How can Social Media compliment your SEO Strategy?

Why does my business need to be on social media? Small business owners often ask themselves this question. While businesses understand & implement Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategies, not all businesses use social media to its potential. Social media today has evolved into something much bigger than the way it started out.

1) Google Search ranks social media links higher

Yes, you read it right! Active social media profiles of your business are automatically ranked higher in Google’s search engine. They are given more importance by Google as compared to any other listing websites. Google now automatically picks up quality content & give preference to the business profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram. To make the most of this, ensure the name of your profile is similar to your website name. For example, if the company website is www(dot) reeltimefishingcharters(dot)com(dot)au, then the Facebook name & username should be Reel Time Fishing Charters or as close to it as possible.

2) Google’s free listing – Google My Business!

Most businesses who have an online presence today know the advantages of using the Google My Business Listing. But there is more to it, the free Google listing is no longer just basic information about the business. It has evolved to now include specialised features about the business which can help convert a potential customer into a customer for your business.

Here are some of the new value-added features –

• Reviews on Facebook are automatically pulled by Google My Business listings. So if your customers have given you a good rating, it can show up free of cost on Google! This includes reviews from other popular social media websites or review websites.
• The listing also indicates popular times when people visit the business & how long people spend time there as well. This is an important feature for businesses including cafes, theatres and medical practices as it helps your potential customers plan their visit
• The listing now includes 3 types of images which can be edited. It includes the logo of the business, location & the street view
• Depending on the type of business, the listing provides specific information related to the business. For example – For a popular venue like the MCG in Melbourne, the listing will display future events along with the details of those events

All these features are also available on other Google products are well. They include Google Search, Maps, Google + & the mobile as well.

3) Social Media specific tools are gaining momentum

• Facebook search is also quickly picking up ever since they introduced usernames. If a business page is verified, it can show up higher in the Facebook search results for the selected keywords. Page verification is a simple process & is not limited to large companies & brands. Even a local business can get its Facebook business page verified

• New features like Facebook live have the ability to reach out to more people as compared to a text or image post. It is an innovative way of engaging with your audience & even responding to them in real time. Unlike normal posts, a Facebook live post can be shared with everyone who wants to view it

• Similarly, using the latest tools on various social media websites like YouTube Live, Instagram Moments, and Snapchat Story can help in increasing your social reach & help in an increased conversion for your business.

Bhushan is a marketing communications professional with experience in the UK, India & Australia. Follow him on Twitter & Instagram.

Innovative ways to use social media to engage with fans globally

Arsenal Mumbai Supporters Club

The sporting industry involves passion and lots of money. For everyone involved in the industry, either you love it or don’t. In such a high involvement industry, the stakes of planning and implementing a successful engagement strategy is always high. The need of the hour for large sporting clubs is to engage not only with fans in a 100 mile radius of the club, but also reach out to fans in every part of the world. 

Like Mc Donald’s changes its menu in different parts of the world to suit the audience, it is important that sports clubs and organisations also change their engagement strategy in different parts of the world. 

Take for example the English Premier League. The world's most watched soccer league with majority fans that are based outside the UK & probably outside the EU as well.  To cater to this huge global interest, the Premier league has done well by using strategies like -

Ø  early kick off so that the games can get higher viewership globally

Ø  staging the international cups where some of the teams travel other continents to play live in front of fans

Ø  initiatives like the fans parks where huge live matches are shown is huge screens

All this has helped the Premier League become as successful as it is now. But the main area of interest for fans in a league is the club & its players. While many players have constantly kept engaging with their global fans, not many clubs have managed to use social media to its potential in reaching out to fans across the world. 

I got an amazing opportunity to work with Arsenal FC's content team and chalk out a fan engagement strategy for the club. The team at Arsenal was impressive and open to try out new things. This is something which other clubs and organisations should also do more often.

