Why Instagram Matters!

Student: Sir! Did you get to see my selfie on Instagram?

Teacher: Yeah? What about it?

Student: We all were having fun together and we took a selfie.

Teacher: Oh! Umm… Ok. What about the Instagram story I told you to work on?

Student: (Bites nail, smiles, looks up and down, unlocks the keypad of the phone, slides back, then looks at him) No, Sir!

(Pun Intended)

When Instagram was developed by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010, I was then having fun, ripping apart public-private sphere conundrum with my band members and taking a dig at people who were technologically arrogant. Life was blissful when I wasn’t a part of the social networking revolution. I preferred real people, real dates and real conversations. But things have changed. I did catch the bug like the others.

After five long years, Instagram has become a global buzz. Available in 25 languages, it boasts a staggering 400 million active users as per the recent update on its feed. We got #WeekendHashtagProject, #ThrowbackThursday, and #Selfies. There is also an option for Explore Tab, Lux, filters and geotag. ‘Instagram Direct’ is the new thing, which was added in 2013.

The big question is Why Instagram? Why does it matter so much? I would answer this question gradually with examples. But before that I must show you the official literature that describes the app in a more human way. I mean the emotional stuff!

They say you can share world’s moments. You can share your life with others. You can be just part of others’ life, being lived elsewhere. Fascinating eh! I know. But hold on. The sheer volume of images being shared on Instagram on a daily basis is mind boggling. I don’t think in this life I can be part of everyone’s life. I dare not. But I can be part of few good things, connect with others and do something better for the society. I don’t need a prophecy to enlighten me when I would be a big shot!

So, what people do actually with Instagram? Install it. Log in with a username and password, and you will see why people are so obsessed with Instagram, especially journalists. Every media outlet, nowadays, has an active Instagram profile. The trillion-dollar speculation in the air is that the Instagram is the new hotspot for image building and can drive the valued engagement with the readers. Otherwise, why  the  BBC would be so keen on reviving its Instagram profile? In addition to that, Wall Street Journal ran an in-house Instagram training session recently. 

There are many interesting Instagram profiles that can challenge the very perception we have National Geographic account - I love its feed; Amazing shots, compelling storytelling and valued engagement with the readers. It does report serious environmental issues affecting mankind. What a better way to bring awareness to people! 

Then, there are brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Zara etc. who have cautiously established connection with their customers by using Instagram. We do have famous movie production houses and individual television series Instagram accounts too. All they do is provide behind the scene footage and short teasers to keep the momentum alive. These are ‘narrative snippets’ that are widely promoted on Instagram. There are many photojournalists who use Instagram to report stories from the remote areas of the world. Photojournalists like Michael Christopher Brown, Benjamin Lowy, and Phil Moore have changed the face of photojournalism.  In India, major national media outlets such as NDTV, The Hindu, The Times of India use Instagram to share photo stories.  

about the world. For example,    

What Instagram literally offers!

Instagram offers an alternative perspective to the way people interact with each other. There are images, stories, people and emotion. The functional utility it provides is the instant emotional gratification - the ‘connection’ factor! This is what people love doing the most. The emotional stuff! Take up any issue that is affecting your community, click pictures, use hashtags and publish it on Instagram. Follow people who influence you the most, learn a thing or two from their feed and apply it in your real life. You can even start a new trend. For example, I am seriously bowled over by the #followmeto project. Photographer Murad Osmann has created a buzz. He also published a book titled ‘Follow Me To: A Journey Around the World Through the Eyes of Two Ordinary Travelers’. Interesting stuff indeed. 

Lately, people have realized the importance of Instagram and the real time conversion it can offer. Though at this very point, Instagram is considered as brand image driver, I would personally recommend young journalists, especially photojournalists to use this app to share the story they believe in. It’s a disruptive innovation and it must be used wisely to tell the world what matters the most. That’s how alternative media challenges the mainstream media and its selective rhetoric!

Smarak Samarjeet

Attracting visitors through Social Media Marketing

Do you think writing content is enough to tag yourself as a ‘content writer’? I am sure it isn’t. Are you thinking the same? Good command and proficiency over the language were the criteria sufficient for a content writer almost a decade ago.

 In the present era, to produce good content, a content writer needs to have complete knowledge of SEO (search engine optimization). SEO is the technique required to attract new visitors to your website. Yet, SEO alone isn’t enough.

Social media plays a significant role in attracting more visitors to your website. Social media optimization, along with search engine optimization, can together do wonders; your website will attract unique and new visitors. The aim of Social Media Marketing is to create content that will help a company increase their brand exposure and broaden customer reach. 

Users rely on social media sites for news and facts. The knowledge imparted about your company on a social networking site should be equally factual. The ‘about us’ section has to be well-written and it should define your organization’s intention. Your organizations goal and vision has to be clearly stated. Provide a complete address and link it to Google map.

