Archive for the ‘Social Marketing’ Category

Meta Adds More Reels Creation Options in Instagram and Facebook – Social Media Today

As it continues to lean into the short-form video trend, Meta is adding new ways for users to remix content into Reels on Instagram, while its also added the capacity to create Reels from your existing videos within Creator Studio.

First off, on IG as shown in this example, posted by Lindsey Gamble, some Instagram users are now being notified of a new Remix for photos option when posting static images in the app.

As Instagram explains, Remix for Photos enables users to create Reels based on your feed post content, which they can then download themselves, within their own clips. Which means that people can re-use your content however they like but you can switch off the option in your settings if youd prefer that not to happen.

Heres how it looks in practice:

Its another way to react to content in the app, which has become a popular use case on TikTok, with the participatory nature of the platform essentially building on meme trends by enabling users to provide their own takes, as opposed to just consuming the latest content.

Instagram now also enables users to remix any video they see in the app, providing more inspiration for Reels content and with Reels now contributing 20% of all time spent in the app, it makes sense for Instagram to lean into the trend where it can, and add more options for Reels engagement.

In terms of brand use, this could be particularly handy for inviting takes on new products or brand announcements, with users able to share a quick response via Reels clips. That could also lead to some lambasting of brand announcements via the same process, but getting your audience to interact with your posts could be a good way to boost reach and engagement.

On another front, Meta has also added the capacity to create Reels in Creator Studio, by remixing your existing videos into shorter clips.

As you can see in this example, posted by Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith (and shared by Matt Navarra), Meta is notifying Creator Studio users of its new process to trim your existing videos into Reels clips.

The process guides you through the editing process to create Reels and Stories clips, by using the best parts of your existing video uploads.

Its another way for Meta to help brands and creators merge into Reels content which aligns with broader usage trends, while also giving Meta even more Reels content to show to people, as it continues to seek out new ways to double down on short-form video trend.

Indeed, a new strategic overview from Meta has outlined how it plans to make Reels even more of a priority on Facebook, because of the way that short form video has become such a transformative trend in the social media space.

As per Facebook app chief Tom Alison:

Todays genre of public short-form video opens up new ways for people to create and discover content. While Facebooks discovery engine is designed to support many different formats (text, photos, video, and eventually Metaverse experiences), our biggest gap today is around short-form video, and were focused on integrating Reels in Home, Watch, In Feed Recommendations, and Groups.

So more Reels, in more places because Facebook, essentially, is scared that if it doesnt move into line with evolving consumer trends, that it will quickly lose relevance, and user engagement as a result.

Which is already happening. Various reports have suggested that people are now spending more time on TikTok than in the Facebook app, while the very nature of TikToks short-form, rapid scroll clips is actually altering user attention spans, and changing how people consume content.

In this sense, Facebook actually feels quite dated already, which is why its now working to catch up to TikTok once again, by displaying more Reels, more often, in more places within the app.

These new updates align with that broader trend, and will help to guide users towards the same.

Of course, there is also a chance that Meta will change tack at some stage and stop prioritizing Reels, as its done in the past with other video content. But again, the habitual nature of short-form video feels more permanent, in many ways, in changing how users interact.

Its definitely worth more brands looking to experiment with Reels, at the least, and these updates provide more capacity on this front.

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Meta Adds More Reels Creation Options in Instagram and Facebook - Social Media Today

Doctors, social media influencers required to pay TDS on freebies from 1 July | Mint – Mint

NEW DELHI: Doctors and social media influencers are among those who will be subject to a new rule which mandates a 10% tax deducted at source (TDS) on freebies they receive from businesses for sales promotion.

A set of guidelines from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) explains the circumstances in which the new tax deducted at source (TDS) provision which kicks-in from 1 July will apply. The provision was introduced in the Finance Act of 2022 to widen the tax base and to ensure that those who benefit from such sales promotion expenditure by businesses report it in their tax returns and pay tax on what the benefit is worth.

Social media influencers will liable to pay TDS if the equipment given for them as part of marketing efforts by a company is retained by the person. TDS will not apply if it is returned to the company, CBDT said.

