influence of social networking sites in business

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

Social Media Marketing is the hottest new marketing concept and every business

owner wants to know how social media can generate value for their business. This whitepaper

provides you an outline for developing and managing a successful Social Media Marketing

program. We examine what Social Media Marketing is and how to use social media in your

marketing strategy. People are social by nature and collect or share information that is

important to them. Social Media Marketing is about understanding how technology is making

it easier for people to connect socially with their social networks and how your business can

profit from that understanding. More and more of your customers, whether for personal use,

business-to-consumer or business-to-business reasons use social media in every aspect of their

daily life.

Social networking sites are emerging tools of modern day marketing, which has its

wider reach from developing the customer base to promoting a brand or a product in a shorter

time span.Different social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter, Google+ are daily usedby millions and millions of users worldwide for different purposes and at recent trends

business people are trying to get quality leads from these sites and it happens.

Social Media is a popular mode for social communication. The 21st century uses

social media networking in their day to day life. In the busy urban life, people dont have time

to meet or even call up their near and dear ones. Social media helps to bridge this gap.

Millions of youngsters use social media websites to search their friends online and

communicate with them, chat, share information, videos and photos. People seek to meet new

people through social media, who share common interests and aspirations. Visiting a social

networking site has become a habit for most youth, one which they cannot easily give up.

This growing importance of social media has translated into its increasing use in marketing

also. In todays competitive world, brands are fighting for space in the minds of consumers.

Though the traditional modes of advertising and marketing like television, print media and

outdoor media still contribute to a major chunk of the advertising budget, they cannot be

solely relied upon to ensure reach to the target audience. Using social media like blogs and

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networking sites for marketing of products is fast increasing its importance. Social media

marketing is the latest fad and here to stay. With sites like Face book, Orkut, LinkedIn,

Twitter, You tube, etc. attracts more than 5 million users every day. Having a presence on

these sites is a must for all marketing organizations. Besides attracting a large number of

prospective customers, the cost of social media for advertising is comparatively much lower

than the other mass media options. Hence it is a value for money proposition. Social media

websites help generate interest in the brand and also to build trust in the company. This goes a

long way in the brand building exercise. Besides, one can reach the relevant target audience

and avoid clutter. It helps the company stay in constant touch with its customers, know their

preferences and upgrade their products and services accordingly. It gives them enough room

to receive prompt feedback from them. It thus leads to one on one interaction, leading to

customer satisfaction. A satisfied customer spreads positive word of mouth for the brand and

thus enhances the brand equity. All in all, it helps a company increase awareness of its brand,

generate leads, build its customer base, improve sales and market share. If planned and

executed properly, social media becomes a very cost effective mode of online promotions.

A recent study, The State of Small Business Report, sponsored by Network

Solutions, LLC and the University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business, points

to economic struggles as the catalyst for social medias rapid popularity. The study results

show that social media usage by small business owners increased from 12% to 24% in just the

last year, and almost 1 out of 5, actively uses social media as part of his or her marketing

strategy. In 2009, only 23% of marketers were using social media for years. Now that number

has grown to 31%. Heres a breakdown of what the small businesses reported as the main uses

of social media marketing:

75% have a company page on a social networking site.

69% post status updates or articles of interest on social media sites.

57% build a network through a site such as LinkedIn.

54% monitor feedback about the business.

39% maintain a blog.

26% tweet about areas of expertise.

16% use Twitter as a service channel.

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1.2INDUSTRY PROFILE

PRINTING:

Printing is a process for reproducing text and images, typically with ink

on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is

an essential part of publishing and transaction printing.

MODERN PRINTING TECHNOLOGY:

Across the world, over 45 trillion pages (2005 figure) are printed annually. In 2006

there were approximately 30,700 printing companies in the United States, accounting for

$112 billion, according to the 2006 U.S. Industry & MarketOutlook by Barnes Reports. Print

jobs that move through the Internet made up 12.5% of the total U.S. printing market last year,

according to research firm Info Trend/CAP Ventures.

OFFSET PRESS

Offset printing is a widely used printing technique where the inked image is transferred(or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. When used in

combination with the lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water,

the offset technique employs a flat (planographic) image carrier on which the image to be

printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a film of water,

keeping the non-printing areas ink-free.

