1. Make Your Content Interesting

Although this instruction need not be reiterated as it is more of a requisite, you have to ensure that your content is interesting. It is a given that the more interesting your posts are, the greater will be the likelihood that people will read and reblog them. On taking note of the posts that their followers reblog, an account holder on Tumblr can come to know of the kind of content that they need to share with others. Once a user has got a hang of what their followers want, they could try to create interesting content that is quickly approved by their community.

It is advisable to keep a post short and sweet and add a picture to it if possible. Very few visitors prefer to read a long post in its entirety. If you really feel the need to write a long post, you can do so by breaking your entire write-up into short paragraphs. A user will be in the wrong if they simply transfer their content on Twitter and Facebook to their account on Tumblr.

2. Interact actively

Currently, Tumblr serves as one of the best platforms for businesses to interact regularly with their clients. A business on this social networking site can easily be approached by other users who could ask just about any kind of question that they want. What's more, a business can be anonymous in answering the questions of its followers. When a question is answered publicly, every follower will be able to see it and pitch in with their comments if need be.

A business that answers its questions anonymously is likely to receive criticism as well. However, instead of feeling down on being criticized, a company could actually benefit from criticism by  viewing it as an opportunity to introspect and resolve the issues that its followers have talked about.

3. Practice Reblogging

A hallmark of an active user on Tumblr is that they will partake in reblogging. On reblogging the content of its followers, a business shows that it values their opinion

On taking our recommendations into consideration and following them earnestly, a user on Tumblr could start tapping into the opportunities that the social platform provides them with.

SynapseIndia @ Google+

Brand Marketing Succeeds in Retaining Its Significance

So, you have often heard of brand marketing but you do not know what it exactly is. Brand marketing is nothing but a strategy or a set of strategies whose successful implementation allows an organization to extract greater accountability and loyalty from its customers. The success or failure of its strategies provides a business with the opportunity to introspect and think of how it can improve the quality of its products and services.  

SynapseIndia would like to enlighten its readers further on brand marketing whose significance amongst different companies has not diminished one bit. When new techniques are introduced, they may create a stir but the tried and tested will remain as important as ever. Brand marketing makes for one of the basics of digital marketing that has remained the same. Earlier, it was by working on brand awareness that a company showed its concern toward marketing. A lot of companies are advised that they focus on direct metrics and conversions and the rationale they are given is that they will be able to identify who they are dealing with.

SynapseIndia, however, is of the view that an organization that focuses on metrics concerning sales must not for once think that it does not need a strong image. One reason why brand promotion has become more important than ever before is because of the two words that comprise digital marketing, the one following the other is of greater significance.

A Different Ballgame Altogether

Earlier, B2B companies did not have to pursue marketing persistently. They would only have had to think of adding something interesting to their brochure. If a business was small, it would have had fewer decisions to mull over. Showing a half or a full page ad in the Yellow Book would have sufficed. Digital marketing, however, is a completely different ballgame altogether as it gives an organization the opportunity to reach out to the smallest of groups. So, any organization that has taken its operations online will consider it mandatory to work toward enhancing its image.

Digital branding allows a company to reflect what sort of entity it really is. As a company launches its own website, issues newsletters, establishes a social media presence and uses other tactics, its brand becomes more important than ever before. Another interesting aspect of digital marketing is that it prompts an organization to willy-nilly compete with other companies that are  situated in other remote locations.

When Seeking Expert Assistance Becomes Imperative

We have now entered the digital age and all businesses today are likely to face some big questions, which may eventually require them to seek professional assistance. Expert help matters as it can allow a struggling company to cope with challenges and revitalize its brand. The world is changing fast and it will almost be criminal on the part of a company if it continues following an old technique, which has failed to make any difference. Once a business has kick-started its operations, it creates an image for itself very fast. However, when a company feels that its brand is accruing little benefit to it, it must take some corrective action.

SynapseIndia @ Pinterest

Ads on Facebook To Offer 22% More ROI

Here is an interesting piece of news that is sure to please online marketers to no end – As you display ads over Facebook, your ROI is likely to increase by 22%. This is not just an assumption but a fact that was shared by Brad Smallwood, Facebook's head of measurement and insights, at the Advertising Research Foundation's conference in New York. Mr. Smallwood said that his company had increased the return on investment on 22 recent campaigns comprising data from 70 million users by 22%. The official shared figures and news from his company's own database as well as that of Datalogix, which keeps a tab on the conversions from Facebook ads.

While Facebook itself has enough data that allows it to come to grips with the purchasing habits of its users, Datalogix, a company that specializes in digital media and integrated database marketing, too endeavors to increase online and offline sales through the purchasing information that it has access to.

