PR to Social Media OR Social Media to PR?

In many cases, you hear how social media can be a good PR tool.  Many people say that social media is a great way for PR practitioners to reach their target audience and communicate with them on an interactive area.  Up until now, I completely agreed until I came across an article in PR Week titled How PR Can Take Social Media to the Next Level.  When I first read the title I was very confused.  I asked myself, how can PR help social media when social media is usually the one helping a PR campaign.

The main point of this article, written by Martin Jones, was to discuss how social media is too social.  PR practitioners are not focusing on the “media” aspect as much as they are the “social” aspect.  The point of PR is to target consumers through the media and attract them to the product or service. (Jones, M., 2013)

In the article, Jones says that there are three ways that PR practitioners can change the way that social media operates and focus more on the media then on the social.

His number 1 way, which I found very relevant to this class was “a Twitter chat with influencers” (Jones, M. 2013).  He continued to say that the Twitter chat is a great way because,  “agencies often have established relationships with journalists, business professionals, and bloggers who are active on Twitter. If you bring together a few for an organized Twitter chat on a client’s central messaging – via a hashtag – social media can get a little more interactive, and the brand can stand out” (Jones, M., 2013).  This point really struck me! If you think about what we were doing during our Twitter Chat, we were pretty much promoting the book we are reading, our views and our class.  It is funny to think that just a few weekends ago, we were subconsciously changing the way that social media operates; we were focusing more on the media then we were on the social aspect.

So a question I pose to you…

What do you think are some ways that we, as PR practitioners, can convert social media into more of a media source then a social source? Do you think Twitter Chats are a good way or maybe even the best way?

Sources

Jones, M. (2013). How PR can take social media to the next level. Retrieved on September 30, 2013 from http://www.prweekus.com/how-pr-can-take-social-media-to-the-next-level/article/313810/.

iOS 7: The New Friend of Instagram

In Chapter 4 of Share This: The Social Media Handbook for PR Professionals, the concept “new is news” is discussed.  Nowicka, H. discusses how readers do not care if they are reading about the latest fashion trends or the newest financial data, readers want to know what is new and what is happening (2012, p. 33). For the past week and a half, and possibly even longer, we have heard about the Apple update, the iOS 7.  This release definitely has fell under the concept “new is news” because if you have a Twitter or Facebook, I am sure you scrolled across all the individual commentary on the new features.

As many of you know, Instagram has become a popular topic in today’s generation; you are constantly hearing people discuss what they posted on Instagram, whether it is a #tbt (throwback Thursday) or a #mcm (man candy Monday). Sometimes you will even over hear someone saying, “did you see what she posted on Instagram?”  It is a topic of conversation in many social settings. With all of the iOS 7 conversation and Instagram conversation, it was to my surprise there not many comments about the camera/photo section of the iOS 7 and the many compatible features it has with Instagram.

On the iOS 7 system, you now have the capability to take a picture in a square setting and chose a filter before taking a picture. Cipriani, J. of CNET wrote an article titled Five Tips for the New Camera App on iOS 7; he wrote when discussing the features, “swiping to the left will activate Square mode, which perfectly frames a photo for popular photo-sharing services such as Instagram” (2013).  You will see below the different options of the features and the square capability.

But how does this relate to the concept that “new is news”…

These new features allow for the possibility for new news, in picture form, to be posted instantaneously.  Photographers, PR individuals and journalists can report events visually with these new updates.  Instead of taking multiple pictures and then editing them in order to post them on Instagram, these steps can be completed before the picture is even taken.

This can also help with the other concept that Nowicka speaks, getting closer to the gatekeepers (2012, p. 36); if a PR individual takes a picture of an event or upcoming event utilizing the outlets on Instagram and the iOS 7 system, journalists can potentially be attracted to the image and develop interest in the even, which could further lead to the development of a relationship with the PR practitioner.

Koifman, N., the President of NKPR, states that Instagram is “a great way to build brand personality and outreach” and that “using a new social platform results in reaching different individuals and reaching individuals differently, which helps increase awareness and also translates into additional and often new customers” (2013).  These statements really tie in all points; Instagram is a great tool for PR practitioners to utilize and is a way for news to be new, especially with the iOS 7 update.

Sources

Cipriani, J. (2013). Five tips for the new camera app on iOS 7. Retrieved on September 23, 2013 from http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57602511-285/five-tips-for-the-new-camera-app-on-ios-7/

Nowicka, H. (2012). Share this: The social media handbook for PR professionals. John Wiley & Sons, LTD: Chichester, West Sussex.

(2013). Instagram- The PR perspective. Retrieved on September 23, 2013 from http://navigator.cision.com/Instagram-The-PR-Perspective.aspx

1,000 Flexible Arms or 1 Strong Tree?

As an aspiring communications professional, I constantly hear that I will be the face of the company I am hired by.  I will be the one responsible for keeping a positive image for the company, communicating with the consumers and overall, creating a strong brand image.  When I hear all of these duties, all I can picture is someone with their arms dipped into 1,000 places.