Like any social media campaign, we kept working on weekly content plans and set up a calendar of important events both from Arsenal's perspective & from the global fan's perspective. 

The first successful strategy that we implemented was the Diwali feature. The idea was to use the theme of a festival which was celebrated by a large number of the club's fans from a particular part of the world. The feature aimed at not only wishing the fans but also showing the Arsenal first team members celebrating the festival. The idea was very simple but still for some reason was not tried out by any of the clubs at this level. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvVP8aecSF4

Arsenal Diwali Feature 2015

The video received an encouraging response by the fans with over 1.5 million views just over a few days. Although other English clubs did post messages wishing their fans, Arsenal was the only club that did this in such a grand scale.  

Key learning - One of the main reasons why this feature received a good response was the feature went live in the target market's time zone. Since India is 5.30 hrs ahead of the UK, posting the video in the Indian standard time was very important. Otherwise the video would be live when majority of the fans were asleep.   

After this experience, the team tried out similar strategies targeting different markets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_P_yEwojlQ

Chinese New year feature by Arsenal FC

The response by the global fans was tremendous. As a result of this, the club also start looking at creating regional specific content more often. We are now working with people from different parts of the world who are equally passionate about the club and want to build innovative content to engage with fans globally. 

The latest feature was launched only couple of days back for the festival of Holi. It has already received over 80,000 views. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XD-1gnzUM0

Arsenal Holi feature 2016

It will be interesting to see how other clubs tweak their social media strategy to engage with their global fans. 

What to expect from a Public Relations degree?

Public Relations has always been a passion for me. That's the reason I choose to study communications and do my Master's Degree in Public Relations.   

After having gone through the education phase in this industry, I am aware of the gaps in the expectations v/s the reality which students face every year. I have been fortunate to have a fair bit of experience in studying PR, working in the PR industry and finally teaching PR students across two continents. This all round experience has given me a unique perspective on the PR industry. Based on this, I thought of sharing some learnings which could help students make the most of their PR courses and help in their critical job search.    

(Just to give you a background of my PR experience - After graduating with a communications degree from the University of Mumbai, I choose to go the UK & pursue my MA in International Public Relations from Cardiff University. Post that I have been working with PR agencies in the UK & India for around 4 years, before I moved to Australia and began my PR journey here.)

1) 90% of the learning begins outside the classroom 

Unlike technical fields such as Engineering and Medical, Public Relations cannot completely be learned or taught in a class room. Wait, that does not mean you don't go for your lectures. It is very important to pick up the basics of communications and to learn about environments with multiple stakeholders. But other than that, it all depends on what you want to do & how you want to do it.  It's critical that you are able to connect to what's being discussed in the classroom to real world scenarios. That's when the learning happens. You need to learn the process of adapting and learning new things quickly. 

For example - Just reading about how a crisis communications plan is made does not necessarily give you an understanding of the various challenges involved. Try comparing the module to how a company is reacting to a recent crisis in the real world and what all is the company doing or saying to avoid any further damage to its brand. Best example at this point is the German auto giant Volkswagen. It is really interesting to see how Volkswagen is reacting to the recent crisis it faced with regards to its emission scandal. 

2) A Case Study is the best teacher 

Case studies are live examples of PR campaigns which were implemented by a company or a brand. Most of the case studies would talk about campaigns which were successful in meeting the communications objectives and what were the key decisions or ideas as a part of the campaign. Case studies of campaigns which did not work and instead caused a crisis for the company or brand are also important as it give you a idea of what not to do. For example - Check out this PR case study which was the winner of the 2014 Golden Target Awards. EVERY GREYHOUND HAS A STORY 

I still ensure I read as many PR case studies I can find. In most of the technical jobs you do most of your learning in the earlier few years of your job. But with PR, your learning never stops. No two days will ever be the same, in fact it can quite possibly be the opposite. So, always stay open to learn as much as you can whenever you get the opportunity. 

3) A Chef can cook, A PR professional can Network! 

