Digital marketing approaches to improve the brand visibility

in social media platforms of

B-Schools in NITs
A BUSINESS RESEARCH REPORT

Submitted by

AJAIBABU TS

M180023MS

in partial fulfillment of Business Research Project for the award of the degree
of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CALICUT
KOZHIKODE, 673601

JUNE 2020
 CERTIFICATE

Certified that the business research project report “Digital marketing

approaches to improve the brand visibility in social media platforms of
B-Schools in NITs” is the bonafide work of “AJAIBABU TS –M180023MS”
MBA in SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, NATIONAL INSTITUTE
OF TECHNOLOGY CALUCUT carried out under my supervision
during……………… to…………..

Place : NIT Calicut

Date : Dr. NITHYA MURUGAN
SUPERVISOR
Assistant Professor

Dr. T. Radha Ramanan

HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT
 DECLARATION

I certify that

a. The work contained in this business research project is original and has been done by

myself under the general supervision of my internal supervisor(s).

b. The work has not been submitted to any other Institute for any degree or diploma.

c. I have followed the guidelines provided by the Institute in writing the report.

d. I have conformed to the norms and guidelines given in the Ethical Code of Conduct of

the Institute.

e. Whenever I have used materials (data, theoretical analysis and text) from other

sources, I have given due credit to them by citing them in the text of the thesis and

giving their details in the references.

f. Whenever I have quoted written materials from other sources, I have put them under

quotation marks and given due credit to the sources by citing them and giving

required details in the references.

AJAIBABU TS
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am greatly indebted to God Almighty for being the guiding light throughout with his
abundant grace and blessings that strengthened me to do this endeavor with confidence. I
would like to acknowledge to Dr T Radha Ramanan Head of the Department, School of
Management Studies, National Institute of Technology Calicut for his wise guidance and
supportive attitude.

I am extremely grateful to Dr Nithya Murugan, Assistant Professor, School of Management

Studies, National Institute of Technology Calicut, for inspiring, providing valuable
suggestions, constant encouragements and providing sincere guidance throughout the project.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to each member of the School of
Management Studies, National Institute of Technology Calicut for their kind co-operation
and encouragement that helped me in completing the Business Research Project. I would also
like to extend my gratitude to all the well-wishers and friends who supported me to present
the BRP report.
 ABSTRACT

The dynamic change in technological development and environment swings the consumption
and way of doing business and means of promotion. The contemporary marketing style has
reached a completely new scale by the introduction of internet and resulted the emergence of
digital marketing. The importance of online presence in social media is has become a new
way of life in businesses (B2B), consumers (C2C/P2C) and between business firms and
consumers (B2C). The amount of customer base in social networking sites (SNS) are getting
high day by day and thus targeting made easy which also leads the companies to have their
active presence in SNS. The companies are investing more time and money in SNS to grab
more customer. The old marketing door to door sale are not there because of the digitization ,
most of the brick mortar shops are coming in to online presence where they can save time and
effort if they follow a perfect digital marketing strategy. The mobile phone penetrations plays
a major role in the digitization and the online customer experience is taken more care.

