The practice of Public Relations helps businesses and organizations craft real, relevant, and opinion and behavior-changing messages to support overall goals and strategy. As social media has grown and blossomed over the last decade, it has become the perfect partner for public relations and marketing efforts.
Common Goals
Social media began has a way to connect people to one another. First, users saw it as a solution to reach scattered friends and family. Slowly, this evolved into community and business connections, and now, these connections include any business or organization who want to market and sell their products or services.
Both social media and public relations are drivers of conversation, whether the conversation is about a product, service, issue, passion or charity. Both practice areas work to bring providers of products and services into relationship with individuals who can not only buy something but can contribute to the overall image, brand and long-term perception of a business or organization.
Complimentary Offerings
Social media provides the channel while PR provides the content. By pairing social media and public relations efforts, businesses and organizations can reach an incredibly targeted audience. Today’s analytics allow savvy public relations professionals to see if potential consumers are responsive or not responsive to messages. This information allows businesses to reach particular age groups, genders, geographical areas or even individuals with particular purchasing habits.
Public relations can then take that data and craft very unique messages for small segments, making the business or organization extremely relevant and helpful. Individuals are more likely to support a business or organization that appears to solve problems, provide a product or service at the moment they need them, or facilitate an issue they are passionate about.
Ripple Effect
Word-of-mouth and personal referrals are still some of the most powerful ways a business can secure new customers and interest. Social media makes that fast and far-reaching. Sharing information, liking a post, or tweeting an announcement can spread news, commentary and positive or negative opinion like wildfire.
When public relations strategies align with social media tactics, companies are better suited to react, respond and participate in the current conversation to affect public opinion and behavior. If businesses can change courses quickly and play the game well, they will be equipped to provide what audiences want and need on an ongoing and sustainable basis.
GYC Vegas is a firm with 16 years of experience in Las Vegas public relations. If you want to learn how your social media channels can work in tandem with an excellent PR strategy, call Gina Yager. She has more than 17 years of experience in public relations in Las Vegas, working with a wide range of industries and sizes of businesses and organizations.