You must have heard this a million times, but it is really important. Networking is the core skill that you need to master if you want to be successful in the PR industry. You don't need to wait till to start with this. As a PR student, you get multiple opportunities to get in touch with  PR professionals from the industry through guest lectures at your university or industry events. Make the most of it by keeping in touch with them, discussing PR campaigns or ideas and seeking their advise to kick start your PR career.

As a part of my Master's course at Cardiff University, many influential PR professionals with decades of experience visited us for guest lectures. I got a chance to interact with Stephen Waddington (Partner & CEO Ketchum, UK) during his guest lecture. Enclosed is the example of how I kept in touch with Stephen on twitter post the guest lecture. 

Also, ensure that you join the various PR associations in your city to be aware of upcoming PR events and an opportunity to network other PR professionals in your city.  In case you are in Victoria, the IABC Victoria & PRIA are the PR associations which you should join. 

4) Use Social Media as your strength 

Social media has grown tremendously over the past few years. The students of this generation are very lucky to have grown up with social media. The understanding of social media and the use of various evolving platforms is a great advantage that the younger generation has over the people in the earlier generation. If you are able to quickly pick up the business application of these social media platforms and be able to integrate it in your PR campaigns for your clients, it will definitely help you in your PR job search.  

After all I believe, managing your own social media accounts is like driving your own car in normal traffic. But managing a brand / client is like driving an F1 car. 

Hope this helps & all the best in your PR careers. 

What can celebrating India's independence day abroad teach us?

15th of August, 1947 was a special day for India. It was not just the day when the British left our country but also the day when our forefathers finally could tell their children that they are no longer slaves to a foreign government. They could now live an Indian way of life freely without being scared of the foreign rulers prosecuting them for the same.

As an Indian born in the late 1980's, this day is still of great significance for me and no doubt this will continue to be so for the future generations. But I found great meaning in the saying, 'Till you face the hardship, you will never appreciate the good times that come along with it'. Just think about how our forefathers must have felt when they were told their country is finally free after 200 years of slavery and suffering. Our generation will never understand this. Not sure if we will ever have that state of joy and unity amongst all our countrymen ever again. Is it a blessing or a curse?

By living in India for 95% of my life till now and living abroad for the remaining 5%, I came across a similar feeling. There are 2 ways of Independence Day celebrations that I have seen.

Independence Day celebrations in India

15th of August was a special day during school life as it was one of the 2 days in a year, when children had to go to school by 7 am for the flag hoisting ceremony followed by singing the National Anthem. Post that it was a holiday.

But after you finish education and start your professional life, I have not come across any meaningful way that we Indians (staying in India) celebrate Independence Day. Usually, it includes dressing up in an Indian attire to work on 14th of August, singing the national anthem with your colleagues and getting free food at work (depends on how generous your HR Department is!).

And what happens on 15th of August? Public Holiday. Either we are drunk, away for a holiday or we end up watching Border, LOC Kargil or 1947 - A Love Story on Star Gold / Zee Cinema.  

Some of us do end up attending flag hoisting ceremonies in our clubs, housing colonies, work or various communities. But the question is will all this remind us of that landmark day on which all our countrymen must have felt that amazing feeling of finally celebrating freedom with thousands of Indians?  I could never equate the significance of the occasion and the way we celebrated it to be very effective.

And then I got a chance to experience Independence Day abroad.

Independence Day celebrations outside India
 
Now before I talk about my experience, I will tell you about my conversation with an Indian gentleman I met a while ago. He is in his late 60's and had moved to Australia around 1980. He mentioned that when he moved abroad, it was actually a rare sight to find another Indian living abroad. Indian grocery shops, restaurants, and even knowledge about India amongst the locals was non-existent.

