Social media platforms have transformed the public relations industry in countless ways. As a PR professional, staying up-to-date on the challenges and opportunities that come with using social media is crucial.
By doing so, you will be better equipped to deliver top-notch results for your clients and organization. Here are the top benefits of using social media for PR and five key social media strategies that will reshape your PR landscape.
Delve deeper into the blog if you are a PR professional looking to extract the reap of today’s fastest medium of communication.
Table Of Contents:
- Social Media For PR Statistics
- Benefits Of Using Social Media For PR
- 5 Proven Ways To Combine Social Media And PR
- The Top Social Media Management Tool For PR Professionals
- Social Media: A Must-Have for PR in the Digital Age
- FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
You can directly jump to a section of your choice or keep scrolling.
Social Media For PR Statistics
- A majority of PR professionals (54%) follow journalists on social media before pitching to them.
- 90% of PR pros vote Twitter as the best platform for following journalists.
- In terms of customer expectations on social media, 42% expect a business to respond to their questions within an hour, while 9% expect a response within 5 minutes.
- From the perspective of journalists, being connected to trending stories (aka newsjacking) makes a company's story more shareable (77%).
Benefits Of Using Social Media For PR
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Greater reach: PR professionals can reach a wider audience quickly and effectively using social media than with traditional methods, such as press releases and media relations. Additionally, social media allows PR officers to target specific audiences and regions as per their need by providing a global platform for sharing information. This can be achieved through targeted advertising, engaging followers, and leveraging influencer partnerships.
Brands often use social media as a powerful medium to disseminate the latest information as an effective way to run a PR campaign. Axis Bank employees this strategy successfully.
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Improved communication: PR specialists can listen to and engage with their audience in real time on social media as it provides a platform for two-way communication. This helps PR managers better understand their audience's concern and tailor their messaging accordingly.
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Enhanced online reputation management: Social media provides a way for PR experts to track and respond to online conversations about their organization and clients and protect their reputation. By proactively addressing any negative comments or feedback, PR directors can prevent potential damage to their organization or clients' reputations using online reputation management.
Read more: 5-Step Online Reputation Management Strategy
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Easier research: Social media arranges a wealth of information for PR professionals, including market research, insights into their target audience, and an understanding of their competitors' strategies. Staying up-to-date on industry trends and consumer preferences becomes easier for PR experts by regularly monitoring social media.
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Measurable results: Social media analytics tools allow PR managers to track and measure the success of their PR campaigns. The effectiveness of PR directors' efforts can be measured using social media data and insights, and strategic decisions can be made to improve results.
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Opportunities for collaboration: PR specialists can connect with influencers and potential partners on social media and open up new opportunities for collaboration and expand their reach even further. PR regulators can amplify their messaging and reach a larger audience by working with influential figures and businesses across the globe.
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Stay on top of industry trends to create content: Social media allows PR experts to stay updated on industry trends. Using platforms like Twitter, PR specialists can provide valuable insights to their content team and ensure that they create relevant and engaging content.
Social listening feature provided by social meia management tools like Statusbrew lets PR managers to easily track mentions of their brand, industry, competitors, and other relevant keywords in real-time..
To start using our social listening feature, just sign up for a free trial.
5 Proven Ways To Combine Social Media And PR
- Keep Media List Updated By Filling Gaps
- Track Competitors
- Track The ROI Of Events Or Campaigns
- Manage Influencer Relations
- Crisis Management
Keep Media List Updated By Filling Gaps
PR regulators maintain a media list to organize and keep track of the journalists, publications, and media outlets they work with and hope to work with in the future.
But the media industry constantly evolves, which means that PR experts should keep their media list updated and comprehensive from time to time. To ensure PR pros are reaching the right people, they can take a few extra steps and check out the LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram profiles of connections in their media list. This will confirm that they are the best contact for the PR officer’s pitch and haven't switched publications, or even left the industry altogether.
Track Competitors
PR managers can stay ahead of the game by keeping tabs on their competitor's social media activity. Follow their accounts to stay informed about their events, marketing campaigns, and partnerships. They can also learn from their competitor’s best practices and get ideas for their PR activities. If an editor or influencer posts about a competitor's event or campaign, track the dedicated hashtag to see who else is participating.
Statusbrew's brand monitoring feature is a powerful tool for PR professionals looking to track and respond to online conversations about their brand. With this feature, you can set up keyword alerts for specific keywords or phrases, so you will be notified anytime your brand is mentioned online.
Want to see the feature live in action!
Read more: How To Perform A Social Media Competitive Analysis In 4 Easy Steps
Track The ROI Of Events Or Campaigns
By monitoring the social media activity of your guests, PR organizations can easily track their return on investment (ROI). Use a hashtag to create a measurable metric for success, both in terms of social mentions and the quality of the content shared.
