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10 things that make you an Adarsh Indian entrepreneur!

Wherever you go, you’ll find at least one person who claims to be an entrepreneur and who has a belief to change the world. Thanks to the ‘Startup India’ program of Narendra Modi, that number is increasing immensely. Here are 10 things that make an Adarsh Indian entrepreneur.

1. Million Dollar Idea

Whenever you attend any startup event or meetup, you’ll find at least ten people who have the secret million dollar idea, which they cannot disclose. (And which BTW already exists in the market.)

2. Funding is a must

Before working on a business model of the idea, they plan about the funding they’ll be needing. “Pillowkart raised 1 million dollars, Tomezo is about to raise second round of investments”, all they talk about is funding.

3. In(waste) time in events

Admit it, there are some people, who you will find in every damn event happening in your city. Forget your city, they can travel to anywhere in the world, just to attend events on entrepreneurship.

Attending events is not a bad thing. But you’ve got to be selective about events. As most of the events are the waste of time.

4. Read a lot of books

Ok. Reading is a good thing. But more than reading, Adarsh Indian entrepreneur likes to brag about it on social media. They have all books on entrepreneurship in their cupboards (most of which are never touched after getting featured on Facebook).

Reading books is a good thing. But you’ve got to be selective in choosing the books as well. There are plenty of books on entrepreneurship which contradict views of each others. Which in the end will confuse you more than giving you knowledge. Be choosy when it comes to reading.

5. Steve Jobs, the god!

Enough said. If entrepreneurship is the religion, Steve Jobs is the god.

6. Startup sirf 3 cheezo se chalta hai. Idea, idea, idea.

If you believe the above-written sentence, you’re an Adarsh Indian entrepreneur.

You’ve heard about Google and Facebook, but have you heard about Archie or SixDegrees.com? Well, Archie was world’s first search engine and SixDegrees.com was world’s first social networking website. It’s not always about the idea. It’s mostly about the execution.

Facebook has adopted (stolen) almost all major features from competitors and combined it. For example, hashtags & follow from Twitter, check-in and place reviews from Foursquare, photo tagging from Orkut and so on. But still, Facebook is the king of social network.

7. I’m my own boss.

If you chose entrepreneurship just to become your own boss, you’re no different than the girl who works at “I don’t need to work. I’m mah dad’s princess.” And of course, you are an Adarsh Indian entrepreneur.

8. You know everything.

You’re no less than Annu aunty. You know everything about other’s startups. Fund-raising, sales, pitching to VCs, b-plans, innovation, etc., you know everything. You are the Google of startups. You can join and contribute to every single debate on entrepreneurship. The only thing you don’t know about is your own startup.

9. Failure is the key to success.

If you believe this, you’re an Adarsh Indian entrepreneur. Failure is never the key to success. What you learn from failure is the key to success. Some entrepreneurs brag about their failures like a boss. And some aims to fail, just to sound cool.

Failure is not something you should be proud of unless you learnt something from it. Failure is not cool. Unless you’re an Adarsh Indian entrepreneur, failure will only break you.

10. Getting featured on YourStory

Forget the rest. This is the main aim of an Adarsh Indian entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs getting featured on YourStory is similar to actors getting featured on Filmfare.

Real entrepreneurs don’t waste their time attending events and talking about others. They mind their own business. Literally. Do you agree with me? Add your views in comments.

Source:  http://bit.ly/1Wo5HFV

5 Big Changes Coming to Social Media in 2016

It’s been a memorable year in social media. 2015 saw the birth of live social streaming, with apps like Periscope and Meerkat winning over early adopters. Snapchat fully shed its reputation as a niche network and now counts more than 200 million active users. Meanwhile, video dominated social headlines, with Facebook users now logging an estimated 8 billion video views a day(even more than on YouTube, by some counts).

What does 2016 hold for social media users? Expect to see new technologies fundamentally change how we interact with social media, opening up new options like shopping and enabling us to share ever-more vivid, real-time experiences. But new functionality and the widening universe of social options also threaten to leave some users in the dust. Here’s a peek into the crystal ball at five trends that will change how we use social media in 2016:

Virtual reality comes to social media: “Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.” That’s what Mark Zuckerberg wrote after Facebook acquired Oculus, the virtual reality company, for $2 billion back in March 2014. Well, we won’t have to imagine much longer. Facebook has already begun incorporating Oculus technology into its 360 Video. The unique videos, which have rolled out on News Feeds, allow users to experience scenes from different angles (looking right, left, up, down, etc.), on both web and mobile devices, creating a more immersive experience.