Imagine that sight, and look at the scenario now. I remember my consumer behaviour professor mentioning that our country's GDP & progress alone does not make us a super power. India is a super power because the Indian way of living (be it food, culture, talent, immigrants) have spread far and wide in the world. Every locality in the world today will have at least one Indian restaurant and that is why India is a super power.

Celebrating Independence Day abroad is really a special feeling. No, I am not referring to that scene in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham scene.

But seeing your country's flag being hoisted abroad and singing the national anthem with fellow Indians whom you don't know, does make you feel proud.

A normal Independence Day celebration abroad includes meeting thousands of fellow Indians at a gathering where the flag hoisting is done and an opportunity to experience local Indian culture which includes live music & dance performances and regional Indian food. It's certainly not something which is out of the box. It's just simple stuff which is very effective in uniting people and getting them together. Being in India, how often do we get this opportunity?

I am not promoting the NRI way of life in any way. It's just that often staying in our own country we don't appreciate things that are easily available. Hope this blog post motivates at least some of you to think about this and gets you to feel more Indian on this Independence Day!

Jai Hind! Here's wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day again!      

5 things to remember before you become an International student

Our generation has been the luckiest when it comes to availability of education. The reasons may include reservations, higher affordability by our families or just availability of good career counselling. Studying further in a course of choice after graduation is no longer a "Mission Impossible".  

We may never understand what our parents / grandparents actually went through to complete their education in times where there were was not much information in the public domain. But having said that, it's not like our generation has it all easy. Yes, people are more educated about the importance of education than any time before in history. But too many options is not necessarily a good thing. Take for instance the whole idea of doing a master's course abroad and India's fascination with an "MBA". Every year over 100,000 students leave India and move to various parts of the world to pursue their dreams of becoming a successful professional in their field of choice. Now, this is by no means a bad thing. It's really great that students are no longer restricted to same old cliché professions that our earlier generations have idolised, namely Doctors & Engineers.

Since it's that time of the year when students are finalising their plans to make the big move of their lives, I have decided to write about some important things that these students must be aware of based on my experiences while I studied abroad.

1) One needs to UNLEARN before they can learn

It's like buying an Apple device after you have been using an Android for all your life. You will come across many thing that are different from the way you have seen it back home. Be it basic traffic sense, being independent, being courteous and yes FOLLOWING RULES!

2) Don't expect you will earn all your education expenses in the short team

Studying abroad does not mean you are going to find a treasure chest and your income will suddenly rise 4 times. Education will help you gain knowledge and give you the ability to take on challenging roles not necessarily in the immediate future. You still need to work hard, in fact harder than you would work in your home country to make your way into the industry abroad.

3) Part time work experience is not counted for your professional job

Now I know many of you will want to take up part time jobs while you are studying abroad. For people who genuinely need the money, there is no option. But if you can afford to take care of your expenses without working while you are studying, then DO NOT do a part time job. Part time jobs can only get you little money immediately but if you use that time in an internship or building contacts in your specific industry, that will actually benefit you in the long run.

4)  Studying does not mean Mugging up

Our education system back home told us studying always meant mugging up as much as you can. Thankfully, the education system abroad is much more practical. At every stage the course will challenge you to showcase practical solutions. Mugging up the books is not going to help, instead spend time in understanding the basics and it should be a cake walk then. 

5) Don't underestimate your self 

Even when I was about to move to the UK for my master's degree, I used to wonder if I will be able to compete with the other students who come from different parts of the world. But don't forget, we

come from a culture where we are taught to compete from day 1 and we all are extremely hard working people. If you put your heart and mind into it, you can definitely be one of the most promising students of your class.

  

Finally, have fun! This is going to be one of the best experiences of your life and another opportunity like this may never come your way. So make it count.

Feel free to share any unique experiences that you may have experienced.

A Global Gooner

Football (or Soccer as they refer to it in some parts of the world) has always been an important part of my life, ever since I played it for the first time. All I can remember is my dad taking me to the football training early one morning when I was 9 years old. And there was no looking back! At that stage, it was just fun playing every Sunday & Thursday morning with my team & getting a chance to represent my school for over 8 years in a row.