The area and strategies involved in digital marketing is vast. Each and every companies
follows different strategies for the survival in their niche. Search Engine Optimization (SEO),
content management, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social media marketing, Email
marketing etc can be used in different forms of marketing lines in the niche of the firm.
 Contents
CERTIFICATE.............................................................................................................................................................2
DECLARATION...........................................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................................................39
Aijaz A. Shaikh, Richard Glavee-Geo, Adina-Gabriela Tudor, Chen Zheng, and Heikki Karjaluoto. 2018, Social
Network Brand Visibility (SNBV): Conceptualization and Empirical Evidence.......................................................39
Asano, E. 2017. How much time do people spend on social media?
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic.
Accessed 30 May 2017...........................................................................................................................................39
Botha, E., M. Farshid, and L. Pitt. 2011. How sociable? An exploratory study of university brand visibility in
social media. South African Journal of Business Management 42 (2): 43–51.......................................................39
Bredahl, L. 2003. Cue utilization and quality perception with regard to branded beef. Food Quality and
Preference 15: 65–75.............................................................................................................................................39
Capitello, R., L. Agnoli, D. Begalli, and S. Codurri. 2014. Social media strategies and corporatebrand visibility in
the wine industry: Lessons from an Italian case study. EuroMed Journal of Business 9 (2): 129–148.................39
Chua, A.Y., and S. Banerjee. 2013. Customer knowledge management via social media: The case of Starbucks.
Journal of Knowledge Management 17 (2): 237–249............................................................................................39
Davis, R., I. Piven, and M. Breazeale. 2014. Conceptualizing the brand in social media community: The five
sources model. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 21 (4): 468–481......................................................39
Goswami, A., V. Bharathi, R. Raman, A.V. Kulkarni, S. Joseph, and B. Kelkar. 2013. Synergies between social
media features and user engagement to enhance online brand visibility-A conceptual model. International
Journal of Engineering and Technology 5 (3): 2705–2718.....................................................................................39
NinaMichaelidoua1, Nikoletta Theofania Siamagkab, George Christodoulidesa 2011. Usage, barriers and
measurement of social media marketing: An exploratory investigation of small and medium B2B brands........40
Reyneke, M., L. Pitt, and P.R. Berthon. 2011. Luxury wine brand visibility in social media: An exploratory study.
International Journal of Wine Business Research 23 (1): 21–35...........................................................................40
Shari S.C.Shanga, Ya-LingWub1, Yi-JhenSiea 2017.Generating consumer resonance for purchase intention on
social network sites................................................................................................................................................40
Yang, A., and M. Kent. 2014. Social media and organizational visibility: A sample of fortune 500 corporations.
Public Relations Review 40 (3): 562–564...............................................................................................................40
List of Symbols, Abbreviations and Nomenclature
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Innovative and highly interactive social media platforms are becoming an integral part
of consumer lifestyle. The current trend suggest that now a days each brands are trying to
increase their brand visibility in respective social networking sites(SNS) to get maximum
reach. Customers are increasingly accessing and using social networking sites (SNS), making
it imperative for businesses and organizations to have a presence on these platforms to
enhance visibility. Visibility is an important aspect of communication channel strategy and it
is vital to the development and implementation of brand strategy (Chen, C.W. 2011).
Integrated marketing communications and new product performance in international markets
(Journal of Global Marketing
Social media plays an important role in organization to get the business goal done. Social
media paves an effective path to gain new customers, reach to existing customers and to
maintain credibility and reputation. Every stage of the product life cycle SNS plays an
important role in terms of advertisement and sales promotion. Brand need to measure the
brand visibility in popular SNS comparative to that of competitor. Popular social media
platforms include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, Pintrest etc. and facilitate
interactions, collaborations, and the sharing of content, including images, audio, and videos
both between and among users. The attribute of interactivity as reciprocal interpersonal
communication (Liu and Shrum 2009) is one of the key characteristics of social media
because it allows individuals to interact with various people, organizations, and online
communities, who share their interests and activities across political, socioeconomic, and
