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Consider this. You’re watching TV and you see an Ad about a new mobile phone with an URL at the end of the advert. What is the probability that you’ll either go to the direct URL or search for that mobile phone on your handheld device then and there itself?
Pretty good chances right? Especially if you already are browsing the net on your phone like most people.

With an exponential increase in the number of smartphone users and people browsing the net not just on their PC’s but also on laptops, tablets and mobile phones, people are more online in the virtual world than they are alive in the real world!
Now, how can that be a ‘Eureka’ moment for marketers?

Answer: Keep your eyes open!

The audience nowadays can be divided into three tiers-

  • Two Screen : TV and Computer
  • Three Screen : TV, Computer and Smartphone
  • Four Screen : TV, Computer, Smartphone and Tablet

And at the same time, tablets change the game, because they bring the app ecosystem together with the best usability aspects of the smartphone and computer. You can do plenty with your phone, but it’s not always easy. Most sites don’t work well with smartphones let alone mobile phones. In such a case, tablet users aided by their app world find it easier to access the web and its services. But then the question arises – Do marketers ‘make’ the audience do that?

It is important that the marketers understand the audience psychology. People are ready to move on to their 2nd or 3rd or 4th screen while watching TV! For marketers, there is an opportunity to create content and experiences which are complementary to that shown on TV. Why not put the URL to your website or Facebook Page if you’re running a contest? You’d do that on Paper Ads, why not do it on TV Ads too when you have the opportunity and platform to do so!

Online offers an immediate response mechanism for viewers of TV ads. It allows brands an opportunity to capitalize instantly off the effect of the ad. We know the attention and memory span of the Ad audience is very low unless and until you’re able to either catch up on their emotion factor or just purely have an awesome Ad no one can resist watching again and again. In such a case, if a call to action is given to the audience so that they can immediately continue the interaction with the brand even after the Ad is over, it’ll surely gain the brand a good number of new followers if they’re able to utilize this follow up path well.

If a URL is shown at the end of an Ad, it should be made sure that the URL is easy to remember and also that when the audience goes to that web page there is a clear path to what should be done next and if a sale or a step closest to making a sale in present, it should be achieved in as less clicks by the person, as possible. At the same time, if the person is searching Google for news related to the brand right after seeing the brand’s Ad, the brand should have done their homework well in advance and made sure that  brand and non-brand search terms are in high enough positions to capture the extra search traffic that TV Ads will generate. In short, after extensive keyword research, do the SEO well before getting into this aspect!

A couple of points I would like to emphasize upon when you design such a campaign would be-

  • Make sure that if you give your Facebook page as the connecting URL, the person doesn’t have to search the page extensively to find the related post. It would be good to have related info in the Timeline pic, at the same time adhering to Facebook Guidelines of the same.
  • If you are targeting a particular keyword or phrase, one guaranteed way to top the search engines around the time of TV ad campaigns is to buy the term.
  • Make sure the landing web page is mobile friendly. A lot many people might still not have smartphones and would be accessing your page via mobile. DON’T fend them off!
  • Have a clear call to action and path process to the end page. Also make sure that if the person is required to fill in some data, you don’t ask for too much data. It just might test their patience and might cost you a valid customer.
  • Add direct social sharing options from the page.
  • Provide a good range of contact options like phone, mail and contact forms and also make sure that you do respond to them as soon as possible when a query does come.

These are just some of the points that I have found to be right and effective. If you have any more points to add, would love to hear them out!

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Well, I’ll be frank with you from the start. It wasn’t exactly the first page. Or any page if I am to be true to myself. It was all a result of a prank which no one cared to verify about. And it ‘might’ have had become news too even before people would have cared to find the truth behind it.

It all started with a few of my friends – @rameezhere, @dubliyublog and @fuzzhead045 trying to get #OccupyUniCal to trend, to proclaim our open frustration towards our University. I too joined in the fun and came out with all sorts of jokes about the University (most of which were actually true!). For example the case when a guy passed the exam without even appearing for it and another guy passing the exam when he copied from his friend’s paper and both of them had different electives! All the stories, if jotted down, would be worth a novel!

So then, coming back to the ‘almost’ TOI story of #OccupyUniCal. Here’s how the events turned out over the past couple of days.

22 March 2012 – 11:50PM I sent out the following pic, supporting #OccupyUniCal

23 March 2012 – Full Day Me and most of my active friends on twitter sent out hilarious tweets supporting the hash-tag #OccupyUniCal

23 March 2012 – 11:30PM With an “evil grin” on my face and a prank in mind, I upload a photoshop’d pic, with the tweet –

“Looks like #OccupyUniCalDID Trend for a while!! Kewl!! Anybody noticed??”

24 March 2012 – 6PM By this time most of my active friends on Twitter had either Retweeted or atleast seen the above pic.

24 March 2012 – 7:31PM A correspondent from TOI tweets me and my friend @dubliyublog saying –

“I’m reporter of Times of India. Want to do story on unical. Reply asap. 944xxxxxxx”.

Needless to say I was ROFL and LMAO!! Since I lost my net connection at that exact time, I was not able to reply back to him.

