• Looking for stories via contacts, press releases and other media.
• Writing original articles while paying special attention to the tone and length of an article.
• Work closely with the news team, photographers and editors.
• Ensuring that the news is engaging the reader’s interest and is interactive.
• They should possess strong written and oral communication skills to excel in this field.

Discussing 10 Best Online Journalism Certification and Online Courses in 2022

Understanding the importance and the great demand of a Certified Online Journalism, it is really important to choose the correct study path to pursue your dream. The internet is filled with numerous online certification courses but choosing the best for you that caters all your requirements is a vital step to take. Therefore, we are here along with our experts who conduct special research and analyze data to bring you the 10 Best Online Journalism Certification and Online Courses.

Now, let’s look at 10 Best Online Journalism Certification and Online Courses in 2022!

1. Vskills Certified Online Journalist

The Vskills Certified Online Journalist is designed and curated with the best knowledge and compiled in 17 hours learning course. This course can be taken by beginners as well as professionals already working in this field. This course will meet various areas of online media posting and coverage. The certification examines the candidates on multiple areas in online journalism, writing skills, internet and computer basics, RSS, Digital audio-video, blogging, social media, ethics and legal aspects. People who took this course and cleared the certification experienced an exceptional enhancement in their career opportunity. The best part of this course is that it is a Government certification and is valid throughout your life. Therefore, this is one of the best course to take up to start your career as an Online Journalist.

Course Outline:

• Journalism
• Online Journalism
• Communication Skills
• Written Communication Skills
• Computers Basics
• Internet
• Online Reporting Process
• Blogs and Blogging
• Online Storytelling
• Social Media Reporting
• Journalism Ethics
• Media Laws
• Other Online Journalism
• Online Newspaper
• Streaming Media
• Electronic Publishing

Reasons to take this course:

• Vskills is a Government Certified body that adds value to your resume itself.
• The Certification is valid throughout your life.
• No prior knowledge required.
• Get access to free Practice Tests.
• Both Professionals as well as begineers can take this course without any second thought.
• Candidates get tagged as ‘Vskills Certified’ On Monsterindia.com and  ‘Vskills Certified’ On Shine Shine.com for better job opportunities.
• This course is available online including online learning material and hard copy at your door steps.
• You can take your exam at any time of your convenience.
• 17 fruitfull Learning hours.

More Details:

Duration of course: 17 hours

Rating: 5 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

2. Top Journalism Courses (Udemy)

We have mentioned some of the best Journalism courses that are available on Udemy. However, there are endless courses so you can check the link below and choose your best take. Udemy is one of the most famous online education platform where you can find masses of courses from best instructors all over the world. Moreover, some of the bestsellers include Dan Rather on Journalism and Finding the truth in the news, how to be a journalist, pro-iPhone video editing course, how to write a great copy for online media, professional techniques, etc. Also, get hands-on lessons allow you to improve your writing and communication skills.

Courses available:

• Dan Rather on Journalism and Finding the Truth in the News
• How to be a Journalist – The Complete Guide to Journalism
• Investigative Journalism
• Journalism Skills for Beginners
• Online Journalism: How To Write Great Copy For Online Media
• Advanced Training Course in Science Journalism 2.0
• Learn Citizen Journalism – Be A Digital Soldier Step by Step
• The Fine Print: Learn the Writing Business

Reasons to take this course:

• Get to learn from the very basic to advance level of Online Journalism.
• Get lifetime access to the video lectures.
• Learn from the best instructors.
• Get the courses at a very nominal price.
• Learn at your own pace.
• Get assessment test to validate your skills.

More Details:

Duration of course: Self-Paced

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

3. University Journalism Degrees & Certificates Online (Coursera)

Coursera is collaborating with world-class universities all over the world, including University of Michigan, University of Colorado Boulder, Illinois university, and many more. Getting certified from such institutions is itself a very prestigious opportunity and one should grab it. The courses are divided based on the difficulty levels namely beginner, intermediate and advanced. Some of the best picks you can grab are journalism, the future and you, skills for engaged citizens, transmedia storytelling: narrative worlds, emerging technologies, and global audiences, and report the news. Rest you can check the other courses on the official website of Coursera by clicking on the link below in the blog.

Courses available:

• Become a Journalist: Report the News! Specialization
• English for Journalism
• Introduction to Public Relations and the Media Specialization
• Journalism, the future, and you!
• Transmedia Storytelling: Narrative worlds, emerging technologies, and global audiences
• Visualization for Data Journalism
• Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization

Reasons to take this course:

• Financial aid to students who cannot afford the cost of the course.
• Learn to achieve specialization in the field.
• Learn from the top universities in the world.

More Details:

Duration of course: Self-Paced

Rating: 4.6 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

4. University Journalism Courses (edX)

edX is welcoming you to take courses from some of the best institutes for journalism. Study and learn about Journalism for Social Change from UC Berkeley, Investigative Journalism from Columbia, or how to distinguish between credible news sources from the University of Michigan. These courses are meant for beginners as well as professionals who want to brushup their concepts. Moreover, the courses claims that you will learn introductory and advanced journalism which will help you begin your career and build a solid foundation. Overall, these are some of the best courses on online journalism and will surely help you ace your career with flying colors.

Courses available:

• English for Journalists, Part 1
• English for Journalists, Part 2
• Global Media, War, and Technology
• Google search techniques and tools from a Google expert

Reasons to take this course:

• No prerequisites required.
• Beginner to advance level course.
• Free of cost.
• Learn at your own pace.

More Details:

Duration of course: Self-Paced

Rating: 4.6 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

5. Bob Woodward Teaches Investigative Journalism (Masterclass)

MasterClass is one of the streaming platform that makes it achievable for anyone to watch or listen to hundreds of video lessons taught by 100+ of the world’s best instructors. The course is divided into 24 lessons, which will give you the details of Bob’s personal experience as a journalist and how he scavenged for information, attesting facts, and sources that help to develop a solid story. Moreover, you will learn how to prepare for interviews and conduct them as well. With techniques of writing and creating stories, you will learn how to publish it and learn from the mistakes.

Course Outline:

• Introduction
• Guiding Principles
• Finding the Story
• How to Approach In-Depth Reporting
• The Reporting Challenges of Watergate
• Hunting Down the Documents
• Building Trust With Sources, and many more.

Reasons to take this course:

• Get 100+ classes and categories
• Develop techniques for getting a storyline and investigating on it
• New classes are added every month
• Learn the tactics of reporting to get a story

More Details:

Duration of course: 5 hours approx.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

6. Diploma in Journalism (Alison)

This diploma course in Journalism is offered by Alison, one of the first platforms to offer MOOCs (massive online open courses). This course claims that learners will learn how to write editorials and feature news stories using idea generation, objectivity, angles, key points, and structures in mind. The instructor will guide you throughout the ethical responsibilities and public duties of journalists, the right ways to use facts and opinions to write quality articles and the methods to avoid conflicts of interest. By the end of the course you will be confident enough and over the edge of the competition.

Course Outline:

• Introduction to news and interviews
• Writing Features and editorials
• Ethics and media management
• Digital production and safety
• Digital media
• Data Journalism
• Digital Resources
• Rights and obligations in journalism, and many more.

Reasons to take this course:

• Free Course
• Certificate available with a nominal fee
• 10-15 hours of learning
• Fit for beginners

More Details:

Duration of course: 10-15 hours

Rating: 4.4 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

7. Distance Learning Courses (The London School of Journalism)

The London School of Journalsim is offering numerous courses that can be taken by learners all across the globe. This is a good opportunity to take and get certified from a prestigious institute. Some of the best courses include the writing topics such as thriller writing, English for business, freelance feature, travel and sports writing, internet, news journalism, and media law. Moreover, these courses will help you improve your writing and expression skills in various forms of media. You will also get the chance to have assessment tests and test your skills practically.

Courses Available:

• Freelance and Feature Writing
• News Journalism
• Internet Journalism
• Novel writing
• Freelance and Travel Writing
• Freelance and Music and the Arts, and many more.

Reasons to take this course:

• Take the course from anywhere in the world.
• Learn at your own pace.
• Get to learn about freelancing.
• Improve your grammer and communication skills
• Understand the techniques and check your grasp on them in the accompanying quizzes and class projects.

More Details:

Duration of course: Self-Paced

Rating: 4.4 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

8. Meet The Press: Beginner’s Guide To Freelance Journalism (SkillShare)

This course is prepared by Brittany Knight of Meet the Press, a best-selling author with years of journalism experience. This course is good for beginners who want to explore the field of online journalism and want to learn about freelancing. The course claims that you will be able to develop your own stories from the beginning and following them through to the end. In this beginner-level course, you will also learn to research and question yourself like a true journalist. Moreover, you will receive downloadable study material and a class discussion forum.

Course Outline:

• Journalism versus blogging
• Nine principles of journalism
• Five categories of journalism
• Research
• The interview process

Reasons to take this course:

• Get free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium
• Beginner level course
• Get unlimited access to every class
• Get to leran the fundamentals and necessary features

More Details:

Duration of course: 2 hours approx.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

9. How to Become a Purpose-Driven Journalist (LinkedIn Learning)

LinkedIn Learning is probably the best place to find wide variety of courses all over the world. This course is best for professionals already working in this field as well as for beginners who to excel in their career. This is a beginner-level course that focus on women in journalism and highlights experiences, and insights from one of the top women in the industry. However, this course can be taken by anyone. Also, LinkedIn provides you the special facility to try its 30-days free trial so you might as well take the advantage of the opportunity as much as you can.

Course Outline:

• A Passion for News
• Women in Broadcast Journalism
• Fostering Your Career
• A New Awareness for Women and Success
• Essential Values of a Good Journalist
• Family Life as a Journalist
• It’s Time for Reckoning and Trust
• Norah’s Golden Advice for Success
• The Wisdom of Good Journalism

Reasons to take this course:

• Designed and created by some of the best instructors of LinkedIn Learning.
• Learn at your own pace.
• Variety of exercises to practice the concepts covered in the lectures.
• Free access to courses for the first 30 days.
• Learn writing skills from the very basics to advance level.

More Details:

Duration of course: 43 minutes

Rating: 4.3 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

10. Introduction to Journalism (Future Learn)

This free online course is offered by Michael Higgins, Senior Lecturer in Journalism and English at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK in collaboration with Future Learn. This course has no formal requirements rather than prior journalistic knowledge or experience. But you can take this course anyways. The course claims that students will be introduced to concepts, challenge assumptions, facilitate understanding and new skills. Moreover, you will encounter several esteemed journalists from around the world. Overall, its a good course for anyone who want to take online journalism as their career.