geographical barriers (Kim and Kim 2017). Consumers require on-demand access and
immediate access to information. Unlike traditional media platforms, social media provides
greater user interactivity. Moreover, brand content (“like,” “shares,” and “comments”) is
generally transmitted at a quicker rate and to a much larger, more responsive, and more
engaged audience than most traditional media; however, the cost is much lower (Qualman
2013). Digital marketers are making use of SNS as an indispensable part of their online brand
strategy by raising brand awareness, driving engagement, and increasing conversion rates of
brands and products (Phua et al. 2017).
When it comes to standalone B-Schools, they have a wide brand visibility in every SNS and
e-word of mouth is higher. High visibility is a necessary for maximum impact and it is an
important prerequisite for effective communication and creating brand awareness.For
improving brand visibility, small organization should focus on developing a data driven
digital marketing strategy in SNS, and the lack of such a strategy broadens the performance
gap. The data driven digital marketing strategy helps the NITs to improve brand visibility and
brand awareness to focus on the exact prospects which will result in getting better MBA
aspirants. The underline truth is NITs are known for Engineering streams and MBA’s are
working as a supporting department. The lack of brand awareness is hanging inside and
outside the campus when it comes to a Department of Management Science. This gap can be
closed by using an effective digital marketing strategy in SNS. Digital marketing strategies is
dynamic in nature it may vary according to trend and important pillar of digital marketing
strategy is quality content with consistency. Quality content will drive more people into the
various platforms and thereby creating a good brand visibility, it will lead to e word of mouth
as well as word of mouth. In this digital age, educational institutions are gaining more
presence in online because all of the prospect are there in one or another platform. Previously
I was really tough to reach to the exact prospect but these SNS made it easy. By building an
online presence, an institute can develop their brand that students and professors would want
to be a part of. With this approach, an institute can attract students locally as well as globally.
Digital marketing can help establish authority and stand out from the competition. The final
output from these strategies will be having more followers on social media, increasing the
number of online applications for admissions, and/or being #1 ranked educational institute on
Google search results. Digital marketing can help you achieve all of these goals right from
enhancing your brand image to generating more leads (increase in student application,
acquiring talented faculty, etc.). The objective is to increase the institute popularity in the
digital world, then the ‘name’ need to get more people to know about your brand on social
media. The very first step for that is to increase the engagement rate for that the basic thing is
a good number of people following you on your social media pages. However, gaining
followers on social media is a long and tedious process. Share good quality organic posts or
you may consider running social media ads to increase followers. Most of social media
platform works in certain algorithms, Eg: ‘Instagam’ works mostly on the hash tags and the
content related part and results in personalization.
As argued by Mangold and Faulds (2009:360), consumers are turning away from traditional
advertising methods, such as radio, television, magazines, and newspapers, and demanding
more control over their media consumption. Moreover, consumers require on demand and
immediate access to information. In other words, unlike traditional media platforms, social
media provides greater user interactivity. Moreover, brand content (“like,” “shares,” and
“comments”) is generally transmitted at a quicker rate and to a much larger, more responsive,
and more engaged audience than most traditional media; however, the cost is much lower
(Qualman 2013). Digital marketers are making use of SNS as an indispensable part of their
online brand strategy by raising brand awareness, driving engagement, and increasing
conversion rates of brands and products (Phua et al. 2017).
High brand visibility is vital for maximum impact, essential for compelling correspondence
and the production of brand mindfulness. International and global firms are likely to tailor
their marketing communication strategies due to the competitive nature of the global market
(Wong and Merrilees 2008). Additionally, the global market’s changing dynamics dictate an
integrated approach to marketing communication; thus, a move to integrated marketing
communication represents an adaptation to the changing global market environment (Chen
2011). Online, offline, and traditional channels are necessary for integrated marketing
communication. Here, social media marketing, which is an Internet-based communication
channel, is an important source that “closes the gap” between the online, offline, and
traditional media/channels. In another words social network visibility as the degree of
exposure a brand, product, service and/or cause receives on SNS, with the purpose of creating
awareness, knowledge, information, and value to build meaningful relationships with existing
and potential customers, including communities.
 CHAPTER: 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Theoretical framework