If PR pros notice low social media engagement, they can consider ways to improve for future events. They can encourage social media participation by providing guests with content ideas and relevant hashtags for the event.
By measuring tangible insights such as sign-ups, conversions, revenue, and inbound spending, PR managers can get a clear picture of how their efforts are paying off. This can help them make informed decisions about where to allocate resources and how to improve their strategies in the future.
Manage Influencer Relations
Influencers, particularly in the consumer market, can be a valuable resource for PR professionals seeking to reach a larger audience through social media. However, building relationships with influencers takes time and effort, and managing relationships with multiple influencers can be time-consuming.
Therefore, it is often best for PR and social media specialists to work together to manage influencer relations. In the past, PR managers have focused on bloggers and media influencers, while social media specialists have focused on Instagram influencers. By combining efforts, PR experts can effectively manage relationships with a wide range of influencers to maximize their impact.
Here's how a Kamloops-based resort teamed up with a talented travel influencer and photographer from their own community to showcase their beautiful location and attract the right kind of visitors. By aligning their goals with the interests of the influencer's followers, they were able to effectively promote their resort and stand out in a crowded market.
Learn more: Instagram Influencer Marketing: All You Need To Know
Crisis Management
In a crisis, social media can quickly spread news, as well as rumors, lies, and harmful attacks. Effective crisis management involves having a plan in place to manage messaging, including what to say and when to say it.
PR officers should be responsible for managing this messaging, and any external social media agencies should immediately alert PR professionals of any noticed issues to protect and manage reputation. By having a clear plan in place and working closely with social media agencies, PR experts can effectively navigate a crisis and protect their client's and organization's reputations.
Interesting read: How To Communicate During A Crisis Using Social Media
The Top Social Media Management Tool For PR Professionals
Statusbrew is a social media management tool that is widely used by PR professionals to optimize their social media efforts. Some in-demand features of Statusbrew used by PR experts include:
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Social listening: Being able to track and monitor online conversations about a brand or client is crucial for reputation management. Statusbrew’s social listening capabilities can help PR managers identify and address any concerns or negative feedback.
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Scheduling and publishing: The ability to schedule posts and content in advance allows PR managers to plan and organize their social media presence more efficiently.
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Collaboration and team management: With collaboration and team management features, PR specialists can work with others in their teams or their clients to plan and execute social media campaign.
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Analytics and reporting: Statusbrew allows PR pros to track and measure the success of their campaigns with its robust analytics and reporting features.
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Customer service: Statusbrew comes with real-time customer service features, such as responding to comments and messages, helping PR professionals address customer concerns ASAP and build relationships.
Book a free demo to understand how we can help!
Social Media: A Must-Have for PR in the Digital Age
PR professionals have always had to adapt to new technologies to remain effective in their field. The fax machine, for example, was once a revolutionary tool for sending out press releases.
Similarly, social media is just one of many changes PR pros have had to navigate. It's important to remember that the PR industry is constantly evolving and that adapting to such new technologies and approaches is necessary to produce good results constantly.
Schedule a free demo of the best social media management tool for PR professionals to maximize your social outreach efforts!
Statusbrew is an all-in-one social media management tool that supports Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and even Google My Business.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Here are some commonly asked questions about social media for PR:
Is social media good for PR?
Yes. Social media for your PR campaigns can build positive press and improve customer engagement. Social media can help PR professionals to promote brand awareness and reputation, connect with key audiences, monitor and respond to online conversations, amplify earned media and build partnerships and collaborations.
How does social media affect PR?
Social media and PR are based on communication. However, with its real-time messaging, social media helps to amplify your message, allowing PR to be more impactful and stronger.
Why is Twitter good for PR?
Twitter is a fantastic communication tool for PR professionals, especially as it gives them an excellent opportunity to chat quickly with the media and learn more about them. Using social media, PR experts can participate in real-time conversations. This can be especially useful for PR professionals looking to newsjack, or insert their brand into a breaking news story in a relevant and timely manner.
Explain the difference between a PR manager, community manager, marketing manager and a social media manager?
A PR manager is responsible for managing the public image and reputation of an organization. They work to promote the company's brand, products, or services through various channels, including traditional media, social media, and events.
A community manager is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with a company's online community, typically through social media platforms. They are responsible for creating and curating content, moderating discussions, and responding to customer inquiries and feedback.
A marketing manager is responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies to promote a company's products or services. This create marketing campaigns, analyze market data, and manage budgets.
A social media manager is responsible for managing a company's social media presence and strategy. This curate social media content, engage with social media followers, and analyze social insights.
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