Is it Intentional or Just a Mistake?

Social Media had become a default option to reach huge masses. Given its potential reach, it is a huge cost saving measure in disguise for majority of Businesses to conduct Marketing, Advertising and also maintaining lasting relations. No one wants to miss out on this opportunity to tap markets which will make their business grow and prosper. Given increasing penetration of smart phone and internet  usage across globe, concomitant rise of social channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, blogs, LinkedIn, etc., had become a major solution to interact and engage in networking, knowledge sharing and what not. Many companies started interacting with their customers and are also adopting innovative ways of engaging their fans by posting images, videos, events, contests, etc., and encouraging fans to like, tweets, comments and shares.

Digital Disrupter saw an interesting analogy between social icons while browsing through websites of some notable companies and institutions across industries like ITC, HUL, PEPSICO, IIMB, IIMI, LIC, ICICI etc., Have a look yourself below on placement of their social connections within their websites.

We found that there was difference in placement of social icons, one preferring to place it above while others below. Surprisingly some even preferred to place them on sideways too.

So DOES IT REALLY MATTER? Whether to place as they wish or there is a logic behind it to place them strategically. Let’s have a quick look on what it means about icon placements- 

If the icon is above, you can see it as soon as you open the website, you will most probably want to explore, thereby willing to become a fan by following and engage in future promotions. Well this is possible even if icons are placed below, we can assume to some extent that the user may not see the icons in the first place and may not be willing to scroll down all the way, hence a missed opportunity.

Added to icon placement there are some more interesting insights gathered by Disrupter which include the size and colour of these icons. Again does it matter at all, well to some extent it does matter, let’s safely assume that it’s hard to decipher whether it is Facebook or not if we look at its colour which is other than blue. 

Or it may so happen that search for solution(s) will not take place unless you find out the problem.