 Uses and gratifications theory : Users are considered to actively seek out media
messages to satisfy their social and psychological want and needs[N, N. (2014). "Use
and Rise of Social media as Election Campaign medium in India." International
Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies (IJIMS) 1: 202-209 ]

 Associative Network Model Theory : Memory is constructed as a metaphorical

network of cognitive concepts (e.g., objects, events and ideas) interconnected by links
(or pathways) reflecting the strength of association between pairs of concepts[]
https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/social-cognition/associative-
networks/]. The following table explains the research paper referred with respect to this
work

Table 1: Literature Review

Author(s) Research paper Findings

• The visibility of products and

services on SNS by
organizations and firms is an
effective means of reaching
Shaikh, Glavee- Social Network Brand Visibility out to current and potential
Geo, Tudor (SNBV): Conceptualization and customers on a global scale.
.etl(2018) Empirical Evidence(Base paper) • There is a paradigm shift,
firms need to plan, develop,
and implement either a
proactive social media
strategy or digital marketing
strategy to fully benefit from
such media
 • South African university
brands are not distinctly
How sociable? An exploratory positioned in social media,
Botha study of university brand and none of them appears to
et al(2011) visibility in social media have a strategy for engaging
stakeholders via a particular
social media platform
• The paper reveal that
mainstream media
Yang, A., and M. Social media and organizational coverage significantly affects
Kent.(2014) visibility social media
visibility, whereas
organizations’ social media
use patterns have a limited
impact on overall
organizational visibility
• Knowing what the customer
want, what they think and talk
Jayasankar Sentiment Analysis for Social about existing products,
et al(2016) Media services and brands is more
useful for businesses to make
decisions such as identifying
competitors and analysing
trends
• Some of the brands studied
did not have a clearly defined
Reyneke Luxury wine brand visibility in social media strategy.
et al. (2011) social media: An Exploratory Nonetheless, there are
study. opportunities for luxury wine
brand managers to use social
media as a tool in their
marketing strategies. In
addition, some threats may
exist should these brands take
 a laissez-faire approach to
social media, particularly
when it is becoming at least
as influential, if not more so,
as conventional media
• The results propose a
conceptual, three dimensional
Capitello Social banking: Leveraging social approach that integrates a
et al. (2014 ) media to enhance customer business’s strategic
engagement. orientation with its digital
marketing strategy and its
social media tactics. This
approach also includes
specific evaluation criteria to
measure the impact on the
business’s strategic objectives
• The matrix integrates four
parameters of user
engagement—involvement,
Goswami Synergies between social media interaction, intimacy, and
et al. features and user engagement to influence—with four social
(2013) enhance online brand visibility: A media characteristics, content,
conceptual model. relationship, value, and
structure, to bring out the
essence of interoperability.
This paper has identified and
listed certain metrics for
measuring online brand
visibility. The authors believe
that the outcome of this paper
will make a significant
contribution to the existing
body of knowledge by
uniquely identifying and
 explaining “social media-user
engagement synergy” and
listing appropriate metrics for
measuring online brand
visibility
• The findings suggest that
consumers expect specific
two-way interactions with
brands, and social media may
be the only way to deliver
Davis et al. Conceptualizing the brand in social these demands effectively.
(2014) media community: The five source This study identifies five core
model drivers of brand consumption
(functional, emotional, self-
oriented, social, and
relational) in a social media
community via the Five
Sources Model.
• These core drivers represent
unique opportunities for
brands to enhance their
relationships with their
customers and to increase the
likelihood of an active and
beneficial online community
that is built around their
brands
•  The relationship between
Vianna et.al The Relationship Between Viral consumer perception of social
( 2016) Marketing, Purchase Intention, and media advertising, viral
marketing, brand awareness,
-Brand Visibility: Study with and purchase intent.
Brazilian Customers Statistical data served as the
basis for the validation of the

• The study explores consumer
Shang, S.S et.al Generating consumer resonance for
(2017) purchase intention on social
network sites
• The paper examine the social
Michaelidou, N Usage, barriers and measurement of
.et.al (2014) social media marketing: An
exploratory investigation of small
and medium B2B brands
model proposed in this work
behaviour for resonance
marketing. Uses and
gratifications needs on SNSs
are identified. The mediating
role of consume resonance is
identified. The association
between consumer resonance
and purchase intention is
examined. The findings
provide insights into social
participants' future purchase
intentions.
networking practices by B2B
SMEs. B2B SMEs in the UK
use SNS to attract new
customers. Most B2B SEMs
using SNS intend to increase
marketing spending on SNS.
B2B SME's not using SNS
due to the lack of perceived
relevance of SNS for
particular industry sectors

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
 Social media platform aids interactions, participation and content sharing such as
videos, images, audio and text both between and among users. The network which is built
through this is huge and wide reach. The attribute of interactivity as reciprocal interpersonal
communication (Liu and Shrum 2009) is one of the key characteristics of social media
because it allows individuals to interact with various people, organizations, and online
communities, who share their interests and activities across political, socioeconomic, and
geographical barriers (Kim and Kim 2017). Social networking sites are of different types,
professional platforms (Eg: LinkedIn, Twitter), personal platforms (Eg: Facebook, Instagram,
Snapchat, etc.) and community platforms (Eg: Quora, Pagal Guy). The following flow charts
explains the entire project flow (Figure.1):

