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MLA ACADEMY OF HIGHER LEARNING
A STUDY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
MARKETING IN CREATING
BRAND AWARENESS
Subject: Business Research Methodology
SRIDEVI H.V
Year : 2019
Class: 1ST
YEAR MCOM

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ABSTRACT:
Social media marketing is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into
organizations integrated marketing communications plans. Integrated marketing communications is a principle
organizations follow to connect with their targeted markets. Integrated marketing communications coordinates
the elements of the promotional mix advertising, personal selling, public relations, publicity, direct marketing,
and sales promotion. Increasingly also viral marketing campaigns are grouped to integrated marketing
communications. Social media can take many different forms, including Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs,
micro blogging, wikis, podcasts, photographs or pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking. In the
traditional marketing communications model, the content, frequency, timing, and medium of communications
by the organization is in collaboration with an external agent, i.e. advertising agencies, marketing research
firms, and public relations firms. However, the growth of social media has impacted the way organizations
communicate. With the emergence of Web and Social Networking Websites the internet provides a set of tools
that allow people to build social and business connections, share information and collaborate on projects online
Interactive dialogue. Social media is a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and
technological foundations of Web Based technologies like web 2.0, which allows the creation and exchange of
user-generated content. Businesses also refer to social media as consumer generated media . A common thread
running through all definitions of social media is a blending of technology and social interaction for the co-
creation of value.
Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and
encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and
presumably resonates because it is coming from a trusted source, as opposed to the brand or company itself.
Social media has become a platform that is easily accessible to anyone with internet access. Increased
communication for organizations fosters brand awareness and better customer service.
Social media marketing benefits organizations and individuals by providing awareness, additional channel for
customer support, a means to gain customer and competitive insight, recruitment and retention of new
customers/business partners, and a method of managing their reputation online. Key factors that ensure its
success are its relevance to the customer, the value it provides them with and the strength of the foundation on
which it is built. A strong foundation serves as a stand or platform in which the organization can centralize its
information and customers on its recent developments via other social media channels, such as article and press
release publications.
An attempt has been made to study the Consumers attitude towards the Social Media channels, the
advertisements and campaigns launched by various organizations.
The Various Characteristics Studied was:
1. Awareness
2. Frequency of usage

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3. Effect of social media marketing in Consumer Buying Decisions
4. Tendency to be influenced by advertisements
5. Time Spent on Social Networking Sites, influencing online identity, entertainment, and content distribution
and how consumers are engaging with Brands online.
INTRODUCTION
Internet users and online shopping has been growing rapidly over the Past many years. More and more people
are engaging online for various Purposes; be it shopping, networking, product and service reviews, Content
viewing, advertising, Complaints or Grievances, Reading Blogs and engaging with online communities etc. It is
important for businesses to understand such kind of marketing which is very different from Traditional
Marketing. Social Media Marketing is all about creating relationships and Trust. Social Media Marketing allows
Awareness campaigns, Interaction with Clients, Promotion of products and Services on online Social Media
websites. Due to the development and advancement of technology and infrastructure it becomes essentially
imperative to study the Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing and the future opportunities which are
associated with it. Business models and the Business processes have changed a lot due to the development of
technologies and web based tools ,these tools include blogs ,Social networking sites , Bookmarking ,forums
,wikis ,online video sharing sites etc. The most important phenomenon of marketing on social media sites is that
the audiences are highly customized or in other words interested parties or audience visits and gathers the
information about that particular products or Services. With respect to all these factors it becomes highly
imperative to study the Social Media Marketing , its current trends ,future Prospects and how Peoples interact
and engage with such kind of Modern Marketing tools and its effect on the Business environment.
Social media marketing is the process of marketing through social media sites like Twitter, Face book and
YouTube. By utilizing the social aspect of the web, social media marketing is able to connect and interact on a
much more personalized and dynamic level than through traditional marketing. A social media marketing
strategy can be as simple as having a company blog, a Twitter account, or attaching "share this" and "Tweet
this" tags to the end of articles. It can also be as complicated as having a full campaign that encompasses blogs,
Twitter, social networking and viral videos through YouTube.
Social media marketing is the Process of promoting sites or Business through Social Media channels and it is a
Powerful strategy that will get Links, Attention and can generate massive amounts of Consumer traffic on the
online space for a Brand or product. It helps in Building database, awareness, Advertising and Promoting a
Product as well as a Brand. Marketing has always been a crucial part of a business. Good companies have
become great on the sheer basis of effective marketing strategies. In the era of huge competition, organizations
are going great length to advertise and promote their products and earn valuable customer loyalty. The concept
of marketing has kept evolving with the passage of time. Companies are forced to adopt new changes in their
marketing strategies to remain relevant. If there is one factor that has really affected the way marketing plans
are being defined then it must be technology. In the new century, the marketing tools of earlier years were