Course Outline:

• What makes a good news story
• Writing news
• Writing features
• Opinion writing
• Politics and journalism
• Investigative journalism

Reasons to take this course:

• Offered by esteemed instructors from University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK.
• Several esteemed journalists from around the world will feature each week.
• Free online course.
• Learn at your own pace.

More Details:

Duration of course: 6 weeks

Rating: 4.6 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

In the end, we would like to wish you all the very best for your future. We hope you read the blog carefully and have chosen your favourite course and are already preparing to take the course and ace your career with flying colors. Happy Learning!

The post 10 Best Online Journalism Certification and Online Courses in 2022 appeared first on Vskills Blog.

So, if you are somebody who wants to build a career in entertainment and media law then simply follow us till the end of the blog as here you’ll get to find the 10 Best Entertainment and Media Law Certification and Online Courses in 2022. Let’s begin with knowing the roles, responsibilities, and required skills of a media law analyst/media lawyer.

Responsibilities

As an entertainment and media law analyst, one is required to-

• Cover legal issues related to the media
• Solve cases including high-profile clients like actors
• Provide legal assistance to media houses

Recommended skills

To begin with, let’s discuss the basic skills that are required to become a proficient media law analyst. These are-

• Communication skills
• Detail orientation
• Creative skills
• Commercial awareness
• Knowledge of media industry
• Organisation skills

10 Best Entertainment and Media Law Certification and Online Courses in 2022

To find out the course that suits you best out of the numerous courses offered by various educational websites is not an easy task. So, here I am to guide you by providing a list of 10 Best Entertainment and Media Law Certification and Online Courses in 2022. This will help you analyze and find which of these courses meet your requirements. So, without any further waste of time let’s directly look at what we are here for-

1. Certified Media Law Analyst by Vskills

This course covers several areas of media laws such as center-state policy, defamation, Official Secrets Act 1923, MRTPC Act 1969, freedom of media, Contempt of Courts Act 1971, Cinematograph Act 1952, intellectual and property rights, broadcasting laws, Advertising Standards Council of India, as well as media ethics. Following are some important details and the course outline that you should know before enrolling in this course.

Course Details

• Learning access- Lifelong
• Government certificate
• Validity of certificate- Lifetime
• Learning hours- 13 hrs

Course Outline

• Jurisprudence
• Sources of Law
• Types of Laws
• History of Laws
• Indian Constitution
• Press Freedom in India
• Structure of Judicial System
• Supreme Court of India
• High Courts
• Lower Courts
• Introduction: Civil Procedure
• Introduction: Criminal Procedure
• The Trial
• The Charge
• Trials of Different Cases
• The Judgement
• The Appeal
• The Execution
• Press Council of India
• Press Council Acts
• Press Council & Media Management
• Introduction: Indian Penal Code
• Defamation
• Legal Procedure in a Defamation Case
• Right to Privacy
• Introduction to Copyright
• Copyright Act – 1957
• International Copyright Order – 1999
• Obscenity & Bad Taste
• Indecent Representation of Women Act – 1986
• Prasar Bharati Act – 1990
• Official Secrets Act – 1923
• Contempt of Courts Act – 1971
• Protection of Civil Rights Act – 1955
• Freedom of Information Bill
• Parliamentary Proceedings Act – 1977
• Wireless and Telegraphy Act
• Information Technology Act – 2000
• Introduction to Ethics
• Press Council: Norms of Journalistic Conduct
• AIR Policy Broadcasting Code
• Rights, Duties & Restrictions of Media Professionals
• Accurate and Fair Reporting

Apply for the course

2. Diploma in Media and Entertainment Law: Contracts, Licensing and Regulations by Law Sikho

This course emphasizes teaching laws that regulate various forms of media, intellectual property, and other media and entertainment industry-related legal issues. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to work as an in-house counsel in an organization working in this sector, in a boutique media, and the entertainment law firm, or in the technology, and telecom laws practice of a law firm. Moreover, keep note of the following important details before applying for the program.

Course Details

• Fees- Rs 30000
• Hands-on practicals included
• Duration- 6 months

Course Outline

• Regulatory framework for the media sector
• Contracts and licensing in music and film industry
• Other contracts for IP monetization
• Disputes in the media and entertainment sector

Apply for this course

3. Master Course in Media, Entertainment and the Law by enhelion

This master course on media, entertainment, and the law addresses the intersection of media, entertainment, and the law by giving an overview of the media industry-related regulations. So, you may appear for this program considering the flexible schedules and other important details given below.

Course Details

• Price-Rs 3999
• Course Type-Self-paced
• Registration-Open

Course Contents

Module 1: An Introduction to Communications Regulation

Module 2: Press, Media, and Broadcasting Regulations

Module 3: New Media and Content Regulations

Module 4: Regulations in Functional Communication

Module 5: Advertising Law in India

Module 6: Speech and the New Media

Apply for the course

4. Online Certificate Course on Media & Entertainment Law by E-Justice India Online Law School

This in-depth course is beneficial for both students and professionals willing to work as media lawyers. The modules of the program provide a better understanding of the media and entertainment laws. Thus, enrolling in this course is a good way to enhance your skills and boost your CV as well. So, go through the following details and course outline, first of all, to be aware of the prerequisites and other information and if this is what you are looking for then don’t wait to get yourself enrolled in this course.

Course Details

• Duration- 1month
• Fees- Rs199
• Method- Module based learning

Course Outline

1. Introduction and regulatory framework.

2. Contracts & Licensing wrt intellectual property 

3. Disputes in Media & Entertainment and its settlement mechanism 

4. Media & Entertainment in democracy and constitution 

5. Paradigm Shift of Media & Entertainment Law in India: Conclusive Approach

Apply for this course

5. Entertainment Law and Industry Certificate by USC Online

This course provides you with the fundamental knowledge of media and entertainment law required to work with legal issues in the entertainment industry, as media lawyers, or as professionals involved in legal-related work in the entertainment field. So, if you possess an interest in learning more about media and entertainment laws then this is definitely a good option to help you get comprehensive knowledge of this topic.

Course Details

• Duration- 12 months
• TOEFL or IELTS score (required for international applicants)
• Course type- Fully online

Course Outline

• Business Organizations
• Contract Drafting and Strategy
• Dealmaking in the Entertainment Industry
• Digital Media Transactions
• Entertainment Law and Industry
• Intellectual Property: Copyright
• Intellectual Property: Trademark
• Music Law in Practice
• Negotiation Skills

Apply for the course

6. Media Law by edX

This course provides knowledge on a comprehensive range of topics and models, including privacy and art, Digital Rights Management, Open Source public license, Creative Commons, and working definitions of fair use as well as the practical limits of sampling in different idioms and economic sectors. Moreover, some other important details of the course to be kept in mind while applying are mentioned below.

Course Details

• Duration- 14 weeks
• Instructor paced
• Level- Introductory
• Institution: NYUx

Course Modules

• Introduction to Media Law
• Copyright Law
• Copyright & Art
• DMCA
• Music
• First Amendment
• First Amendment & Art
• Patents
• Comedy, Choreography, & Creative Commons
• Privacy Law
• Privacy & Art
• Trademark Law
• Trademarks & Art
• Contracts

Apply for the course

7. Media Law by LSJ

This course incorporates reading, writing and revision assignments that help consolidate your knowledge of media laws. It is structured in a way to take account of the problems frequently encountered by most students in understanding media law. Thus, this course is helpful in providing practical knowledge along with the required skills. So, straightaway enroll in this program to get familiar with the media and entertainment law industry.

Course Details

• Fees- £340.00
• Duration- 9-15 months
• 20 exercises included

Course Modules

• Journalists and the Law
• Crime & The Courts
• Reporting the courts 1
• Reporting the courts 2
• Libel risks
• Libel defences
• Contempt of Court
• Civil courts, inquests and tribunals
• Confidentiality and freedom of information
• Privacy and copyright

Apply for the course

8. One year post graduate diploma in media laws by NALSAR

This course incorporates all the new changes that will sensitize and expose entertainment professionals including the advertising and editorial professionals, public information officers, policy makers as well as legal professionals on the dynamic and evolving media law space. So, if this is what you are looking for then this course is definitely a good option for you to choose.

Course modules

1.1 Media, Ethics and the Constitution

1.2 Media and the Law

1.3 Advertisement and the Law

1.4 Electronic media and regulatory law

Apply for the course

9. Media Law Online Short Course by London College of Communication

This is a one-day intensive course that examines the basic principles of relevant UK legislation and teaches you to get the interesting content you require whilst staying above the law. Moreover, it discusses the laws that work in the ever-changing contemporary media and publishing industry and how they seek to achieve a balance between the rights of individuals as well as the interests of the media. Following are some other important details that you should keep in mind before applying for the course.

Topics Covered

• Legal framework of the media industry
• Rights of individuals versus the interests of the media
• Defamation
• Privacy
• Contempt of Court
• Copyright

Apply for the course

10. Online Media Law: The Basics for Bloggers and Other Publishers by Poynter

This course primarily focuses on the areas of media law that are specifically related to gathering information and publishing online that are defamation, privacy, and copyright. It explains to you how learning about legal rights and responsibilities helps in protecting you against lawsuits. Thus, this course will help in improving the accuracy and quality of your published material and enable you to become a better journalist. However, some other important details of this course are as follows-

Topics covered

• Defamation
• Privacy
• Copyright

Apply for the course

I hope this blog will help you decide which course suits your requirements. So, don’t wait anymore and enroll in any of the above courses to kick-start your career in project finance.

HAPPY LEARNING!!

The post 10 Best Entertainment and Media Law Certification and Online Courses in 2022 appeared first on Vskills Blog.

Let’s move towards discussing Social Media Marketing Courses and Certification!

Who is a Social Media Marketing Professional?

