Why the freak out?

The mere mention of the words “social media” gets some businesses in a tizz, but why? Isn’t using the internet to achieve communications objectives second nature to us now? Still, it continues to throw many into a state of wonder, awe, panic, you name it. 

Yet some industry insiders see social media as quite simply the internet and what’s the big fuss about that, everyone’s been using it for years and with that using social media principles for longer than they actually realise.

Without doubt, social media platforms are extrememly beneficial when utilised in the correct way, but remember just that, in the correct way. They are not magic, they are just websites.

But to handle social media in a confident and comfortable manner it’s best to really understand the whole concept. PRs are used to creating stories that get spread by word of mouth, the most basic example is getting an article on the front page in a newspaper that then get talked about. In the digital age, that core principle is still exactly the same; it’s just that your message can spread faster and wider then ever before.

In a similar strand to that of viral marketing that emerged ten years ago, where you could create something and then share it with like-minded individuals to potentially reach hundreds of thousands or even millions of people through the power of email and the web, social media is essentially the next step up.

The basics idea of ’shareability’ is still the same; it’s just that social media has now introduced the element of interaction. I this way, news can spread much faster and links can be shared around the world int eh blink of an eye. The main difference now between the ‘old internet’ and the ‘new internet’ is that now those who are in control of the content are the people, not the originators. It would seem that companies and their communication teams are now simply participants rather than broadcasters.

Times certainly changed. Before social media platforms became the rage, visiting websites and reading or viewing content was as good as it got. And if tehy didn’t like what they saw, well they just moved on didn’t they? Now, however, people can comment on blogs, rate pages, rate videos, write side-wikis, share links, post on chat forums, share photos, become fans, tweet news etc etc. Pretty much what the internet was meant to be all along.

And the main principles behind all this: be transparent, be creative, be helpful and BE THERE. Accept that you cannot control how your output is eventually used, or whether is is used at all. So, when creating strategies, consider how social media can enhance rather than replace your existing PR activity. When creating stories and issuing news think about ‘shareability’ and make it easy for people to spread your message through strategic digital pr.

It goes without saying that in-house PR teams must take social media seriously. Media monitoring has to include social media otherwise its just a case of selective hearing. But don’t just rush out and set up company Facebook pages and Twitter accounts before actually researching what is right for your brand. Think about your audience and what their media habits are, same as you would do for print and broadcast.

Also worth noting, treat key influencers almost in the same way as journalists as they are known to have siginificant reach, and this same principle should apply to bloggers and influential social media users. Do your research. Media relations is media relations. PR is still about building relationships and is still about people.

Just make sure your social media activity aligns with your commercial objectives.