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rendered obsolete. Those who manage to anticipate the changes and adopt them quickly have better chances of
survival. Social media marketing is one such great change that many companies have started to accept in a big
way. Though, it is still in a nascent stage but canny marketing strategists are already harping onto the next big
marketing revolution taking place in form of social media marketing.
The concept of social media marketing basically refers to the process of promoting business or websites through
social media channels. It is a powerful marketing medium that is defining the way people are communicating. It
is one of the significantly low-cost promotional methods that provide businesses large numbers of links and
huge amount of traffic. Companies manage to get massive attention and that really works in favor of the
business. Social media marketing is a potent method applied by progressive companies for selling their
products/services or for just publishing content for ad revenue.
Social media is an extremely useful tool using which companies can get their information, product descriptions,
promotions all ingrained in the chain of networking world. Considering the newness of this marketing method,
organizations are coming up with innovative ways to develop their marketing plans. New platforms are being
created to approach potential clients. A large number of business organizations are allocating budget for online
business development using social media marketing. It is a booming sector which is going to redefine the way
marketing strategies are being formed and promoted.
Those who ignore the efficacy of social media usually falls into three categories ; the one who don’t know much
or anything about social media , the ones who are interested but don’t know how to use it and those who don’t
believe in the value that a Social media Strategy can bring to any or business. Some of biggest Social
networking sites in India are: Facebook.com ,Bharatstudent.com ,Twitter.com ,LinkedIn.com, Ibibo.com
,Yahoo! Buzz, Youtube.com etc .These sites have the highest number of Traffic and Visitors.
With quick rise in popularity and with masses coming into fold, brands and advertisers are have to quickly
adapt to the ever changing dynamics of this medium. In fact, the biggest demand for jobs in coming couple of
years is going to be that of “Social Media Managers”.
Here are some of the latest numbers on Social Media Space:
• 74% of the world’s Internet population visits a social networking/blogging site.
• Social Media site visits average almost 6 hours monthly.
• 3 of the 7 biggest brands online globally are social media: Face book, Wikipedia and YouTube.
• Face book has crossed 500 million subscribers last year. This is more than the entire population of North
America.
• Face book has server 175 billion display Ads, more than any other platform in the world.
Twitter growth has risen rapidly in last one year
• 57% of Twitter users in India have only started using the site in the last year.

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• 32% of India’s Social Media users use Twitter at least once a day.
• Celebrity twitter accounts are regularly written about in mainstream media – the new “Press Conference”
• YouTube Videos Subscription is growing rapidly which is more than any medium.
India Social Media Trends By Nielsen Studies, Bollywood and Entertainment Forums Are attract Most
Discussions in India
1. Globally there are close to 1.6 billion Internet users, with Asia contributing to almost half of them – Asia
alone has 738 Million users, predominantly from China.
2. There are over 500 Million Active users on Face book sending / conversing billions of messages every
month.
3. Twitter is another rage and there have been more than 10 Billion messages that have been sent on twitter till
date.
4. Over 2 Billion Videos are streamed on YouTube daily.
5. Blogging can have a very positive effect on Company’s branding & growth. As per the Hub spot report,
Customers with blogs gathered 68% more leads than customers without blogs. Growing articles starts to impact
lead growth once 20+ articles become available.
Social Media replacing cold calling in sales: Since the beginning of the corporate culture, cold calling has
been the first and most preferred strategy used by companies to make people buy their products. Today, with
time obviously things have changed.
BRANDS ENGAGING CONSUMERS IN SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
1. Apparel brands such as Benetton, Wills Lifestyle, Pantaloons and Van Heusen are tapping social networking
sites as design centers with direct efforts of co-creation from end-users themselves. The contribution varies
from user to user depending on various features ranging from color, textures to designs.
2. ITC’s Wills Lifestyle is looking at directly involving its consumers in product development and designing.
The brand is also pushing its online sales through its member community on Face book.
3. INFOSYS becomes 1st Indian Company to officially introduce Social Media Policy.
Brands and Consumers Engage online Through social Networking Sites, The Various activities and ad
Campaigns done by Corporate and brands are:
1. Poll Engagement Ads
2. Video Engagement Ads
3. Brand Gift Engagement Ads