Figure 1: Research Methodology

3.1 Data collection

The study is based on secondary data collected from Facebook, LinkedIn of School of
Management Studies NIT Calicut, Department of Management Studies NIT Trichy (DoMS
NIT Trichy) and School of Management Studies NIT Surathkal (SOMS NIT Surathkal . For
search volume Google Key word planner is used. The data includes unstructured data like the
number of likes, description, reach etc. from Facebook and LinkedIn and descriptions are
used for text analysis part to identify which keyword is having most number of reach.
Similarly which keyword and keyword combination is getting most number of search volume
in Google is also identified. Analyzed the social media presence of School of Management
Studies NIT Calicut (SOMS NITC) and the bench marked with competitors.

3.2 Time period of Data Collection

Secondary data from Facebook and LinkedIn during the period August 2019- January
2020 ( six month ) of School of Management Studies NIT Calicut, Department of
Management Studies NIT Trichy (DoMS NIT Trichy) and School of Management Studies
NIT Surathkal (SOMS NIT Surathkal). For the text analysis of description the same time
period August 2019- January 2020 (six month) has been taken. Keyword search in Google
has been taken all time data and searches are specifically for Kerala. Search traffic of Indian
Institute of Management Kozhikode are also taken as a part of competitor analysis.

3.3 Software’s used

Microsoft Excel and R Studios are used for text analysis part and Adobe Photoshop
and Illustrator are used for design part. The final results are incorporated in a word cloud and
image template respectively.

3.4 Four-dimensional conceptualization for educational institution

The major touch points in developing digital marketing strategies can be pointed out
from the four-dimensional conceptualization for educational institution (Figure 2.0). In this
framework the Social Networking Brand Visibility can be explained via four major pillars,
they are as follows

1. Social Media Presence

2. Brand Awareness
3. Service Quality
4. Service Knowledge
Figure 2: Four- Dimensional Conceptualization for educational institution

3.4.1 Social Media Presence

The importance of either a brand, product, or service on social media, as perceived by
individuals, social networkers, communities, and/or businesses: Kim and Ko (2012),
McCarthy et al. (2014), Cawsey and Rowley (2016). For an educational institution social
media presence can be analyzed with the life time likes for the respective pages in each of the
platforms, the total number of followers, total uploads, engagements for each of the uploads
etc ( With reference with base paper). A first level analysis of this will give a primary
presence of the institutes in social medias Compared to other standalone B-Schools,
Department of Management Studies in NIT’s of South India doesn’t have that much social
media presence according to these criteria’s. Between the NIT’s DoMS NIT Trichy is having
better presence compared with SOMS NIT Surthkal and SOMS NIT Calicut.

3.4.1 Brand Awareness

According to the research paper of Kim and Ko (2012) brand awareness is the ability
to recognize and recall the brand. In social media ecosystem brand awareness can be built by
creating various social media campaigns, social media challenges, event promotions,
professional check-ins, testimonials etc. it is a combination of hand in hand work of
everything which will result in brand recognition and recall.
 3.4.1 Service Quality

The sub-dimensions of Educational Service Quality according to this model are

reliability, assurance, empathy, responsiveness, tangibles (program quality and services capes),
communication, knowledge/ expertise, systems/secondary services, social responsibility and
self-development: Abdul Raheem Mohamad et.al (2012). In social media perspective it is the
placements, internship, white papers, publications, student endorsement, and professional
endorsement.
3.4.1 Service knowledge
Service quality plays a vital role in determining service knowledge and it is the fourth
pillar for brand visibility in SNS. Specialisations in the institutes, case studies discussed,
blogs, presentation repositories, tutorials provided by the institute reveals the same.

