The premise of an article lasting forever online makes the Internet and social media fascinating to me as a PR consultant. Before its advent, communicating directly with your ‘public’ beyond anything further than traditional media relations was cost-prohibitive for most small businesses. No longer.
Having a solid social media program helps businesses and brands to build new relationships, across a wider landscape, and in a sustainable fashion never before possible. This is where PR plays best strategically, for three important reasons:
Crisis – Many a poor customer experience is blogged and tweeted about, and it’s out there quickly. Relying on PR as your ‘litmus test’ (how do we want people to think and feel?) helps you consider the effects of a campaign or response and allows you to act accordingly
Word Of Mouth – social media tends to reject commercialism. There’s an unprecedented intimacy when a customer or prospect becomes your fan on Facebook. They won’t tolerate a steady stream of marketing hype. Remind you of anyone? Cynical news and editorial contacts, of course. Learning PR skills in media relations means you’re well placed to manage great word-of-mouth social media relations too.
Greater Influence – engaging dialing with customers on social media gives insights into customer and prospect motivations that incomparable. It allows PR to better quantify the value it delivers to the business bottom line.
Through social media channels, businesses can foster and maintain ongoing, quality “dialogue” with influencers, media, customers and partners, regardless of time or geographic limitations. These channels allow businesses to have direct access to, and feedback from, their audience, allowing companies of any size to better meet marketplace demands.
I’ll be teaching PR & social media during my March Publicity and PR Bootcamps, so if you want to learn more join me there. Early bird expires tomorrow!