As consumers, wouldn’t most of us be more likely to trust the endorsement offered by a family member, a friend, or even another consumer we’ve never even met over a company’s endorsement of their own products/services? Undoubtedly. By leveraging the power of public relations and social media you have the awesome capability of building buzz for your business while attaining third-party credibility.
The traditional press release is evolving and although print media still has its place, social media is taking center stage. The major difference between a traditional press release and a press release embraced by social media outlets is the exceptional capability social media has as a viral marketing tool. It only takes the click of a mouse and your message can spread like lightning from one person to another. Consumers have always shared with friends, family, neighbors, and the like — the good the bad, and the ugly about a brand. Social media has simply created a premier platform to spread the word. Having a presence for your business on popular social media networks such as Facebook is becoming increasingly compulsory. The relatively new phenomenon offers word-of-mouth marketing on steroids. Think smart! Create a win-win situation by making your customers cheerleaders for your brand. They’re truly the best sales agents a company could ask for.
The Value Social Media Brings to PR?
- Easily distribute through various channels
- Embrace the power of the consumer
- Get the conversation going! (2-way communication)
- Grab the attention of journalists and/or bloggers (they may write about your company’s story)
- Sharability (use a “Share” widget and allow readers to post/share information at lightning speed)
- Multimedia capabilities (i.e., YouTube videos, surveys, links, etc.)
- Ability to build inbound links and backlinks
- Pull PR makes it easy – the media and your intended audience target themselves for you! They find and pull themselves to your news (i.e., RSS feeds).