We have all asked these questions. What are Public Relations? Why should I be on social media? How can social media and public relations help my company?
Good questions.
If you were not introduced to social media when it first made its debut, you may only think of it as a series of networks that people join to keep in touch with friends or upload pictures of their memories. Yes, some people do use social media networks for this purpose, but if you are a young professional or an owner of a developing company, social media may just be the answer to your prayers.
Here is a list of some of the things social media has to offer you as a professional:
– Connects the world
– Promotes you or your brand
– Spreads news
– Teaching source
– Communication tool
– Networking tool
– Populate an event
– Source for hiring and firing
Social media has the power to connect millions of people in a split second. For example, Kony2012 swept over every social media site you can think of in March of 2012. The viral sharing of videos and photos was encouraged throughout friends and colleagues to help get media attention to stop this war criminal in Uganda.
This image spread through social media like wildfire overnight and the Stop Kony 2012 video made by Invisible Children has over 102 million views just on YouTube alone.
Today, people are more likely to log into Facebook to read about worldly news than turning on the TV. Social media is famous for spreading news and promoting everything from products to campaigns over the internet. One reason it is so famous is that it is free. Using networks like Facebook and Twitter can shine a light on you as a professional or the brand of a company.
Social media being a resource for building a brand is not something anyone can accomplish successfully. This is where the power of public relations enters.
Despite what you have heard, public relations is more than planning parties and meeting celebrities. You have to do research and communicate with people. Networking and marketing may be the most acquired skill a PR professional can have. Along with social media, the skills of a public relations specialist can turn your brand into a success story. These specialists have been taught to utilize their skills to help improve quality and promote the purpose of your brand.
If public relations professionals know the ins and outs of social media, that is a double whammy.
Here are just a few things PR professionals have the power to do:
– Network
– Communicate
– Promote
– Plan
– Social media
– Build relationships
– Research
– Evaluate
– Deal with the media
– Write
– Community engagement
– Market
Public relations and social media can be powerful tools in any company or brand that wants to become successful.
*Stats in this article were updated in July 2020.