Mr. Smallwood further added that Facebook would now help different brands to tailor their advertising campaigns as per the behavior of their buyers, from casual to hardcore. Here is what he said:

"As we dig further and further into the data, we’re able to get a segment-level understanding of what’s working — so understanding for heavy product purchasers that you should have a different frequency (of advertising messages for) the low product purchasers."

Small Businesses Likely To Benefit From New Strategy

So, now that you know what Facebook is up to, you should not for once think that your account on the social networking site will be taken advantage of. Facebook will not be identifying any name to different corporations. Instead, it will simply connect its data with that of Datalogix in a 'double-blind' method.

An official from Facebook itself has claimed that the ads on networking site will now offer 22% more ROI than before. So, SynapseIndia believes that it will be interesting to see how small business owners react to this latest bit of information. As advertisers are provided with the data pertaining to purchasers, they could start targeting buyers who are likely to bring them the maximum amount of profit. The data provided by Facebook could also let an organization know of the customers that its competitors are catering to.

It has been discovered that 50% of the TV commercials and digital ads fail to come to the notice of their target audience. SynapseIndia is of the view that with the initiative taken by Facebook, it is possible that at least the statistics concerning digital ads could show an improvement.

What Marketers Need To Do

There are several factors that marketers who are keen on realizing their online goals need to take cognizance of. To begin with, a business must know when and how people are purchasing its products. In addition to this, an organization must also try to learn what else its customers are buying and who its competitors are. As marketers combine their findings with the new advertising strategy, it is possible that they could achieve stronger results.   

SynapseIndia @ Foursquare

Your Facebook Like Speaks Aloud About You

SynapseIndia has been aggressively tracking the recent studies at the University of Cambridge about the `like` feature on Facebook that can reveal a lot about the end user. One can know more about the personality of an individual, their sexual orientation, IQ level, religious beliefs, and several other traits by studying through their likes and dislikes. "This study demonstrates the degree to which relatively basic digital records of human behavior can be used to automatically and accurately estimate a wide range of personal attributes that people would typically assume to be private," researchers said in the study, which was published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

If you tend to like something and have posted a comment on the same, the recorded data can be calibrated by machines in such a manner that it can reveal several traits with utmost accuracy. Several predictors can also speak of whether the parents of the user were divorced when young or whether they hadn't.  Every result provided is first corroborated with the information that is provided on the profiles of each user. "Each person, on average, liked 170 things," says psychologist Michal Kosinski, the study's lead author. "Some liked only one thing and there were people who liked thousands of things. We removed those. We looked at people who liked between one and 700 different things."

The precision of this study has be confirmed at SynapseIndia through the results that were provided. According to which they were able to correctly classify 95% users on the basis of ethnic origin and gender. Similarly 93% of the users were correctly classified as males and females. Even sexual orientation was easy to determine, with 88% of males and 75% of females being judged correctly. "This is not unique to Facebook and is not even unique to social networking in general," says David Jacobs, consumer privacy counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public interest research center in Washington. "It's one of the implications of Big Data and in this case Big Data in a social networking context. Lots of information makes for certain inferences and sensitive predictions."

SynapseIndia @ Google+

Redefining The Job Of A Social Media Strategist At Synapse Communication

 By Now, it is crystal clear that the platform for social media interaction by organizations including businesses, is here to stay. As per surveys, more than 70% of establishments have started to utilize  considerable aspects of social media, initiating a new age in the relationship between consumers and businesses. At the same time, we must not also forget that social media, though very powerful, is just another tool and never a strategy.

The true challenge faced by most social media experts is the integration of such platforms with other mediums and without a communication strategy, we can never expect a miracle. After all, a tool with no plans is similar to a road trip without a map. It will lead us nowhere, and we must ensure that in order to steer an organization in the desired direction, there must always be a social media strategist to enhance better communication skills. And, the qualities that this person must possess are:

• Should be able to influence and not act like an authority.
• Must always be passionate about the brand.
• Is always be eager to learn more.

Having said that, there is always some amount of counseling required  for a newly hired social media strategist.  At SynapseIndia, a renowned web solutions firm, every new employee in this field is always provided with an outline of the duties. There is also a social media policy in place, so that they are aware of the language that is to be practiced. Periodic feedbacks are provided to keep a track on their activities, and to confirm that they are not just broadcasting but also engaging with the users. The primary responsibilities of a social media strategist at SynapseIndia include:

• Development and implementation of social media strategies.
• Discovering online target audience for the brand.
• Engaging with individuals and communities to build a closely integrated community.
• Analyzing the market competitiveness.
• Administering brand citations, including answering inquiries, providing customer support, and dispelling any form of brand myths.
• Tracking monthly alterations in social media statistics and creating strategies accordingly.

