You undoubtedly have various social media accounts set up, updating these as and when or whenever you remember! But are they really working for you, or are you just going through the motions?
We’ll admit that every ‘brag,’ company announcement or daily insight can blend in and start to feel a bit samey, but done rightly, social media with public relations integrated can elevate you leaps and bounds above the competition, and the smarter companies of this world are starting to realize this.
So why is Social Media PR worth talking about? Well, for starters, almost everyone you know is on it. In terms of audience reach, I think we can all agree this is a winner. You get to promote and advertise yourself to vast audiences, not that you should confuse PR and marketing as being the same - they’re not, but PR can support marketing activities. You see, PR and social media go hand in hand. Where else gives such a huge platform to showcase your thought leadership? Unique industry insights aren't’ just ‘good to haves’ on a professional social network like LinkedIn, they’re essential for demonstrating expert insights and getting people interested in your offering.
Our purpose with this article is simple: to provide exclusive strategies and tips from PR professionals for achieving success in improving your social media strategy. A PR Social Media strategy is not as straightforward as it sounds (well, not totally). That's why we’ll impart our insights into navigating the complexities of social media.
What is social media PR?
Social Media PR involves using platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to build a positive brand image in the eyes of key audiences.
One advantage of a PR Social Media strategy is that it can show your brand's story in real time and provide an easy-to-follow chronological story for followers. As with earned media, you won't need to chase up a journalist to cover it. You can do this yourself, as and when you wish.
Social media public relations entails creating thoughtful, on-brand content that highlights your competencies, interests, or qualities, as well as interacting with people's comments and discussions.
It's great to have social channels in the mix when developing your PR roadmap. Not everyone's target audience is going to watch or read the news. You have to research your target audience to determine if Social Media PR is the way to go.
The benefits of social media PR
Social media is how we discover new things, get the news, see the things we enjoy the most, and keep in touch with each other. It goes without saying that in our interconnected world, it’s immensely important to who we are. It’s no wonder PR professionals seek to leverage these platforms for their clients.
Effective PR in this area hinges on matching your goals to the strengths of individual platforms. Facebook is great for raising brand recognition and garnering community engagement, and Instagram and TikTok are great for harnessing the power of influencer marketing and visual storytelling.
For thought leadership, LinkedIn and YouTube may be the solutions for engaging loyal audiences over time. But it's about more than that. You need to understand the platform-specific algorithms, keywords, and hashtags that impact and drive the various platforms, and you need to be able to measure them to understand their worth.
Here are some of the benefits of employing social media public relations:
Greater reach
The biggest benefit of social media is its greater audience reach compared to more traditional methods.
People are rarely far from their phones, so they may see your campaign without even trying.
While this could mean a non-devoted audience, the algorithms at play can help businesses connect to their chosen demographics, increasing brand visibility. These people could be your target audience after all. Content can easily be shared with the click of a button, expanding reach even further and acting as a ‘recommendation’ when people do so.
Helps the overall sales funnel
People begin the sales funnel journey in the awareness stage. Social media can generate interest via the carefully timed sharing of information that puts a company in a good light and gives compelling reasons to adopt its product.
Buyers then seek more information to validate or compare their beliefs.
Social media can offer the information they require and give them a path to take action. It's important for social media to work alongside your other marketing instruments. A potential customer or client could see your social media post through earned coverage and give you a ‘follow’. A few months down the line, after hearing and learning about your brand story, they may well make the leap as a customer.
Reputation management
Social media public relations can showcase positive feedback from pleased customers and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in an area. You have full control over the narrative shared via your social platforms. It's great leveraging your social voice to help reinforce positive brand image.
Another solid benefit of doing PR in social media is that brands can perform sentiment analysis to monitor a brand's image, the conversations people are having, and their feedback. Using these insights, they can predict an impending crisis and not be on the back foot when responding. They can also more fully understand their audiences and even benefit from learning what they would like to see improved with the product. In short, social media provides fantastic market research opportunities.
Learn more about reputation management and PR
Strengthen online presence
Social media works with your website, not instead of.
It can bring your brand's values to life with useful and original content. Infographics, employee stories, and customer success triumphs can kickstart your brand's story. Use videos and blog posts to tell your audience your view on something, reinforce your values and strengthen your presence in the market.
Anything that creates a relationship between a company and a customer can boost your traffic and presence. Remember to link it to real life, offer your unique industry insights, and make it as branded as possible.
Also, press releases are not just for press release distributors - they are for your social media too.
What impact did social media have on how we do PR?
