Public relations (PR) at it’s core is designed to manage the spread of information between an individual and an organization – bridge that together with social media and you’ve got yourself a dream team! PR traditionally consist of several different factors such as:
- Building brand awareness
- Creating interest
- Brand management
- Stimulating Demand
- Providing Information
Traditional marketing efforts alone are good; but, when combined with social media advertising, they can propel brands and influencers to achieve heights of success that were previously limited.
What Does Social Media Advertising Consist of?
Social Media Advertising is defined as the process of serving up digital content via websites or social media sites with the intention of gaining traffic to increase impressions and, furthermore, drive a specific call to action. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it across their social networks.
Social media advertising capabilities include but are not limited to:
- Driving traffic to websites and stores
- Driving online sales
- Driving brand awareness and loyalty
- Event Promotion
- Product Promotion
- Brand to consumer engagement
Why Bring in Social Media?
Social media allows brands, products and influencers to reach their targeted audiences on a more personal level. Add in compelling creative that evokes a positive emotional connection and the consumer will be more likely to engage. Positive engagement develops trust which in turn becomes loyalty.
Speed is another major factor to consider. In an age where news travels at the speed of light, social media provides a platform where omni-channel strategic campaigns can be executed immediately and efficiently.
Key Practices to Keep in Mind When Using Social Media with Public Relations
- Make your ads noticeable
- Stick to a strong focal point
- Insert brand personality
- Create an information reward
- Use strong calls to action
- Keep messaging consistent
- Create emotional reward
How to Seamlessly Merge Public Relations and Social Media
As with any campaign, the client’s goal for the campaign is paramount; it must be clear and concrete so the objectives of the campaign are succinctly defined. Then a strategy can be developed where the duties of both social media and public relations are outlined, so as to support and complement each other. Desired content and messaging should be relevant to and delivered in a timely manner to the target audience.
The End Result:
Public relations and Social media are two separate beasts – they always have been and always will be. But, when properly aligned, brands and influencers increase their chances of success.
Read more from Ronn Torossian:
Ronn Torossian on Forbes
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Ronn Torossian on LinkedIn
Ronn Torossian’s Professional Profile on Muck Rack
Ronn Torossian on Business Insider