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4. Event Engagement Ads
5. Fan Page Ads
6. Hybrid Engagement Ads
7. New feed Advertisement
8. Face book Pages
9. Pay per Click Campaign
Sectors which are advertising aggressively on Social Networking sites
1. Entertainment; Movies/TV shows/Music events
2. Games; Sony, Microsoft, Farmville, Poker etc
3. Foods and Beverages
4. Sports Wear; Adidas
5. Travel and Tourism; Airlines
6. Educational Programs / job Sites
7. Electronic Gadgets; Handsets, Laptops, cameras, Storage Media, TV
8. Dating Sites and Matrimonial Sites.
Factors which Contribute to Rise in Social Media Marketing
1. Rich Media Content
2. Exclusive to the user, Customized contents
3. Real Time Response Globally
4. Versatile medium
5. Speed and ease of tracking
6. Online Shopping growing rapidly , and will continue to grow rapidly
7. Cheaper compare to other Traditional Advertising mediums.
8. Search engine optimization / indexing Technology.

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Review of literature
The 21th century as the technology world, social networking sites have providing the place where different
companies can increase their marketing campaigns and catch wide range of consumers. According to Hansen,
Shneiderman, and Smith (2011), the technology of social media has created radically a new ways of interacting
the retailers and consumers. According to Harris (2009) there are indisputably hundreds of social media
platforms (e.g. Social networking sites, discussion groups, blogs, wikis, podcasts, streaming videos). As Chi
(2011), said that social media marketing described as a “connection between brands and consumers, while
social media marketing is providing a way to consumers for social interaction and centered networking.”
As Hesse et al. (2009) said that now consumers are expecting to gain 24-hour access to information by online
applications and many other digital ways, they are also expecting 24-hour customer service as well as
self-serve options through online sources. Now consumers want to leave the traditional system for getting
information and want to utilize latest technology. As Chi (2011), said that social media marketing described
as a “connection between brands and consumers, while social media marketing is providing a way to
consumers for social interaction and centered networking.” Social media has gained the position as a primary
source for choosing a product by the consumers (Cocktail Analysis, 2012; Fleishman-Hillard, 2012). As (Kotler
et al., 2010; Armstrong and Kotler, 2011) said that the rapid development in the social media application
has gained overwhelming majority in the Marketing practices. Companies market performance and the
products of the companies influenced by the huge quantity of data and information which are generated by users
on internet (Kietzmann et al., 2011). By Social media analytics, companies gain competitive advantages by
assessing the competitor’s strategies, suppliers performance and consumer behavior, Fan and Gordon (2014).
Statement of the problem
In the recent years social media marketing has emerged as a new marketing tool. The aim of the organizations
is to enhance the profitability by using the effective marketing strategies. Furthermore the main focus of every
firm is to maximize the profitability and reduction of cost of production. Every firm use different social media
for marketing like Face book, twitter and other media. Internet is in the access of almost every person who is
using a mobile phone as the introduction of 3G/4G services. So, this rapid growth of internet is a signal
towards using internet as a marketing tool and its nice opportunity for any firm to create brand awareness
among consumers through social media marketing.
Objectives of the Study
1. To Study how consumers engage with Brands in online Sites and communities.
2. To find Out the Awareness of brands and usefulness of Social Networking Medium.
Scope of the study
All internet users can be considered as the universe of the study as each and every internet user is a potential
Consumer who can switch to shopping from the online Advertisement campaign viewing experience. The
sample size is of 50 individuals who filled the questionnaires. The questionnaires’ were sent through Google
forms. The age Group is not taken into consideration. The Research covers both male and female. Almost all of