A Social Media Marketing Profesional is the one who manages all the social media platforms and pages like Instagram, Meta, YouTube, and company’s websites for promoting their products and services. This professional is also responsible for assisting junior executives in the social media marketing staff by assigning them different tasks and maintain coordination. They are also responsible for reporting and monitoring social media activity and trends, writing engaging content and blogs, creating and supervising strategies to support the brand on social media. They also conduct online surveys from customers and list the expectations and requirements of them from their company’s product and services and suggest ways to improve product and social media quality for developing the company on all aspects and stand in the competitive market. Some of the major roles and responsibilities of these professionals include the following:

• To manage all the social media accounts of the company
• Ensuring brand consistency in marketing and social media messages
• They also collect customer data and analyses interactions
• Utilizing customer data to create comprehensive reports
• Work towards improving future marketing strategies and campaigns
• Staying up to date with any new changes on social media platforms
• Creating social media performance report to explain their progress on social media

Now, let’s look at some of the skills possessed by these professionals:

• Communication skills
• Writing skills
• Creativity and Innovation
• Customer care
• Developing good connections
• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving and Decision-making

Discussing the 10 Best Social Media Marketing Courses and Certification in 2022

The job of a Social Media Marketing Professional is quite exhausting but is full of new challenges everyday that requires creativity and innovation. Getting proper knowledge about the same will help the aspirants to outgrow their own capabilities and earn them acknowledgement at the workplace as well as globally. Therefore, it is equally important to choose the best institution to learn from to add value to your resume as well as help you get the best knowledge and skills required for this job. So, we’re here to help you out with our latest and updated 10 best Social Media Marketing Courses and Certifications in 2022. Without wasting more time let’s head towards the list.

1. Vskills Certified Social Media Marketing Professional

Vskills is known as the India’s Largest Certification Body that is attested by the Government of India. Having a certification like this will definitely add value to your resume. People have shared positive experiences while earning Vskills certification and have witnessed a huge enhancement in their career prospects. Moreover, they have gained value after earning this certification. The Certified Social Media Marketing Professional certification is specially made for both beginners as well as professionals. The course claims that it covers and tests candidates on various areas in social media marketing concepts. Moreover, learners have developed skills like social media strategies, analytical skills, handling social media metrics, and gained knowledge of social media platforms and tools by the end of the certification. Also, you earn the certificate after the successful completion of the exam that attested by the Government of India.

Course outline:

• Social Media Basics
• Case Studies on Social Media Usage
• Getting Started with Social Media
• Social Media Channels Overview

Reasons to take this course:

• To begin with, Vskills is a Government Certified body that adds value to your CV itself.
• Then, the Certification is valid throughout your life.
• No prerequisites required.
• Both Professionals as well as begineers can take this course without any second thought.
• Candidates get tagged as ‘Vskills Certified’ On Monsterindia.com and  ‘Vskills Certified’ On Shine Shine.com for better job opportunities.
• This course is available online including online learning material and hard copy at your door steps.
• You can take your exam on any date and time of your convenience.
• 15 fruitfull Learning hours.

More Details:

Duration of this course: 15 learning hours

Rating: 5 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

2. The Complete Digital Marketing Course – 12 Courses in 1 (Udemy)

Udemy is also one of the most famous online education platform where you can find masses of courses from best instructors all over the world. This complete digital marketing course is divided into 12 mini courses that are available to you in one single course. You will learn about the basic concepts of Digital Marketing, including social media marketing, YouTube marketing, Facebook marketing, SEO, and many more. Moreover, you will also learn various strategies that will help you in growing online businesses without learning any programming language. Furthermore, you will receive a professional certificate of completion after completing the course. This is a good course for someone who is interested in getting a job in digital marketing.

Course outline:

• Market Research
• WordPress
• Email Marketing
• Copywriting
• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• YouTube Marketing
• Social Media Marketing (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Quora)
• Linkedin Marketing
• App Marketing
• Google Adwords
• Facebook Ads
• Google Analytics

Reasons to take this course:

• No prior experience is required.
• Contionus support and motivation from the instructor.
• Complete learning hours with quizes, practice papers, and information abot SEO, Meta Marketing, and many more.
• Learn to handle traffic on various social media platforms like LinkedIn marketing, App marketing, and Google analytics.

More Details:

Duration of this course: 23-24 hours

Rating: 4.4 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

3. How to Create a Social Media Strategy by Institute of Data & Marketing (FutureLearn)

This is a complete program that covers everything about social media strategy for personal branding, businesses, and other domains. The course claims that the students develop skills that help them develop an engaging social media strategy, improve brand image and social engagement online. Moreover, the course lectures are highly equipped with quality learning lectures, study notes, helpful exercises, and business cases to accommodate you with the best learning experience. Also, students after completing the course were able to develop their own social media strategy and run it.

Course outline:

• Understanding Social Media Strategy
• How to Develop Your Social Media Content Strategy
• Running a Social Media Campaign: Customers, Influencer Engagement, Analytics

Reasons to take this course:

• This is a good course for beginners and marketing managers to help them boost and develop new skills.
• Learn KPI with the SMART objective framework.
• Learn to engage traffic on the website to enhance a website total viewing hours.
• Learning to create strategies and develop plans for your social media platform.

More Details:

Duration of this course: 10 weeks

Rating: 4.7 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

4. Digital Marketing Specialization by University of Illinois (Coursera)

Coursera is one of the largest online learning platform that collude with various prestigious foundations along with their notable experts to develop best courses that can be taken from anywhere in the world. The digital marketing specialization course is offered by the Univeristy of Illinois. The best part about this course is that it is prepared by the leading experts from the the University of Illinois. This course will help you specialize strategic marketing concepts and tools to direct brand communication in the digital world. The course claims that the learners will get the opportunity to explore different aspects of the current digital marketing environment, including various topics like digital marketing analytics, search engine optimization, 3D printing, and much more. Moreover, the complete course is divided into seven different courses which will help you master the field. Also, you will be required to solve a capstone project at the end of the course that will help you validate your learned skills.

Course outline:

• Digital Marketing Analytics in Theory
• Digital Marketing Analytics in Practice
• Marketing in a Digital World
• Digital Media and Marketing Principles
• Digital Media and Marketing Strategies
• The Digital Marketing Revolution
• Digital Marketing Capstone

Reasons to take this course:

• The digital marketing specialization course is offered by the Univeristy of Illinois.
• Get to explore different aspects of the current digital marketing environment, including various topics like digital marketing analytics, search engine optimization, 3D printing, and much more.
• Includes a capstone project
• Learn to achieve specialization in the field.

More Details:

Duration of this course: Varies

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

5. Trending Social Media Marketing Courses (LinkedIn Learning)

LinkedIn Learning is a very well-known platform where you can find various courses related to almost every field. Earning this certification will also add value to your resume. Moreover, there are numerous courses available on the site from where you choose your best take. These courses are best for professionals already working in this field. It offers numerous courses that are listed below in the blog. The courses are well equipped and are available in video lectures, graded assignments, hands-on projects, practical exams, and real-life scenarios of ad campaigns. After completion of the course you can share your completion certificate that can also be shared on your LinkedIn profile.

Courses available:

• Social Media Marketing Foundations
• Marketing: Copywriting for Social Media
• Social Media Marketing Trends
• Social Media Marketing: Strategy and Optimization
• Marketing on Instagram
• Social Media Marketing for Small Business
• Social Media Marketing Tips

Reasons to take this course:

• Designed and created by some of the best instructors of LinkedIn Learning.
• Learn at your own pace.
• Free access to courses for the first 30 days.
• Learn strategies to grow your small business at a rapid speed by using social media platforms.

More Details:

Duration of this course: Self-paced

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

6. Digital Marketing Strategies (Northwestern | Kellog School of Management)

This course is offered by Northwestern|Kellog school of management. This course comprises of all the modern marketing techniques and offers you to create strategies to build businesses by making decisions and solving real-life issues. The course also claims that it helps learners on various platforms like how to evolve your marketing by incorporating data, analytics, and optimization techniques for improved decision-making. This is for those who want to see growth in their business management skills and want to grow their business to high and next level with the help of technologies like Artifical intelligence and data mining.

Course outline:

• A Framework for Marketing in a Digital World
• Understand Customers and Generating Insights
• Customer Segmentation and Behavioral Marketing
• The Customer Journey and Content Strategy
• Brand Storytelling in a Digital World
• Accelerating Marketing Execution through Agile Marketing
• Marketing Attribution, Testing, and Experimentation
• Marketing Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Marketing

Reasons to take this course:

• Identify real-world challenge in business and come up with a solutions.
• Get practice tests, tricks, and tips from the experts.
• Gain insights into social data mining and AI operations.
• Get to learn modern trends in the social media marketing platform.

More Details:

Duration of this course: 2 months

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

7. Free Social Media Marketing Courses (Alison)

This course is offered by Alison, one of the first platforms to offer MOOCs (massive online open courses). There are numerous courses available in Alison related to social media marketing. Some of them are listed below in the blog. These courses are versatile in the sense that both beginners and professionals can take them. Moreover, the courses are available at two levels first is a single course designed for individuals and second one is designed as diploma courses. These courses will help you learn how to use social media platforms to manage marketing campaigns, increase sales, and reach your marketing targets. Also, after completing the course, you will get a certificate of completion.

Courses available:

• Diploma in social media marketing
• Profitable marketing for small businesses
• Diploma in media and its development
• The complete social media marketing course
• Diploma in digital textuality
• Marketing through the internet and social media
• Diploma in modern marketing management
• Introduction to online marketing strategies
• YouTube marketing, and many more

Reasons to take this course:

• Two specialized namely, a simple course and other is diploma programs that are entirely focused on teaching you the basics as well as core concepts of social media marketing.
• Certificate available with a nominal fee
• 2-3 hours of learning
• Get to know about various social media strategies and powerfull tools for promoting brands of the company.

More Details:

Duration of this course: Varies

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (average)

Click here to Sign up

8. Social Media Marketing Courses (edX)

edX is also one of the most famous education platform where you can take up online courses and develop skills required to boost your career goals. Students who are curious to learn best practices and strategies for developing their social media marketing platform can take any course from the following list of courses that are available on edX. These courses are prepared by various professionals all over the world like Boston University, UBC, Curtin, and many others. The best part of getting certification from prestigious institutes at world level will add value to your CV and build enormous career opportunities for you in the social media marketing field.

Courses available:

• Online advertising and social media
• Social media: How media got social
• From digital technologies to social media
• Reputation management in a digital world
• Online marketing strategies
• Marketing in a digital world
• Marketing essentials
• Introduction to Marketing, and many more.

Reasons to take this course:

• Learn from the top universities around the world, such as Boston University, UBC, Curtin, and many others.
• Choose from the list of extensive courses and learn social media marketing tools and tactics for building your online marketing knowledge and advance your career.

