It would be hard to deny (unless you’re in a very niche sector) that social media has become a must-have component of every public relations campaign. With that said, I’ve seen a lot of agencies and brands knee-jerk into the medium without really thinking about the strategy behind what they’re doing. I’ve seen it separated from the rest of the public relations campaign, or worse, it’s become the ENTIRE campaign. Social media is important, yes, but I’d be hard pressed to say that it’s everything.
The best PR campaigns still utilize traditional media to raise broad awareness, consumer engagement to build brand ambassadors and social media to observe and engage consumer feedback and criticism.
I may be biased about adding in traditional media. I’ll admit, I have a sick obsession with media pitching. It is like gambling (blackjack, NOT Russian roulette) because you offer up your best hand to the editor (and if you’re smart you’ll spend time reading up on their column/publication to make sure you are pitching the right outlet/person) and if you have a full house or higher you just might get the hit your after. Okay, that was a terrible analogy. I don’t know anything about poker. Here’s what I do know: you use traditional media to get broad reach, massive impressions and build brand recognition with a larger audience. But since it’s a gamble you shouldn’t put everything into it.
Engage with your consumers. This is where consumer activation, events and sampling come into play. Getting out there and connecting your audience directly is an incredible way to ignite word-of-mouth and create brand ambassadors. There is a power behind meeting your consumers, and you can encourage online conversation. That is the type of engagement and connection that I can’t imagine a company would ant to fall by the social media wayside.
Can social media can get broad reach? Sure. Can help you engage with your consumer and build ambassadors too? Sure. However, I think one of the most useful functions of social media (at least currently) is to provide consumer feedback and criticism in real-time. That is undeniably important. But why build an entire public relations campaign around social media until we better understand the space and can put real metrics (and strategy) behind our efforts? How can that possibly be in your company’s best interest?