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the Respondents in the survey are exposed to a lot of internet usage; therefore have more probability of showing
a positive attitude towards the Social Media Marketing and online presence of Brands in the web space.
Research methodology
The Research method used was primary Research, wherein the Questionnaires were filled by the individuals
and then there was analysis done on the basis of the Responses from the individuals. There was some secondary
research done to see what have been the previous explorations done on the very same topic and any related
issues that could have helped in better answering the questions raised which were the reasons for conducting the
research.
Sampling techniques
A Convenience sampling technique was adopted to select samples for the study.
Data Collection
•A questionnaire was drafted which included rating scales like simple category scale, multiple choice and open
ended questions.
•The questionnaire contains 6 questions which help us to analyze the awareness and effectiveness of ads and
others forms of campaigns associated with the social media sites.
Data analysis and interpretation
1. The Social Media Platforms that are now being used
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
BLOG FACEBOOK LINKEDIN INSTAGRAM TWITTER YOUTUBE
SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE

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The chart illustrates that Face book, Instagram and YouTube are the most preferred and most visited Social
media web space locations. The Sites which have entertainment Services such as Chat, video, movies, songs
and general information are the main reasons for visiting the Social media sites. LinkedIn is also used by half of
the respondents to maintain their professional profile and social image.
2. Time the respondents Spend on Social Networking sites on an Average per Week
3. The Purpose of using the Social media sites
TIME SPENT PER WEEK ON SOCIAL MEDIA
20Hours and above
15-20 Hours
10-15 Hours
5-10 Hours
1-5 Hours
3%
28%
20%
9%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
FRIENDS KNOWLEGDE
SHARING
PRODUCT REVIEW ENTERTAINMENT OTHER ACTIVITIES
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
40%

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Graph, clearly shows that the main purpose for using social media are Friends Networking and connecting with
friends, 90% and above respondents used social networks for making friends and other entertainment activities
like chat, sharing and keeping in touch with friends. The knowledge, awareness, brands information are also
considered to be factors associated with visiting and reading the Sites. Very few respondents use social
networking sites for viewing product reviews.
4. Respondents click on the Links/Graphics/logos which appears on the Social Media Sites
Chart 3 clearly shows that even though Social medium is evolving and growing there are still less probability of
Viewing the ads and coming up with a purchase decision. 69% of respondents are aware of the ads and
campaigns which signifies that Social media is a tool which helps in brand recognition and awareness. Only 9%
of respondents follows or have genuine interest in Brands and ads which are associated with the Social medium.
Overall there is still lots of scope for developing better and more attractive ads and campaigns which can be
connected with the customers.
5. Effect of advertisement on making purchase decisions
WHETHER RESPONDENTS CLICK ON ADS FOR
FURTHTER INFORMATION
NEVER
SOMETIMES
VERY OFTEN
22%
69%
9%

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When asked do they make purchase decisions from advertisements on Social Media Sites only 9% of the
respondents believe that the advertisement on Social media makes an impact on their Purchase decisions.
Majority of the respondents feel that the ads on such sites does not make any purchase decisions. Respondents
also agree that it does create a sense of awareness of the Brand and recognition.
6. Recommend New Products to friends when see Ads on the Networking Sites.
EFFECT OF ADV. ON MAKING PURCHASE
DECISIONS
VERY OFTEN
SOMETIMES
NEVER
9%
40%
51%
RECOMMENDATIONS AND REFFERALS OF
NEW PRODUCT
ALWAYS
SOMETIMES
NEVER
12%
54%
34%

