Social Media as a Channel for Public Relations

In today’s world, public relations (PR) is a fundamental part of businesses and communications and with so many platforms available, communication with the public has become extremely easy. From marketing perspective, social media strategies are pivotal for PR and are gaining traction in many modes. Approaching social media characteristics from a user’s standpoint is critical. Social Media has given the power to consumers, as they can easily share their opinions about a company or brand. Jim Dougherty explains, “The value of this thinking is to tactically consider the social media agnostic of platform:

How can I listen best using social media?

How can I engage people best using social media?

How can I energize people best using social media?

How can I support people best using social media? (Dougherty, 2015)

As we can see, Dougherty’s viewpoint is to make the reader aware of how to properly engage the audience. The fact of the matter is readers want to know immediately, what is in it for them. Following is a web of social media platforms available for businesses and a graph showing the importance of connecting to the customers:

The trend of customary press releases by businesses has declined due to social media. John Hall denotes:

Rather than trying to gain media coverage through ineffective press releases of a time gone by, it’s critical for PR professionals and marketers to embrace new and different ways of getting news about our offerings and accomplishments to our audience members. Take advantage of social media, develop relationships with industry leaders and influencers, and incorporate quality visuals in your messages to get the attention of journalists and outlets that can help you spread your message. (Hall, 2015)

As we note, old way of PR is becoming obsolete. Instead, businesses have to be agile and think of innovative ways to communicate their purpose and passion with the general public. The following YouTube click illustrates why social media plays a vital role for businesses:

Moreover, 10 of the best social media campaigns of 2015 are mentioned in the following YouTube video:

1.     Groupon’s Banana Bunker

2.     Hefty Ultimate Cups # Blessed

3.     Domino’s Pizza Delivery Emoji Campaign

4.     Squatty Potty

5.     GoPro’s Skateboarding Cat

6.     Exploding Kittens (tabletop game)

7.     McDonald’s

8.     Taco Bell Emoji Campaign

9.     Dove

10.  Coca Cola

The clip shows ways companies are getting innovative and using PR to make a bond with its consumers. Americans are spending a lot of time on social media. Therefore, it is about time businesses take it seriously and analyze the impact such platforms have on RP. A good relationship will move the businesses to the forefront; on the contrary, a bad reputation will ruin a business. Having clear and constant communication with the public is a must, and there is no escaping the phenomenon.

References:

Dougherty, J. (2015). 6 Ways Social Media Has Changed Public Relations | Cision. Retrieved December 01, 2016, from http://www.cision.com/us/2014/09/6-ways-social-media-changed-public-relations/.

Hall, J. (2015, December 13). 7 PR Trends You Need To Know In 2016. Retrieved December 04, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2015/12/13/7-pr-trends-you-need-to-know-in-2016/.