Speak to most PR professionals, and they’ll probably tell you that the field of public relations has been enhanced because of social media. The traditional press release can no longer do the job, as there are far too many stakeholders now.
Social media has a significantly higher reach and offers videos, reels, photos, interactions, articles, and comments. It is a far superior option to the more one-sided press release. Don’t get us wrong—they still have a place, but social media can be the launch pad for much much more.
The spread of misinformation
Anyone can share anything on social media, and people tend to trust personal opinions and experiences when they are shared.
Many people now get their news from social media, believing it is more accurate than traditional media.
This can pose a problem for PR, who will need to tread carefully and be wary of helping spread falsehoods or exaggerations—not to mention helping those clients who have been victims of this.
Social media is famously unregulated, too, meaning people can deliberately spread untruths, and others share them without checking. Online misinformation is an endemic problem with no easy solution, but as communications professionals, those in PR have a duty to guard against it.
Speedy communication
Social media has given us round-the-clock comms. With 24/7 instantaneous communication at your fingertips, your message can be amplified sooner and greater, allowing your PR efforts to be heard and understood more and make more of an impact. Your content can stay visible for longer with social media, too.
We are in an almost endless cycle of news and ads. People have no shortage of messages to hear. So make yours stand out. This speedy communication can be a double-edged sword as the bad news is that bad news spreads very quickly too, be it in the form of a review or crisis. So be sure to monitor this.
Direct audience engagement
Social media facilitates direct audience communication and participation.
You can better target audiences, speak directly with stakeholders, and there are no language barriers.
Because it is a two-way street, it can also build genuine engagement. As a result, you can engage your followers in real time and directly collect their feedback. Communicating with your audience has never been easier or more valuable.
Community building
The whole purpose of public relations is to build relationships. Social media offers the perfect platform for engagement, interactions, and relationship building. PR pros use it to stay updated, create and share content, and network for clients.
People use social media to get ideas, inspiration and recommendations (Facebook even has a special feature for this).
Evolution of PR roles and skills
There's no doubt that the rise of social media has forced those in the business to learn new skills. And for the better! Each platform has its nuances to get to grips with. Think about the mechanics of each, and best practices (length and audiences etc.).
Being able to understand analytical tools to gauge success is a necessary skill.
Social Media has broadened how we see success. It’s no longer just about landing coverage, but about building relationships. This is a vital evolution in the PR roles and skills required.
Understanding the current social media landscape
Now that you're on tenterhooks, it's time to probe the landscape's main players further. The key to understanding the platforms is that they don't work on a one-size-fits-all premise. They have different purposes, collect data differently, and segment audiences differently. Read that sentence again, because it is important.
The first social media network to surpass one billion registered users, Facebook offers unrivaled business connectivity.
While no longer seen as cutting-edge, it remains popular with older demographics and can be fairly cost-effective compared to more conventional advertising methods, making it budget-friendly for startups and small businesses.
Facebook's algorithm leans heavily toward content that produces user interactions, and its precision targeting is a well-known feature - to the point of receiving harsh criticism. Despite this backlash, it's still a powerful force to be reckoned with for brands looking to target customers through advertising.
Far from jumping on the bandwagon, Facebook helped put the wheels on it.
Companies can directly interact with audiences, and its sophisticated targeting capabilities allow businesses to reach people based on locations, interests, and other demographics of interest.
Facebook allows you to create paid ads in various forms (photos, links, videos), to support your PR activities. Use Facebook in conversational settings and its hashtags to draw attention to products, campaigns or other topics.
X/Twitter
Despite the upheaval when Elon Musk took over and renamed it 'X' (it's still hard to shelve 'Twitter' entirely), X is still a frontrunner among social media platforms.
Despite a fall in reported active users (or the cleaning up of bots, as X calls it), it offers a devoted and passionate user base who love to share news and engage in public discourse.
Most users are under 35, and a significant number are male - something to think about.
Despite the upheaval, most journalists have not completely fallen out with X . It is great for making announcements and soundbites and getting retweeted en masse is the ultimate honor.
Using hashtags means you can track what is being said about you and by whom.
It offers the chance to engage in relevant discussions, drop product hashtags, and target people based on keywords, interests, and recent searches.
LinkedIn is the essential marketing platform for professionals across all industries.
It began as a humble job search engine. Since then, it has amassed over 1 billion users and transformed the professional and development network landscape with job searching, thought leadership, sales, and lead-generation content from individuals and companies. Its primary use is professional networking for individuals and business development for firms. It is where they go for B2B PR efforts.
It offers a highly focused and relevant audience and an impressive suite of tools, ranging from the ability to target based on job title, company name, or industry to sponsored content or messaging. You can send ads directly to mailboxes and produce a range of content to get noticed, including videos or live broadcasts.