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When asked whether the respondents recommends or refers their friends and family members about a new
product or offer only 12% did recommends or refers it .Majority of Respondents 54% did recommends but not
on a regular basis , 34% of the respondents never refers it nor recommends the information available on such
medium.
Limitations
Some of the limitations encountered during this study were:
1. The sample size was limited to 50 respondents.
2. The study was limited to the city of Bangalore.
3. The results could be biased as convenient sampling was used.
4. Time constraint.
Findings
 The Face book, Instagram and YouTube are the most preferred and most visited Social media web space
locations. So companies can use these sites to market their product and services to create brand
awareness.
 The study shows that 54% of the respondents do recommend sometimes to their friends, families and
relatives. So there is a great scope for marketing products through social media.
 Only 9% of the respondents believe that the advertisement on Social media makes an impact on their
Purchase decisions. Majority of the respondents feel that the ads on such sites does not make any
purchase decisions. Respondents also agree that it does create a sense of awareness of the Brand and
recognition.
 69% of respondents are aware of the ads and campaigns which signifies that Social media is a tool
which helps in brand recognition and awareness. Only 9% of respondents follows or have genuine
interest in Brands and ads which are associated with the Social medium .Overall there is still lots of
scope for developing better and more attractive ads and campaigns which can be connected with the
customers.
 It is not about selling it is more about interacting. There is a lot to learn from the customers. Using social
media one can identify customers, listen to their feedback and use them to improve and innovate on
products or services.
Suggestions and recommendations
 Regarding to brand awareness companies should create groups and home pages on social media in order
to target consumers and can easily influence consumer perception regarding to their products.

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 Through social media marketing companies easily attract more consumers specially those real
contributors and engaging them into discussions which helps to bring more innovation in
products according to consumer demands.
 Social Media Marketing can also be used by brands to ward off any negative publicity. But the brands
will have to be cautious here as over doing it may further aggravate their customers / stakeholders.
 Social media marketing also helps in the long term as consumer establish more and more trust and
perceived value and when consumers have needs, the companies has high likelihood of a consumer to
purchase a product .
 Being active on social media helps to influence more consumer perception because thing which are
new, distinctive and innovative are consider more by people.
 Social media in-built tools such as sending messages and regular newsletters to users containing the
newest information regarding new products helps to promote and give awareness to consumer about new
launched product.
Conclusion
Social Media are new ways for knowing customers in a better way and it has become an important medium
which creates brand awareness among the masses as well as target customers It is increasingly becoming
beneficial for the Companies in their marketing campaigns as it enhances the communication and interactivity
with the customers. Social media marketing has also become an integrated medium to promote the business
along with the Traditional marketing mediums. Last few years we have seen almost all the big companies
entering into the social media marketing space and launching their campaigns , some of the well known
campaigns are sun silk gang of girls , SanDisk Buy 1 get 1 free , Airtel , Vodafone Zoo Zoo etc. As more and
more customers are buying products online it has almost become a necessity for the companies to launched
various marketing campaigns and Advertisements on such sites. We can also see that there is a huge gap
between buying behavior or intentions and the way in which ads effectiveness works ,it is proven from the fact
that most respondents choosing social medium as a way to communicate ,interact and knowing the brands and
its products or services . So it will be hard for the Social Media Marketing to replace Traditional Marketing but
Traditional Marketing and Social Media needs to be integrated.
Social media marketing campaigns are increasing becoming important for the companies as more and more
peoples are spending a huge amount of time indulging in different types of facilities and services associated
with these Sites. Some of the most influential social networking sites like face book has reached 500 million
users worldwide and numbers are increasing day by day. Eminent personalities from specialized areas such as
corporate, Sports, entertainment, Politics, NGO’s etc are increasingly joining these sites and sharing their ideas
and comments with the general public as well as their target customers. Some of the sites Example: Face book,
Face book pages are even handling customers queries and accepting customer’s feedback and comments. For
the Global Companies it has almost become an essential marketing medium to market their products as their
customers and prospects are present all over the world. The cheap marketing cost as compare to many
traditional marketing mediums have also contributed largely in the success and boom of social media marketing
.Almost all the companies have tapped this potential and numbers are increasing day by day.

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REFERENCES:
Research article on study of predicting box office by HP ( Dr. Bernardo Huberman ,Head of social computing
Lab at HP, April 2010 )
Research article on consumer trust by AC Nielsen, (Johnathan carson, President of online international Nielsen
company , july 2009 )
Website references:
http://nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/global-advertising-consumers-trust-real-friends-andvirtual-strangers-
the-most/
http://www.billhartzer.com/pages/comscore-twitter-latin-america-usage/
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/Facebook-Passed-Google-YahooMicrosoft-in-
User-Engagement-384309/
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-25/social-media/28633820_1_social-mediainternet-users-
facebook