A skilled social media strategist is someone who can co-ordinate with the different departments of an organization and tactfully integrate them all.

SynapseIndia @ Twitter

Is There Really A Co-Relation Between Ad Words and Organic Rankings?

Can an organization improve its search engine rankings by buying Google AdWords? Does Google penalize websites that do not buy its ads by lowering their rankings? The answer to both these questions is – 'No'. This has been the case all throughout and in the future too, buying Google AdWords shall not have a bearing on one's SEO rankings because if it does, the organic rankings of  Google will start to lose their relevance. When this happens, it will be a big blow for Google as  Yahoo or Bing could usurp its position as the leading search engine over the Internet.

Many online users refrain from clicking on PPC ads while doing a search as they are aware that the links may not lead them to what they are actually looking for. A PPC ad can make a skeptic user feel that the advertiser, who is ready to pay more than others, is using a ploy to grab user attention. Recently, a WSI blog post offered a very plausible explanation. It clearly said that doing AdWords did not affect SEO rankings. The blog talked about Google's business ethics and the consequences that the company would face if it started to give co-relate search engine rankings with PPC. Thereby, experts from SynapseIndia want to make it more evident once again that Google itself has said time and again that it will not affect rankings, the blog said.

The blogger revealed that he had been managing PPC campaigns and doing search engine optimization for his clients for years. He had dealt with all types of clients; both those who had started as well as those who had stopped doing paid advertisements, the blogger added and he was convinced that he had never seen anything that indicated that it affected rankings. The blogger further said that there were many SEO firms that had studied the issue and that all of them had arrived at the same conclusion that AdWords did not affect rankings.

SynapseIndia, a software development company based in India that offers SEO services to its clients, is completely in agreement with the WSI blog post. The company acknowledges the importance of paid advertising and believes that high search engine and PPC results are valuable for an organization. However, we too are of the opinion that there exists no co-relation between paid and organic results. The former in no way has any kind of impact on the latter.

However, the assessment done thus far does not imply that AdWords are not important. AdWords, today, play a major role in improving the visibility of a website. Someone who is planning to launch a new website or has launched one only recently can make use of it to popularize their site amongst the vast online audience. When the rankings of a website drop on account of the intense competition over the Internet, PPC can once again regenerate the required amount of traffic.     

SynapseIndia @ Google+

Brighten Your SEO Prospects by Following the Right Procedures

It is always a challenging task for an organization to draw the attention of online users. The task becomes tougher as leading search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing make algorithmic changes on a regular basis. On following the right SEO procedures that do not need to be changed drastically in times of crisis, an organization can keep its online campaign on the right track. SynapseIndia would now like to apprise its readers of some key guidelines pertaining to search engine optimization. Readers are, hereby, informed that along with other things, SynapseIndia Services comprise SEO support too.

The following SEO tips shall come in handy in achieving online success:

1. Think From Users' Point of View

It is advisable for an organization to be mindful of its target audience while formulating its keyword strategy. There is no harm in preparing keywords that comprise solutions to a specific problem. While formulating such keywords, you normally begin with 'how to' or 'what to'. A problem-oriented keyword is likely to yield better results than a generic one.

2. 'Content is King' – Cliche But True       

An organization that is keen on improving its search engine ranking must first improve the quality of its content. This is the rule of thumb that precedes all other SEO techniques.

It takes as much effort to maintain one's search engine ranking as it does to acquire it. An organization that updates its online content on a regular basis shall have visitors thronging its website. The search engine that the website is appearing on too will acknowledge the effort of the site owners and see them as a valuable resource.

It is important to know that search engines are unable to read animations and images. Their appetite is satiated with informative material. Therefore, an organization must submit those web pages to search engines that talk about its products and services.

3. Position Your Links Strategically

In order to invite online users to your web pages, you must position your links strategically on other important websites. Search engines see links leading to your web pages as 'votes' and the more votes you have, the stronger your prospects will be.

4. Know the Art of Keyword Incorporation

Keywords do not just feature in the body of a content. They appear in innumerable places like  links, headings, images descriptions and titles, meta tags etc.

5. Keep a Tab on the Statistics

It is important for site owners to have full knowledge of the statistics concerning their website. There will always be web pages that are visited more than others. Similarly, of the different websites consisting of links to a given web page, one or two will always generate more traffic than the rest. Heeding these facts is important as they help in consolidating a hard-earned position.

6. Make Your Website Interactive

In order to up the inflow of traffic and thereby draw the attention of search engines, an organization can add interactive features to its website in the form of forums, blogs, polls etc.

As the aforementioned tips are followed carefully over a period of time, they will start to yield the desired results.

SynapseIndia @ Slideshare