3.5 SNBV-relationship variables framework

Figure 3: SNBV- Relationship variables framework

Additionally, it is proposed that SNBV can have either a positive or a negative

influence on one or more relationship variables. For example, an increase in SNBV can lead
to an increase in trust, commitment, purchase intention, cooperation, andbrand image among
other relationship variables (see Fig. 6.2), while an increase in SNBV can also lead to a
reduction in conflict and unethical behaviors between interacting businesses (B2B), a
company and its customers (B2C), and among either individual consumers (C2C) or peers
(P2P). Figure 3.0 shows the SNBV-relationship variables framework.
 CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The total result can be divided into four parts with respect to digital marketing
landscape.

1. Social media analysis

a. Facebook (Personal network)
b. LinkedIn (Professional network)
2. Content management analysis
a. Description analysis
b. Google search analysis
3. Social media framework & Strategies ( SOMS)

4. Social media presence and design templates

4.1 Social media analysis

Based on the Facebook and LinkedIn data from August 2019- January 2020 (six
month) of SOMS NITC, DoMS NITT and SOMS NITK (taken the average of SOMS
NITC and DoMS NITT) certain graphs are plotted and conclusions are made.
4.1.a Facebook
The respective Facebook data is analysed and conclusion are represented with
the help of charts. Lifetime like- gender wise, published post type, the number of
people who saw the post and reach has been shown below.

a) Lifetime Like-Gender

U.35-44 U.25-34 U.18-24 M.65+ M.55-64 M.45-54 M.35-44 M.25-34 M.18-24

8 M.13-17 F.65+ F.55-64 F.45-54 F.35-44 F.25-34 F.18-24 F.13-17
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Figure 4: Lifetime: Like- Gender plot

Interpretations:

 Target segment is an important factor :20-34 Male and Female can be taken as
target segment
 Male 18-24, Male 25-34 and Fem-ale 25-34 has liked the most
 Need to focus Female age group 18-24 for better reach

b) Published Post by Type

160
calicut Surathkal trichy
140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0
link status shared video photo video

Figure 5: Published Post by Type

Interpretations:

 Most of the published post types are of photos, NIT T : 138 ,NIT K : 102,
NIT C : 65
 43% of survey respondents say that branded video is the most memorable
type of content shared by companies. (HubSpot, 2017)
 Need to focus on more video type content on daily basis (eg: Tips to crack
CAT, Interview etiquette, Theories visual explanation etc.)
 Single image with crisp of data will connect more to the viewers
 c) The number of people who saw your Page posts

60000

50000

40000

30000

20000

10000

1 2 3 4
5 6-10 11-20 21+

Figure 6: Number of people who saw the page posts

Interpretation:

 Calicut is having the most number of people views but

engagements are less, the main reason is not way showcasing the
content in proper way
 Most of the people see the post with an average minimum of 2 time

d) Reach

300000
trichy Surathkal calicut
250000

200000

150000

100000

50000

0
AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN

Figure 7: Reach
Interpretation

 NIT Trichy is having most number of reach due to quality content and one
short representation
 September and October has a spike in reach due to the management fest , post
frequency was high during this time

4.1.b Linked In
The respective LinkedIn data is analysed and conclusion are represented with the
help of charts. Location, job function, seniority and industry wise of the followers
has been shown below.

a) Followers (Location wise)

South
Viewers NITT
Viewers NITK
Viewers NITC
Followers
NITT
Followers
NITK
North Followers
NITC

0 50 100 150 200 250

Figure 8: Followers (Location Wise)

Interpretations:

 Most of the followers and viewers are from South India

 Need to concentrate more on other industrial hubs Call them for talks and
convert the opportunity to internships and there by placements
 e) Job functions Comparison

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
on ent ces ales ting ring ons logy rch nce ices ting port tion ent
c ati pm our S e e ti no ea ina erv sul p a m
d u l o s a rk ine era h es F S n Su unic age
E e R e M g p e c R l Co n
v n O T i a m a
De an E n So
c m M
e ss u m a tio d Co ect
H an d j
si n rm ty an Pro
Bu nfo n i i a d
I u ed n
m
m M ma
o r a
C og
Pr