More Details:

Duration of this course: Varies

Rating: 4.6 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

9. Introduction to Social Media Strategy by Skillshare (Buffer)

This course is prepared by Buffer and offered by Skillshare. This course is a great choice for beginners and intermediates. The course starts from the introduction to social media and then move the learners to the advance level. Moreover, you will learn lessons on creating and curating content, Introduction to Social Media Strategy discussesing the right marketing tools are for certain audiences and platforms. You will also learn brand awareness, voice creation, and advertising. This course is suited for anyone who want to create authentic connections.

Course outline:

• Introduction
• Getting started
• Find your voice
• Choose your platforms
• Creating and curating content
• Use the right tools
• 5-Step Facebook Ad Strategy
• Final thoughts
• Next steps

Reasons to take this course:

• Best course for beginners and intermediates, who want to build their career in social media marketing.
• Get learning lessons from professionals all over the world.
• Get knowledge from basic to advance level.

More Details:

Duration of this course: 43 minutes

Rating: 4.4 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

10. Advanced Social Advertising Training by Hootsuite Academy

The advanced social advertising training course is offered by the leading experts at the Hootsuite academy. This course is designed for intermediates who want to learn more about the contemporary marketing landscape. This course is curated with all the knowledge and skills that are required for social media marketing that can be applied on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Course outline:

• The Social Advertising Landscape
• Setting the Stage for a Successful Social Media Ad Campaign
• Advanced Best Practices for Targeting Social Advertisements
• Creating and Iterating on Social Ads
• Bidding and Buying Social Ads
• Tracking the Impact and ROI of your Social Ads
• How Hootsuite Helps with Social Advertising
• Hootsuite Advanced Social Advertising Certification Exam

Reasons to take this course:

• Best course for intermediates.
• Brainstrom your knowledge and help you develop required skills.
• Explore how to create plans for a targeted group of social media users.

More Details:

Duration of this course: 5 hours approx.

Rating: 4.6 out of 5

Click here to Sign up

We have now reached at the end of the blog. We hope you went through each of the course and all the related details completely. Moreover, we are happy if we could help you in choosing the right certification course for yourself and kick start your career in Social Media Marketing sector. We wish you all the best. Happy learning!

The post 10 Best Social Media Marketing Courses and Certification in 2022 appeared first on Vskills Blog.

If you are less effective as a public speaker than you would like to be, consider first the three obstacles that act as deterrents:

■ Attitude.

“I can’t give a speech,” is a common excuse. In his book People in Quandaries, Wendell Johnson calls this defeatist attitude IFD disease—that is, idealization, frustration, demoralization. Many people set too high standards for themselves, are frustrated when they prove unreachable, and then consider themselves failures. If you have to coax yourself to accept speaking opportunities, remember that there are very few great speakers. Just set yourself a goal of a talk that is adequate for the purpose. (Obviously you will improve with practice.)

■ Stage fright.

Everyone experiences it, from the high school vale­dictorian to the seasoned professional actor.

The fear of being “on stage” can be minimized. You may grope for a word; your voice may develop a quiver; your knees may feel shaky or—even actually quake. So, what. If a man is realistic about his speaking abilities, expects to make mistakes and resolves to speak regardless of his fears, generally he will do fine. How often have you heard a speaker complimented enthusiastically respond by saying, “I was scared to death.”? He may have been. But chances are he was the only one who knew it.

■ Opportunity.

Some executives don’t consider speaking to groups important. “Why should I bother. It’s a lot of trouble. . ..” Why should you bother? Because you want to be a leader, a motivator, and to grab a piece of the action.

In addition to minimizing the three mental blocks just described, there are three approaches that help you score: Planning, Practice, Performance.

Planning: The Preliminaries.

In journalism school, aspiring reporters are taught to start out on each assignment with five ques­tions in mind: why? who? what? where? when? Only when they have come up with the answers to all five will they be able to write the whole story.

The same technique can be used by aspiring speakers.

When you are to give a talk begin your preparations by asking yourself:

Why are you giving the talk? To tell other executives about a pet project? To alert your men to new plans? When to ask for help on a special project? The answer will put your purpose in clear perspective, help you get it across easily.

Who will you be talking to? Rank-and-file employees? Managers? Students? Industry businessmen? Will they be knowledgeable, sym­pathetic, resistant? The more you know about the audience, the less likely you will be to fail—with the words you use, the ideas you express, the way you present them. Knowing the audience and its areas of interest helps you decide what aspects of a subject to cover.

When will you be speaking? Early morning or late evening? Is this to be a one-man show or will there be other speakers on the bill? Will you be the first speaker, or the last? Clearly, your position in the sequence of speakers will influence your approach; for example, you would want to put extra punch into a talk to rouse an audience wearied by a succession of previous speakers.

Once you have the five W’s answered to your satisfaction, you can proceed to . . .

1. Planning: The Nitty -Gritty. An important factor in any successful speech is planning so that you know beforehand what you’re going to say. This doesn’t mean writing a talk out sentence by sentence. A person seldom writ7es as he talks, and what reads well on paper usually sounds stilted and dull when spoken. What you’re after is a clear outline of your main ideas, plus brief notes, and key phrases to serve as an assist to your memory.

Organize the main part of the talk first.

Jot down the major theme of the talk and then decide on several key points to support it, shuffling and reshuffling until they’re arranged in logical order, one leading naturally into the next. Add subordinate points, case histories, examples to back up each idea—but only those that actually help to clarify the idea. Don’t try to include too much—it will only con­fuse your listeners. Better to say less, effectively, and have it remem­bered.

If you’re going to want notes with you when you speak (and most people do), print each key idea at the top of a 3″ x 5″ or 4″ x 6″ card. Then under each heading list the necessary subordinate points, brief notes, or phrases that will serve as reminders.

Plan a “socko” opening .

Start with something that will gain the immediate attention of your audience. It may be in the form of a question, a human-interest story, a striking quotation, a state­ment of disturbing fact—but whatever your choice, it should be relevant to your topic. Keep it short, informal. And, unless you’re an experienced raconteur, avoid humor—when it doesn’t work it’s embarrassing, to you and your audience. (Good idea: write out the actual opening sentences on a card—and memorize them.)

and a forceful, thoughtful closing.

The close of a speech is a strategic element, since what is said last is likely to be remembered longest. Plan your ending carefully, know almost word for word what you are going to say. One of the best ways to end is to briefly sum­marize your main points. Telling your people what you said after you’ve already said it, really makes it stick. Or you may want to wind up with an appeal for action, or a sincere compliment for the au­dience. Your closing sentences should round out your talk, leaving no loose edges.

Keep your talk audience-centered.

People are much less interested in what’s going on in Timbuktu than in what’s happening in their own backyards. Talk in terms of the problems facing the people who will be listening to you—use illustrations and examples that they will recognize. Everything you say, and any visual aids you use, should relate to what they do, want, and worry about.

Plan for participation.

How will you know whether your audience has understood what you’ve been talking about? The best way to find out is to get them to tell it back to you. If appropriate, plan questions now that will promote discussions then. Don’t leave this to chance. Add the questions to your notation cards—at the proper time use them to get the group started talking back.

Practice.

Once you know what you want to say, prepare for the big day. The only realistic way: get up on your feet and practice out loud. You may feel a bit silly at first, but keep at it. Make the first run-throughs in privacy, then move up to appearances before a mirror (where you can see yourself as the audience will see you) or before a sympathetic wife or friend (who may helpfully point out your goofs).

If you have a tape recorder available, of course, one or more run-throughs played back help polish rough spots, and give you an idea as to the overall effectiveness of your talk, as well as its length.

Performance.

You’ve done the planning, the practice—now you’re on stage, ready to put yourself—and your talk—across. To succeed…

Dress neatly and to suit the occasion. This may mean anything from khakis for the construction site to business suit with shirt and tie for the conference room.

Act confident—

even if you’re not. A little nervousness is a good sign; it will give you the extra push you need to put yourself across. But don’t let it show. Stand tall, steady down with a couple of deep breaths, glance around at the audience, and smile. You may be judged even before you speak, so make sure your attitude is a friendly one.

Talk naturally—and loud enough.

Today people don’t dig the soapbox oration, four-syllable words, or “readings” from a manuscript. They want you—your words, your ideas, your feelings. And, if you have any doubts about “projecting” to that guy in the last row, ask him if he can hear you, before you get into your talk.

Vary the tone and pitch of your voice, your rate of speaking, and the stress you put on words. You do this in everyday conversation—why not when talking to an audience? A monotonous, singsong ap­proach doesn’t win listeners. Prove the point now by noting the difference between.

• We have the lowest accident rate in the industry. (Read in a mono­tone) and
• We have the lowest accident rate in the industry. (Read with emphasis on the underlined words.)

If you find yourself running dull, running scared, or running down.

• Look at the blankest countenance in the room and direct your words to him. In trying to get him to respond, you’ll perk up your way of speaking.
• Think of the audience as a group of people who owe you money. You could tell them what’s what, couldn’t you?
• Introduce a new point in the form of a question—then proceed to answer it. Makes it easier for you, more interesting for your listeners.
• Pause before and after important points. This puts added em­phasis on them, gives you a chance to take another deep breath.

Avoid mannerisms.

Pounding fist in palm, pulling off and putting on glasses, clearing the throat, pointing. Any of these, done once, may be an effective attention-getter. Repeated, it takes away from your talk—the audience will be so busy wondering if you’re going to do it again (and being irritated when you do) that they’ll miss most of what you’re saying.

End with a smile. And that’s all. No thank you’re, no apologies for what you’ve said, why and how you said it. If you’ve done the best you could, your audience will know it and appreciate it.

A final thought. Don’t worry about applause. There wasn’t any after the Gettysburg Address.

Certified Workplace Communication Skills Professional

The post Improving your public speaking effectiveness appeared first on Vskills Blog.

“Nobody ever tells me these things”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner”

“I guess I should have included you in the list of people getting my memos”

The list of obstacles to good communication is almost endless. And each failure can mean serious losses—errors, delays, bottlenecks, misunderstandings. Accordingly, the executive who maintains effective communications up, down, and laterally has taken a giant step toward increasing his effectiveness.

At our workplace

GETTING YOUR SECRETARY TO SCREEN CALLS

It’s up to you to tell your secretary how you want incoming phone calls handled. Calls can be broken down into general categories: Business calls—urgent

• Business calls—routine
• Calls of solicitation (salesmen, for example)
• Calls of inquiry
• Calls from business friends that may be either business or personal calls

No general rules tell you how to handle calls in each of the above categories. But using the list as a basis for a discussion with your secretary you can tell her—

• which calls come through immediately
• which calls require taking a message for a call-back
• which calls require a turn-down: “I’m sorry but I am quite sure Mr. Smith is not interested.”

