Social Media and Online PR
Social media works best when it is part of an overall PR strategy that uses many different tools. These tools allow a business to communicate directly with buyers. Social media includes videos, blogs, photo sharing, and much more. Online PR is a tool that integrates very well with social media.
The advantage of social media is that it is a conversation instead of a one-way broadcast. Within the framework of that conversation it is possible to announce upcoming events, significant activities and news.
Since both PR and social media are used to build and maintain trust in a business, it is only natural that the two must be in sync.
However, something has to be kept in mind: when a business uses social media, it should avoid a blatantly promotional push.
The content on these channels of communication should add value, ask questions, provide tips, and post surveys and results. There can also be links to interesting articles and reports on industry trends. Given below are some strategies that combine social media and PR.
Building a strategy for each social media channel — It is important to choose a social media platform that is suitable for PR efforts. More than one platform can be used to promote a business.
However, it is important to create different content for each site as the audience is likely to be different for each platform.
For instance, Instagram is perfect for crafting visual stories.
Facebook helps to build brand identity and connect with media outlets.
Real Time Social Content
Smart PR practitioners understand what PR strategies work in the new digital environment. They build a buying process around the realities of independent research and the power of social networks. Instead of dishing out generic information they tell authentic stories that interest their customers. They choose not to sell, but to educate through online content.
An example is the social networking program called, ‘Upgrade to Canada’ by Canada Tourism. Representatives from Canada Tourism spoke to travelers at Frankfurt and Lyon airports and tried to encourage them to change their holiday plans.
Luckily, quite a few of them spontaneously changed their travel destinations. The company then created real-time social content about the travelers and their experiences when they arrived in Canada. The tourists themselves eagerly shared their experiences on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Agility
Businesses can communicate instantly with their existing and potential customers on social media. Instant communication is powerful.
The iconic Mary Kay Pink Cadillac has a Twitter feed. It helps to humanize and modernize the brand by making its icon retro and cool.
When a business keeps customers updated through social media, it shows the world through its public feed that it is engaged.
When observers see how hard a business is working to satisfy customers, even disgruntled ones, its reputation rises. If a customer is making an unreasonable complaint, the sympathy shifts from the complainer to the business.
