Why Social Media and Your PR Must Work Together

[5 minute read]

Many brands use PR and social media, but so many miss the opportunity to align these teams. Companies use social media to create relationships with their consumers, promote their products, and gain exposure to their key demographic. If that sounds a lot like what a PR specialist would do, you’re not wrong.

However, while a social media expert speaks directly to consumers, a PR strategist will cultivate a company’s positive reputation through various means, such a distributing press releases, arranging speaking engagements, and influencing traditional media to cover your story.

Although social media and public relations are each unique types of marketing, you can combine the two to generate interest in your brand, create trust, and engage your audience.

The media experts at Avaans PR explore the many returns you can enjoy by aligning your social media and PR strategies. Learn more by contacting us today.

Aligning Social Media With Public Relations

We are living in an age of technology. It’s everywhere. Marketing is no longer only about direct mail, signs, and flyers. Digital marketing has become more mainstream, and it seems like the options are unlimited. Not only can you choose individual strategies, but you can also combine various social media platforms and different types of marketing to get your message across and reach a much larger audience than you would with some of the “old school” methods of marketing.

Integrating your public relations efforts and social media marketing is an excellent example of how advertising has changed over the years. At one point, companies used PR to promote individual people, such as business partners, investors, or shareholders, within specific industries.

However, with the rise of social media and its undeniable influence, people, brands, companies, and others use these marketing platforms for public relations purposes. Both are useful in building trust between a business and its consumers, so it makes sense that the two should come together to achieve a company’s marketing goals.

The Influence of Social Media On Public Relations

Social media has had a significant impact on the world of PR. The most notable are:

Although communication is the cornerstone of both social media and PR, social media allows businesses to engage with their customers in real-time. This can allow for a more impactful PR strategy. When you’re publishing content using emails, news releases, and other platforms associated with PR, you have an opportunity to post a related update on social media, which will help your message live longer on the internet and spread faster than ever before.
Business stakeholders may find PR to be more “friendly” thanks to social media. Relationship marketing is a new marketing area helping companies seem approachable and warm despite the seriousness of their services or type of business they have.
With the help of social media, public relations can reach a larger audience than usual. Previously, PR would target specific people, such as investors or journalists. However, you can use social media to expand your target audience to anyone who can grow your business and help it become more successful.

The Differences Between PR and Social Media

Even though your company could benefit from using PR and social media together, you should understand the major differences between the two. They include:

Audiences might react differently to social media than PR. Whereas social media audiences are typically interactive and engaging, public relations audiences might take a more passive approach when interacting with content. This is because many see PR as one-sided, while social media platforms are two-sided. When you put out content for social media, your goal is to engage the public to maintain active communication. Conversely, PR content reaches the audience – through traditional media, for example – and may receive little to no engagement.
The way you communicate is also different between PR and social media. Companies use social media to begin conversations with their customers and increase sales. It’s crucial to use a consistent tone while engaging with the audience, so they don’t lose trust in the brand. On the other hand, PR may target their messaging more specifically to influence brand expansion and media coverage.
The impact social media has on your business, sales, and other marketing activities is easy to measure. You can analyze the data to determine what areas need improvement and what strategies are working. However, it’s sometimes more challenging to determine the return on investment with the PR strategies you’re using.

How to Use Social Media & PR Strategy

You can use particular social media platforms to improve your public relations plan and meet your company’s specific needs.

Instagram – Many companies use this platform to engage with their audience and bring awareness to issues and causes. Instagram is also perfect for promoting your business and keeping people engaged during an event you’re participating in or hosting.
Facebook – This is an excellent choice for brands or companies that regularly communicate with their audience. You can use various tools to assist with your PR activities, such as mentions, groups, and call-to-action buttons.
LinkedIn – LinkedIn is another excellent platform for connecting with other people. You can circulate information relevant to your business, gain the attention of influencers to help promote your products or services, and gain an insight into what other companies are doing within your industry.
Twitter – Social media marketing is sometimes about getting your message across using a short and to-the-point post. Twitter restricts users to 140 characters, perfect for providing a quick update to your consumers, launching a new product, or promoting your brand. You can use hashtags to reach your target audience and find comments from others about your company.

There’s no doubt that PR and social media together can maximize a company’s online presence. Knowing how and when to use these marketing strategies is crucial. That’s where an experienced PR and social media agency comes in.

Contact Avaans PR Today

At Avaans PR, we dedicate our time and effort to creating brand trust, building and maintaining reputations, and growing businesses for our clients. Our team knows the most effective marketing strategies that can positively impact your target audience and generate interest in your company and brand. Since 2008, our PR and social media agency has helped clients expand their digital reach, and we’re ready to do the same for you.

Reach out to Avaans PR for more information by completing our contact form or scheduling a phone call.

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