24 March 2012 – Around 10:30PM I text messaged the correspondent apologizing for the delay in response from my side. He tells me he would call me the next day and get the story from me. Soon enough, I reply to his mail explaining to him the whole situation as just a prank with the concept of the prank actually meant as an initiation to actually encourage more people to tweet about it. I also ask him whether he would be able to make any news out of the first pic (The pic on top).

25 March 2012 – 5:29PM Not hearing anything from the correspondent (whom I sincerely presume was out for a sensational and not sensible news), I post the following tweet with the given pic-

The Story of how  trended in a single day with just about 40-50 tweets!!

BANG!!

Then began a chain reaction of @Replies on Twitter to all my friends :D. Couple of them see the lighter side, couple of them do not. But hey, all’s well that ends well! At least for me things turned out to be pretty good! I got more clicks on my Tweet than I have ever had and a TOI reporter even contacted me for the news! Sheesh! What more could I ask for? 😀

But all the same, this ‘experiment’ did teach me an important factor about the Social Audience- in the rush through to consume information, many people fail to check, or at least think about the genuineness of the news they read. People are so interested reading things they “want-to-read”, that at times they even stop thinking for themselves! How else can you explain to me that people believed a hash-tag trended with just 90-100 tweets by 7-8 users?

Well, I am no one to judge anyone. I intended my prank to actually be a prank and nothing else. But finally it turned out to be more of a kind of Social Experiment.

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Q: Where did Superman, Batman and Spiderman go to on Teacher’s day?

A: Rajnikanth’s home.

Well, there’s no doubt as to credibility of this sentence, mainly because everyone who is someone has heard of Rajnikanth and his “Superpowers”. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when desimartini.com, a portal for Bollywood news, released a microsite in a bid to honour Rajnikanth’s 61st birthday, that can be opened only when it is NOT connected to the internet!

Yup. You heard me right. Fans can view different interesting stuffs about the larger-than-life figure on this site and they needn’t even be connected to the internet. When you go to the link of the site, it welcomes you with a note asking you to switch off your net connection to enter the website.

Rajnikanth's website doesn't need internet

After that is done, you are congratulated for your actions that have earned yourself the “right” to enter the website!

rajnikanth's website doesnt need internet

Now that sounds so Rajnikanth!

The inner page is divided into three sections- The Man, The Star and The Legend, each bringing about different trivia, facts and jokes about the Style Mannan.

Rajnikanth's website doesnt need internet

And Rajni power doesn’t end there. The site literally runs on “Rajni Power”, as is shown by the following screenshot taken when the page loads. Now that’s what I call “Rock n Load”!

rajnikanth's website doesnt need internet

In the meantime, if you plan to cheat the site by connecting to the net, up comes a Aiyyo message, requesting you to switch of your net to continue browsing.

rajnikanth's website doesnt need internet

The concept of the site is based on a complex algorithm running in the back-end that keeps an eye on the propagation of data/information packets between two terminals. ‘Magic’ kicks in soon as the broadband speed is down to zero, which is the basic premise on which the concept has been constructed.

Rocket scientists may say its just a flash based site which cache’s all the content on initial download of the site and then plays from the local browser. But well, for a layman its still Uber Cool. And anyways it’s the idea that matters. At times it’s the simplest ideas that make the maximum impact!

Gurbaksh Singh, creative director, Webchutney, says, “Desimartini came to us with a clear mandate to do something extraordinary to increase outreach and visibility. Initially, we followed protocol and began exploring ideas in the social, mobile and digital space including augmented reality, but soon realised that nothing competed with the might of Rajini’s on-screen and real-life persona. It had to be a simple concept that will baffle users to the point of disbelief, and then a miracle will occur to induce gasps of ‘OMG!’, in keeping with Rajini’s original signature style. We knew we were on to something big as soon as we cracked the idea to create a website that will run purely on ‘Rajini Power’. (as on AFaqs)

When it comes to Rajni, nobody questions the technicalities. And last time I heard, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg were at Rajni’s doorstep, pleading to save their websites from doom!

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      No, I haven’t gone nuts! Its true. Facebook actually CAN help you with your job search. All you need to know is “how”.

During the last few years we have heard many stories of how people have got fired by using Facebook. Ranging from status updates about how much you loathe your boss to posting pictures of you getting drunk at last Saturday’s office party, people have been shown the door of their office for various reasons. So how can Facebook be used as a” Job-Searcher” rather than a “Job-Destroyer”? Here are a few points you should keep in mind.

Smart Status Updates
Well, all of us post status updates now and then. Then why not use it for something useful! Update your status with your current situation and what kind of a job you’re looking for. You’ll be amazed at the number of people who might actually respond. Friends, family, colleagues and even long time acquaintances are all there to help you. All you need is ask. Its human nature to help and you’ll be delighted at the responses you get. But also remember that you stay in the forefront of their mind by continuously reminding them about you else they’ll forget about the whole stuff. Keep updating about the latest on your job hunt journey.