Make efforts to create a recall value among your consumers. Your content should be the driving force. Make sure your company is omnipresent. Create your blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn profile, Instagram account, Pinterest etc. Keep tweeting, updating your blogs regularly and never miss updating your status. It will help your costumers to stay connected and updated on the activities in your organization.

Keep your customers informed, whether it is a launch of a new product, a new service, any festive offer, special discount season, customized AMC offer, new recruitment, birthday celebrations, new tie-ups or promotions etc, whatever may be the reason, never miss to share an update with your customers.

Post interesting content to pull your customers to participate. The more engaging the content is, higher the participation rate would be.  Do not write long sentences. Make it short and crisp. You just have 140 characters to tweet! It is always advisable to have a landing page in your website.

Further, add social media links to the content and link them to your website. Never miss to create ‘Call-to-Action’ (CTA). This CTA converts your visitor to a lead. It determines the conversion rate.  One important rule to remember: never mislead your consumers. Do not make false promises. Offer only what you can provide. In the age of social media, it is easy to grab the attention of millions of consumers across the globe, but one false promise can lead to social disaster. Reputation and trust are two key components that can make or break a brand. No trust, no existence!

For wide exposure and visibility, a website is not just enough to run a business and be successful in the World Wide Web.  You have to explore the world of social media. It is no longer the medium used just to connect to your friends and family. It is in fact, one of the most substantial and effective professional medium.  So, keep exploring!

By- Sunaina Agarwal

For the Love of Communication

Have you ever wondered what the similarity is between a student of MBA and a student of Journalism? It’s not really a hard one to guess, but people normally would avoid such confusion. Nevertheless, it’s not the end of the world.

I have a small story to tell before I answer the above question. When one of my friends started teaching journalism at a state-run university, reality was something that hit him hard. He felt that the dice was never rolled. People were hesitant and not ready to evolve. For some people, a little ‘push’ was enough, but these guys definitely didn’t want to be touched. Because to them my friend was a new problem; to handle an uptight young teacher who wanted them to gulp down everything at once! “Jeez! How much he talks!” someone whispered from the corner.

My friend could have ignored them and moved on with his classes just for the sake of finishing the course. Life could have been a little easier for him and of course for me; I didn’t have to write this piece. But my friend was a bit stubborn. His instinct pushed him forward to take a chance and modernize his students, perhaps to change their mindset. There was an urgent need to recalibrate their attitude towards technology: selfietisers to techie journalists. He tried to push, encourage and fix, but in vain.

“There is no dearth of talents. What they lack is competitiveness”. A serious communication problem. Words don’t just come out as a means to say or express. Forget English! Vernacular language is also of no help”, he said. After 17-18 classes, he somehow managed to motivate a few, but not the whole class. So can we say our dear friend finally won? No, He lost it.

One can definitely learn grammar and ways to write better. But how will one imbibe the attitude of being contemporaneous? How would one make sure that one has the right spirit and aggressiveness to follow the trends? This is something journalism schools in India aren’t ready to address. This is a deficit, a big one!

What my dear friend and I believe is being techno savvy should not be a compulsion. It should be an attitude geared up in the right direction. Communication skills and technological prowess are vital aspects of journalism. If someone fails to express or adapt to the changing scenario, things will always be worse for him or her. I have seen people take up journalism courses just for the sake of it. “I was sitting idle at home. So I thought I would do something. So I joined journalism” a young girl in her mid-twenties, makes her point. But is she ready for the class? No, she ain’t! She doesn’t have the habit of reading newspapers, magazines, webzines, and novels but she has such a huge smart phone. But all she does with that is take ‘selfies’ 40 times a day and shares it on social media apps such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Hike. Little does she know that she could tell wonderful stories using Instagram. She could use apps like Zinio, Worldreader, New York Times, Huffington Post and Readwhere; she can be a little wiser and up-to-date. But she prefers Candy Crush Saga.

The next big questions - can she comprehend or follow the classroom instructions? Is she smart enough to give an alternative viewpoint? I highly doubt that. As far I know, people in the year 2015 normally don’t read the basic text books prescribed to them in their syllabus. Google is always the best friend!

I shall now return to the question that I asked in the first paragraph. Yes! There is a similarity between a student of MBA and a student of Journalism. It is the ‘communication’. What more can be added to the answer is adaptability, innovative approach, a sense of competitiveness, and technological competency. Moreover, successful people do read a lot. They do gossip and it’s called a ‘productive discussion’. They believe in a constant learning and they do update themselves about every single development in the world. Basically, they learn from everyone, even from a shopkeeper down the street. They have an approach of maintaining humility, no matter how successful they become. That’s all we need. We should all be passionate learners and must strive towards perfection.

With this, we kick-start this blog ‘Communication Pod’.

By- Smarak Samarjeet