Innoserv Solutions Pvt Ltd.

Adoption of Social Media in Academia

ASMA
Arani Sarkar
Shibani Majumder

[2014-15]
1|Page

Introduction
In the three decades since its inception social media has brought dramatic
changes.

The

social

phenomenon

has

reinvented

the

popular

communication culture in the past few years as billions of people joined

online social platform. Currently social media platforms have 1.73 billion
members globally with India having more than 100 million social media
users. India is currently ranked third after China and U.S in terms of social
media users.
Its almost impossible these days to have a conversation that does not
touch the virtual world. In the early days of internet and social media
invention they were only used for sending mail or web search. The
academic institutes did not feel any urgency to maintain their brand and
convey information through online platforms. But the picture is totally
different now. Educational institutes have an urgent need to keep
communication links open with their stakeholders and shareholders as
well as maintain their brand image and attract new students. This process
has picked up speed with the emergence of social media and various
social network-centred platforms. Wikis, blogs, various social networking
sites (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), podcasts, e-portfolios, YouTube,
Skype, Flickr etc. with their one-to-one, one-to-many and multi way
engagement amenability has made communication and interaction much
faster than ever before.
This report focuses on the current impact of social media on academia and
its potential in future. It is an independent report sponsored by InnoServ
Solution Pvt. Ltd, but without the various resources cited throughout the
report our effort would not have been complete.

Social media statistics:

Number of Social media users globally: 1.73 billion
Total population of India: 1.27 billion
2|Page

Number of Social media users in India: More than 100 million

Internet penetration rate in India is only 16%.Just about 51% of this
population use social networking sites compared to more than 70% of the
adult population engaging in social

media in US. Mobile internet users are expected to touch 185 billion by
June 2014, which is 76% of Internet base in India. Majority of these mobile
internet users are youth. This showcases youth are moving to mobile
platform while using social media.

Number of Social media users in India (in Millions):

3|Page

300

282.9
246.7

250
209.1
200
168.7
150
100
50

India

127.5

YoY Growth

87.3
59

46

32

24

18

0
2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

15
2017

This shows that the growth of social media adaption both in mobile platform and via web
network is increasing rapidly. But as per the recent study the youth are using social media
mainly through mobile. WhatsApp for instant messaging in mobile is a huge hit in India. Its
acquisition by Facebook showcases its bright future prospects. As well as easy access of other
social media platforms for e.x Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube increased the time youth
spent on social media. This provides academic institutions a huge opportunity to utilize social
media to attract new stakeholders. Social media can help them to create an impact on target
group much faster .But instead of these many of Indian institutes are lagging behind social
media adoption. This may be due to their lack of knowledge about social media or how they
can use social platform to handle various functionalities.
This report helps the Institutes to get comprehensive details about how social media is
currently being used and how they can be used to achieve their objectives.

4|Page

Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
.............................1
2.
Research......
...................2
2.1. Research
Objectives.....................3
2.2 Scope of the
Study......................4
2.3 Target
Respondents................
.....5
2.4 Research
Methodology.....................
6

5|Page

2.4.1 Contact
generation........................
7
2.4.2 Conduct
Survey.........................
8
2.4.3 Alternate
Strategy...................... 9
3 Key
Findings.......................
............10
4 Analysis of the Survey
result..................11
4.1 Benefits of the
Study.....................12
5 Promotion of the
Report.....................13
6
Recommendation...............
.................14
7
Conclusion.............
.................. 15
8 Appendix 1: Example of Good
practices.......... 15
9
References.........
................... 16
6|Page

Executive Summary
This report discusses Adoption of Social Media in Academia (ASMA)
which is introduced by InnoServ Solutions Pvt. Ltd. This framework is
established based on extensive working knowledge gained through
research on national and international adoption of social media by
academia. To establish this framework we selected Indian institutes based
on their social media presence. We created evaluation parameters for
various stakeholders based on their presence in different social media
platforms. Then to get insight about their social media usage habit we
prepared survey questionnaires and circulated them to the selected
institutes. We analysed the data to find out a trend and best practices
followed by the different institutes who successfully implemented social
media strategy.
The ASMA framework provides collective knowledge of what works for
academia with case studies from the peer group itself. It has ready to use
models that will reduce the risk of implementation as well as will help to
enhance internal knowledge and gain confidence to adopt social media in
academia. So this framework is an industry benchmark for the academia
to follow while adopting social media strategy to meet various business
objectives at all functional levels.

7|Page

Research
Research Objectives:
Social media use is gaining prominence among education institutes
recently and each social media platform can be used to attain a specific
objective. Examples of various social media platforms that have gained
popularity over time are Facebook, Twitter, SlideShare, YouTube, LinkedIn,
Pinterest, Google+, Blogs etc. Each of these platforms can be used for
different purposes.
The objective of our study is to analyse the way in which each of these
platforms is adopted by different institutes for variety of purposes and
determine the best practices of social media adoption. As well as our
objective is to recommend innovative ways in which social media can be
successfully adopted by academia helping them meeting their goals.