Professional Networking
Everyone expects to get contacted professionally via Twitter or LinkedIn. Though Facebook is not considered a professional network platform, there is no hard and fast rule that you cant use it for the same. You can assume that most of your colleagues and potential recruiters will be on Facebook. Try to see if you have a common friend who can get you introduced to them. Contacting them via Facebook will surely make you stand out from the usual Twitter-LinkedIn crowd. But be careful when using this tactic. Tread carefully and it’ll work. Else you might be asking for trouble.

Join And Get Active In Groups
Just like in real life, groups hold an important place in our social life too. Facebook groups are just like any other groups you can find.  A place to post and discuss about a particular topic of interest, industry or incident. You can add value to the group by joining in and starting discussions that will get others involved. After a number of healthy discussions you can send them a friend’s request and they are likely to accept since they more or less know you or are acquainted. The objective here is to network with and get noticed by others in the industry which could eventually lead to you being considered for a job even before it is posted.

Facebook Marketplace
In Facebook marketplace you will be able to search for local job listings. You can now either apply or contact the person behind the posting for more information. Facebook’s marketplace may not be as complete as other marketplaces but they can benefit you as there is likely to be less competition for any roles posted there.

Posting Ads Of Yourself
It may sound as madness but its worth giving a try if you are crazy and creative enough. And is sure to turn some heads around! If you are ready to spend money on your search, you can post an ad telling where you would like to work. You can pick the demographics of the audience you want to target and set your daily budget. The more specific you can make it, the better. These ads are likely to render some interest n yourself and may or may not lead to your dream job but its certainly another way to reach out.

Finally, the answer to whether you can use Facebook to land a job. Well, lets just say its still in the backyard when compared to LinkedIn, but sure is worth a try. Anyways you spend a lot of time in Facebook so why not utilize it for something useful. Another tool in your kit is not going to hurt!

Have more points to add to these? Feel free to comment.

Other articles in this series include-

  1. How  To Effectively Use Social Media To Land A Job
  2. How to Optimize your LinkedIn Profile for Job Search
  3. How Optimizing Twitter Profile Can Help You Land A Job

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Twitter Bird          Twitter is not just a platform to tweet about everything under the sun. If used effectively, it can become an important weapon in your arsenal, for job search. Here are a few points on how you can use Twitter effectively.

Have An Effective Bio
Twitter allows you just 160 characters to write a bio so utilize it well. Make it clear about your field of interests and your skills and maybe even add up a bit of your personal interests if space allows.

Use A Real Photo
90% of people see the profile pic first when they visit the profile of a person. So make sure you have a good and neat photo of yours uploaded. No Tom Cruise or Megan Fox there. Or even a laughing hyena or praying mantis! As much as fun it would be uploading such photos, it doesn’t look very professional in the eyes of your potential employers.

Follow Relevant People
It’ll be really useful to follow people, organizations and companies that are associated with your target area. Twitter itself helps you find important people in particular fields. Along with that “Twellow” is a good tool that helps you find people in your area of interest.

Connect
Its just pointless if you follow people and they don’t know who you are and whether you exist or not! Connect with potentially useful contacts by replying to their tweets “smartly”, following links they post to their blog posts and then posting comments there and even asking them advices and suggestions on any doubts you may have related to the field. Asking questions make them feel important and they know you’re giving value to their advices. This will place you in their mind and might eventually help you further down the lane.

Tweet Smart. Don’t Spam.
Once you have started connecting to people and have slowly started making your presence felt in the Twitter world, it becomes increasingly important that you tweet smartly. Don’t just keep posting a million links without even reading what they are. Don’t spam. Twitter takes spamming seriously and once anyone feels you’re a spammer, they might just block/report you. Stay relevant to your topic and maybe even drop in a bit of humor and personal touch once a while. Though personal branding is important don’t tweet too much about yourself. Post informative and useful stuff which will help in giving off a good professional vibe.

Also, take care to avoid grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in your tweet along with swearing, lying and posting inappropriate content.

Offer Your Help
You can prove your authenticity and goodwill by offering help to other tweeters. This may be by just answering a poll, clearing a doubt they have or providing link to a useful source they are in need of. This will make an impression that you’re a good listener too and also a helpful person. Most of them would be glad o return the favor by maybe informing you first when they come to know of a job listing that might be apt for you.

Ask For Help
Feel free to ask for help. There are a number of people out there ready to help you if you just ask them. As you’ll gradually learn, most experts in their respective fields are glad and happy to help newcomers. Best example, based on personal experience, I would recommend is “Eric Weaver”, veteran digital marketer. He’s been pretty helpful to many newcomers in the SMM field and is always available to lend a helping hand.

Be Cautious
If you get a tweet or DM from someone you haven’t been interacting with or haven’t been told about, offering you a “Dream Job”, be wary. Just as there are a million non-existent, questionable, or even illegal jobs disguised as legit positions on listings websites, they can also appear on Twitter and other Social Media platforms.

Just cater to these points and am sure you’ll be able to utilize Twitter to its fullest. Do let me know if you have any other points to add to this list.
Other articles in this series include-

  1. How  To Effectively Use Social Media To Land A Job
  2. How To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile For Job Search
  3. How To Use Facebook For Your Job Search