NITC NITT NITK

Figure 9: Job functions comparison

Interpretations:

 Most of the followers are from education sector, need to concentrate more
on Senior HR for SOMS

f) Seniority

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
CXO Director Entry Manager Owner Senior Training VP

NITC NITT NITK

Figure 10: Seniority

Interpretations:

 Most of the followers and viewers are from entry and senior level, need to
make better relationship higher level by calling them for talks and
following them in SNS

g) Industry wise total followers

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

NITC NITT NITK

Figure 11: Industry wise total followers

Interpretations:

 Most of the followers are from IT , should have a flat curve in all sectors
 Try to follow 15 minimum in a daily basis and need to focus on all sectors

4.2 Content Management analysis

4.2.a Description analysis
A hashtag is a label used on social media sites that makes it easier to find information
with a theme or specific content. Hashtags encourage social media users to explore content
that catches their eye. Associations can use hashtags to reach their target audience and to
help members filter information. It is evident from the published post (Figure 5) that most
of the post are of photo and will be accompanied by description in Facebook. As
mentioned above DoMS NIT Trichy has a good brand visibility compared with others,
hence the same is compared with SOMS NITC for the content strategy. The description
explains the content of the post and a text analysis using R language has been conducted:
description and Likes (Facebook) has been taken in consideration. The result is then
converted into a word cloud is shown below.

Figure 12: DoMS NIT Trichy (Text Analysis of Facebook Description (Keyword frequency Vs. Likes)

Figure 13: SOMS NIT Calicut (Text Analysis of Facebook Description (Keyword frequency Vs. Likes)
 Interpretation of Figure 12 & 13

 NITT is using the best use of hashtags and they are using institutes
branding in every post.
 SOMS NITC should have to focus more on content related hashtags and
focus on institutes related hashtags for better visibility in SNS

4.2.b Google search analysis

The most searched keyword which drives traffic to IIM Kozhikode with respect to the
competition level is listed in listed in Figure 14 and Google most MBA related searches are
plotted in Figure 15

Figure 14:Search traffic key word combination IIMK

Figure 15: Google search MBA related keyword combination (Kerala region)

Interpretation
 Incorporating these keywords in our website and creating quality content
related to similar content in SNS will increase the traffic and brand visibility
 Most of the searches combinations are directing to questions , creating quality
blog content related to similar topic and incorporating backlinks of similar
search solution will increase organic search
 Search Engine Optimization can be effective done using these keywords by
including these keywords in websites
 Better position in Google can be achieved by effectively using these keyword
4.2 Social media framework & Strategies (SOMS)
The complete social media framework and Strategies for SOMS NITC is shown blow.
The first focus should be pushing data related four major touch points
1. Club activities
2. #LifeatSOMS
3. National & International days
4. Community interactions and presentation repositories

4.2.1 Club activities

National Institute of Technology Calicut Management Association (NITCMA) has
total of 14 various clubs, according to the norms each club has to conduct two event in each
semester so 56 event are coming in one semester. A proper scheduling of the event and
covering the event with respect to a proper planning and pushing the same in different format
to SNS will increase our engagement rate there by resulting improving brand visibility. The
way to capture the content and strategies to push the same in different SNS is shown in
Figure 16. The content can be captured in different form for the same event such as video,
image, text and audio (VITA) and can be pushed into different SNS in different time.
Similarly the same event can be covered by VITA , write-up competition and #withSOMS
campaign.
#withSOMS campaign is a rapid fire studio set up suggested as a part of the project.
Prebuild question will asked to the guest which will include motivational part to the
youngsters the same will be captured and pushed into different SNS by tagging the
personality. Full video should be posted in SOMS YouTube channel (has to create), 30
second cuts in Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and very important that the student panel
should change for each events. Tag the guest and student is also on the check list.

Club activities strategy

 Figure 16

4.2.2 #LifeatSOMS
#LifeatSOMS is a campaign for SOMS family (students and faculty) , in that they will
share their experience at SOMS. This will pushed in two formats an image(template is also
suggested Figure 21) and a short video ( 30 sec) , the respective strategy flow in shown
below (Figure 17).

