Use Social Media for Online Press Releases
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Not long ago, when a company was looking for affordable, broad publicity, they would turn to a newspaper and a press release. Those days have certainly changed, as social media has now become one of the greatest weapons in a PR practitioner’s arsenal. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social networking channels all can be used as an inexpensive way to spread company news to a wide audience, and as a way to disseminate your uniform mission statement to all of your targeted publics.
How Social Networks Can Help Your PR Efforts
A social media press release can do the job that two printed publications are needed to do. Social media can reach an external public by promoting new offers, announcing new products or store openings, and also garnering followers and Likes. It can also act as a corporate newsletter. Announce new hires, retirements or promotions with an email blast, or a Facebook message to all employees.
And social media allows for more aesthetic value that traditional press releases sorely lack. A normal press release is often stuffed into the bottom of a newspaper page, replete with hyperbole and plain font that make it look like printed spam. An article on social media can be interactive, filled with examples and pertinent information that a reader will actually want to read. And you can optimize your headline and keywords for search engines to pick up. Your scope is far wider than any local newspaper could ever encompass. You can also take advantage of sites like Digg that compile news from all over the Internet.
PR professionals can also utilize social media as a conversational tool. They can tune into conversations that consumers are having as a result of their press releases, and they can participate and offer information on behalf of the company they represent. There are multiple tools out there for monitoring Tweets, use them to track feedback about your company and thank those who are praising your efforts and work to pacify those who are upset.
Moving Forward
The old idea of a press release may be fading away. But the general principle of a press release will always be a staple of classic public relations. Your company, like any other, will always need affordable ways to reach an audience without using an elaborate advertising campaign that can cost boatloads of cash.
Being social media savvy and knowing when to send out a message, to your internal and external audiences, can be a highly effective and efficient tool for you to use.
Tags Get Your Employees On Twitter
No business would survive if it were not filled with dedicated, persevering employees who understand the mission of the company. Regardless of the industry, they are the backbone of any successful business.
When it comes to social media marketing companies, however, employees have a slightly different role. They are very visible and engage in their own social media circles, which can at times be very large. Your employees can all be brand ambassadors. Have your employees get on Twitter and engage with industry professionals, potential clients, and other businesses.
The more engagement your employees participate in, the higher their number of followers. Twitter is unlike Facebook in that you can just accrue friends because you will already know a good deal of people using it. You have to do a little legwork to get Twitter followers. And if it’s done right, the followers your employees can acquire will be relevant people to your work and they will actively engage in conversation about your industry and new trends. And your employees should be Tweeting links to new blog posts that go up on your company blog, linking to new videos or podcasts, or any new content at all. Use Twitter, and your multiple employee accounts to build a strong network.
With great power, of course, comes great responsibility. And not just for Spiderman. Make sure all of your employees take care of their social media accounts and keep them clean and professional. Understand that irresponsible social media accounts can be very bad PR for your company.
Don’t be afraid to be personal as well! Connect with friends and share personal interests. You may have the same interests as your followers which could act as excellent conversation starters as well!
Twitter can be a very important tool for companies. Having a genuine, unforced interaction between employees, the company and followers can create a positive and connected network. There is value in promotion that isn’t directly from the brand. Having ambassadors to the brand is a successful strategy for you to promote the company and the mission.
A Conversation About Content Marketing
I recently had a chance to visit Graham Spector in the Grow Socially video booth. While a lot of our conversations typically revolve around music, we stuck to the script this time. The primary topic of this conversation was content marketing.
I hope that you enjoy it! Here are a few of the questions that were posed throughout the video:
- What is content marketing?
- What types of content should companies be creating?
- What content is most effective for converting leads?
Can Social Networks Drive Offline Activity?
I recently had the privilege of speaking at the “Marketing 2.0 Tools and Technologies” event in Plymouth, MA. It was put on by the wonderful folks at the Plymouth Chamber and Curley Direct.
There were certainly a wide range of businesses represented in the audience — some from large organizations, others that own small Mom & Pop shops on Main Street. But regardless of the size of the business, I talked to a few people that are questioning whether it’s worth it for them to incorporate social networking into their marketing efforts.
While I do hope that I was able to provide a compelling argument and some useful ideas on how they could benefit by having a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc., I think this recent eMarketer chart may help too:
Your social networking activity does not guarantee a sale. But truth be told, you are not guaranteed that a sale will come when you send out an email blast, a direct mail piece, or buy an advertisement.
To succeed in today’s world of marketing and communications, we must work harder than ever to reach prospects and consumers via the right channel, at the right time, and with the right content. If we are willing to do that, then we may be able to experience some of the actions mentioned in the chart above.
Ignite Your Growth Heading to Windsor, CT
I am excited to share the news that I’ll be participating in another stop on HP’s Ignite Your Growth tour.
On Thursday, May 19th, I’ll be speaking on the subject of “Using Social Media Marketing to Grow Your Business” in Windsor, CT. This event is being held at the Integrity Graphics building.
Registration information can be found on HP’s website.
If you’ll be in the area, I hope to see you there!
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