Currently, most books and newspapers are printed using the technique of offset

lithography. Other common techniques include:

Flexography used for packaging, labels, newspapers

Hot wax dye transfer

Inkjet used typically to print a small number of books or packaging and also, to print a

variety of materials from high quality papers simulating offset printing, to floor tiles;

Inkjet is also used to apply mailing addresses to direct mail pieces

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Laser printing mainly used in offices and for transactional printing (bills, bank

documents). Laser printing is commonly used by direct mail companies to create

variable data letters or coupons, for example

Pad printing popular for its unique ability to print on complex three-dimensional

surfaces

Relief print, (mainly used for catalogues)

Rotogravure mainly used for magazines and packaging

Screen-printing for T-shirts to floor tiles.

GRAVURE

Gravure printing is an intaglio printing technique, where the image to be printed is

made up of small depressions in the surface of the printing plate. The cells are filled with ink

and the excess is scraped off the surface with a doctor blade, then a rubber-covered roller

presses paper onto the surface of the plate and into contact with the ink in the cells. The

printing plates are usually made from copper and may be produced by digital engraving

or laser etching.

Gravure printing is used for long, high-quality print runs such as magazines, mail-

order catalogues, packaging, and printing onto fabric and wallpaper. It is also used for

printing postage stamps and decorative plastic laminates, such as kitchen worktops.

Small format (up to ledger size paper sheets), as used in business offices and libraries

Wide format (up to 3' or 914mm wide rolls of paper), as used in drafting and design

establishments.

Some of the more common printing technologies are:

Blueprint and related chemical technologies

Daisy wheel where pre-formed characters are applied individually

Dot-matrix which produces arbitrary patterns of dots with an array of printing studs

Line printing where formed characters are applied to the paper by lines

Heat transfer such as early fax machines or modern receipt printers that apply heat to

special paper, which turns black to form the printed image

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Inkjet including bubble-jet, where ink is sprayed onto the paper to create the desired

image

Electrophotography where toner is attracted to a charged image and then developed

Laser a type of xerography where the charged image is written pixel by pixel using a

laser

Solid ink printer where cubes of ink are melted to make ink or liquid toner

Vendors typically stress the total cost to operate the equipment, involving complex

calculations that include all cost factors involved in the operation as well as the capital

equipment costs, amortization, etc. For the most part, toner systems are more economical than

inkjet in the long run, even though inkjets are less expensive in the initial purchase price.

Professional digital printing (using toner) primarily uses an electrical charge to

transfer toner or liquid ink to the substrate onto which it is printed. Digital print quality has

steadily improved from early color and black and white copiers to sophisticated colour digital

presses such as the Xerox iGen3, the Kodak Nexpress, the HP Indigo Digital Press series, and

the Info Print 5000. The iGen3 and Nexpress use toner particles and the Indigo uses liquid

ink. The Info Print 5000 is a full-color, continuous forms inkjet drop-on-demand printing

system. All handle variable data, and rival offset in quality. Digital offset presses are also

called direct imaging presses, although these presses can receive computer files and

automatically turn them into print-ready plates, they cannot insert variable data.

Small press and fanzines generally use digital printing. Prior to the introduction of

cheap photocopying the use of machines such as the spirit duplicator, hectograph,

and mimeograph was common.

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1.3COMPANY PROFILE

ABOUT BELL

The Bell Group is a group of companies, service industries and educational

institutions founded in 1952, by Mr. A.Chelladhurai. Based in Sivakasi and Palayamkottai.

The company that he first formed under the Bell brand was the Bell Pins Manufacturing

company, in Palayamkottai in 1952.Bell Printers, established in 1970, has now emerged as a

leading printer with extensive expansion of the printing infrastructure in recent years. With aconstant quest to further expand our printing potential, Bell Printers now specializes in high

quality offset printing catering to the luxury segment as well as mass producing cheap yet

enduring products for the common man.

Bell Printers is a leading Indian offset printing and packaging company. Established

over three decades ago, Bell Printers has always been an eminent company in the domestic

print industry. Now with an incredible new corporate infrastructure, Bell is all set to

becoming a global player in the print industry within the next five years. With quality and

timely delivery being the keywords of focus, Bell has a cutting edge over competition by

creating value-added products of the highest quality.