Scope of the Study

The present study focuses on the ways in which various social media
platforms can be best used by an educational institute (Top 500 Bschools in our case)Revisit this point. This will consist of the study of
social media usage pattern by various stakeholders of Indian educational
institutes. This study will help us to do trend analysis of social media
adaption.

Indianization of These images

8|Page

The study will be confined to top 500 b schools in India and their presence
in various social media platforms.

Target Respondents
The target respondents will be one be the key stakeholders in the
marketing team who can be usually who are in charge of marketing
responsibilities in the institute. the directors, dean, head of marketing
department and/or management bodies of the institutes.

Research Methodology
Contact Generation:
Online promotion/competition can be conducted to encourage the target
audience to participate in the survey. The contact persons are preferably
be the head of the marketing department, director or the management
body

to

participate

in

the

survey.elaborate,

inhouse

contacts

of

InnoServ(dean, catagorize them as tier1,2etc, ex, teaser : Participate in our

benchmark report for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card, LinkedIn drive

Inhouse
9|Page

Buy invitation

Private institution

Conduct Survey:
Online questionnaires: A closed ended structured questionnaire is used
to collect the data from B-schools across India. The top 500 institutes are
divided into different zones and contact persons are sent online
questionnaires. The questionnaire is based on various stakeholders of
academic institutions and their presence in different social media
platform.
Telephonic interviews: The survey can also be conducted over a
telephone call based on preference.
ASMA website: Also, the survey is on the ASMA website where the
interested institutes can participate.

The ASMA Framework

Face
boo
k

Twi
tte
r

Sli
de
sh
ar
e

You
tub
e

Goo
gle
+

Lin
ked
In

Onlin
e
adve
rtisin
g

Mobi
le
mar
keti
ng

Bl
o
g

Ot
he
rs

Mana
geme
nt
10 | P a g e

team
Facult
y
Stude
nt
body
Corpo
rate
Interf
ace

The framework will assess the extent to which various social media
platforms are used by different stakeholders. Each of the platforms will be
assigned a maximum point based on the popularity of the platform. The
popularity of the platforms will be determined as a result of the survey
conducted among the participating institutes. The participating institutes
will be then awarded marks out of 100 based on their presence on these
social media platform, details of which are received from survey. The
framework will act as a benchmark for best practices for social media
adoption.

Why a social media platform

Institutes already on social media have used social media platforms for
various activities. Given below are some of the examples:

Admission:

Facebook can be used for online registration of students

It will save the cost of maintaining a separate webpage for registration

activities

Online information sharing

11 | P a g e

Student background verification

Potential student social media presence

Internal communication

Facebook can be used to provide notice and information to a

broader mass

Internal messaging/ WhatsApp can be used to convey information to

both individual and groups within very short period of time

Twitter can also be used to convey information to particular group

Promotion/Branding

Facebook can be used to provide details about any events/competition

Facebook can be used to promote any event to a larger audience

Online advertisement can be used for this purpose

Effective use of Twitter can help to increase the visibility of any event
by creating a trend

Industry Interface:

LinkedIn can be used to maintain institution and students profile

Blog and Twitter can be used to improve awareness about the

institute

Academics:

Webinar can be used for online class

SlideShare can be used to upload case studies or report

Blog can be used to share any analyze new thoughts

Facebook can be used to provide notice and happenings in the out

world

Twitter and Google+ can be used for online debate

Student Life:

Facebook can be used to provide details of student life

12 | P a g e

Blog and Twitter can be used to share students thought and carry
out discussion

YouTube can be used for video upload and sharing

LinkedIn can be used to manage student professional profile

Facebook/blogs/LinkedIn/twitter can be used to maintain alumni

network

Incentive for the participating institutes

The participating institute will get a complimentary copy of the ASMA
report containing the best practices for social media adoption and also get
an opportunity to be a part of the launching ceremony of the ASMA report
the first ever comprehensive social media adoption study
conducted in India. Also the participating institutes will get a special
mention in report.

Key Findings
Analysis of the survey result
SurveyMonkey is used to generate online surveys and analyse the results
generated.

Benefits of using ASMA framework

ASMA framework will provide a comprehensive study of the institutes that
are already present on social media and will provide collective knowledge
of what works for the industry with examples from the peer group itself.
The ASMA report will be a repository of knowledge for best practices for
social media adoption among educational institutes. The ASMA framework
will provide ready to use models that is best suited to analyze the
presence of an institute in social media and hence reduce the associated
13 | P a g e

risks of going social. The institutes adopting the framework will have
enhanced internal knowledge and confidence to implement social media
strategies.
The institutes already on social media will get an idea of what they are
doing right and what they are not. Also they will get an idea of the
effective way of using a particular social media platform to reach the
target audience. They can revisit their strategies and make them more
effective.
They institutes new to the social media can plan the social media
strategies in an effective way based on benchmarks provided in the ASMA
report.
Consultancy services from InnoServ Solution Pvt Ltd on the digital
marketing strategies and the ways the existing strategies can be made
more effective to come out as a centre of excellence in terms of social
media adoption.
The colleges adopting the ASMA framework can themselves become
consultancy centers providing other colleges of the region expert
knowledge and guidance in social media adoption.