Boasting over 1 billion monthly users, Instagram is the go-to platform for videos and photos.
A favorite of millennials and Gen Z, it's the home of influencer marketing and a place where businesses and individuals can thrive, with every aspect of people's lives catered for on the platform.
The nature of Instagram makes product demonstrations and the sharing of product features ideal. The visuals make for a great way to showcase product features and engage with audiences. Instagram capitalizes on its tech-savvy younger audiences, engaging them with shoppable posts. Users are bombarded with ads, and a simple click can make a purchase. With ad reach expanding even more, Instagram provides the perfect selling ground for businesses looking to appeal to younger audiences. Moreover, Instagram Business Profiles offer insights for firms to track performance and optimize strategies. This, coupled with the influencer-marketing potential, makes it a lucrative platform.
TikTok
Having labeled itself as "the leading destination for short-form mobile video,” TikTok has not disappointed.
Its short-form videos have taken the world by storm and opened the door to new opportunities for reaching vast audiences.
Don't be fooled into thinking it's just for Gen Z. Its audience base is steadily increasing among older age groups, who have spotted its potential for reaching larger audiences. Engagement is where TikTok shines. It can boast longer sessions and higher engagement than its rivals.
Offering an unrivaled opportunity to target younger generations, TikTok's main achievements seem to be convincing almost anyone they can be mini film directors and make videos themselves. If your company hopes to target the younger generation, you should strongly consider including TikTok in your tool list. Its clever algorithms attract people to the type of videos they love, keeping them hooked for hours.
Its ad platform allows for specific targeting based on consumer behavior, demographics, and interests.
Its future hangs in the balance, though. U.S. lawmakers are keen to ban the app due to its suspected links with the Chinese government, so watch this space closely.
Youtube
Founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, three early employees of PayPal, the inspiration for YouTube came after the PR nightmare of the 2004 Super Bowl, clips of which were hard to find after, prompting the idea of a site specifically designed for video sharing.
Since then, it's become the undisputed king of video-sharing platforms, with over 2.2 billion active monthly users and a search engine that is the second most used in the world after Google.
For businesses eager to connect with a wide audience, this platform is a goldmine. It allows you to place ads on videos, create compelling video content, and even set up a dedicated company channel for subscribers.
Its simple and intuitive interface, catering to all content and interests, makes it a comfortable and versatile platform for businesses of all sizes. It's used by people of all ages, further enhancing its appeal.
Useful tips for engaging in social media PR
Using social media to pitch
Social media can be a great place to start researching journalists.
LinkedIn, for instance, allows you to search based on interests. It's a smart move to follow them on social media to get insights into what they write about and what's happening in their world.
Use social media to post about your earned media. Nurture potential customers this way. The nature of earned media also makes social media the perfect spot to display it. For starters, you can tag/mention/hashtag the journalist or publication in question, reaching them so that they can share far and wide with their own audiences. Amplification matters in PR. You need to get as much mileage as possible from your coverage. It's 2024, after all. In months and years (the anniversary, for example), reshare and remind people of it.
Social media scheduling
There are many options for social media automation now, such as Sprout Social, Buffer, and Hoodsuite.
You can usually set these up to do the honors for you at any time.
This is especially handy for posting outside office hours to benefit international audiences. However, we still recommend you do all the usual checking, liking, and interacting once it's done.
Social media has been a blessing. You get to self-publish. But you should be consistent with this. Not just ad-hoc. In other words, use it properly and sufficiently.
Remember, your stakeholders use social media
If a journalist or media outlet is even slightly curious about you, they're just as likely to check your social media activity as your website. A lack of activity or updates could mean a red flag in their eyes.
After all, their job is much harder if they need to chase or fill in the blanks.
If you're B2B, it makes sense to use LinkedIn over Instagram, but there are no hard or fast rules here.
People use social media to research companies before making a decision. It's now widely considered part of the due diligence process. With the wealth of information available on just about anything, people have taken it upon themselves to get educated.
If you are not on social media or just 'present' but not active, then you may as well not exist. People just don't trust and buy from brands that don't participate. They are not seen as modern or relevant.
Crafting synergistic techniques for social media PR success
Success rests on having a cohesive brand voice across channels and a genuine purpose. It's not always about what you do, but why you do it. In other words, don't just use it as an opportunity to promote and sell, but to demonstrate why audiences should care. What's in it for them? Creating one great post or story won't cut it. You need to be consistent. You need a social media strategy that employs the right tactics.
Here, we look at some.