INFRASTRUCTURE:

Bell Printers has an extensive, purpose-built infrastructure. The new 4-acre facility is

fortified with over 30,000 sq. ft. of production floor space. The location right in the heart of

Indias printing hub, Sivakasi, helps us harness the skilled manpower and efficient logistics-

both of which are the essential boons of Sivakasi.Bell Printers has the superior competitive

advantage of a complete Heidelberg setup, also commonly termed 'The Rolls Royce of

Printing presses'. Managed by an efficient team of supervisors with extensive experience

abroad in large printing corporations, our skilled operators and technicians always make sure

the quality of our products are of higher standard as possible. The board members have a

collective experience of over five decades in the print industry. The experience and expertise

also branches evenly along the hierarchy of our organization.

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Bell Printers has installed India's first Varimatrix 105CS die-cutting machine from

Heidelberg. This machine is a part of a raft of Heidelberg equipment the company has

invested in to expand its packaging printing business. It includes Heidelberg Speedmaster CD

102 four-colour press and a Polar 115XC cutting machine. This is Heidelbergs first

Varimatrix 105CS die-cutter installed in India. The machine is equipped with inline stripping

and creasing unit and has a decent speed of 7,500 sheets per hour. It can process paper and

card board weighing between 80gsm and 400gsm, also cuts corrugated board up to four

millimeters (0.16 inches).This, when coupled with in-house design studio, pre-press and

finishing equipment make it a winning combination for Bell Printers.

VISION:To be a trendsetting Indian Printing and Packaging company offering innovative

products and world class services.

MISSION:

The Mission is to deliver dynamic customized, cost-effective products that meet the

unique need and expectations of every customer with high ethical standards. A performance

and technology driven culture that uses stringent metrics to continually expand and improve

processes, systems and quality practices. Dedicated to create a workplace that respects and

values people from diverse backgrounds and enables all employees to do their best work,

ensuring a safe workplace.

AWARDS:

Bell Printers has won The Best Printer award for two consecutive years in PAMEX

(Printing and Allied Machinery Exhibition), New Delhi amongst hundreds of printers across

the nation.

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1.4

OBJECTIVES

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

To study the influence of social networking sites in business regarding the customer

base development and promotions

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

To identify whether the social networking sites help in developing customer base.

To study that social networking site can be used for promotions.

To analyze whether to invest in social networking sites for business development

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1.5 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The paper by Ms.Sisira Neti, in International Journal of Enterprise Computing and

Business Systems Vol. 1 Issue 2 July 2011, on the topic social media and its role in

marketing about how the social networking sites helps in marketing activities. Social Media

is really picking up new heights in India. According to the 2010 Regus Global Survey of

business social networking, India tops the usage of social networking by business it has the

highest activity index, 127, far more than theUS97, and 52% of the Indian respondent

companies said that they had acquired new customers using social networks while 35%

American companies managed that. Many companies are coming big way for Social Media

Optimization for their Product or Services nowadays. During Election 2009 Social Media was

used for Influence Indian Voters. Social Media Marketing in India is being undertaken by

brands like Tata DoCoMo, MTV India, Channel V, Clear Trip, Tata Photon, Axe deodorants,

Microsoft, Naukri, Shaadi and many more. Besides, numerous Indian celebrities are also

using SMM platform to promote their movies, music and events via Twitter, Facebook and

personalized blogs. Social Media Marketing is also boosting public relations business. Several

PR agencies in India are undertaking brand building exercises for corporate organizations,

brands and celebrities. Companies using traditional marketing methods (e.g. surveys, focus

groups, test marketing) often spend millions to locate their target markets. Establishing a

social media strategy will help them see where potential customers are hanging out. The

companies can search for related groups and Fan Pages through Facebook, start accounts on

social bookmarking sites such as Digg or Stumble Upon, and check on who is linking to your

site to find out whos interested. Social media gives businesses on small budgets the ability to

find out what people are saying about them (and others) in their industry, without paying large

sums on market research. With its ear to the ground on social media, the company will be the

first to know if its product is working or if changes need to be made.

Chris Murdough (2009), Social Media Measurement: It's Not Impossible, Journal of

Interactive Advertising, Vol. 2010, No 1 (Fall 2009), pp 94-99.have positively agreed on the

potential of social media but like any other marketing tool it is difficult to gauge the kind of

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impact that it lays on the masses. According to Biil Winterberg (2010) Tools and Techniques

to Leverage Social Media, Journal of Financial Planning, May 2010., social media websites

like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter come with unbelievable techniques to communicate

with family, colleagues and friends.

