SigmaWay Blog

Nowadays, social media is much more than a marketing tool and most businesses are beginning to realize the power of integrating social media teams into their business. Social media marketers are the first points of contact with customers. They have conversations and audience data that can be used to create a better consumer experience. Author Dhariana Lozano writes in her article about some ways to use social media beyond marketing. They are - Product development, Feedback, Extend the Life of Content, and Testing & Borrowing Content for Offline Initiatives. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/4-ways-use-social-media-beyond-marketing-01503766#1C1P7ukIEJ7h66ir.97

The most dynamic aspect in market is Customer. It is important for businesses to focus on customer experience. For this, not only offline experience works but digital experience is also equally important. To retain your customer and to build the brand, businesses need to think strategically:

• ·         No need to worry about price, since 56% of customers pay more to get better customer services, and are willing to pay upto 30%.
• ·          Make your website more informative and easy to access. Website is more a communication channel and not only a showroom.
• ·         Social media is ruled by customers, not marketers. Marketers need to connect with customers through social media not only for promotion but to get feedback, to get back to them as earlier as possible.
• ·         Personalization is everything. Give more personalized experience to your prospects and customers.

 We can say that marketer need to give a perfect mix, either it is offline or online experience for the customers. To know more go through the given link: http://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/create-memorable-customer-experiences-with-these-strategies/

Social media is providing endless opportunity to grow our popularity as individuals. But, for business enterprise the best thing is to divulge itself in social media networks. But social presence should have some purpose. We post a lot of daily stuffs in our social wall. In one way that is good because you are one step closer to your distant audiences. We often follow social platforms like twitter, Facebook to get more exposure to what is happening. Social platforms like YouTube, Pinterest provide extensive peripheral knowledge. So in one word these platforms, providing our enormous facility in the learning process, business expansion and lifestyle development, but there is a point when social media becomes an addiction. So, it is high time that we define our position in social media. 

to read, follow: http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/do-we-share-too-much-on-social-media-389859.html

Social media refers to the use of virtual social networks, peer review and other social tools in purchasing process. According to a study, 64% of smartphone users use their phone to shop - and most of them look for reviews and recommendations from a number of sources to help them make their buying decisions. Reviews in social media affect consumers of different ages and races. Shoppers embrace the Internet for a variety of reasons like convenience, price, and selection. Read more at:

 http://www.emarketer.com/Article/How-Social-Media-Influences-Shopping-Behavior/1013718

Chatbot technology has been the hype of 2016, with Facebook taking the charge. With Chatbot becoming the future assistants we all will need, now even medical advice will be available through the Facebook messenger.

Online doctor consultation platform Lybrate on Monday, released a chat bot for having a virtual online consultation with your doctor.

Lybrate, founded in 2014, with 100000 doctors on its platform, across 50 specialties, For more details on the chat bot,

Read More : http://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/now-you-can-chat-with-a-doctor-on-facebook-messenger/story/232089.html

Social media enables us to reach transplant survivors and families far from them. There are many people who use social media to help manage their health like "My Transplant Chat Group" and many networking accounts to attract people who share their health concerns. There are a lot of healing and help, as individuals share their experiences, answer questions and provide moral support. To know more, please read the article by Sharon Brennan (freelance writer and journalist):  

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/mar/01/social-media-control-illness-online-health-forums

According to a research, half of the respondents perceived their social media as a business liability.  Social media can impede professional progress or even halt Errant social media profiles typically fall into one of the following categories: -
• Inaccurate- From job titles to worldview, inconsistencies among various social media tools are really easy to expose.
• Sparse- Experts suggest that if we can’t dedicate the time to be active on a platform, then delete our profile entirely.

• Overwhelming- People who view our profiles wonder if we are on social media 24/7, leaving no time to be productive on other projects.
To know more, please read the article by William Arruda (contributor at Forbes): -
http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2016/03/13/how-your-social-media-profile-is-holding-you-back-and-what-to-do-about-it/#42006a4a2d83

T20 World Cup is taking place in India and people can't be more thrilled this year. The Indian team is doing quite well. Here are some social media platforms planning ahead for the world-cup: -
• Facebook: - Facebook Live, a live streaming service to find a closer behind-the-scene experience. FB are planning to show stadium experience, press conferences of post-match, players Q & A and many more.
• Instagram: - You can follow the hashtag WT20 as all the players and teams will upload the photos and videos with this hashtags.
• Twitter:- Twitter launched special emojis for every country in the form of hashflags apart from WT20, AskTheCaptain, and WorldT20Heros.
To know more, please read the article by Ivan Mehta (Tech News Editor)
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/03/14/t20-world-cup_n_9452422.html

Politicians are leveraging their campaign online and now it is being used primarily in the forthcoming Kerala election. Candidates are spending a considerable amount of money to make themselves visible on the social media. Candidates want a website and social media accounts of their own ahead of the May 2016 elections. Several IT firms are approaching candidates who have been asked to create websites and also a social media page.