Right now, there’s 360 Video available from the likes of Vice and The Disney Channel and a really cool clip from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Expect to see more immersive videos in 2016 as publishers and even brands catch up with the technology and begin creating more content. As for true, fully immersive VR, the consumer version of the Oculus Rift headset is slated for release in early 2016, opening up even more interesting possibilities for our News Feeds. Meanwhile, Oculus VR has already released a new “social” appcalled Oculus Social Alpha, for use with the Samsung Gear VR headset. The virtual movie-watching app allows you to “sit” in a theater and watch a video in real-time with other users — perhaps the first truly social application of Facebook’s new technology.

Social shopping takes off: Over the last year, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest all unveiled or upgraded in-line buy buttons, which allow users to purchase clothes, crafts, gadgets and more without ever leaving their feeds. In many respects, this development is long overdue. We’re already discovering and talking about products on social media, and four out of five people say that posts from friends directly influence buying decisions. Plus, overseas in China, Korea and elsewhere, social channels have long incorporated ecommerce functionality.

So far, the primary stumbling block in North America has been ease of use. To buy on social media, we’ve had to click out to other sites (always problematic on smartphones) or we’ve been offered limited selection (a lathe now defunct Facebook Gifts). But innovations like Pinterest’s Buyable Pins now let users browse color and style options and pay, all without leaving the platform. In 2016, expect to see networks’ role shift from being channels whose primary function in ecommerce is providing referral traffic to being platforms where users make purchases directly.

Facebook Live takes live streaming mainstream: 2015 started off with lots of excitement about the new crop of live streaming apps, which allow users to broadcast live video to their followings. By late summer, Twitter-owned Periscope already boasted 10 million active users, and just this month it was named by Apple the best iOS app of 2015.

Expect to see live streaming reach a whole new, mainstream audience in the year ahead as Facebook rolls out its own mobile streaming functionality, generally referred to as Facebook Live. Already being beta-tested among a small number of U.S. iOS users, the feature allows for instantly sharing live video using the Facebook platform. What’s key here is that you don’t have to download a special app or leave Facebook to use the new video functionality. If Facebook Live rolls out as expected, it’s likely to not only dominate other live streaming options but also to fundamentally change the way Facebook’s 1.5 billion users engage with the platform.

The social media skills gap at work widens: With the explosion of workplace social networks like Slack (which recently saw more than 1 million users logged in at the same time) and the imminent launch of Facebook at Work, using social media in the office has gone from taboo to requirement. Businesses are incorporating social tools to streamline internal communications, to help sales staff reach customers, and, of course, for marketing and advertising. The problem is that front-line employees aren’t up to the challenge. Among 2,100 companies surveyed by Harvard Business Review, just 12 percent of those using social media feel they use it effectively. Even millennials brought up on social media are falling short: “Because somebody grows up being a social media native, it doesn’t make them an expert in using social media at work,”explains William Ward, professor of social media at Syracuse University.

The consequence of this social media skills gap can be seen in mounting corporate social media gaffes, from misused hashtags (see #WhyIStayed) to scheduled posts gone awry, not to mention trillions of dollars (yes, trillions) in lost productivity and business value. In 2016, expect to see social media training finally begin to make its way into the workplace in an effort to close this gap — similar to initiatives launched when office software suites and later email and the Internet itself emerged as critical business tools. A number of online offerings now provide self-paced lessons and video modules designed for the workplace. (Hootsuite is giving our course away free.)

Social media customer service gets a lot better: Customer service on social media has always seemed like a great idea. Why wait on the phone when you can Tweet and get an answer immediately? But the reality has been quite different. A new study of 500 top retailers shows that only 20 percent answer questions sent via Twitter and 54 percent respond via Facebook. And the average response time ranges from 27–31 hours! Not to mention that not all customer service problems lend themselves to being handled out in the open in a public forum.

Fortunately, change is on the horizon. In the latter part of 2015, both Twitter and Facebook significantly upped their customer service functionality. Twitter ditched the “mutual follow” requirement for its DM (Direct Messages) feature, meaning companies and customers can now contact each other directly and privately. At the same time, it lifted the standard 140-character limit for Direct Messages, so DM now makes a great one-on-one channel for tackling customer issues. Facebook, not to be outdone, has launched a beta version of Messenger Business, offering a new chat-based avenue for companies to have real-time, personal conversations with customers. Considering that Messenger has more than 800 million users, it’s not hard to see it evolving into a ubiquitous, mobile-friendly channel for customer service in the years ahead.

Perhaps the biggest change in social media is the accelerated evolution of networks into “everything platforms.” Twitter isn’t just for blasting out 140-character updates anymore: It’s for one-on-one messaging, video-sharing, customer service and more. Facebook isn’t just about connecting with friends: It’s now (or soon to be) a workplace productivity tool, a video sharing and streaming platform, a place to shop, etc. Similar transformations can be seen across LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat, among other networks. Social media has become less a discrete thing that people do than a natural component of everything they do. And that trend shows no signs of slowing.