Benson, Vladlena, Filippaios, Fragkiskos & Morgan, Stephanie, (2010), 'Online Social

Networks: Changing the Face of Business Education and Career Planning, International

Journal of e-Business Management, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 20-33. DOI 10 3316 / IJEBM 0401020.

have studied the usage of social networks in career development of students and also building

the relationship with their employers and have concluded on some International Conference

on Technology and Business Management March 28-30, 2011 757 better understanding of

motivations as an effective application of these networks on businesses.

Elisa Backer (2010) Using smart phones and Facebook in a major assessment: The

Student Experience, E-Journal of Business Education & Scholarship of Teaching, Vol. 4,

No. 1, 2010, pp: 19- 31,have investigated the usage pattern in adoption of new technologies

like Facebook and Smart phones on students and found that such applications create a sense

of motivation and responsibility as well as it enriches their learning experiences. Donna L.

Hoffman and Marek Fodor (2010), Can You Measure the ROI of Your Social Media

Marketing?,MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2010, Vol.52, No.1,have found out that

instead of using companies investment for calculation of returns on investment, managers

must assess consumer motivations for using social media and measure customers investments

in calculation of ROI.

Sara Tye (2010), Communicating in the Social Media Age, The British Journal ofAdministrative Management; summer 2010; ABI/INFORM Global pg. 22.have analyzed the

impact of advances in technology and how it transformed the traditional business procedures

in communicating to their target audience. Chan & Prendergast (2007) have perceived

Materialism and social comparison as important issues, amongst adolescents and found that

Social comparison with friends and with media figures were both positive predictors of

materialism.

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1.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Based on Literature Review, it was observed that SME as well as Large Enterprises

have started to use online social media for their business promotion and marketing.

RESEARCH TYPE:

The project employs systematic, formal and descriptive research techniques. The

research type is primarily a qualitative research. This study is based on the data collected

through structured questionnaire and in-depth, unstructured and informal interview with the

company officials.

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH

The major purpose of using descriptive research is description of state of affairs, as it

in which at present and to control over the variables to report what is happening in the social

media marketing.

DATA COLLECTION

The collection of data is collected through a structured questionnaire and through

telephonic discussions with the company officials who are considered in the sample. Primary

data is used is the study in order to meet the requirements of the purpose.

PRIMARY DATA

Under this study primary data was collected by using Structured Questionnaire. The

structure questionnaire consists of both open-ended and closed ended questions. The primary

data has been collected through the questionnaire by means of e-mails and personal interview.

The questionnaire consists of number of question printed in definite order on a form. The

primary data was collected from various companies, with the help of Questionnaire

irrespective of location.

TARGET RESPONDENTS:

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The target respondents were companies which require printing and packaging services.

The respondents were selected irrespective of their locational factor.

DETERMINATION OF POPULATION & SAMPLE SIZE:

Population size: unknown

Sample size: 29

DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUE:

Structured questionnaire

Telephonic discussion

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE:

Convenient sampling The technique was chosen based on the time restrictions and

respondents

DESCRIPTION OF STATISTICAL TOOLS:

In order to come out with the findings of the study, the following statistical tools are

used in the study. The various analytical tools used in this study are,

t-Test

Cross tabulation

Chi-square test

Frequency distribution

Tabulation and percentage method accompanied by charts are used to interpret

the analysis.

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1.7 NEED AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY

NEED FOR THE STUDY:-

To know whether the company clients were using social networking page and to

develop a good relationship with the client through these sites.

To analyze whether the clients are using social networking sites for business updates

To know the clients interest towards business through social networking sites in

future.

To decide whether to invest in social media advertising campaign for promotions.

To find whether the company can develop its customer base through the social

networking sites

SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

The study area is Impact of social networking sites in business emphasizing customer

base development and promotions.

The study helps in demonstrating the usage of social networking sites by their clients.

The study provides a platform for the company to decide when to invest in social

networking sites in future.

The study helps the company to gain a clear sense of views about the clients and

potential customers and helps them in improving the customer-base through social

media advertising campaign

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1.8LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The study is limited by the fact that a relatively small sample of participants

(n=29) were selected using non-probability sampling.

This limitation makes it difficult to generalize and apply the findings of this study

to the entire clients of the company.

The study also failed to determine consumers attitudes towards social media

advertisements when consumers have given permission to receive such

advertisements. This represents a further limitation of the study.