Why Sponsor ASMA

Be the part of a pioneer initiative:
By becoming the ASMA sponsor, you will be supporting the first ever
comprehensive study regarding social media adoption among Indian
educational institutes.
Gain exposure:
As a sponsor, your organization will get the chance to gain exposure in
academic institutes and academic groups. You will get an opportunity to
reach out to the individuals associated with academia and also you will be
14 | P a g e

recognized on InnoServ Solutions website. The association with academia

and InnoServ will help you create a positive image for your organization.
Create and enhance credibility:
ASMA sponsorship will give the company an opportunity to build an
association with academia and help is a scope to build trust and establish
rapport with prospective customers. Also, the logo placement as the ASMA
sponsor will add to increase the brand visibility of the company.
Access

to

students,

faculties,

corporate

relations

office

of

academia:
As a sponsor, you will have access to interact with students, faculties and
corporate relations office of a number of educational institutes from all
over India. As a sponsor, you will be given the opportunity to attend the
launching ceremony of ASMA where you can network with various
dignitaries from academia. It will also be an opportunity to promote your
organization and its events.

IDL The future of ASMA adoption

IDL or the InnoServ Digital Lab is an industry-academia collaboration
platform that will act as a centre of excellence. It will create an
environment to promote research and knowledge about digital media. It
will help in the adoption of ASMA framework monitored by the internal
resources of the institute. It will also emerge as a profit centre/SBU for the
institute wherever possible.
Institutes gain from IDL implementation
Implementation of digital media services through InnoServ Digital Lab
will help in

Reducing the overall Total Cost of Ownership

Greater control over the plan and execution of digital media

strategies
15 | P a g e

Greater ability to connect with internal stakeholders thus higher

degree of inclusiveness

InnoServs gain from IDL implementation

Involvement of InnoServ experts throughout planning and strategy

formation during roll out of IDL

InnoServ shall be monitoring the overall implementation and shall

recommend course corrections

InnoServ will act as a consultant and build more networks in

academia

Report Layout:
The report will contain

The list of academic institutions who took part in the survey

Parameters on which basis survey is done

The survey methodology

Response from the survey

Analysed details of the responses

Cases of institutions where social media is used in unique way

Best practices followed by academia in social media adoption

Expert recommendation

The final report will be sent to a person who is well known about the
marketing happenings in the institutions. This can be director, dean, head
of marketing department, marketing Professor, Student body of respective
club/committee or management bodies of the institutes.
Our ASMA report will be published in hard copy format as well as e-report.
Any queries regarding the report can be posted in the website. Also the
website will provide opportunity to discuss about the report.

16 | P a g e

Promotion of the report

InnoServ will create online buzz through teaser promotion. These teaser
promotions convey how the report/framework is trying help academia
and ultimately their brand health.
Repeat the message again and again.

Collaboration with high

education societies and list of well known clients showcases

InnoServs credibility and presence in different areas of digital marketing.
These will build trust on InnoServ and curiosity for the report.
Various type logos with different messages which focus on the
objectives of the report and institutions takeaway will be published on a
regular basis on the social media platform. Create online community
where ask the targeted segment to share their experience on social
media. This may include using social media innovatively or any
interesting incidents experienced by them.
Also InnoServ is planning to conduct online competition/sweepstakes
to attract the prospective partners. They will be then invited for
competitions which can be case study writing competition, simulation
programme or idea presentation to a larger audience either offline of
through webinars.
Promote success stories of the institutions who took part in the survey and
how effectively they have implemented social media strategies. Also
message from well known/ noteworthy sources regarding the framework
can be used for promotion.

Recommendation

17 | P a g e

We will provide expert recommendation on social media strategy

implementation.

Conclusion
To be added....

Appendix 1: Examples of social media adoption

Case1:
In the 2014 General Election two students from IIM Calcutta were selected
to assist the digital team of the All India Trinamool Congress Party
(AITMC). As per National spokesperson of Trinamool Congress
The interns will be writing 40 blogs to highlight the development work
done by the West Bengal government in various sectors from
Kanyasree and Jal dharo jal bharo (save water store water) to
maintenance of law and order in the Jangalmahal,.

Case2:
Arizona State University raised $3,059,265 during its two day "Mark It
Day" online fundraising campaign. This exceeded their expected amount
of $76,611. For this campaign they used attractive landing page with
intelligent mix of fundraising asks, updates, and engaging content. They
created social media messaging and are to bring all the stakeholders of
the institutions on board. They tried to remain engaged them throughout
the year and posted shot outs to prospective philanthropic students. Also
the individual recognition and instant gratification on social media helped
them to motivate the target audience
18 | P a g e

Case3:

IIMA introduces FacConnect on Facebook-unique social network interaction

initiatives where aspiring students/ outsiders/ students with non
19 | P a g e

management background can engage in discussion with the IIMA faculties

on selected topics. The discussions were taken place in Google Hangout

References:

20 | P a g e