The public’s ability to read and write content actively – posing questions, listing impressions and starting discussions – has grown significantly through the Internet’s ability to be a communication tool. Companies from Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Intel, UPS, Wells Fargo and Cisco are all participating in social media to interact with their customers and have done so successfully.
These organizations are giving the public what they want - 85 percent of Americans believe that businesses should be involved with social media and use it regularly to interact with customers, according to the 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study. People are embracing social media and are blatantly telling companies to join the conversation.
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People can reach for their phone or computer to draw upon news that is breaking – but not necessarily by the mainstream media. Our news is coming from bloggers, company spokespeople, friends, family members and journalists alike. Companies have made mistakes in today’s environment by assuming social media users will suddenly become company advocates and spread press release language to their readers.
Several companies and agencies have run into this problem with social media, with users going as far as posting marketing communications online to ridicule. The people we communicate with are everyday citizens – not marketing terms like users, customers or audiences – and they owe your company nothing. They do not want to be told what to buy, say or think. Their social media use is a personalization effort and your company line is merely interference to them.
Relationship building is important for sales, marketing and public relations departments to succeed. Similar tactics should be used with social media. It helps to read the blog, know the subject areas the author likes and dislikes, and then start a conversation with them. This shows the social media user you are a real person and not using them as a marketing tool. Actively commenting and participating is important because when the time comes that bloggers are addressing something that affects your business, they will know you already and ask for your opinion. Nothing is a guarantee, but your chances of strong social media coverage are much more likely when the time is taken to be a human being.
Many companies want to have a presence everywhere, but there is no one-size-fits-all in social media. It is not the cure to solving marketing or customer service issues. All the available applications serve very different purposes and cater to unique audiences. There are add-ons for each platform that make each user’s experience personalized to their individual needs. This has cluttered the online landscape. Dipping your toes into social media to test the waters can be confusing and stressful, but delving in without developing a strategy can muddy up your message.
Social media can be a great tool when tied with traditional marketing, Web development and customer services practices. Building relationships is what builds successful businesses and social media is now a way to continue to do that, but now the results of conversations can be tracked and are measurable. It is easier to find the people who are interested in your business and its service area than before.
Investing your company’s time into being part of the conversation is important. I encourage you to research the social media landscape and communicate with tact, so your business can reach out and build long-lasting relationships.
Contact Sam Brace, public relations manager at the Caliber Group, at sbrace@calibergroup.com or (520) 795-4500. Brace is also the sponsorship chair for the Southern Arizona Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The Caliber Group is a Tucson-based brand marketing and public relations firm. PR Corner appears the second week of each month and is written by members of the Public Relations Society of America Southern Arizona Chapter.
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