It’s easy to get caught up in the times- As technology becomes an ever-growing aspect of society, more and more information is shared, through apps, social networks and other digital mediums. This series, ” PR & Social Media” focuses on advances in the digital atmosphere and serves as a how-to guide to master blending the trends of today with the foundations of the communication.
It is crucial that PR pre-professionals are well versed in being tradigital. This take on public relations is all about understanding the values of traditional PR practices, but also knowing how to interact, connect and share information in the ever-growing digital setting of social media. As a PR professional, you can stay in control of your brand’s reputation by encouraging awareness of what people are saying about your brand across a variety of social platforms.
30% of tweets containing company names DON’T include the company’s Twitter handle.
Social media IS NOT a PR strategy alone, its is merely a tool used to optimize your media outreach efforts. A successful strategy is built around targeting the right people, with the right messages, at the right time. In order to better harness the power of social media, follow these tips.
1. Monitor Conversations
Monitoring conversations on social allows you to understand who is initiating and participating in the conversation, where the conversation is happening and when people are liking, sharing and commenting the most around your brand.
2. Performance Tracking
Tracking competitive brand performance on social media enables your brand to improve its brand positioning. Your brand is able to see how people compare it to its competitors, providing insight about where it fits in its industry. Effective sentiment analysis allows your brand to amplify messaging that is receiving the most positive feedback and take corrective action towards negative feedback. Addressing threats and opportunities in real-time keeps observers interested in what your brand has in store for the future.
3. Listen & Engage
Listening and engaging in what’s being said about your brand helps to demonstrate its customer service and influence purchasing and decision-making processes. Jay Baer suggests turning haters into brand advocates by noticing customer complaints early on. Listening to your audience on social and analyzing certain behaviors can help your brand convey the right message at the right time. Listening goes a bit more in depth than monitoring alone.
This requires you to go beyond watching who and what shows up in your notifications, there are still people out there talking about your brand who aren’t tagging it in every post or update. Once you have established your brand as an active participant in these conversations, you will see an increase in your tagged mentions and your audience will anticipate your engagement.
About The Author: Olivia Pearson is a corporate communications Co-Op at DTE Energy. She is currently a senior with a major in public relations. Olivia is passionate about freedom of self-expression in the workforce, arts and community. Her love for technology and design can be seen on her personal blog theoliviapearson.com. After college, she plans on working at L’Oreal, where she will continue to work in communication, technology and design.
Wayne State University PRSSA 