But it’s important to realize that your secretary is a public relations operative in her position as call-screener. A secretary may make it all too clear that she’s on the line to keep people away from the boss. The result can be cold, impersonal, and destructive of your executive image. The effective secretary is one who shows that she’s not only serving her boss but is rendering a service to the caller.

HANDLING THE PAPER FLOOD

The correspondence load tends to be a highly individualized problem. No two executives face the same situation. By the same token, no one employee can cover all aspects of the problem for everybody. Here are some basic methods that executives can use to individualize their handling of paperwork:

• The physical factor It’s not unusual to find a lopsided pile of mail in an undersized in-box. Of course, a barrel-sized receptacle would increase rather than minimize the problem. But just check to make sure that you have an adequate container for incoming material.
• Pre-sort delivery One method of pre-sorting can be especially effective if you can get cooperation from your mail handlers. Here are two versions of such a plan:

One Executive’s Mail-Handling Technique

Andrew A. Lynn, President of Yardley of London, Inc., handles his morning paperwork as follows:

1. Read all mail.
2. Dictate replies to all letters requiring personal attention.
3. Instruct secretary on how to reply to routine letters.
4. Forward mail to be handled by others to the appropriate associate, with comments or instructions, as necessary.
5. File mail to be acted on at a future date in pending files, and instruct secretary to present them when they are due.
6. Sort out reading matter and periodicals, put those to be read in a briefcase for home or commuting perusal.

Even where secretaries are competent to reply to routine letters, Lynn feel the executive should sign them. He says, “You should know the contents of any letter that goes out over your name. You owe the recipient the courtesy of a bona fide signature.”

You may agree with Lynn’s statement. On the other hand, some executives use the time-saver of having their names signed by an

assistant with the notation, “Per R.C.” the initials of the assistant.

Now here comes “SIX OBSTACLES TO COMMUNICATIONS WITH YOUR BOSS” that you may face every-day.

Even the best of bosses may have qualities that may create com­munications problems. Here are the six major complaints executives make about their contacts up the lines and what can be done about them:

1. When He Won’t Listen.

It has been noticed that many top executives say they don’t listen to communications from subordinates because information is presented in poorly organized form, or because opinions are brought in half-baked. Perhaps your boss ought to listen; but since he’s human, you may have to encourage him to pay attention. Whenever you communicate with him-

• Be brief.
• Be clear on the purpose of your communication.
• Define the problem involved, so that he can see it—fast.
• Organize the relevant facts so that he can get a grip on them—fast.

Map out possible alternatives, and give him your recommendations—clearly labeling what is opinion and what is fact.

• Appeal to your boss’s special interests: do things his way, as far as possible.
• Sell the benefits of his paying attention.
• Present any recommendations you have in terms of what they will do for him and for the company.

2. When He Won’t Talk.

“Cancel all overtime starting today!” Nothing more—no further word of explanation to you.

You know your people have been counting on the extra pay. With no explanation to give them, you expect trouble. It’s his mistake—but your problem.

Often a boss’s failure to tell the whole story is simply due to the fact that he has overlooked it. In the press of business, the matter slips his mind. Here are arguments that make your case with him:

• Lack of information can foul up your handling of a situation for which he is ultimately responsible.
• Incomplete information may send you off in the wrong direction—causing delays in meeting deadlines and similar waste.
• You may know of a Bette, alternative than one he suggests.

But, be specific. Talk about real cases and actual or potential con­sequences.

The most alarming aspect of this problem, though, occurs when the boss just hasn’t given you any clue at all that something is in the wind.

3. When He Won’t See You.

The boss behind the Mahogany Curtain is certainly a most difficult problem for every executive. You may have to prove that time spent with you is beneficial to him.

How? The steps recommended above for the boss who won’t listen apply to the boss who won’t see you. Add one additional require­ment: you may have to pave the way with a telephone call, a brief preliminary one-sentence remark to him personally, or a message relayed to him through his secretary. In any of those cases, your short message must be well thought out to:

• arouse his interest
• suggest benefits that can be derived
• indicate that you will not burden him

4. When He’s Indecisive.

He’s the kind of boss, who, for example, fails to give needed information. But later, when things turn out badly, he says: “You sure screwed up the works. . . .”

On the other hand, the error into which many people tend to fall is the belief that the top executive will be able to answer any question—whether it has to do with a purchase of a box of paper clips or the relocation of an entire factory—off the cuff.

If your superior is indecisive, first make sure that you’re not expect­ing decision-making that would be as inadvisable as it would be impossible.

Let’s assume, however, that the boss is, in fact, a Hamlet in execu­tive clothing. Here are the moves to make in order to get a decision:

• First, try to find out what decisions he would like you to make. That in itself is a decision, of course, but it’s one that would relieve him of a heavy burden.
• Second, when you do have a question for an indecisive boss, marshal all the facts he will need for a decision before you put the question to him.
• Third, spell out why a decision is needed and when.
• Fourth, if there is any chance of a kickback on the decision you ask for, spell it out. It’s amazing how often we delay decisions because consciously or unconsciously we are trying to anticipate any trouble they may cause. If you spell out what such trouble may be, you save your boss the time it would take him to think these matters through for himself.

5. If He’s a Bypasser.

He’s the boss who steps right in and gives orders to your subordinates. It’s safe to assume that there are reasons for the bypassing: the boss is in a hurry; he thinks he’s helping you; he expects to get quicker or better results. In any case, steps like these can help:

• Don’t show personal resentment. The important thing is not the damage done to your pride, but to the work and morale of the department. Keep it matter-of-fact; avoid accusations.
• Be specific about the harm done. Stay on a factual level. Don’t suppose or guess. Show what actually happened in the past. (If nothing has happened, there may be no point in raising the question.)

Watch for long-range effects. In some cases, bypassing may have no immediate consequences. But over a period of time, you may find your position with your people is weakened. They look elsewhere for information and instructions, for example. Discipline itself may become a problem. In this case, your best bet is to sit down with your boss and give him the whole picture as you see it.

Your biggest problem will be to keep the issue from becoming personal. Don’t let feelings and emotions complicate the situation.

If He’s on Your Neck.

There are many possible reasons for the boss hanging around all the time. Maybe he’s worried about the way things are going, wants to pitch in. In that case, accept his help.

Or maybe he feels uncertain about how well the job is being done. The remedy is to give him more information. Ask yourself:

• Are your reports too infrequent? Watch when he shows the greatest interest—if it’s a couple of days before the regular report is due, volunteer the information earlier.
• Do your reports contain the type of information he wants? Pay particular attention to the kinds of questions he asks on his visits to your depart­ment. Make that information available to him regularly.
• Are your reports too detailed—or lacking in detail? Either may be wrong.

In any event, remember that your first communications duty to the boss is to give him all the information he wants.

And, of course, to your subordinates, you’re the boss, try your-best.

Become a Certified Workplace Communication Skills Professional

The post Ever wondered why communication holds so much importance? appeared first on Vskills Blog.

Public speaking is an act of speaking to a group of people with an intention of informing them regarding any agenda.This is basically a one sided conversation where one person of an established platform (for instance, CEO of any company or principal of any school ) spreads the information to the people (for example, employees of any company or students and teachers of a school), if that information concerns everyone.

When i speak of public speaking, one can imagine Martin Luther King Jr. presenting his famous speech ‘I have a dream’. Just look around and you will definitely find an old and aged man , sitting on a bench in the park with a stick in his hands and speaking to a bunch of people about his days of yore. That’s usually a one sided conversation. Public speaking, so to say, is a one way conversation where a single figure speaks to the crowd that is listening to that one person. That one person is either sharing her or his own views about any agenda or empowering the crowd with powerful and effective words and expressions. Then what’s the difference between public speaking and talking to the crowd? The difference lies in the way the information is conveyed.

What actually is the fear of public speaking?

For some people, public speaking is an opportunity to build a strong identity and  shine under the spotlight on the other side for some people, it seems intimidating, spine chilling and to some extent fearsome as well. Just imagine, you are invited to present your ideas in a room full of people. You’ve got influential and powerful ideas in the box that’s in your head but you see at the people as thousands of zombies waiting for your words to be served and rip your flesh apart. Well that’s when your fear overpowers your influential ideas. This fear of public speaking, also known as “glossophobia” where you find death an easy escape, could be hurting your professional and personal life. Whether you have to persuade your mom to let you out on a trip with your friends or to ask your boss for a promotion, you need to speak out and speaking skill is the key to move ahead towards achievement. A little bit of anxiety is understandable, your palm gets sweaty, your legs start trembling but this reflects a weak persona of the speaker. You need to be calm and steady to be able to engage the audience.

How to overcome the fear of public speaking

There would be some past events that creates the anxiety inside and disturbs your flow of ideas. This disturbance is clearly reflected in your speech. What anxious speakers usually does is whether skip their portion of speech or pretend as if they have sore throat. Some of them doesn’t wear their glasses to avoid contact with the audience. Well this is the wrong way of overcoming the fear of public speaking. You are not delivering a speech then, you are just telling yourself that ‘this will be over soon’.this way, you are not working for improvement but just the opposite. Don’t be the ‘unspeaker’. Embrace and accept your fear and focus more on your speech rather than on the anxiety. So let’s get to know what actually is the right way of overcoming glossophobia.