Source : http://bit.ly/1PkKSKb

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8 Tips for Growing Your Social Media Presence

Social media has become a standard form of engaging and connecting businesses, brands and people. As of March 2015, Facebook has more than 1.44 billion users. As of 2015, Twitter has had more than 300 million monthly users. 

These statistics suggest that more and more people are using social media as a way to connect for personal and professional reasons. For the serious entrepreneur, business owner or brand builder, it's a wise decision to create a social media presence not only to reach the millions and billions of people around the world, but to also build brand awareness. 

For all you social media beginners out there, here are a few tips that will help you to grow your social media presence.

1) Know your audience. Before posting, understand who's reading and why. Once you know who's reading, you'll have a better idea of what, when, why and how to post.

Ex: If you're targeting professional men and women ages 30-45, you have to assume that between the hours of 9-5, the average person in this age bracket is at work. Finding the times they frequent social media will be crucial in your marketing success.

2) Post quality pictures, videos, blogs and texts that interest your audience. Creating a social media presence is all about keeping your audience entertained.

Ex: If your target audience is women who are interested in beauty products, you wouldn't simply post a message about what works, no... if you're smart, you'll post a video and photos to show your customer why they should invest in your products/services.

3) Be consistent. You are the news, so post daily and regularly. If you take any days off, your audience will follow the pages that don't.

Ex: Take advantage of Holidays, current events and worldly trends to tie it back into your brand.

4) Engage with your audience. If they have questions, give them answers. Customer service is the key to any successful business. Include this in your business model.

Ex: Acknowledge your fans and supporters when they post about your brand, reward them for their loyalty, and by all means, answer any questions they may have about customer service.

5) Show support. Follow other people, engage, share and promote their content on your page. The idea is to grow your audience. It's better to partner, than do it alone.

Ex: Do cross promotion for social media contests, do a special discount on your page for other people's events, host a TweetUp and promote a hashtag to raise brand awareness.

6) Promote social media contests. People are more likely to follow, like or share your page if there's something in it for them.

Ex: Collaborate with an author, coach or restaurant. With their permission, offer a selected winner from your audience their products and services in exchange for likes/follows.

7) Tell stories. No matter what you're selling, people want to know the seller. Share stories about what connects you to people and what connects you to your brand and you'll create a cult of supportive followers.

Ex: If you're a clothing designer, tell the story about how you grow up getting "hand me downs" as a kid and decided to design your own clothes out of sheets and fabrics. Your story will inspire others to support your brand simply because it touched their heart. That's BRAND power! 

8)Promote your social media presence online and offline. Brand yourself!

Source : http://huff.to/1HCsRnf

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5 Pinterest Demographics Facts Marketers Should Know

Last week Pinterest announced that they have reached a whopping 100 million monthly active users. To put that into perspective these are the most recent user stats for other popular social media networks:

While Pinterest may not be the most popular social network , it is amongst the top 5 in the world. Pinterest is also the biggest social site being predominantly used by women.

Some marketers ignore its importance because their business is not targeted toward the female demographic. This is a big mistake. The social network has grown in popularity amongst other demographics, and is proving a valuable resource in many industries.

Here are 5 reasons to monitor Pinterest demographics so you can make an educated decision on whether Pinterest data is important for your market research:

Fact #1: Men Are Now Pinterest’s Fastest-Growing Demographic

In November 2014 Pinterest announced that men were their fastest-growing demographic. In fact, in emerging markets sign ups are an even gender split of 50% men and 50% women. (Techcrunch)

Fact #2: Pinterest Attracts Users From All Income Levels

In 2014 there was a significant increase in Pinterest users whose income levels were below $30,000 and above $75,000. The easy-to-use social media platform caters to people of all income levels. (PEW Research Center)

Fact #3: Pinterest User Numbers Have Doubled Since 2012

We  Pinterest had hit a 100 million user milestone. But did you know that in 2013 they had only 70 million? Alongside Instagram, Pinterest has doubled its usage since 2012, and now counts 31% of online adults amongst its user base.

Fact #4: Half of Pinterest’s Users Are International

According to an article published by Venture Beat, 45% of Pinterest users come from outside of the United States.

Fact #5: Popularity Boom Amongst Older Generation

Pinterest is extremely popular amongst young people. 34% of online 18-29 year olds, and 28% of 30-49 year olds use Pinterest. But it is the older generation of internet users who have most recently taken to using Pinterest. Between 2013 and 2014 Pinterest saw a growth of 14% in users aged 50-64. This places Pinterest behind just Facebook and LinkedIn for social media usage within the 50-64 year age group.

Want to know more about Pinterest?

Knowing Pinterest demographics gives you the power to target the right market during advertising campaigns. 

Source : http://bit.ly/1FLrNwo

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