The Changed Media Bandwagon: A Mutual Conversation
Whitney Haddard
The popularity of social media is not new; everyone knows that people use it to connect with people across the globe. But businesses are starting to realize that they may be able to connect with customers, clients, potential customers, potential clients, competitors, related businesses, etc., across the globe as well…via these social mediums. Not only are they starting to realize this, they are being told from all directions that they need to jump on the bandwagon. Professionals and analysts everywhere are denouncing those who consider it a fad on the premises of proof that shows it has really worked. Social media is the future backbone of public relations. This is because media isn’t one-sided any longer: it’s a mutual conversation.
There is an obvious reason for public relations professionals’ interest in the social net: popularity. “The number of users on three of the most popular platforms indicates why businesses show interest in online social worlds – 400 million global Facebook users; 100 million registered on Twitter; and 60 million on LinkedIn” (Madler, 2010). These numbers are growing every week. Facebook surpassed Google as the most visited site on the web in mid-March according to “Hitwise” (Lawrence, 2010). It’s a PR-person’s job to know these statistics about the latest hot topics and trends. Strategies began to develop to involve companies in this next, big thing.
Facebook was originally set-up for college students, but too many still consider this it’s only purpose. “Corporate reputation management, crisis response, and brand bulletproofing” can all be accomplished on this popular site (Lawrence, 2010). Besides the fact that demographics of age are all over the charts, and that college students are no longer the majority, users are sharing their views and opinions about “every bit of marketing data a 21st century company covets” (Lawrence, 2010). Public relations professionals have come to realize this and have begun to think-up ways to take advantage.
Social networking sites are changing the way people receive news, or even media in general. A couple “high-profile example[s]” include the death of Michael Jackson and the landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River (Blake, 2009). Long before the world’s media outlets had reported on these happenings, Twitter was blowing up with reactions and updates about them for the world to consume. The distribution of news is practically uncontrollable, and the way in which we communicate has been shifted due to the social net. With this shift stirring things up, a change for public relations is at its heels.
Because of the decline in newspapers, commercial television and radio, public relations professionals say that utilizing social networking is a way to fill the hole the older media-outlets leave behind (Farrish, 2009). Because the audiences of these older mediums have broken down and dispersed, social media is a way to talk to a large group again. Kathy Frega, director of communications for the Connecticut Education Association, states, “you have to communicate with people on multiple fronts…you have to reach people on their own digital turf” (Farrish, 2009). That is exactly what companies are doing; they are using social media outlets as yet another way to reach the masses.
So some news organizations have caught on; it’s another way to reach the people. But some are skeptical that the transfer to public relations for businesses just won’t work. Ira Yellen, president and CEO of First Experience Communications, stated, “they [Facebook and Twitter] seem to be for people with too much time on their hands. There’s more talking and not a lot of listening” (Farrish, 2009). He must be taking examples from companies using social media wrongly then. The key to cites like Facebook and Twitter is that they are social, and socializing involves conversation. If a business or a company uses it like a billboard, not many are going to listen. The company needs to listen and respond to the people. It’s mutual.
“A dialogue between the brand and the customer has benefits. For the brand, it is an effective way to improve, based on real opinions. It is also a cost effective tool for customer service. For the user, it is an open communication line between him and the concerned brand” (Lim, 2010). It really is an extension of talking to customers/clients on the phone or face-to-face. But instead of individually (which can also be achieved) talking to the whole at once with important information is essential! ESPN’s vice president of communications, Mike Soltys, states, “The social media give you the opportunity to go directly to people. In the public relations business, it’s an important thing to play with” (Farrish, 2009). “Engagement” is no longer a word that means a future marriage; it is often used in conjunction with “fan” or “follower” nowadays. “This is a generation of brand engagement with digital as the most powerful medium, and not jumping into the bandwagon will leave the brand swimming in a little pond that will eventually lose its voice in the sea of prosumer interactions” (Lim, 2010).
There is proof that social media marketing and public relations has worked. A “study by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies found that consumers are 67% more likely to buy from the brands they follow on Twitter, and 51% more likely to buy from a brand they follow on Facebook. Moreover, they’re 79% more likely to recommend their Twitter follows to a friend, and 60% more likely to do the same on Facebook” (Ostrow, 2010). Also, “many consumers across a wide variety of demographics have negative perceptions of brands that aren’t using social media” (Ostrow, 2010). This shall be a sign to all companies urging them to jump on the bandwagon before they are left behind. A specific example of a company’s success because of the use of social media is that of Dell. Dell alerted it’s Twitter followers to sale items and made $1 million (Blake, 2009). The proof is in the pudding.
Mentioned before, it’s a conversation…not a billboard. But many stress the need for a strategy before beginning a quest through social media worlds. As many fans/followers as possible might not be the way to go, either. “Reaching the most users isn’t as good as reaching the right users. That is why marketing professionals strongly encourage their clients to have a clear strategy and objectives in mind before diving into social media” (Madler, 2010). Involvement as a brand, business or company in the social media world isn’t easy and can be done wrong (and has been countless times.) “Social media, unlike other media, require 24/7 management and monitoring, and engenders a highly intense level of engagement between brand and media user” (Lim, 2010).
An overwhelming portion of those commenting on this subject supports its use for public relations purposes. Many consider it more to be customer relations, a branch of public relations that focuses on the customer individually instead of achieved and potential customers at the same time. Those who criticize it and share the view that Facebook and Twitter are just fads truly don’t know enough about them and how they can be used effectively when done right. The key to using social media for companies is to remember that it’s dubbed “social” for a reason: it’s for socializing. Humanizing a brand can be achieved because conversation can (and should) take place. Media is shared (or mutual) today. Everyone needs to jump on the bandwagon if they’re going to keep up.
Blake, A. (2009, July 8). Learn About the Changing Face of Selling Online; Social Sites Could be the Answer. The Western Mail, p. 13. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T9204898355&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T9204898359&cisb=22_T9204898358&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=244366&docNo=17
Farrish, K. (2009, September 13). Public Relations Pros Using Social Media To Spread Message. Hartford Business Journal Online. Retrieved from http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news9502.html
Lawrence, D. (n.d.). Why Your Brand Needs to Be on Facebook Now. In Mashable [Article]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/03/24/brand-facebook-now/
Lim, D. (2010, March 1). Are Social Sites Effective Vehicles for Marketing? BusinessWorld, p. S3/3. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T9204757855&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T9204757861&cisb=22_T9204757860&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=173384&docNo=3
Madler, M. (2010, April 26). Using Social Media is More Than Just Friends and Tweets. San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Retrieved from http://www.sfvbj.com/news/2010/apr/26/using-social-media-more-just-friends-and-tweets/
Ostrow, A. (n.d.). Facebook and Twitter Making a Major Impact on Purchase Decisions. In Mashable [Article]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/03/16/facebook-twitter-purchase-decisions/
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