Tips to overcome your fear

1. Practice in front of an audience: when you practice alone, you might not know what mistakes you are making. Practicing your part in front for a group of people will lead you to know where your expressions lack the effectiveness. Not only detecting mistakes, but peaking in front of people will make you learn how actually you have to present it in front of the audience and how you will feel then. This way you can prepare yourself before actually presenting your speech in the room full of ‘kids’.
2. Express yourself truly : I once attended a seminar where the speaker was so frank with the audience that she even talked about how she was feeling standing in front of the audience on the podium. And the whole audience know she was being anxious. But the speech that she delivered then was strikingly impressive. So being frank about your feelings with the audience can sometimes lessens the distance between the speaker and the listener. If you get away with the anxiety that’s wandering in your mind, throbbing your heart extremely fast, you can get away with this feeling in the very beginning of your speech.
3. Know your mirror self: do you even know what you’re talking about? Do you understand the words you are speaking out? I sometimes wonder if we are aware of our own outer image that the audience is introduced to? Look in the mirror and ask yourself if, you know what you uttering, verbalising. Do you understand your own word and expressions? If yes, then only you are able to persuade and make understand the audience your unique ideas.
4. Don’t be mechanical : If you want your ideas to be accepted by the audience with satisfaction, their “willing suspension” to your ideology will only be possible if you create your speech in an creative and interesting way.a mechanical reading of the script will only lead the audience to fall asleep. Once, in a workshop, a speaker had given his speech on the topic travelogy, the most adventurous writeup. But the speaker tried every way to make it as boring as sleepy for the audience that the listener only lended their ears in the session of question and answers. Try to make your speech as interesting as possible. You can make it involving even just through your gestures.
5. Start with a question: If you are confused how you should begin your speech and where to start, then ask the audience involvement at the very beginning. Ask them questions about the topic that you are presenting and let them create the path for your further points to talk about. This way you can link your ideas to one another and end your speech with a satisfactory note.
6. Interact with the audience: Your interaction with the audience will let you know how much the listener knows about the topic and how much they expect from you to talk about it. Of course the question answer session is for the interaction but a constant conversation with the people in an informal way will let you to be more expressive and make you less fearful of the nervous atmosphere that your mind has created. Also if the audience has any part in the conversation then you will not feel like you are the centre of the spotlight and that every eye is stuck at you. 
7. Pick the subject that interests you as well: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” said Albert Einstein. Its true. If you don’t the subject understand yourself , how are you going to make people understand it? And this lack of understanding on the speakers side creates trouble for the speaker sometimes. So if you think of being clear and confident about the subject you are going to present, make sure that you understand it yourself first. And talking about the topic you are interested in will clear your path already as you will be happy and excited while delivering the speech and even though unconsciously, you will make it interesting for the audience.
8. Ppt or notepad to remind you of your points: prepare notes or a powerpoint presentation to keep you in track of your thoughts.sometimes you might forget the point that you want to link in the train of your thoughts. That’s where the PPT plays a helping hand to remind you of your next point.
9. Do it: until and unless you speak, it’s no way possible to overcome this fear. Put your thoughts in front of your family and friends. Make them understand of what you think. It would be frightening initially, but after three or four speeches you present, you will be the one who seek public speaking as a great opportunity to mark your identity, nor as someone who escapes reality out of fear.

Why should you enhance your speaking skills?

The ability to speak skillfully is the capacity to put words together in a meaningful way to reflect thoughts, opinions and feelings. It is said that a picture is worth thousand words but those words no doubt will come in handy if the picture is poorly interpreted. Speaking skill is clearly an important method of communication. Great leaders, politicians, philosophers, revolutionists, educators, lawyers seek to develop their speaking skills to be able to persuade, influence and most importantly inform the audience. A well delivered speech, with well chosen words gains the attention of the audience. Ever thought what would have happened of Rome if Mark Antony would not have been a good orator?
Your being able to versify your thoughts effectively positions you out and above from the rest. A well developed verbal skill improves self confidence. It not only enhances your career opportunities but also you find a deep level of fulfillment after you experience a connection with an appreciative audience through a well-composed and well-delivered presentation.
The question arises why someone should work on their speaking skills if they don’t want to be the sole speaker in the crowd, standing on the podium, empowering people. The idea is that public speaking is the macrocosm of our small talks in cafeteria. The difference lies only in the way we converse. So one has to be conscious of their words not only when they are asked to present a speech but also to communicate and justify their existence through verbalizing their thoughts in a day to day conversation. There comes the role of speaking skill. While you are speaking, your speech represents your point of view, your judgment, your way of thinking, and your identity.
For speaking effectively, including the words that make sense in your speech, first you need to listen. Listen to what people around you say, listen to what your mind says and assimilate what you think is true and then vocalize your point of view. The process helps in developing good conversational artistry.
As we have already talked about, a good oratory skill reflects your identity. If not trying to be the Martin Luther King Jr., your speech represents what you truly are. If not revolutionary, your speech affects the masses if delivered with mastery. So pubic speaking is not just talking about topics of national concern where the speaker is considered to be the intellectual and is expected to present a life changing and morale boosting eloquent and
articulated speech but it can be as general as the old man talking to a bunch of people in the park. Yes it is good to be concerned about your speech but being anxious about it for the whole week before it and while your presentation; you are just over thinking and burdening the box on your head. After all, the reality is that the audience in the room is just kids in their underpants seeking some knowledge from your brilliant mind.
There is no need of being insecure of your speech. Deliver your thoughts to the people around you as clearly as possible and skillfully uphold to your personality as “a man speaking to men”.

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In a very general definition, creative writing is any form of writing that is written more from the idea of entertaining the reader rather than informing them. Wikipedia defines creative writing as any form of writing that goes out of the bound of professional, journalistic, academic and technical writing.

In my personal opinion and as someone who loves reading, I think creative writing is anything that helps you put your thoughts and expression on paper. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, autobiography, memoirs, prose, novels, all this and many more forms of writing take shape as creative writing. You can even be creative at technical writing though it is an entirely different field (technical writing is the writing done solely for the purpose of information gathering, used in technical and occupational fields). Creativity abounds in all spheres of your life, to bring this to paper with a clarity and structure so as to express yourself in a way that others can read it is chiefly what creative writing is about.

As you can see various institutes and websites provide creative writing as a widely popular professional course for many students. One might wonder how creativity can be taught or even go so far as to say that writing a novel or a poem cannot be taught. However, the courses have Poto be helpful for a number of people, what they aim to do is not just to teach writing as a mechanical skill (it’s something that all of us know how to do) but the courses are designed to provide a direction and guidance to this talent. A lot of potential writers feel stuck at the start of their journey as a writer, creative writing skills help them enhance their talent and become better at their craft.

Types of creative writing

Poetry 

Poetry is one of the most popular forms of creative writing. It includes many other forms under it, haiku, sonnets, limericks, micro-poetry.

It is also the chief form used by a lot of writers on social media. You can see the examples of this in Instagram poets.

Songwriting is also a kind of poetry turned into music. It follows more like a melody and rhyme, while poetry, in general, works well without rhyme too.

Fiction

Fiction is any narration where the events and actions are made out of your imagination. It’s a term that takes under it forms like novels, short stories, novellas, or any prose.

Novels and stories are the most read forms of creative writing. The art of storytelling and the ability to conceive life like characters plays a major part in the writing process. Fiction then can be presented in many genres, such as adventure, fantasy, children books, realism etcetera.

Non-Fiction

Non-fiction is written as a true and accurate account of something, some examples of this are memoirs, autobiographies, journals, history, travel writings and many other such genres. On the surface it might look like there isn’t much creativity involved in this type of writing. However, to arrange these factual accounts and truths in a way that makes sense and appeals to reader requires a great deal of thinking and imagination.

Script

Script writing is another form of writing done for feature films, television shows or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Script writers or screenwriters are often paid by producers to write scripts for a certain concept or idea, screenwriters also come up with original plots for their scripts and approach producers in the hopes that they will be optioned or sold.

Copywriting

Copywriters help create content for various marketing communications. Copywriting is the art of writing text for advertising and marketing purposes. It helps create billboards, brochures, catalogues, jingles, magazine advertisements, scripts for commercial, social media posts and other marketing communications.

Blogging

A blog is a website published online to either impart information, share opinions or even write personal stories.Blogging is a popular medium to gather and impart information. It takes on many different genres, it could be about your business or profession or your hobby (handmade crafts, cooking, etc) , blogs are also a platform for discussions on particular topics.

There are a lot of people who share their writings, stories or poems, through blogs. It serves as an easily accessible medium and can be easily promoted through social media.

The skills to master to become a better writer

Technical ability (language command, knowledge of form, literature)

Quite surprising that the term technical ability comes in a list of skills for creative writing, but like any other hobbies, field, activity, anything you want to call it, basic technical knowledge is necessary here as well. Writing comes naturally when you have a command over a language or multiple languages, most writers, however, work with the one chief language that they feel they are most comfortable with (most of the time it’s their mother tongue). As a writer, you have to be good with words and know the rules of a language not just for you to be able to follow them but for the ability to break them and create your own rules.

A knowledge of different forms of literature or creative writing is also a big help for you to experiment and try different forms, to find the one that fits you well. You can even merge and play with these forms.

Information about publishing, web publishing, etcetera, never hurts either.

Technical abilities are the easiest skills to learn, you can easily earn the best of it with hard work and consistency.

Talent and imagination.

Talent cannot be learned. Yes, that might even be true. But we all have talent, it’s something we are born with it. And if you are planning to take on creative writing you must be passionate about it, and what is talent if not passion? So fear not, your talent can be brought out even if you think you don’t have it.

Now why this comes under a skill is that a talent not combined with action never brings much results, so it is necessary to exercise and nurture your talent. A talent for writing does not happen overnight, there are no pixie dust or charms and spells at work here. Good writing skill only comes gradually, it can be improved with time and practice.

Imagination too can be cultivated, while it’s an inborn faculty you still might want to work on it a bit. You might even find it a bit rusty, be imaginative and give form to the ideas you have in your head. Think outside the box and don’t be afraid of it.

Patience, persistence and a lot more patience.

To be patient is to be successful, (I just made that up). Success is not something that comes in an instant, especially not as creative writers. Patience is a skill that will help you in every field in your life. You have to be patience not just for a successful writing career but for the process of it. Do not give up because the first draft didn’t come out perfect, it takes a lot of editing and changes for the end result to happen, the book you have in your hand is a work of many months and infinite hours.

You also have to be persistent in your attempts. Try and keep trying, it always helps in the long run.

Be patient with yourself, you’ll get there. You have to be able to face criticism and to be able to take it constructively rather than be offended, any and all criticism will only help you become a better writer. Think of criticism as feedback and try to adopt whatever you think can help you with your writing skills.

Tips and practices to improve yoru writing skills

• Read. A lot.

Reading is the most fun and entertaining exercise you can do to help you write, it will help you know different styles, genres, ways of expression. It definitely helps vocabulary. It might even help you with ideas, you might come up with an original idea while reading another’s ideas.

Reading is also a way of expression and plays a big role in nurturing your passion for writing.

• Carry a pen and paper. Always.

Carry a diary, notebook, a gadget if you prefer typing. An immediate means to pen down your thoughts can be very helpful in retaining ideas that might come to you as a passing thought. So put them to use whenever you find anything to write about in your head, don’t just rely on your memory always, you’ll find out that words leave it very easily and quickly. You can make rough notes and outline of your ideas and work on them later when you are sitting down to write.

• Practice writing. Write, write and write.