Whether this (the product given for sales promotion activity in social media) is benefit or perquisite will depend upon the facts of the case. In case of benefit or perquisite being a product like car, mobile, outfit, cosmetics etc and if the product is returned to the manufacturing company after using for the purpose of rendering service, then it will not be treated as a benefit or perquisite for the purposes of section 194R of the Act (the TDS provision)," CBDT said. If the product is retained, then it will be in the nature of benefit or perquisite and tax is required to be deducted accordingly under section 194R of the Act, CBDT said.

Although legally speaking, sales discount, cash discount and rebates allowed to customers from listed retail price represent benefits, subjecting these to tax deduction would put seller to difficulty. Therefore, to remove such difficulty, CBDT has clarified that no tax is required to be deducted under section 194R of the Income Tax Act on sales discount, cash discount and rebates allowed to customers.

However, the situation is different when free samples are given. The relaxation does not apply to free samples. The instances, when TDS would apply include perquisites in cash or in kind such as car, television, computers, gold coin, mobile phone, foreign trips and free tickets for events given to promote sales.

Free medicine sample provided by a company to a doctor who is an employee of a hospital, or is a consultant, is also covered by the TDS provision. The TDS has to be deducted in the hands of the hospital on account of the doctor being an employee of the hospital. The hospital may subsequently treat this as a benefit given to the doctor, deduct income tax on it and claim deduction for this as salary expenditure.

In such a case it would be first taxable in the hands of the hospital and then allowed as deduction as salary expenditure. Thus, ultimately the amount would get taxed in the hands of the employee and not in the hands of the hospital. Hospital can get credit of tax deducted under section 194R of the Act by furnishing its tax return," CBDT said.

While the CBDT circular provides relief to manufacturers, dealers and distributors by excluding tax to be withheld on sales discount, cash discount and rebates, applicability of withholding tax provisions to free samples will have a wide impact. Several aspects such as the definition of benefit or perquisite, withholding tax on loyalty points, wallet money or online credit which expire, etc. still remain unaddressed. These aspects may require taxpayers to take positions in absence of specific clarification," PwC said in an analysis.

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Doctors, social media influencers required to pay TDS on freebies from 1 July | Mint - Mint

Meta Expands Horizon Worlds Access to VR Users in the UK – Social Media Today

Of all of Metas current offerings, its Horizon Worlds VR creation platform provides the most indicative view of its future metaverse plans.

And starting this week, more people will be able to share in that vision, with Horizon Worlds being launched to users in the UK, in addition to the US and Canada.

As shown in the video above, Horizon Worlds enables users to create their own virtual spaces, with a range of 3D objects and tools that they can use to build interactive environments.

Meta launched Horizon Worlds with all users in the US and Canada in December, and its now expanding that to the UK, before opening up access to all EU users in the coming months.

As per Meta:

From the very beginning, weve envisioned Horizon Worlds as a creator-friendly VR environment featuring top tier social world-building tools. And by developing those tools and listening to and incorporating feedback from creators, thats just what it is. But were always working to make it even better. For example, last month we launched our first asset library, a collection of pre-made items that creators can use any time they want. Plus, weve also committed $10 million USDto help creators get their worlds off the ground.

The asset library will play a big part in the next stage of the metaverse, with Meta looking to help brands build 3D models of their products, for improved eCommerce display, which can then also be made available in Horizon Worlds for usage in user projects.

That will provide new promotional opportunities in this emerging digital space, which, as noted, gives us the clearest indicator of what the metaverse will be like, in Metas current vision at least, as a consumer tool.

Weve already seen some indications of the marketing implications in this respect, with brands like Wendys creating their own, branded environments in Horizon Worlds, inviting users to come and engage with their virtual products and activations.

That, again, is where the metaverse is headed, with individuals and brands alike able to create Minecraft-like interactive spaces, where users can be fully immersed in VR or potentially via other means as well into their creations.

Though its fairly basic right now, in its early stages of its development. Eventually, as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shown, the metaverse will incorporate a wide range of fully-immersive and interactive environments, that will enable you to create and explore all manner of new worlds, beyond anything that youve ever experienced.