Influencer collaboration
People trust the people who frequently pop up on their Instagram feeds.
They believe what they say and will listen when they recommend a product.
The use of influencers on social media has become a potent force in the digital PR era. Despite misconceptions, influencers can educate audiences and often give expert opinions . They have their own followers and the ability to alter consumer behaviors. This is a powerful thing.
Build relationships with creators, influencers, and PR companies, but one tip is not to be too hands-on, as it could stifle creativity. Lots of people use influencers just once, so it is harder to build a relationship with them than with a PR firm.
User-generated content (UGC)
Why not invite your followers to join in with a creative project, from helping to name something or creating a limited edition of a product to creating videos or artwork? Share progress and the final result of the winning entrant on social media, tagging participants or giving them something for free publicly.
UGC also provides ‘social proof’ as sharers become brand advocates. People trust what others say about you over your own branded content.
Analytics and data-driven strategies/social listening and monitoring
Listening can be a powerful tool. Listen to what people are saying about you. It also helps you get to know your audience, which you can use in future strategies.
Analytical tools mean you can track the success of content published in real time. What’s not to love about that? Things not hitting the mark can be replaced as quickly as they went up. You can also use listening tools to track important PR metrics concerning your brand, either during a specific PR campaign or not.
Immersive experience
Turn the spotlight on yourself with a more immersive experience for people, like a virtual tour that shows a behind-the-scenes look at your firm, specific processes, or employee role spotlights. Share videos and highlights on social media to engage audiences.
This can turn your social pages from otherwise passive content experiences into a more active one. Increased engagement often translates into increased conversions.
Newsjacking
Newsjacking allows you to tap into the bigger stories taking up column inches, reaching larger audiences, including those who may not have previously thought of you.
Meticulously planned newsjacking can insert you into mainstream media conversations, leading to higher audience engagement levels, a barrage of likes, retweets, and comments, not to mention the bonus of more clicks and lower bounce rates on your company’s website.
However, don’t throw caution entirely to the wind. Some key things to think about: is it insensitive in any way? Is it purposeful? What does your common sense say about it?
Post your research findings
This could get a professional crowd ‘fired up’ and discussing your content. LinkedIn can also be two-sided, in that you can get your employees to like, comment, and share on company news and their individual roles. This helps to increase visibility all around, even employer PR visibility.
Try pull some relevant stats from other organizations that link back to the product, and may even make the case for adopting it.
Best practices when combining social media and PR
Engage in thought leadership
Share content that positions you as a leader. Provide genuine value to people. Put yourself in a customer's position. Who would you buy from, the company continuously feeding you their latest promotion, or the company confident enough to share their expertise to benefit people and their industry?
Thought leadership content can also fill up dips in your content calendar when there is little to no news to share.
It doesn't need to be full articles or research papers either, publish your contributions to sites like ‘Featured’ or interviews you’ve done.
Learn more about thought leadership PR
Pay attention to trends
Industry trends are another element to consider when engaging with PR and social media. Social media is often a mouthpiece for breaking trends, but the trick is getting there before anyone else.
Take advantage of what's going on with your client base.
X also has a 'trends' section, customizable to chosen interests. Trends are determined through algorithms, interests, location and who you follow. You can adjust these via settings.
Think outside the box
Leave nothing off the table.
In 2015, when Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) put its creative cap on, it boldly decided to shut its stores on Black Friday, giving 12,000 employees a paid day off and encouraging customers to spend the day outside instead of in its stores. In what would first seem like an act of self-harm, REI promoted the campaign under the hashtag #OptOutside, setting up a dedicated site where people could share their plans for the day and search for outdoor activities, promoting a barrage of UGC and drawing media coverage and praise.
One thing not to forget, though, is to make it accessible to anyone in your field and uber-relevant to what you do, as REI did.
Highlight client testimonials and case studies
Social media is not always the place for modesty, so don’t be afraid to use your success. While many may be hesitant about the prospect of bringing their clients into it, and doubtful of whether they'd approve, user case studies show your capabilities, promote your client, and let potential ones know what you can do for them.
User case studies and reviews are the triple threat you need!
You won't need me to tell you again (but I will anyway) about the power of third parties saying something about you rather than you saying it yourself.
Use multimedia and infographics
A memorable image sticks in people's minds. But don’t forget to give infographics and images meta descriptions and fully transcribe them into plain text.
Google can't see them; they are invisible.
It's better to transcribe them. LinkedIn also 'reads' text and will show it more often if it can understand it. Optimize text for SEO with natural, relevant keywords.