Somewhere around this time, the English Premier League was suddenly available live on television. I don't know if it was great keeping by David Seaman, the "Dreamcast, Sega & O2" jersey or just the type of football Arsenal played, that I started to get more involved with club.  

As I grew older, I came across many Arsenal fans from different parts of the world. What surprised me was how effective Arsenal was in bringing people from different continents, cultures and religions closer.

I have had unique experiences with Arsenal fans in 3 different continents.

A)  Asia - Arsenal Mumbai : Arsenal Mumbai (Arsenal's Official Supporters Club in Mumbai) will always be special for me since I have been involved with the club since the very beginning. I was given the task to present a case why Arsenal Mumbai deserved an official status by the club back in 2006. I met the supporter liaison officer, Jill Smith at the Highbury House in London & that turned out to be my first ever successful presentation!

From a few hundred passionate gooners meeting up regularly in 2006, the fan club has grown tremendously with over 7000 fans last season. Their screenings of Arsenal matches is as close as it can get to an alternative of watching Arsenal at the Emirates. Over 700 gooners getting together under one roof to cheer for the team is nothing less than a mind blowing experience.

If you are ever in Mumbai, make sure you attend one of their screenings! @Arsenal_Mumbai 

B) Europe - Germany : The day I landed in Berlin, Arsenal was playing Hull City in the FA Cup finals. I din't know any one in the city but that was not going to stop me from watching Arsenal winning their first trophy after a long time. After some online research, I decided to head to the Oscar Wilde Irish Pub on Friedrichstraße. As I got there, I saw over 100 gooners making their way inside the pub. They included fans living in the UK who were on a 'Euro Trip' and many German fans as well. The match started off with some nervous moments, but the end could not be better! After 90 minutes and not sure how many pints of beer, I remember celebrating with fellow gooners on the streets of Berlin. Couldn't quite ask for a better first day in a new country.

While I was in Germany, Arsenal was drawn into a group with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and was visiting Germany for an away fixture. Thanks to @Arsenal_Mumbai , I got a ticket for the game in the away stands and I was on my way to Dortmund.

In Dortmund, Arsenal Germany (Arsenal's official supporters club) had a pre drinking ritual every time Arsenal visited Dortmund. They had asked all gooners to come over at a bar which was reserved only for Arsenal fans. There were about 200 gooners along with the @arsenalfantv team as well.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGuvvtxLKpE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvUrSlb5FvY

I met many gooners who were travelling from the UK and they were excited to hear I was a gooner from India and there is an huge fan base existing in India as well. Met a couple of season ticket holders who have being watch all Arsenal matches since the last 5 years. They kept telling me amazing stories of how they got into following Arsenal and now have around 5 season tickets in their family. These amazing guys kept buying me beers till we made our way to the stadium. It was really nice to meet such passionate gooners.

C) Australia - Melbourne : I moved to my new home town Melbourne right before the FA Cup finals this year. As I was getting used to the time difference, I realised the FA Cup finals was at 2.00 am local time! Again there was no way I was going to miss the game, even though it was post midnight. But the supporter's club in Melbourne, had made some great arrangements for that night. They had reserved an entire pub in the CBD area for the screening and for the pre game, they were screening the last FA Cup finals. Isn't that just amazing? There was also a live podcast recording done by Gunners Down Under. A good crowd of around 100 gooners turned up even though the timings were really bad. And Arsenal won the FA Cup again !!!

I think gooners in this part of the world need some special mention as its not easy to keep supporting a club when the time difference is so crazy. But in spite of this, Arsenal Melbourne is doing a great. Make sure you join us for the upcoming Arsenal screenings, where you are in Melbourne! @ArsenalMelb

These experiences have been just amazing. Looking forward to this weekend's Community Shield finals! Hoping this season is going to be a good one for us.