Write. When you have words floating in your head put them to paper. It could be a poem, a paragraph or even just two lines, I know writers who write haikus or short poems as a warm-up exercise before delving into the extensive serious work. As a beginner, it is your best exercise, it makes you patient and open to criticism and obviously improves your writing. Write about anything to everything and do not hesitate thinking that you’re not good enough, don’t be too harsh on yourself from the very beginning.

• Get feedback, share your work with fellow writers.

Constructive feedback and criticism will help you find the weaknesses and strengths of your writing. You can work more efficiently towards improving your writing skills with positive feedback available. So share your work and discuss it with your friends.

• Find your voice.

 Try not to copy someone else’s style of writing, experiment with different styles and you will find your own soon enough.

At the end of the day, creative writing is a personal craft and one can always find their own tips and practices to look after it. Like finding your favorite reading and writing nook, or the time where your creativity works at it’s best. You can find your own pace and routine for writing. You might stumble upon a drink that suits well with your writing mood, a type of tea or coffee (my forever escape is coffee). There are a lot many small elements involved in the process of writing. Find the combination that fits your writing persona perfectly and weave your words in it.

Career options in creative writing

Creative writing open door for a lot many career paths and job opportunities, directly or indirectly. Some of them are mentioned here

Jobs directly related to a degree in creative writing :

• Advertising copywriter
• Arts administrator
• Creative director
• Digital copywriter
• Editorial assistant
• Lexicographer
• Magazine journalist
• Newspaper journalist
• Web content manager
• Writer

Jobs indirectly related to creative writing :

• Academic librarian
• Film director
• Information officer
• Marketing executive
• Primary school teacher
• Public librarian
• Public relations officer
• Secondary school teacher
• Social media manager

The post What is creative writing? & How to become a better creative writer? appeared first on Vskills Blog.

Advertisement is derived from the old French from the verb advertir which later on changes to advertise which means denoting a statement calling attention to something.

“A notice or an announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event or publicizing a job vacancy”. It’s the dictionary meaning of advertisement.

Advertisement can also be defined as “paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of idea, goods or services by an identified sponsor”

So it is very clear that the basic meaning of advertisement is an impersonal presentation where a standard or common message regarding the merits, price and availability of product or service is given by the producer or marketer. The advertisement builds pull effects as advertising tries to pull the product by directly appealing to the customer to buy it. for eg.

Effective Techniques of Advertisement

Advertisement has become the biggest weapon of the companies to sell their product and to show that their product is much better than their competitors. But doing only advertisement is not ample, one should create it more appealing and effective. So that it could grab the attention of the customer.

There are some effective techniques which makes the advertisement a never forgettable one:

1. Emotional Appeal

Most of the advertisement uses this technique to emotionally black mail the consumer, which they really do very well. They hit on the need of the consumer very accurately and thus they connect with people. For e.g.- In the advertisement of Fortune oil they say “Ghar ka khan” which they are connecting the buyer to their mothers.

2. Promotional Advertising

In this technique, the seller uses to give attractive offers to pull the customer towards their product. By offering the customer gets influenced by such offers and purchases that product. For e.g.-

In the above image, there is a “buy one get one offer” of pizza which will definitely attract the buyer as they would be getting two pizzas in same amount.

3. Bandwagon effect

Bandwagon effect is a persuasive technique through which one can persuade others, so that the majority could agree on that argument. It usually makes the customer believes that the product is fruitful for them. For e.g.-

In the above advertisement of toothpaste, they are showing that “over one million” have used their product which means that one million have trusted their brand so they should also.

4. Repetition

Repetition is very useful in advertisement as when a person listen or watch something again and again he/she do not forget it easily. It creates a good image in the eyes of the consumer. But one should also be careful regarding the no. of times their repetition is being telecasted because it can make the viewer restless and irritated. So the correct use of repetition is essential. For e.g.-The advertisement of “TRIVAGO” it comes so many times on television that it makes the viewer annoyed.

5. Endorsements

Endorsing famous personality for their product helps to gain the attention of the consumer. As consumer beliefs in that celebrity which ultimately makes them belief on their product. They think that the quality of the product is also good as it is used by a celebrity.  And it Also shows the advertisement attractive. For e.g.

In the above advertisement celebrity is used for promoting cosmetics.

6. Targeted Audience

Before creating an advertisement always keep in mind the targeted audience. As they only are the actual buyer so their need must be satisfied from that product. It should be shown in the advertisement that this product is made for them only. For e.g.-

In the above add targeted audience is above 50 years or the elders.

7. Symbolism

This technique is also very effective as you can symbolise your product with something natural or essential or one can give a deeper message through that product to the public which tells that how much worthy the product is for the use. For e.g-

8. Use of colours

Always use bright and vibrant colours in advertisement as it drags the attention of the viewer .It always shine between all other dull advertisement around it. Such advertisements are usually uses in the products related to kids as their eyes catch such colours very easily.  For e.g.-

In the above advertisement the colours used are very bright and lovable by kids also, as per the requirement of the advertisement.

9. Punch line

Punch line creates humour in the advertisement and makes it funnier, which maintains the interest of the viewer and encourages them to watch it again and again. For e.g.- “kya apke tooth paste mai namak hai” this punch line got so famous that several people acted on this and uploaded their video on social media.

10. Use of current events

The use of current events in the advertisement make the audience holding and curative to watch it, if the story of advertisement  is made by keeping in mind the recent events then the advertisement will definitely be watched by the viewers . For e.g.- At the time of demonetisation in India many mobile payments app took advantage of this and advertise their service as much as possible, which ultimately dragged the public towards their service as during that time people might have need of such service.

11. Use Metaphor

Use of metaphor in advertisement is very common nowadays even people also likes it, knowing the fact very well that it’s not true in real life still they believe in it and  start purchasing that product and try to be that person shown in the advertisement. So this is a very common and fruitful trick to gain the attention  of people only a good theme is required in this. For e.g.- Advertisement of “MOUNTAIN DEW”

This advertisement clearly shows that after drinking you can do all impossible things of world.

12. Facts And Figures

The use of facts and figures provides people security towards that product and satisfies their need. They purchase that product without even thinking a second. They rely on data shown to them. So use of statistical data in the advertisement creates a great impact on the people. For e.g.-

Above displayed advertisement tells that it has 40% less fat and 30% less calories which is very huge figure. So buyers will definitely buy this product o the other hand if they didn’t show the facts and figures and might have told that their product contains fewer calories there might be chances that people would not prefer buying their product.

13. Slice of Life

Use a part of life of people in the advertisement connects the viewer to the story of the advertisement as they feel that their story is going on the television and the product shown in that advertisement is the solution of that problem. For e.g.-Advertisement of “Sanitary Napkins” it shows the actual problems which females used to face in their life and how beneficial these napkins are for them.

14. Weasel Words

Weasel words are those words which make the word or phrase meaningful or believable although it might be not true. It is just all about how you phrase that sentence  to make your product valuable in the eyes of the viewer. This technique is most important and effective and it is also very common. For e.g.

In the above displayed advertisement it is shown that by using that product the wrinkles of the women will be decreased but it is not saying that they will disappear so this is a weasel word which ultimately tricks the customer to buy that product.

15. Use of Innovative idea

For an attractive advertisement a unique story is very important with some visualisation effect which really plays as crucial role by watching the uniqueness of the advertisement the viewer would definitely get attracted towards that brand or product. For e.g.-The recent advertisement of “Aditya Birla Group” is the finest example of such innovative advertisement. In that advertisement they showed that how Aditya Birla is present in the lives of people way of presenting was very creative.   

Importance of Advertisement

In nowadays marketing scenario advertisement has become a very essential part of life of not only for business giants but also for the customers for whom the advertisement is actually created the society in which the advertisement is created. So let’s discuss its importance according to each one of them.

Importance for consumers

1. Increases Awareness: Advertisement increases the awareness of the customer regarding the product whether it is new product or existing one. As without advertisement how one may come to know that this product exists in the market. It also shows various discounts or offers that prevails in the market of particular brand.

2. Ease of Comparison: As it is clearly visible that that there are many companies producing the same product so, with the help of advertisement the customer can decide to take which product in use. It can be conveniently decided by the customer by comparing the features of the product.

Importance for business

1. Increase in sales: Advertisement stacks big part in the profit of companies by promoting the products on the various modes of advertisement like –social media, internet, television radio etc. That is the main reasons that the companies are investing so much in the advertisement as there is not only the competition of product but also the kind of advertisement the company is broadcasting.

2. Help in grasping the market again: If a product has lost its market or left behind in the race of competition from other products then advertisement is the greatest weapon to grab the hold in the market again. By showing its unique selling price in comparison to other competitive products.3- ) Building of goodwill-A good advertisement which easily connects with the people helps in maintaining and creating a good brand image of the company. As by watching more and more advertisement customer’s reliability also get increased and it ensures that the quality of the product is also useable.

Importance for the society

1. Creates Employment: When companies start doing advertisement it generates employment for many persons which are behind the camera and are in front of the camera. As for creating an effective advertisement a separate department is made under which large number of people get employment and can showcase their creativity.

2. Increase awareness: through advertisement like no smoking, no drinking and driving creates awareness among people about the facts which they do not know. Advertisement showed by government like- Jago Grahak Jago, and various schemes of government which people are rarely aware of can reach them very easily.

Strategies of Advertisement Followed by Various Indian Companies

AMUL

Amul was established in 1946 to stop the exploitation by middleman. The Amul model has helped India to emerge as the largest milk producer in the world. Their milk is processed in 184 districts Co-operative Unions and marketed by 22 State Marketing Federation, ensuring a better life for millions.

The strategy used by Amul for advertisement is very simple and sweet. They advertise their product with the help of a cartoon girl which has one pony tail. This girl literally lives in every person’s heart of India.

Amul narrates the story of current events with the help of this girl and she touches the heart of each and every person no matter what age group they belong. This little girl of Amul advertises its product and connects people by its unique style.

-Amul also endorses some of its non-dairy products.

-Amul also uses catchy lines in its advertisement which make it humorous. All the hoardings of Amul are very interesting and effective. They are still going on the same pattern of advertisement but still there is some creativity and uniqueness which hold people with it. Everyone must remember the tag line of Amul “Utterly Butterly Delicious-Amul!”

PATANJALI

Patanjali is a private Indian company which deals with consumer goods. It was founded in 2006 by Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna. They also grow many endangered herbs on its farmland for maintaining the quality of the products.