Most of the clients failed to respond though they use such social networking sites.

The calculation of return on investment is also a major limitation because it is hard

to calculate the returns just by the likes and connections from the social

networking sites

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2. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

2.1 FREQUENCY OF SOCIAL NETWORKING USERS:

The frequencies of the companies which use social networking sites from the sample

are as follows. Since the data is nominal the frequency analysis is used.

Statistical tool used: Frequency analysis.

Table 2.1 Frequency of companies that have page in social networking sites

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

No 14 48.3 48.3 48.3

Yes 15 51.7 51.7 100.0

Total 29 100.0 100.0

Figure 2.1 companies that owns a social network page

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The Statistics from the thesocialskinny.com supports that 53% of small businesses

are using social media.

INFERENCE:

From the above data interpretations with the help of the frequency table and the

chart,it is clear that almost half of the sample size(52%) owns a page in the social networking

sites.

2.2 MAJOR SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE USED BY THE COMPANIES

The companies that own a social networking page from the sample have the following

pattern of social networking sites. The analysis is done to find the frequently used social

networking site and so relatively the frequency analysis was used..

Statistical tool used: Frequency analysis.

Figure 2.2 companies using various social networking sites

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The Statistics from the thesocialskinny.com supports that,

89 percent of agencies said they would use Facebook to advertise for their clients in

2012 either by purchasing ads, creating pages, or other methods of engagement

39% of agencies said they would focus on Twitter, 36% YouTube, 21% LinkedIn and18% Google+

INFERENCE:

The above data helps us to find that most of the companies have their Facebook page

and then next comes the linked-in profile followed by twitter and Google+ pages.

2.3 COMPARISON BETWEEN COMPANIES HAVING A PAGE IN SOCIAL

NETWORKING SITES AND ITS INFLUNCE LEVEL

To find the companys view about having a social networking sites page and the

companies having their own page and companies having their own social networking page are

compared below. For comparison of the nominal data the cross tabulation is used.

Statistical tool used: Cross tabulation

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Table 2.2 comparison between views of companies and their social networking pages

Cross tabulation

Owns Social network

page

TotalNo Yes

Interest

or view

on

Social

network

page

2 0 1 1

3 3 0 3

4 6 4 10

5 5 10 15

Total 14 15 29

INFERENCE:

From the above table it is found that companies which have a positive view about

social networking sites influence in business mostly own a social networking site page.

2.4 INFLUENCE OF SOCAIL NETWORKING SITES IN BUSINESS

To find the significant influence of the social networking sites in business, the

significance of companies interest or positive view towards the social networking sites page

a one sample t-test is used since the sample size is less than 30.

Statistical tool used: one sample t-test

Analysis:

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Null hypothesis (H0): The social networking sites does not have influence over the business

Alternate hypothesis (H1): The social networking sites have influence over the business

Table 2.3 one sample t-test for finding influence of social networking sites over the

business

One-Sample Test

Test Value = 0

t Df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Difference

95% Confidence Interval of

the Difference

Lower Upper

Interest in

social network

sites pages

28.745 28 .000 4.345 4.04 4.65

INFERENCE:

From the above table, it is found that the significance value obtained is less than 0.05

and therefore the null hypothesis is rejected. It implies that the social networking sites have

significant influence over the business.

2.5 IMPROVEMENT OF BUSINESS BY THE SOCIAL NETWORKING PAGES

To find the significant influence of the social networking sites in improvement of

business, the significance of companies improvement in business after using the social

networking sites page is analyzed and so a one sample t-test is used since the sample size is

less than 30.

Statistical tool used: One sample t-test

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Analysis:

Null hypothesis (H0): The social networking page does have significant influence over the

improvement of the business.

Alternate hypothesis (H1): The social networking pages have significant influence over the

improvement of the business.

Table 2.4 one sample t-test for finding influence of social networking site pages in

improvement of business

One-Sample Test

Test Value = 0

t Df Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean

Difference

95% Confidence Interval of the

Difference

Lower Upper

Level of

improvement

in business

4.859 28 .000 1.690 .98 2.40

INFERENCE:


and therefore the null hypothesis is rejected. It implies that the social networking sites have

significant influence over the improvement of the business.

2.6 COMPANIES VIEW ABOUT HAVING A SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE PAGE

IN FUTURE

To find the significant influence of the social networking sites in business, the significance of

companies interest or positive view towards creating a social networking sites page is

analyzed using a one sample t-test since the sample size is less than 30.