Come On You Gunners!

Learnings from Berlin

Halo! I had a chance to live in Berlin for almost 6 months in 2014 and I had some great experiences there. I decided to share the experiences to let people know how cool Berlin is.

Read up & plan your trip to Berlin soon.


1) Use 'Bitte' like sugar in every Gujarati dish

If you don't speak fluent German and you happen to go to any part of Germany, the best way of playing safe is to use 'bitte' in every other sentence.  Germans or at least the locals in Berlin, are so proud of the word, that an average Berliner (not referring to the local beer )  will probably use the word at least 50 times a day.

                                       


Some reference to context -

If you want to buy a beer, you need say 'Einer berliner, bitte' and the reply you will probably get is "Zwei Euro, bitte".

You will surely come across one smart bugger who is trying to confuse the shit of out you by using the word when you least expect it.

Try asking someone for help in English & the reply is "Bitte"

2) Nobody in the entire Milky Way, parties like Berliners do! 

For someone who has grown up in Mumbai, the definition of partying on a weekend is somewhat summarised as follows -

Pre drink - sort your entries for free in a club (because everyone knows someone influential) - dance before you become sober - club closes at 1 am - go for cheap street food - sleep at 2 am

But Berlin does it differently. Clubbing here beings around 11 pm on a Friday and goes on all weekend till Sunday mornings. Yes, 2 nights in a row, not just 2 hours in the night like in Mumbai or 20 minutes in Bengaluru !

Getting into a club on a Friday night and getting out when the sun is out a day later is not at all a unusual sight in Berlin.

3) Google search results for authentic German cuisine ?

NO RESULTS FOUND!

With an exception of a Currywurst  (which is just sausages cut up with some tangy sauce), its really hard to find an authentic German dish in Berlin.

The Turks in Berlin have done the same thing Gujju's have done in Ghatkopar, Total domination!

Every 200 meters you will find a Turkish kabab shop and some streets will make you believe that you are living in Istanbul.

4) IMPORTANT - Riding the u-bahn / s-bahn as a tourist

The transport system in Berlin is spectacular. It is a system which was invented when India was fighting for its independence but is still in great condition.

If you are one of those persons who likes to challenge authority on why should I pay for using public transport, then Berlin is the place for you. There are no checks of tickets at an entry or exit of stations.

You can quite easily manage to roam around the entire city using the local transport without spending precious Euros - 1 Euro = 60 Indian Rupees

But beware of the 007 agents of Berlin. In random timings and trains, 2-3 mostly Turkish tourist looking guys will board your train and flash their FBI type badges and ask to see your ticket. By chance you don't have ticket, DOOMSDAY has arrived.

Your expected to pay a fine of 40 Euro's. Just to put it in perspective, a single ticket cost 3.50 Euro's.


5) Berlin has the best Indian Embassy in the world!

As a tourist, this may not necessarily interest you. But have you ever wanted to be part of a large group of your fellow Indians, hoist our flag in a foreign country and proudly sing our national anthem?

Berlin is probably the only place you can do it.

Apparently, Indians are considered to be a minority in Berlin ! Yes, its true.

So the Indian Embassy based in Berlin does some amazing work by getting Indians who are living in Berlin involved in various cultural and national events. Every independence day & republic day, all Indians are invited for a flag hoisting ceremony in the Embassy, followed by a cultural programme and FREE FOOD !

Thanks to the last element, the Indian embassy soon becomes an Indian shaadi type venue where you can't hear your friend's voice who is stand 10 meters away from you.

But the coolest thing is that, only people with a valid Indian passport are allowed to enter the embassy premises.  


6) Finally, Germans love their Football!

I was fortunate enough to live in Berlin when Germany won the World Cup in 2014. And the city went crazy that night!

A few locals told me that they had never seen the city like this. So yes, lucky me.

Danke Schoen und wir sehen uns in Berlin !