Were not close to that yet, in terms of fully functional, interactive, avatar-led engagement in these VR worlds. But eventually, thats where Meta is headed, and if you wanted to get a taste of whats coming, and what Meta views as the next evolution for brand Pages, Horizon Worlds is your best current indicator on this front.

But VR engagement also opens up new forms for harassment and abuse, in an even more enclosed and immersive space. Which is another element that Meta needs to address.

On this front, Meta has also announced the addition of Voice Mode in VR, which will enable users to choose if they want to hear other users speaking within he VR environment.

As explained by Meta:

[Voice mode] will allow you to choose how you hear people who arent on your friends list, including the option to not hear unwanted conversations at all. By default, youll hear all nearby users at the same volume, but with Voice Mode, you can easily switch to Garbled Voices, in which non-friends voices come across as unintelligible, friendly sounds.

As shown in the above image, when a user selects Garbled Voices, strangers will see an indicator that you cant hear them in the space. Users will be able to change this setting at any time, but it provides another safety measure to help protect users in VR, where already there have been some disturbing instances of abuse, even in its early, rudimentary state.

Late last year, a beta tester for Horizon Worlds reported that she had been groped by a stranger in VR, while another experienced gang rape by male users in the space, which she described as feeling very real.

Those incidents prompted Meta to add a new personal boundary feature, which enables users to keep others at a distance from their avatar.

Metas also now added new pop-up warnings which are displayed to people who behave disruptively in the VR space.

So there are measures in place to mitigate the risks, to some degree. But it does seem like this could become a far bigger concern for the platform moving forward, and one that Meta needs to ensure is fully addressed before implementing a broader roll-out of its metaverse push.

Will that actually happen? Meta doesnt exactly have the best history in regards to addressing potential problems like this before they become bigger concerns, and it would surprise no one if Meta pushed ahead with the expansion of its metaverse vision over anything else, including the safety of users.

Which, in some ways, seems to be already happening, with the expansion of Horizon Worlds to the next stage though Meta will be hoping that its developing safety tools will be enough to provide adequate protection for users in the virtual space.

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Meta Expands Horizon Worlds Access to VR Users in the UK - Social Media Today

Social Marketing: What Is It And How Does It Relate To The Media?

What is social marketing, and how does it relate to the media? In order to understand how the media work, you first need to understand social marketing. The media is a subset of social marketing tools that allow people to connect and share information. In the past, people used the media to passively receive information, but now people are using the media to actively engage with each other.

In this article, well explore social marketing and how it can be used to achieve desired outcomes. Well also discuss how the media can be used to support social marketing objectives.

Social marketing is a process that applies commercial marketing techniques to promote changes in human behavior. But unlike traditional commercial marketing strategies, which have purely financial motives, social marketers aim to influence behaviors that will improve peoples well-being.

Social marketing is a means of influencing the behavior of large numbers of people for the common good. When using this method, businesses dont aim to alter peoples opinions for their own benefit; instead, they aim to bring social transformation.

It is concerned with stimulating awareness, influencing behavior, and assisting the environment in which people live. When individuals are ready to change, it is possible to achieve these objectives. According to statistics, 80 out of every 100 persons are willing to participate in social transformation.

Sustainability should be peoples first concern since there are an increasing number of social and environmental problems. Negative environmental and social changes worsen the quality of life. Some businesses utilize social marketing to avoid this.

They tackle global issues such as hunger, poverty, education accessibility, air pollution, water scarcity, and noise pollution. They encourage people to be more aware and caring of the environment by raising these problems. In turn, the environment and society improve, and the businesss reputation is enhanced.

The media can help social marketing in many ways. Social marketing efforts can be used to raise awareness of issues, it can be used to influence behavior change, and it can be used to support marketing objectives.

When using the media to raise awareness of issues, businesses should consider using multiple channels such as television, radio, newspapers, podcasts, and the internet. They should also create catchy slogans and jingles that will stay in peoples minds. In addition, they should use celebrities or other well-known figures to endorse their products or services.

The media can also be used to influence behavior. For example, if a company wants people to stop smoking cigarettes, they could run ads that show the negative effects of smoking. They could also sponsor programs that help people quit smoking.