Advertisement strategy of Patanjali is quite impressive-

• As they didn’t endorse any of their products whether it is a toilet cleaner or a beauty product.

• Showcase their quality is much better than the products of MNC’s available in the market.

• Use emotional appeal by asking the consumer to use products made in “BHARAT”.

• Attract the consumer by showing the good qualities of raw material they use in producing their product and showing that they manufacture chemical free products which is their U.S.P.

• Their advertisement also encourages the public to use natural products rather than chemical mixed one.

• They also show that their product is cheaper and valuable in comparison with other brands.All in all PATANJALI has grown so large only because of the advertisement they display in which they compare their product with other market giants and convinced public to buy their product.

BHARTI AIRTEL

Bharti Airtel limited is a leading global telecommunication company with operations in 16 countries across Asia and Africa. It was established in the year 1995 in India. The company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company’s product offerings include 2G,3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed broadband, DTH, enterprise services including national and international long distance services to carriers. Bharti Airtel had over 413 million customers across its operation at the end of March 2018.

The advertising strategy followed by Airtel is very well planned as

• Before launching of Jio Airtel’s advertisement were based on the relationship between friends and family like–“Har ek friend zaroori hota hai”
• After Jio’s launching Airtel market demand dropped but it come up with a new plan and new advertising idea. As after doing surveys  Airtel came to know that today’s youth requirement is a fastest growing network and it advertises it network as youths need so its targeted audience is basically youth.
• After this plan it uses promotional techniques to attract the consumer like- Airtel Thanks in which it offers 3 months of free NETFLIX subscription, 1 year of AMAZON PRIME etc. These kinds of offers really gain the attention of customer and Airtel is back in the market.

So basically Airtel focuses on the youths’ demand and creates it advertisement by targeting them, which is a commendable strategy of advertising.

OLA CABS

Ola cabs are one of the world’s largest ride sharing companies. It was founded in the year 2011 by Bhavish Agarwal and Ankit Bhati. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver partners onto mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent, and quick service fulfilment. Ola users can connect with over 10L driver-partners across cabs, auto-rickshaws, and taxis.

Advertising strategy followed by Ola:

• Ola uses social media platform to advertise its service like Face book, Instagram, Twitter etc. It firstly advertise itself with the help of print media like putting large banners and advertising in newspaper and digital media as half of the population is active on it.
• Ola also promotes itself by doing various marketing campaigns which really earn popularity very quickly like-#”Peeke mat chala” this campaign was all about to make the roads more safer another campaign of Ola was#Farak Padta Hai this was flagged on the World Environment Day,5 June 2017 this campaign was about to inspire or encourage people to take the first step towards decongesting the cities.
• Ola also offers various coupons to its existing customers like- 40%discount on your rides more than 5 km etc and giving offers on the first ride of the customer and it also tied up with some of the most popular brand to give Ola coupons. Ola also provides passes to the customer which is quite impressive as it hold up the customer with them for a long period of time with them.

So Ola is doing various advertising techniques to hold their customer to increase their customer and to promote themselves as much as possible.

DABUR

Dabur India Ltd is one of India’s leading FMCG companies with revenues of over Rs 7,680Cr and market capitalisation of over Rs 48,800Cr.Dabur was established in the year 1884 and turns into World’s Largest Ayurveda Company. Dabur is India’s most trusted brand its group companies are-New About You, Namaste, Hobby. Dabur today operates in key consumer product categories like Hair Care, Oral Care, Health Care, Skin Care, Home Care and foods. Dabur products are also available in over 120 countries across the globe. Dabur also recommends various home remedies which are natural and chemical free.

Advertising Strategy Followed by Dabur is

• Dabur mostly uses above the line advertisement techniques to promote its product.
• As Dabur manufactures a large variety of products so its advertisement also changes according to the product advertised there is not a signature advertisement. It generally advertises its product by showing its Ayurvedic qualities and benefits from its product.
• Dabur advertises its product in such a way that viewers think that this product can satisfy their need. It also took advantage of its brand image. It tries to connect with the people by using emotional appeal.

EMAMI

Emami Limited is one of the leading and fastest growing personal and healthcare businesses in India. It was established in 1974, they have a portfolio of over 300 product based on ayurvedic formulations. It have an enviable portfolio of household brand names such as Boro Plus, Navratna, Fair and Handsome, Zandu Balm, etc. Emami also acquired the Ayurvedic Hair and scalp business of “Kesh King” as a business strategy in 2015. Emami Limited, the flagship company of the group, recorded a turnover of Rs 2541Cr, 2017-18.

Advertising strategy of Emami:-

• Emami mostly does endorsements of their products as they feel it is the biggest thing to increase their customer.
• In this competitive world Emami has done various measures to grab its market like advertisement on social media as it new very well that nowadays individual spent more time on surfing on internet and social media. For e.g. Amitabh Bachan as an Acapella performer for Navratan garnered a million views on You Tube.
• Emami is now focusing more on digital advertisement of its products it has increased its advertising expenditure by 27%
• It is also advertising its product through marathons and sports league.

All in all Emami has entered in the digital marketing for its product promotion and also started doing various techniques to increase its sales and maintain its brand image.

The post Techniques and Importance of Advertisement in Indian Market appeared first on Vskills Blog.

Today the media industry is completely different from what it was some years ago. There has been a major change in the functioning of the media and the manner in which media has helped people connect and also being a great source of fun for people everywhere around the globe.

Media can be the biggest form of entertainment as each and every form of media today provides wholesome entertainment to people all over the world.

If we pick up any newspaper today it is not only about boring news headlines with long written articles but it has become more and more illustrative over the years and now comes with witty jokes, funny news articles and editorials which provide entertainment as well as point of views of elite people of the society but with a nice mix of humor.

There has been a paradigm shift in technology over the last 10-15 years and with the coming of smartphones, tablets, laptops, advanced desktops and faster internet connectivity people no longer have to sit in front of their television sets anymore to watch their favorite television shows and movies. They can easily access them through the internet through online streaming or downloads that too at no cost.

Another sector where media especially social media has played a big role is the marketing sector. There is a common saying today “bricks and clicks have equal value for your brand”. Be it any brand, company or even governmental organizations one cannot just build offices out of brick and cements and sit in their cozy air conditioned offices and hope that their marketing team of salesmen trying to achieve almost impossible targets and an advertisement in the papers or once in a while a television advertisement can help your company. Today with so many startups coming up every day and the competition increasing by the day people need extensive aggressive marketing to connect with more people. People are not going to be interested in your telesales team selling products over the phone as people have got so much busier with their lives and hardly have time for their own families and themselves that they would not possibly entertain anybody they don’t know on the phone and talk about a product or scheme that they are least bit interested in. Companies are taking marketing to the next level with special marketing teams to cater a varied set of their consumers by taking on television, print media and social media with Facebook marketing and Google ads and taking marketing to the next level.

Media cannot limit itself anymore to news on their internet websites and television channels or their newspapers to reach people. People are always on-the-go and they prefer apps on their smartphones to scan through the news while they are commuting because sitting down just for knowing the news of the day is too much to ask for in their busy schedules.

Even authors use media to market their books as book launches are streamed online and live telecasts can be seen on the television. Social media is flooded with hashtags to promote the book.

Movies are also taking to social media by releasing their trailers, making, songs and all the things the fans need to know about a movie in order to get people excited for the movie much before it releases that leads to people talking about the movie and the ticket sales rising great manifold.

Even the news debates on our news channels are pure entertainers these days as people take potshots at each other and while you sit down to watch news headlines you might get entertained as well.

One field which is being greatly used by the media is sports. Matches are streamed online on various websites and people can talk about sports as much as they want on social media and they can even form groups to make a fan club for their favorite teams.

Education has also not been left unattended by media as many online portals provide certified courses sitting in the comfort of our homes which can help people in their academics as well as their careers and help shaping up better lives.

-SAMRAT BANERJEE

The post Media Not just about news anymore appeared first on Vskills Blog.

There is although no definite style of storytelling but it is an art which can be mastered by anybody who has command over a particular language. There are many different styles of writing and it is often said that you can recognize any famous writer by reading a few lines from any of his works as every writer has particular words that he often uses or a particular way of presenting ideas. The narrative by a writer is also one of the trademarks that can be used to identify a particular writer.

It has been said by British worldwide bestselling author Jeffery Archer that each person born may not have a story in them worth writing a novel but everyone surely has a short story in them.

Reading habits are fading away in current generations and it is a very alarming and dangerous trend as a good reading habit should be inculcated in everybody by the parents from a very early age. A small child though should not be handed a novel at first which can bore him or her and make him allergic to reading. They should be given illustrative books to begin with. A good reading habit can help you with better concentration levels, patience and help children read their academic textbooks in a more organized way.

But not diverging from the issue we come back to storytelling. For writing a good story one needs to have a lot of conviction in writing that story, one should believe in oneself and no matter the readers like it or not the storyteller should not care as he or she knows that the story is important to them and it is to be told to the people not caring whether anybody likes it or not.

If a writer feels that they cannot manage to write a whole novel then they may begin with short stories or poems if they want. Once they get comfortable with shorter forms then they can think about writing a novel.

One interesting point to mention here is that when one needs to give a speech on a particular topic for a whole hour then many people after a bit of researching and practicing but you need great oratory skill to speak on something for 5 minutes. Similarly, writing a short story is more difficult than writing a whole novel as one has to be careful of not getting too descriptive of everything and deviate from the main storyline while in a novel one can giving detailed descriptions of different things.

There can be interesting styles of writing stories such as many writers use a “prologue” as an introductory section to write a particular part of the story which is actually somewhere in the middle of the actual story to create a mysterious start to the novel and then begins the main story. After the main story ends there is an “epilogue” to the story where the conclusion of the story is written. One more style often used is flashback similar to movies where after some initializing of the story and introduction of the main characters of the story the writer goes into flashback mode and the story is narrated as something that had already happened. One more unique style of writing which is my personal favorite is when two entirely different stories are narrated concurrently and at some point of the story the characters of the different stories converge and the story unfolds to a beautiful climax. There is also another similar style when the same story is narrated with two different frames of time and this also turns out to be a treat for the readers.

One common aspect of storytelling is that the writer has to be written in a way that the reader is interested by keeping a certain degree of suspense and thrill and the reader is kept guessing about what is going to happen next?

Also the writers when describing smaller details and nuances of the characters and environment of the story should keep in mind not to go too deep or be too superficial. They need to take a balanced approach and maintain the storyline interesting.

– Samrat Banerjee

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