Statistical tool used: One sample t-test

Analysis:

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Null hypothesis (H0): The companies are not influenced to have a social networking sites

page in future

Alternate hypothesis (H1): The companies are influenced to have a social networking sites

page in future

Table 2.5 one sample t-test to find the companies view about having a social networking

sites page in future

One-Sample Test

Test Value = 0

t df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Difference

95% Confidence Interval of

the Difference

Lower Upper

Future idea

towards social

networking sites

4.829 28 .000 1.931 1.11 2.75

INFERENCE:


and therefore the null hypothesis is rejected. It implies that the companies are influenced to

have a social networking sites page in future.

2.7 COMPANYS INTERACTING WITH CUSTOMERS THROUGH SOCIAL

NETWORKING SITES

To find the significant influence of the customers interaction through the socialnetworking sites is analyzed. Since the data is nominal, the chi-square test is being used.

Statistical tool used: chi-square test

Analysis:

Null hypothesis (H0): There is high level of interaction with the customers through social

networking sites.

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Alternate hypothesis (H1): There is no high level of interaction with the customers through

social networking sites.

Table 2.6 Frequency table of customer interaction through social networking sites

Observed N Expected N Residual

0 14 5.8 8.2

2 2 5.8 -3.8

3 7 5.8 1.2

4 4 5.8 -1.85 2 5.8 -3.8

Total 29


95% of Facebook wall posts are not answered by brands

Table 2.7 Test statistics for customer interaction through social networking sites

Test Statistics

Level of customer interaction

Chi-square 17.379a

df 4

Asymp. Sig. .002

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The

minimum expected cell frequency is 5.8.

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The statistics report from jeffbullas.com supports that.

The B2B customers acquire 61 percentage success rate of customer acquisition

through liked-in

INFERENCE:


and the calculated value (17.379) is greater than the critical value(9.49) therefore the null

hypothesis is rejected. It implies that there is no high level of interaction with the customers

through social networking sites.

2.8 COMPANIES INVESTED IN SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES FOR BUSINESS

To find the frequency of the companies those have invested in the social networking

sites promotion. Since the data is nominal the frequency analysis is used. The following graph

describes the companies which have invested in social networking sites for business.

Statistical tool used: Frequency analysis

Figure 2.3 companies invested in social networking sites for business

Invested in social networking

sites

Not invested in social

networking sites

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No.of companies 2 27


Only 10% of marketers are actively monitoring social media ROI

Around 13 % of the companies in social networking sites invested in promotions such

as ad-campaigns etc.

INFERENCE:

From the above graph it is clearly visible that even though the companies have their

own page in the social networking sites around 93% of the companies are not interested to

invest in any of the campaigns in the social networking sites.

3. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTION

3.1 FINDINGS: It is found that from the analysis the company can develop the customer base through

social networking sites and investments on promotions must be considered

From the analysis it is found around 52% of the companies use social network sites

and have influence in development of the business and so customer base development

can be done with the help of social networking sites.

From the analysis results the social network has positive influence over the companies

that have social network sites and customer follow the brand in social networking sitesso promotions can be done.

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It is found that the customer interactions are low and only a meager amount of

companies have invested in social networking sites in case of B2B segment from the

analysis so only calculated investments must be made.

3.2 SUGGESTIONS:

Bell printers can open up their page in the top three social networking sites, Facebook,linked-in and twitter.

Constantly monitor the social networking trends and adapt wisely so as there is

possibility of reaching more quality leads.

Since the local clients are unaware of the social networking sites it is better to convey

the idea to the clients for the future developments in social networking.

Can use the social network medium to promote your brand image and bring up

uniqueness in communicating with the customers.

Can concentrate on a particular focused group on the social networking sites.

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Facebook can be used for the B2C marketing and Linked-in and twitter can be used

for the B2B marketing.

4. CONCLUSION

Based on the interview with the sample companies and the analysis shown above, my view is

that the following parameters are important to measure for effective use of social media

marketing by companies. Only generating fans or Prospects is not sufficient for effective

marketing.

