Hi everyone!!
In my Corporate Communications Management module, we had a debate on "Social media is more important to PR professionals than any other type of communication method" and I found the topic interesting.
In my opinion, the statement is true: social media is nowadays the most efficient communication method.
"Live longer, reach further, spread faster"
Firstly, social media content can be qualified as eternal as we can always find old Instagram posts and I can see on my timeline tweets from 2015 still being retweeted!
Then, with the digitalisation of the world, more and more people use social media. Personally, if I see an Instagram or Twitter post that I am not interested in, I might share it because I know that one of my followers might be interested in. That means that the message won't stop being spread even if I am not interested in.
Nowadays, many social media channels exist and each of them has different features. All these different features create different ways to share the same story allowing more people to be reached.
Another really good point of social media is that the content doesn't have to be formal. The use of humour and a friendly tone is welcome. I personally love how Netflix France and Les Produits Laitiers (French brand promoting dairy products) are tweeting, they're really funny and it creates a good buzz, allowing the content to be spread faster. Doing partnerships with influencers is also beneficial because the influencers' community trust the person and it helps legitimate the campaign.
Finally, the #hashtag might be one of the main points proving the efficiency of social media. Hashtags are the easier way to make the community remember the main message of a campaign, and it can be added everywhere! Everyone can tweet with #MeToo and we all remember and use #BlackLivesMatter. Hashtags allow the campaign to reach further and be spread faster.
All these points supporting the main argument of "Live longer, reach further, spread faster" prove that social media strengthen the brand message.
Social media builds 2-ways communication
Social media creates an opportunity to monitor attitudes and identify brand threats. It establishes direct interactions allowing a dialogue between the community and the brand thanks to surveys, polls, mentions (@) and comments. It helps the brand adapting to the needs and wants of its community and generate valuable relationships.
The fact that social media can be accessible 24/7 and in real-time is very beneficial. Making announcements became much easier and crisis management can be handled better as the brand can post real-time updates and the community opinion and questions can be shared straightforward so the brand can establish efficient crisis management strategies.
The 2-ways communication generated by social media creates and helps to keep a strong brand reputation.
So, as you might have understood, for me, PR associated with good use of social media leads to success.
However, I am aware that other communication methods exist and I don't think we should completely forget them.
I found a really interesting article written by one of my peers, Lily Harrison, who has a different opinion of mine, I think you should check it out to, perhaps, nuance your thoughts. Here's the link: https://lilyjadeharrison8.wixsite.com/website/post/why-you-shouldn-t-use-social-media-exclusively-in-pr-campaigns ☺️
Thank you for reading this post and I am looking forward to reading your thoughts about the subject!