To know more, please read the article by Vicky Nanjappa (Special Correspondent): -
http://www.oneindia.com/india/how-much-will-kerala-politicians-rely-on-social-media-2040299.html

An International scientific study has extended research into the use of social media as a tool for monitoring, evaluating and even predicting levels of economic damage caused by natural disaster. Twitter is useful for real time monitoring and prediction of the economic impact of disasters. To know more, please read the article by Daniel Oberhaus (contributor in Motherboard): - http://motherboard.vice.com/read/can-social-media-predict-disaster-damage-better-than-relief-agencies

Instagram is a social platform that offers a great opportunity for content marketers to increase their impact. Instagram has an engagement ratio that is eight times the average of the other four social platforms. Instagram continues to expand its ad platform. Recently, it was found that the growth in the number of brands posting video content on Instagram has outpaced growth in the number of brands posting photos (139% versus 91%). The average number of Instagram pictures posted per brand increased by 11%, while the average number of Instagram videos posted per brand grew 29%.

To read more, follow: http://www.business2community.com/instagram/4-instagram-tips-conquer-recent-shifts-digital-marketing-01459035#MFZ8abxaaPP5AZlf.97

Pharmaceutical firms use social media to educate, market, listen to and connect with customers, patients and physicians. Some approaches include: - 1. Education- Firm offers disease specific educational aimed at consumers. Its aim is to help patients to understand their disease, so that they may engage with their healthcare providers to improve outcomes.
2. Connecting with customers/patients and physicians - The industry can use social media to create patient support groups and communities.
To know more, follow: http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/01/social-media-marketing-pharma/

Social media is a facilitator that we employ to engage in conversation with people who are around us, and to discover new connections. But it also an addiction. Social media often leads to unhealthy comparison, amplification of narcissistic tendencies and the blockage of honest and genuine communication. It not only can be a time killing thing, but it reinforces our need to put ourselves in a log.
To know more, please read the article by Jeffrey R. Smith (The Editor of Canadian Employment Law): -

http://www.hrreporter.com/blog/employment-law/archive/2016/02/29/the-social-media-trap

Social media is now being frequently used by hospitals and medical professionals as a substance to express general health information. It is a great way to empathize not only with those who just need just relevant health news but also to needy ones. Social media feeds not only give medical professionals a platform to connect with patients, but with fellow doctors as well. In this technologically driven world, our best interest-whether you are a physician catering to your patients' queries or an individual seeking proper medical treatment, Social media has all answers for you.
To know more, please read the article by Bill Siwicki (Managing editor of Healthcare IT News):-

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/researchers-explore-healthcare-applications-social-media-targeted-interventions

Social media is one of the effective ways to build their brands and to influence people to purchase goods and services. While most executives understand the likely benefit of social media, they don't realize the magnitude of the risk it creates. Here are some security tips for use of social media and general online for employees:- 1. Avoid employment disclosure.
2. Teach employees to manage their privacy settings.
3. Implement a workplace social media policy.
4. Don’t ban social media use in office.
5. Train the IT specialist.
To know more, please read the article by Robert Siciliano (CEO of ID TheftSecurity.com)-: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241889

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to breathe spirit into your brand. Social media gives meaning and definition to any ordinary piece of information and makes it attractive and absorbing. Advertiser and marketers have utilized it as a powerful tool to convince audiences by merging their ideas with emotion, which has proved to be highly instrumental in appealing the imagination of the customer. The rise of social media offers an unprecedented platform for brands to tell their tale. To know more, please read the article by Kay Fabella (Brand storyteller and Marketing Consultant for small business owners) -: http://thoughtreach.com/how-to-tell-your-brand-story-on-social-media/

Social media is one of the effective ways for business to build their brands and to influence people to purchase goods and services. While most executives understand the benefit of social media, they don't realize the magnitude of the risk it creates. Here are some security tips for use of social media and general online for employees:-
1. Avoid employment disclosure.
2. Teach employees to manage their privacy settings.
3. Implement a workplace social media policy.
4. Don’t ban social media use in office.
5. Train the IT specialist.
To know more, please read the article by Robert Siciliano (CEO of ID TheftSecurity.com)-: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241889

Social media platforms are influential sources which are employed by government, corporate, and academics to study human society. Social media has played an important part in getting us closer to the "real" during a conflict. It can also take us further away by constantly viewing conflicts on a buzz feed list or Instagram post which seems to be unreal. To know more, please read the article by Ellie Mae O’Hagan : http://gulfnews.com/opinion/thinkers/does-social-media-really-bring-us-closer-to-the-reality-of-conflict-1.1303773 

Indian Railways has solved many issues of distressed passengers using social media platforms. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said in his rail budget speech that his ministry had set up a social media cell responsible for taking action on passengers' request for help. After turning social media for feedback and complaint redressal mechanism, Railways are helping their passengers more efficiently. To know more, please read the article of Hindustan times -: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/how-railways-is-acing-social-media-to-help-passengers-in-distress/story-O0mWmcHVSh8iyxatmeMMZK.html 

Social media has changed the world, but has opened huge exposures for national security. With "Digital dust" trails, intelligence officers are vulnerable in many ways. CIA recruiters even found that the questions they asked in the interview are being posted online by candidates. But it is also helping investigators to solve cases using social media. Investigators are using social media even in undercover, covert and even in internal security operations. It is being suggested that some guidelines should be maintained for men and women who serve over country for social media utilization. To know more, please read the article by Philip Ewing (Writer at NPR) -: http://www.npr.org/2016/02/24/467933392/why-the-cia-likes-and-dislikes-social-media