Finally, the media can be used to support social marketing objectives. For example, if a company wants to reduce littering, it could run ads that show the negative effects of littering. They could also sponsor programs that teach people about the importance of recycling.

One cool feature about the media is that it can always be re-purposed in multiple ways. This simply means that the media can be used repeatedly to support different objectives.

Your content will continue to live on while earning you credibility and helping to drive sales. In addition to repurposing the content from your media placement on all of your social media channels, you can put the media outlets logo on your website and marketing materials. This 3rd party validation separates you from your competitors and can also help drive sales.

There are numerous ways to effectively implement a social marketing strategy. Because the effectiveness of your campaign is based on the chosen strategies, well give you five fantastic tips on implementing:

Understanding your target audience helps you figure out what to do. Data-driven research allows you to see through the lens of your audience. As a result, youll choose the appropriate approaches and methods for interacting with these individuals effectively and expressing your ideas.

Before starting a social marketing campaign, you should have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve. This will help you measure the success of your campaign and make necessary adjustments along the way.

Some common objectives for social marketing campaigns include raising awareness, changing behavior, and supporting a cause.

In addition, it is important to set realistic goals that can be achieved within the given time frame. Otherwise, you run the risk of disappointing both yourself and your audience.

Its also worth mentioning that your objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). This acronym is used in project management to keep track of progress and ensure that goals are being met.

Your social marketing campaign will only be successful if you can convince your audience to take the desired action. This means that you need to have a clear and persuasive message.

Some ways to make your message more convincing include using statistics, telling stories, and using strong visuals.

Its also important to remember that people are more likely to take action if they feel like theyre part of a community or if they feel like theyre making a difference.

Therefore, you should focus on building relationships and creating a sense of belonging. Only then will people be convinced to take the desired action.

Emotion is one of the most powerful tools in persuasion. When people are emotional, theyre more likely to act without thinking things through.

This is why its so important to use emotion in your social marketing campaign. If you can make people feel something, theyre more likely to take action.

Some ways to evoke emotion include using stories, using strong visuals, and focusing on the positive impacts of taking the desired action.

People are more likely to take action if they believe that its in their best interest to do so. This is why its important to appeal to self-interest in your social marketing campaign.

Some ways to do this include focusing on the benefits of taking the desired action, emphasizing how easy it is to take the desired action, and highlighting how taking the desired action will make people feel good about themselves.

A slogan is a short and memorable phrase that sums up your message. Its important to choose the right slogan for your social marketing campaign because it will be one of the first things that people see, and it will stay with them long after theyve seen it.

Some tips for choosing the right slogan include making it short, making it memorable, and ensuring that it conveys the desired message.

One of the best ways to ensure that your social marketing campaign is on point is to build focus groups. Focus groups allow you to get feedback from a group of people before you launch your campaign.

This feedback can be invaluable in helping you fine-tune your message and make sure that its convincing. Additionally, focus groups can help you identify any potential objections that people might have when taking a desired action.

Now that weve gone over what social marketing is and how to do it, lets take a look at some examples.

One example of social marketing is the Be The Match campaign by the National Marrow Donor Program. This campaign encouraged young adults to register to be bone marrow donors.

Another example is the Tobacco Free Florida campaign, which encouraged Floridians to quit smoking

A third example is the No More campaign by domestic violence prevention organization, No More. This campaign used public service announcements and social media to raise awareness about domestic violence.

Finally, an example of social marketing that you might be familiar with is the Got Milk? campaign by the California Milk Processor Board. This long-running ad campaign encourages people to drink milk for its calcium content.

Each of these campaigns used different strategies to achieve its desired goal. However, they all had one thing in common: they were able to convince their audience to take action.

No, social media marketing is not the same as social marketing. A social media campaign uses online platforms to build relationships and interact with customers. Its a way to connect with potential and current customers using various digital channels such as blogs, forums, discussion boards, microblogs, wikis, podcasts, images, videos, and social networks.

On the other hand, social marketing is a process that uses commercial marketing techniques to promote changes in human behavior.

