Using Social Media in the PR World

From Facebook, to Twitter, to Instagram means of communication have changed and the message that is trying to be spread to the public can now reach a much wider audience than before, whether intentional or not. This has specifically changed the game for Public Relations. Public relations has now become more integrated with interpersonal communication techniques as social media has allowed for there to be a more direct company to public interaction rather than going through mainstream, traditional media to get the message out.

As more people began to use social media, the public relations world took notice. According to Pew Research Center, 69% of adults used at least one social media in 2016. Social media opened a new opportunity for communication between companies and the public. With more media to spread the message, filters were taken out allowing for direct company to public communication. Every form of social media has a different layout and function to it and it is important to know how to utilize these in order to reach a company’s goals with its public relations.

Facebook

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One of the most used and vital social media outlets is Facebook. With its option for Pages that one can like and follow, it immediately shows a group of people with common interests. For Facebook you "need to become a conversational brand" (Taral Patel). Through text posts, videos, images, and links, Facebook is one of the social media that is used for and encourages an extended form of communication beyond just a sentence or two.

When using Facebook to brand, you must approach the audience as a group of close friends, rather than just as consumers. The interaction one has with their audience shouldn't make the audience feel lesser than the business, but as one who is familiar and comfortable with the brand. Other aspects of Facebook include its search engine that “makes public posts more accessible” (Taral Patel) and its ability for people to share your posts with their own friends on Facebook as well as other sites. With Facebook’s large community, exposure to a large public is bound to happen as people like and share a company’s page and posts.

Blogging

Many companies blog on their own websites, regarding new information on the company and events that have happened or are upcoming. Blogs bring in readers and followers because people want this source of "commentary, opinion, and uncensored, unfiltered sources of information on a variety of topics"(Wright & Hinson 4). Blogging for a company is specifically to get a positive image for it, and is less of a two way interaction sometimes than other forms of social media.

With over hundreds of thousands of blogs being written each day blogging is a great way to get employees involved with the public. Employee blogs display “real human beings speaking like real human beings”, says David Weinberger ( as qtd. in Wright & Hinson 5) which builds a connection that companies have lost. Some companies encourage employee blogging and even allow for employees to blog during their time at work. With its influence, accessibility to minority viewpoints, two-way communication, media presence, and 24/7 accessibility, blogging has become a vital tool in a new way of communication.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn allows for practitioners to find and create connections with internet influencers that can be vital to helping the company or themselves get a better online reputation. It is known that word of mouth goes a long way for a company’s reputation and credibility. LinkedIn provides many “professional and special interest groups, as well as active Q&A discussions in the Answers section” (Sarah Sherik). This allows one to be able to listen to their audience and potential audience. Knowing what questions people have can help one figure out how to get the most understandable information out in their new messages. LinkedIn can also connect to other social medias as well in order to have a well rounded profile. LinkedIn is a resource tool, that when utilized, helps a company leverage their network and credibility.

Twitter

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Twitter is considered micro blogging. Twitter's 140 character limit condenses a message, creating the importance and skill of being able to get important information in a small frame, "ensuring that it is thoroughly understood" (Taral Patel). Announcements and interaction are the focal point of a company’s Twitter page. Engagement is important, “otherwise the organization is perceived as having a purpose of only disseminating one-way information” (McCorkindale & DiStaso) without considering the consumer’s opinions and needs. It isn’t hard to stay well versed in the Twitter world with trends, memes, and hashtags, see what people are interested in, and be able to take those things to use as a creative tool to gain a positive image. Communication between company and the public becomes more personal and humanized when the company uses the language and humor of the public, which is important. Twitter can also help with tracking others. From clients, potential business partners, media, or competitors Twitter helps with keeping tabs for research on said subjects. Practitioners must gain the skill of shortening a message with only the most important information that gets the point across.

Instagram

Photo Credits: Google Images

Instagram is specifically for images and videos, and like Twitter and Facebook, has the ability to have live video content, which is great for presenting events as they happen. Instagram also mirrors Snapchat, allowing for one to post on their story rather than on their actual feed. This feature is great in regards to PR because it allows for smaller, less important content that is happening in the now to be posted and shared with the public without it being on the overall feed that displays the most important content. The greatest advantage of Instagram is that practitioners "get a ready-made source on influencers to investigate" (Taral Patel). Through the search features, being able to tag people in posts, and options to have promoted posts, Instagram brings a greater opportunity for exposure and discovery of the company.

Social media has provided a new way to spread a company’s message. With its many forms of mediums, each approach is different, but share the same goals the company is striving to reach. The 24/7 nature of social media allows for more instantaneous communication between companies and the public that humanizes a company. Messages are becoming less filtered due to social media and what the company wants to say to the public is easily said and distributed. Influencers are created from social media and reaching out to them in order to get exposure to their following is a great advantage. Interaction between the company and the public becomes easier, which allows for vital connections to be built with a company’s current and potential audience. Using this media is important as the world continues to gravitate towards internet influencers in order to form opinions of relativity and credibility.

References

McCorkindale, Tina, and Marcia W. Distaso. "The State of Social Media Research: Where Are We Now, Where We Were and What It Means for Public Relations." Research Journal of the Institute for Public Relations 1.1 (2014): 3 & 6 . Web. 8 Mar. 2017. <http://www.instituteforpr.org/wp-content/uploads/TinaMarciaWES.pdf>.

Patel, Taral. "Role and Influence of Social Media on the Modern PR Industry."

PRmention. PRmention, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 8 Mar. 2017.

Sherik, Sarah."Public Relations & Professional Networking: Using LinkedIn for PR." PR Newswire: news distribution, targeting and monitoring. PR Newswire Association, 08 Apr. 2016. Web. 9 Mar. 2017.

Wright, Donald K., and Michelle D. Hinson. "How Blogs and Social Media are Changing Public Relations and the Way it is Practiced." Public Relations 2.2 (2008): 1-8. Public Relations Society of America. Web.