Today, online social medias are used for the promotion of products or services and not for any

money transaction. There may be a great chance in future that the company may tie up with

trusted online payment gateway like PAYPAL on online social media like Facebook,

LinkedIn etc. Thus consumer can directly pay the amount through online social media which

eliminates the cost of building a E-Commerce website and cost of promoting the website.Facebook is the right social media to promote B2C product companies. LinkedIn is the right

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[e] Strongly disagree

2) Do your organization / institution own a social network page? Answer: ____

[a]Yes (answer the following questions) [b] No (skip to question No: 17)

3) In which social network do your organization / institution own a page? Answer: ____

[a]Facebook [b] Linked In [c] Twitter [d] Google + [e] others

4) How long your organization/institution owns a social network page? Answer: ____

[a] less than 1 month [b] 1-6 months[c] 6-12 months [d] 1-3 years [e] more than

3year

5) Frequency of visiting social network site per day? Answer: ____

[a] less than 1 time [b] 2 times [c] 3 times [d] 4 times [d] more than 5 times

6) Time Span of staying in social network site? Answer: ____

[a] less than 15 mins [b] 15 to 30 mins [c] 30 to 60 mins [d] more than 1 hour

[e] not using it

7) Number of likes or followers or connections (approx.)? Answer: ____

[a] less than 20 [b] 20-50 [c] 50-75 [d] 75-100 [e] more

than 100

8) Organization use social network sites for business purpose? Answer: ____

[a] Very frequent [b] frequent [c] sometimes [d] rare [e] never

9) For what purpose does the organization/institution use social networking site? Answer:

[a] To create awareness [b] To reach existing customers

[c] Focusing potential customer [d] other reasons

10) What does your organization expect from social network? Answer: ____

[a] customer details [b] supplier updates [c] competitor strategy [d] other reason

11) Level of customer interaction through social networking sites? Answer: ____

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[a] Very frequent [b] frequent [c] sometimes [d] rare [e] never

12) Follow-up on supplier status/updates in social networking page? Answer: ____

[a]Very frequent [b] frequent [c] sometimes [d] rare [e] Never

13) Assistance of social networking page to organization in selecting supplier & service

provider Answer: ____

[a] Very high [b] High [c] Neither high nor low [d] Low

[e]Very low

14) Have you invested for Ads & other promotional activities in social networking sites?

Answer: ____

[a] Yes [b] No

15) How much have your organization / institution invested in social networking sites for

promotional activities (per annum)? Answer: ____

16) Level of improvement in your business after using social network page? Answer: ____

[a] Very high [b] High [c] Medium [d] Low [e]Very low

(skip to details)

17) Reason not to get a social network page? Answer: ____

[a] I havent time for social network site [b]Not interested in social

network site[c] Havent heard of social network site [d] not convenient for my

business

[e] Other reasons

18) In future do the organization / institution has idea towards marketing through social

network sites? Answer: ____

[a] Strongly agree [b] Agree [c] Neither agree nor Disagree [d]

Disagree [e] Strongly disagree

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DETAILS:

NAME :

DESIGNATION :

COMPANY :

PLACE :

PRODUCTS :

NET CONNECTIVITY (SPEED) :

E-mail ID :

CONTACT NUMBER :

AUTHORITIES SEAL/SIGNATURE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chris Brogan, Facebook ads: Success secrets from an insider. Entrepreneur.

November 2010, p.50.

Allen Moon, Promoted tweets: is your business ready? Entrepreneur. November

2010, p.54.

Michael A. Stelzner (2010), Social Media Marketing Industry Report, How

Marketers are using social media to grow their businesses, Social Media Examiner,

April 2010.

Cooper R, Donald. Business research methods.India:Tata McGraw-Hill 2011,pp 305-

632

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Donna L. Hoffman and Marek Fodor (2010), Can You Measure the ROI of Your

Social Media Marketing? MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2010, Vol.52, No.1.

http://www.ctam.com/html/sfsb/pdf/Marketing-White-Paper-Social-Media.pdf

http://pauladaunt.com/books/Social%20Media%20Marketing.pdf

http://expansionplus.com/pdf/expansion-plus-social-media-strategies.pdf

http://www.b2bento.com/whitepaper/SocialMediaB2B.pdf

http://www.oppapers.com/essays/A-Study-On-Social-Media-Marketing/574224

http://www.grin.com/de/e-book/159141/social-media-marketing

http://thesocialskinny.com/100-social-media-statistics-for-2012/

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/04/23/48-significant-social-media-facts-figures-and-statistics-plus-7-infographics/

influence of social networking sites in business

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