Use high-resolution images to convey professionalism and quality. Take advantage of free sites like Unsplash, etc. There is no need to be fancy; these are perfectly acceptable. If you're thinking of using videos, use short videos (30-60 seconds) to capture people's attention.
Infographics can be a great aid to breaking down complex data into digestible visuals.
Successful examples of social media public relations campaigns
These are a few of the best Social Media PR campaigns.
Coca-Cola's #shareacoke campaign
First launched in Australia in 2011, Coca-Cola's #shareacoke campaign had two simple goals: to increase Coke sales during the summer period and engage audiences. It worked on both fronts.
What may seem like a stunningly simple idea helped Coke tap into people's psyches and their basic need for 'recognition.' It was also effortless. Just swap the brand's name on the bottle for your name—or mine—and you have a personalized souvenir of an iconic 20th-century brand.
Conversations on social media exploded, Google searches increased tenfold, and sales increased in various markets. This was a job well done in the early stages of social media marketing.
Spotify’s wrapped
Spotify's "Wrapped" campaign has become an annual social media phenomenon. In it, users share their listening habits over the last 12 months, from favorite artists and songs to the time spent listening to music on the app.
What makes this work is that it capitalizes on people's desire to share something about themselves. It's highly personal, and as almost everyone these days streams music, highly relatable. Users are given colorful and shareable graphics to post on social platforms, creating an annual wave of natural promotion for the Swedish tech giant (and taking advantage of the season when presents are swapped).
Wendy’s
Not so much a singular campaign. Fast food chain Wendy's has developed a reputation for its snarky Tweets, especially concerning its competitors. Take their slogan, for instance:
We like our tweets the way we like our fries: hot, crispy, and better than anyone expects from a fast food restaurant.
They don't disappoint, serving their hamburgers with some Grade A sass.
Few have been quite so bold in their put-downs of rivals. Its 3.7 million ‘X’ followers have been treated to such gems as this:
And this.
Who knew a fast-food chain could be so funny? Not us. Wendy's has perfected the art of the comedy 'roast.'
But it gets better.
They've even given a special name to this 'jostling' with their rivals - "beefin." When you consider their line of work and the word's double meaning,....maybe the perfect term to ever trend does exist? They then created their EP ‘We Beefin?, making the 10-minute compilation with tracks like "Twitter Fingers" and "Rest in Grease" available on Spotify. Genius.
Emerging trends and the future of social media public relations
It shouldn't surprise anyone that AI's reach is set to extend into PR and social media, and will soon have a larger role in the content we consume, how it is made, and how frequently we consume it. Algorithms will advance further to know what our content feeds should look like for us, including the items we want to see and how to buy them quicker with shoppable features inserted within content such as videos.
Social Media PR campaigns will take this on board.
In an age where people are bombarded with information, it's often hard to decipher the authentic messages from the inauthentic. This is where employee advocacy will become useful. Expect to see more employees showcase their organization's culture and mission on LinkedIn and their role within it. This sort of content is more relatable, making brands seem more genuine and trustworthy. It also fosters more 'investment' from employees who feel a stronger identity to their workplace. So it's a win-win all around.
There is a growing PR trend to partner with micro-influencers. What is a micro-influencer you ask? Technically defined as having between 1,000 and 100,000 followers, these influencers tend to have deeper connections with the audiences and often focus on niche areas of interest. So what's best? A smaller but more devoted audience, or larger, less devoted ones? It could depend, of course, but micro-influencers are less costly and may provide a stronger ROI. Their content may also provide a more natural leap into a 'sales pitch' since they are seen as more specialist and less conceited than their more costly peers.
Conclusion
One thing is for sure: social media has leveled the playing field. You are no longer restricted by the limitations of traditional public relations. You can now create your own buzz through PR and social media. While this is true, social media public relations can seem easier than it is. Success can often depend on the industry, the nature of the campaign, the intended audience, and a host of other factors. Social media can be more cost effective over more traditional methods for building long-term relationships with organizations - if you understand the landscape. Social Media PR should be integrated in your PR Strategy.
At PRLab, our approach focuses on developing thought leadership content for LinkedIn.
We craft insightful, industry-specific articles and posts that showcase our clients' expertise and innovation. By engaging with relevant trends and contributing meaningful perspectives, we position our clients as authoritative voices in their fields, fostering greater visibility and credibility within their professional networks.
Social media is constantly evolving. To stay ahead of the curve, retain brand recognition, and reach their target audience, businesses should consider collaborating with a PR agency that monitors and leverages these developments.
By combining PR and social media, businesses can increase their chances of meeting their goals and staying competitive in today's highly developed digital environment.