#LifeatSOMS Campaign
Figure 17

4.2.3 National & International days

All the national and international days are available online and we can plan all
the day related event prior. Creating a campaign on National and International day
prior to one week and giving a prize for the same will improve engagement as well
as reach. Getting quality content is an big task so these kind of campaign will
welcome better content and the same can be used for blogs. The campaign can be
conducted within NITC and can also host public.

National & International days

Figure 18
 4.2.4 Community interactions and presentation repositories
Community interactions is an important factor for creating trust and positive brand
image. The frequent questions searched by the users can be listed from Figure 14 and Figure
15, answering similar questions from SOMS account (need to create) will improve brand
visibility in SNS. Another strategy is to create a filtered presentation and case study
repository which is access to public. Creating a similar repository with solution where the
link should drive to the website of SOMS will help in branding. All the MBA related case
studies and presentation will available with faculties which need to filter and proper template
should be made with SOMS tag. The crisp form of strategies and flow is shown below
(Figure 19).

Community interactions and presentation repositories

Figure 19

4.3 Social media presence and design templates for SOMS

Different social networking site presence of SOMS NITC has been evaluated shown
below Figure 19:
 Figure 19

Interpretations:
 Compared to other institutes of the same tier social media visual presence
in not up to the level
 Content are not properly updated ( 2018 updates are still there)
 Mobile view need to be restructured
 Improper cover pictures in Facebook
 Multiple clicks to reach the desired result
 Information’s are not conveying properly

Proposed Design templates

The proposed design template for club activities (Figure 20) and for campaign #LifeatSOMS
(Figure 21) is shown below. Consistently using this template for initial push will help in creating
positioning the brand. Try to incorporate changes in the design in coming years. This is completely
editable in Photoshop the same will give as soft copy along with the project report.
 Figure 20 Figure 21

A lot of changes need to done in website and the consolidated design in show below Figure
22
Figure 22
Business Implications

 The complete Social network brand visibility conceptualization will help

educational institution and other organisation to increase their brand visibility in
social media platforms

 Content strategy and finding the key word used by volume will help in reaching to the
exact prospect by no time, it will also help in creating more traffic organically and
there by taking an better step Search Engine Optimization

 Competitors key word evaluations and the search volume is taken for better content
strategy

 Reaching to the exact prospect and creating a brand image impression will helpful in
increasing e-word reach and word of mouth spread

 Quality content with the right keyword will help in better position in organic reach
 CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION AND SCOPE FOR FUTURE STUDY

One of the key contribution is the Social media framework and strategies for SOMS
NITC which results in the agenda of SNBV. This framework will act as a primary step
towards Search Engine Optimization and content marketing strategy certain other aspects are
also discussed along with this. The framework can be act as a basic structure in all the
educational institutions. By implementing the four-dimensional conceptualization (Figure 2)
there will be better brand awareness about the institute in SNS and will lead to reaching to the
exact segment and better brand visibility in Social media platforms. An effect content
management can be implemented by having a proper use of keyword which is suggested and
can make use of the same in communities and blog creation. Consistency matters in effective
organic reach and positioning, in this digital era SEO plays a major role and consistent
uploads in every SNS should be given the first priority. Proper use of hashtags respective
with contents is very important while uploads, hash tag related to institutes will help in
creating better brand awareness. Visual representation of the content play a primary role in
engagements and it should be consistent in positioning the brand.

Limitations and Future Research

In general this research provides a representation a first step for educational institution
in digital marketing arena. In this digital era the trends and the technologies are very volatile
in nature which is the major obstacle in long run for educational institutions. Every strategies
discussed may be showcased better in coming years. The major problem faced during the
research was availability of data. Most of the institutes were not ready to share their social
media data which is available for the public, manually collecting the same is not possible.
Only Facebook and LinkedIn data are taken for the research more SNS can be used for the
same. According to Duane and O’Reilly (2012), social media are divided among four major
domains: content communities, collaborative projects, micro-blogs, and SNS. As such, future
research should consider other social media domains when investigating social network brand
visibility
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