When reading Chapter 2 of Share This: The Social Media Handbook for PR Professionals, Sanders discusses how it is vital to select a squad; in terms of utilizing social media within a company, he states “there are plenty of commonplace situations which show how different areas of a business might well have to be involved” (Sanders, 2012, p. 16).  Pretty much, Sanders argues that there are many scenarios where individuals with other expertise, other than public relations, should communicate with consumers in order to answer their questions.

I think this logic is rather intelligent.  When individuals within an organization communicate with one another and provide consumers with answers, they can learn off of one another; a finance person knows more about profits then someone in the PR field and vice versa.  In an article titled How Online Social Networks Benefit Organizations, Kimball & Rheingold mention that utilization of social media can allow an organization to “improve the way individuals think collectively, moving from knowledge-sharing to collective knowing” (Howard Rheingold).   This point simply states that by utilizing different departments in social media, individuals can educate others and then all individuals involved will be proficient in discussing that topic.

When a company uses social media, not only does it benefit the organization but it also benefits the consumers.  Many consumers, according to Boyer in an article titled Consumer Benefits of Social Media, are “finding positive benefits from their experiences with social media and taking away positive suggestions from their online activities” (Boyer, M., 2011).  By the multi-individuals using social media to reach these consumers, they will keep experiencing positive benefits due to the fact that they are receiving information from educated individuals.

Overall, instead of stretching one PR professionals all over the place, it is better to create a strong tree that involves the whole organization.

Sources

Boyer, M. (2011). Consumer benefits of social media. Retrieved on September 9, 2013 from http://www.ballpublishing.com/greenprofit/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=18330

Kimball, L. & Rheingold, H. How online social networks benefit organizations.  Retrieved on September 9, 2013 from http://www.rheingold.com/Associates/onlinenetworks.html

Sanders, S. (2012). Share this: The social media handbook for PR professionals.  John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Chichester, West Sussex: United Kingdom.

A Familiar “Face” to Today’s Society

My average morning consists of waking up, taking a shower, getting dressed and then opening Facebook on my phone to see the funny statuses and pictures my friends posted last night.  According to a blog on Digital Marketing Ramblings, I am only one of  the 1.15 billion Facebook users (Smith, C.).

In today’s society, individuals rely heavily on Facebook as one of their forms of communication; it is used a way to update friends & family, a check-in tool, a photo sharer and a way to determine popularity (especially if you are one of those people that keep track of the number of likes they receive on a status or picture update).  When reading the first chapter in Share This: The Social Media Handbook for PR Professionals, my jaw hit the ground when I read that if Facebook was a country, “it would be the third largest after China and India” (Share this, pp. 3-4).  Facebook has become a part of every day life and is something that everyone has heard of or used, at least once.

But.. how is Facebook a good tool for PR Professionals?

In my opinion, it is important for PR Professionals to reach out to consumers with a forum that they are comfortable with.  Since 1.15 billion individuals throughout the world use Facebook as a form of communication, I feel that is is appropriate to consider Facebook while developing a tactical plan for a company.  If company’s are looking to bring in more consumers or get more recognition from the public, social media is definitely the way to go about it. I personally have a few ideas for how a school, company or person can create interactive posts to draw a consumer in and hopefully continue communication in order to fulfill an objective.

1. CREATE A STATUS WITH A QUESTION

Last year, I was part of a class called “The Agency.”  A group of students were paired up with a “Client” and we provided them ideas and recommendations on how to communicate effectively with their target audience.  My Client wanted to utilize social networks and build a community that allowed people to participate in conversation.  While examining their Facebook page, many of their posts were direct and did not require or encourage a response.  We provided them with a list of questions and within hours of the post, they started to receive comments.  As you can see in the picture below, 19 people provided comments, 1 being our very own professor!

A blog titled 7 Powerful Facebook Statistics You Should Know for a More Engaging Facebook Page also agreed with the recommendation my class provided.  The blog states that “question posts get 100% more comments” (Cooper, B.B.).

When a post is interactive, consumers will feel as if there voice is being heard and their participation is wanted.  Involvement of consumers=success.

2. POST AN ENGAGING IMAGE

Images provide consumers with a visual.  In retail especially, it is vital that there is a picture that shows the product that they are trying to sell.  Alex & Ani, a bangle bracelet company, does a very good job at posting images of their product in an engaging sense.  They match up different color beaded bangles with some popular bangles so consumers can get a sense of what it may look like.

Overall… the textbook discusses the different types of social networking and how they are becoming a part of everyday life.  I feel that Facebook, is definitely the “face” of all social media.  When you wake up in the morning, I am sure you click the Facebook app too to see what your friends are up to.  As PR Professionals, I feel it is vital that we utilize this outlet and incorporate my suggestions above to bring success to our overall objective.

Sources

Cooper, B.B. (July 23, 2013). 7 powerful Facebook statistics you should know for a more engaging Facebook page. Retrieved on September 2, 2013 from http://blog.bufferapp.com/7-facebook-stats-you-should-know-for-a-more-engaging-page.

(2012). Share this: The social media handbook for PR professionals.  John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Chichester, West Sussex: United Kingdom.

Smith, C. (August 25, 2013). By the numbers: 47 amazing Facebook stats. Retrieved September 2, 2013 from http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/by-the-numbers-17-amazing-facebook-stats/.