PR Plan
Working Social Media Into Your PR Plan
Traditional media providers are facing increasing competition from social media outlets and your PR plan has to adapt. We'll tell you why social media can't be ignored and how you can successfully incorporate it into your PR plan.
Social media is revolutionizing the way people communicate.
But for savvy entrepreneurs, it's also revolutionizing the way businesses organize and execute PR strategies. In this day and age, it just doesn't make sense to create a PR plan that doesn't include social media elements.
Why is social media important? Because that's where people (and more than a few journalists) are.
People who have abandoned traditional media sources like newspapers have reappeared on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Traditional media still plays an important role in a PR plan, but if you want to reach as many people as possible, you're going to have to incorporate social media into your PR strategy.
Right off the bat, you should understand the difference that exists between traditional media PR and social media PR. While traditional media is all about information, social media is all about relationships - making them and using them to your advantage. So instead of working to get the word out, the goal in social media PR is to insert your company into the lives of consumers through networks of virtual relationships.
Here are a few social networking tips for PR pros, marketers and business owners who want to make the most of social media:
- Join and create networks. Networks are the name of the game in social media PR. You'll want to begin by creating an online company profile. From there, you can begin to share your profile with others by either joining their networks or encouraging them to join yours. Just make sure the networks you join are consistent with the target markets described in your PR plan.
- Pursue interactions. Consistent interactions keep network relationships fresh and viable. Your online presence isn't enough - you're going to have to interact with the people in your network to get maximum results from your social media involvement. Your PR plan should discuss how your company will engage your networks and who will be responsible for doing it.
- Look for ways to double your impact. Social media PR and traditional media PR aren't exclusive communities. Many traditional media representatives have very active social media networks. By penetrating those networks, you can double your impact, especially if you can capture the attention of traditional media players through social media outlets.
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What other steps should be taken to work social media into a PR plan? We welcome your comments, questions, and advice on the interplay between social media and PR.