Social marketing is a powerful tool that can be used to achieve various goals. By understanding the principles of social marketing and using them in your own campaigns, you can create persuasive content that will convince people to take the desired action.

Thank you for reading! We hope this article helped explain social marketing and how we can use it to achieve our goals. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to comment below.

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Social Marketing: What Is It And How Does It Relate To The Media?

Social Marketing: Definition, Implementation, Examples [Guide 2021]

Posted By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab on 4 Oct, 2021

Social marketingis the branch of marketing that aims to promote social causes or general interest. Social marketing will notably play on thesocial valuesof targets to convince them. Philip Kotler summarized the challenge in the title of hisbookpublished in 2008: social marketing: changing behavior to do good.

The term social marketing wascoinedby Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman in 1971. At the time, it was used to describe marketing actions that could change social behavior.

Social marketing should not be confused with social advertising or even social communication. In the words of Kotler and Zaltman:

Social marketing is the design, implementation, and monitoring of programs designed to influence the acceptability of social ideas and that embeds planning, pricing, communication, distribution, and marketing research considerations.

Logically, Kotler and Zaltman developed the concept of social marketing in 1971 according to McCarthys 4Ps (for more information, see our article on the marketing mix).

In a classical business framework,market researchis conducted, a product is developed to meet the targets needs, and then marketed. This ad hoc development dimension also exists in social marketing but is not limited to a specific product. Selling the social idea (dont drink and drive, respect speed limits, sort your waste) requires that different products be developed to make the actions possible. In the case of prevention against drink-driving, we must amend specific laws to increase the penalties incurred. We must adapt insurers policies, develop vehicle starting mechanisms coupled with a breathalyzer, and introduce disposable breathalyzers to the market.

Promotion is also a central aspect. It is not limited to traditional advertising. All channels can be used to sell the social idea. To take the previous example of the fight against drink-driving, Belgium offers an excellent example of successful promotion with its Bob campaign. Launched in 1995, it has been adopted by 17 European countries. It is available in various ways: radio, poster campaigns, animations, awareness-raising during controls by the police. At each touchpoint, the famous Bob key ring is handed out to extend the communication effort and materialize the individuals commitment to the social cause.

For social marketing to be effective, you have to empower the targets to act. This is where the problem often lies. While the product is well-designated and the marketing is well-thought-out, the target and its desire to serve are entirely forgotten. The question to be answered here is: What do I need to do to get the individual to take action? For example, if you want to promote waste sorting, what do you need to put in place to enable everyone to take action?

In theory, the price is zero for the individuals targeted by social marketing. But every action has a cost, and the idea here is to reduce it as much as possible to encourage the individual to practice his good resolutions. A good example is an implementation of donation boxes in airports. Their presence in places where people are captive and non-exchangeable coins in their pockets is a perfect combination to lower the cost of participation.

Alcohol abuse and tobacco consumption are societal scourges. As such, they are fought against by society, notably by applying a socially oriented pricing strategy. The sale of tobacco is thus burdened with high taxes to dissuade smokers, and alcohol is subject to an additional levy in the form of excise taxes.

As Kotler and Zaltman (1971) point out:

The art of selling cigarettes [] may have some bearing on the art of selling social causes.

As provocative as it sounds, this statement is, in fact, not far from the truth. The tobacco industry has implemented a marketing strategy specifically aimed at women seeking emancipation. Theadvertisements, an integral part of themarketing mix, perfectly reflected this objective. Women started smoking because of the use of social marketing techniques. As early as 1929, they were convinced that tobacco would allow them to emancipate themselves and serve feminist interests. The publicist Edward Bernays is at the origin of the operation Torches of Freedom, which will make the cigarette pass as socially acceptable among women.

Below are a few diverse examples to illustrate the concept of social marketing.

Bernays, E. L., & Bazon, I. (2012). Propaganda (1928). Alexandria Publishing House.

Kotler, Philip, and Nancy Lee. Social marketing: Influencing behaviors for good. Sage, 2008.

Kotler, Philip, and Gerald Zaltman. Social marketing: an approach to planned social change. Journal of marketing 35.3 (1971): 3-12.

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Social Marketing: Definition, Implementation, Examples [Guide 2021]