The purpose of PR is to generate as much positive press for your company as possible, and social media is where people see that coverage unfold. Social media PR, therefore, entails leveraging social media channels to generate publicity and get people talking about your company. 

Social media PR can be a powerful tool for companies of all sizes. Use it effectively and you’ll reach a wider audience, build brand awareness and drive traffic to your website.

Communicate

Social media is a handy tool for amplifying your brand’s message, allowing your PR to be more impactful. Your PR content can live longer, spread faster and reach further with the help of social media.

What’s more, through social media, companies can communicate with their customers directly. Whether through engaging posts on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, brands can cultivate a personality that resonates with their audience and, therefore, form a personal connection with consumers.

Crucially, social media enables two-way communication, which can be a massive advantage. PR teams can engage with their audience in real time and better understand consumers’ concerns and even tailor their messaging accordingly.

Influence

Social media has revolutionised PR because it enables brands to work with third parties to promote their products and services to specific audiences. Companies can leverage the talents of content creators (or influencers) to craft more impactful and timely PR campaigns.

24/7 Cycle

Through social media, companies can deliver news at any time and know that their message will reach consumers. However, despite its advantages, this also means that PR messages on social media have a shorter lifespan as they quickly disappear from newsfeeds and therefore from consumers’ attention.

That said, a comprehensive PR strategy can take your company far, even if it involves rethinking the way you promote your company on social media platforms. Here are a few common social media tactics that are guaranteed to garner positive press for your business:

Share news and updates: Keep your followers informed on your business’ latest goings-on by sharing new products, services, upcoming events or any other news that is relevant to them. Remember that news often breaks first on social media. When a company is making headlines, people head to the company’s social media pages for the latest. Therefore, through savvy use of social media platforms to release such updates, you’ll keep complete control over the message your followers receive regarding your business.

Hold contests and giveaways: Using social media to offer prizes, such as free products or gift cards, is a fun and exciting way to generate excitement around your brand.

Support your PR with #hashtags: Putting together a hashtag campaign not only monitors conversations related to your business’ PR efforts but it also cements your brand identity. Besides strengthening your campaign, hashtags keep the conversation going and pull people aboard your bandwagon. Creative, well-researched and targeted hashtags are easy to remember, and they can be used to support worthy causes, build a community and highlight your company’s milestones and achievements. 

Partner with influencers: An effective way to generate PR for your brand is to partner with an influencer. By doing so, you can reach a wider audience and build immediate trust with potential customers. The right influencer for your company should have a niche following and create authentic content that resonates with your target audience. 

Run social media ads: By using social media ads, you’ll reach a specific, target audience with your message. You can tailor your ads based on demographics, interests and even past consumer behaviour.

Platforms

Social media PR should be consistent, whatever the platform. The most commonly used platforms are:

• Facebook: Facebook is the perfect platform if your company is very conversational. Use Facebook groups, mentions and call-to-action buttons for donations to assist with your PR strategy.
• Twitter: Twitter has a 280-character limit*, so it is ideal for quick messages about new products or to provide updates. Twitter is also great for hashtag campaigns as it’s easy to track what is being said about your company. (*Note that the character limit was amended amid the 2022–2023 changes at Twitter – future changes should probably be expected.)
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is an effective platform for connecting with other companies and people, such as influencers, in a corporate setting. It’s also useful for gaining industry insights and to circulate your business updates and blog posts.
• Instagram: Instagram is all about striking visuals, which makes it an extremely engaging platform. It is a great tool for promotion and to connect with large amounts of followers directly.

5 Tips for an Effective PR Strategy

Here are some additional tips for using social media PR effectively:

Be consistent: The key to success with social media PR is consistency, which involves posting regular, high-quality content that will benefit your audience. Your brand voice and tone should also be consistent, so that your audience knows what to expect. Remember: by being both relatable and helpful, you’ll build a social media presence that will truly enhance your company’s reputation.

Be engaging: Social media is all about engagement. Any interactions you have with your followers are public for the world to see. To create more positive conversations around your brand, make sure to respond to comments and questions and participate in conversations. The more engaged you are, the more likely people are to follow and share your content. Creating good press for yourself is as simple as engaging with your followers and retweeting customers who sing your company’s praises. 

Be authentic: People spot brand inauthenticity from miles away. Remain authentic and consistent with your social media presence to help build meaningful connections with your followers.

Be proactive: Praise on social media is fickle and can easily turn into bad publicity at a moment’s notice. On social media, poor press spreads like wildfire. That is why it is essential to have a proactive crisis management system to handle such situations when they occur. PR teams should take advantage of the 24/7 cycle and reply instantly to any negative backlash so as to tackle crises as soon as they occur. When dealing with a barrage of negative comments, respond thoughtfully to retain your company’s credibility and reassure your loyal customers.

Measure your results: Understanding the results of social media PR efforts – and what is being said about your company – is crucial when developing future PR strategies. This can be done by using analytics tools to track data like website traffic and social media engagement. Having a good understanding of public opinion can help a PR team target future campaigns to reinforce or challenge attitudes about your company.

The key takeaway: Nowadays, customers expect more from a company’s PR team than a simple press release. Social media has flourished, and your PR strategy must evolve along with it if you’re to reap its benefits. A well-planned social media PR campaign will improve your customer engagement and garner positive press for your company. 

If you’d like to bring in the experts to help you reach your audience and boost customer engagement, why not schedule a call with Jo Caruana today? Make the most of your social media with a winning PR strategy!