While it’s important to read the paper, get your daily apple news notifications and stay on top of the latest developments, many people don’t realize how crucial social media plays a part in helping public relations practitioners, marketers, and brands stay in the loop on the latest stories, reporters, and more.
Additionally, beyond using social media channels as a tool for public relations professionals to stay up to date, social media is important to developing a strong brand presence. In today’s world, every company, brand, and organization has a social media presence. From the smallest mom and pop shops to the biggest global corporations, undoubtedly, social media plays a key role in developing public relations strategies that can reach wider audiences. In the digital world we live in, it is no surprise that to create brand awareness, public relations and marketing professionals must adapt quickly to the current social media trends. With our attention spans shrinking and the number of social media platforms expanding, public relations and marketing professionals must keep up to date with creative ways to engage their audience and the latest news.
Related: Three Ways to Ace Your Digital PR Strategy
Twitter: How Can I Stay In-The-Know?
One of the easiest and most efficient ways to stay in-the-know with the latest moves in journalism is through Twitter. Following reporters on social media accounts such as Twitter allows public relations professionals to see updates in real time regarding outlet switches, new positions, and specific beats. To take it a step further, engaging with reporters’ Twitter posts helps reporters to recognize specific people and stay on their radar as they consider stories.
Beyond using Twitter to gather information quickly about reporters and the ever-changing media landscape, Twitter is a great platform to utilize when interacting with key audiences. Using Twitter for poles and interactive content can help PR experts to secure audience engagement and decipher key topics to use within public relations outreach.
Instagram: Keeping Up with Fast Paced News Cycles
In addition to staying tuned in to Twitter, Instagram is a crucial way to gather information on the top news cycles. With all major outlets having a strong social media presence on Instagram, this is a great way to get news quickly with an efficient synopsis. Some of my favorite outlets to follow include The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN Climate. Additionally, this is a great way to see what news cycles are being heavily watched by consumers and key target audiences.
Additionally, Instagram is a great way for PR professionals to express creativity. With Instagram’s key function being visual, Instagram provides a smart way for brands to express their story to audiences. When using Instagram as a PR professional, make sure the brand image and message aligns with the images they are posting to ensure cohesiveness.
LinkedIn: Staying Connected
Another key way social media for PR pros can be easily utilized is through LinkedIn. It is no surprise that every brand is on LinkedIn these days. With the ability to connect with marketing, social media, and PR pros all around the world, LinkedIn serves as a crucial platform to connect consumers to brands and amplify voices. One of the top components of LinkedIn includes the ability to interact with a multitude of brands, posts, and influencers. As a PR professional, using LinkedIn to not only look at career moves, but what reporters care about writing and what target audiences want to see is crucial.
Undoubtedly, LinkedIn provides a platform that allows companies to show a professional side. As a PR professional, make sure to engage with key spokespeople, audiences, and customers to ensure you stay relevant in the media landscape and connected with professional audiences.
Related: How PR Can Benefit Your Influencer Marketing Campaign
Thinking Outside the Box
As a PR expert, it’s important to understand how social media plays a critical role in PR strategizing. Thinking outside the box when it comes to social media for PR professionals can be the most rewarding and exciting way to use these platforms. For example, recently the athletic brand Lululemon hosted a “Lululemon Dupe Swap” to gather press from their famous “align leggings” being widely covered and duped on TikTok. This garnered media attention from top outlets and allowed customers to see a more comedic side of the brand.
Being able to utilize social media platforms to your advantage to keep up with the rapidly moving landscape is an important tool to master. Additionally, using social platforms to amplify your professional voice, as well as knowing how your brands utilize these platforms is key to creating a successful social media presence.
Want to creatively incorporate social media strategy into your PR efforts? Get in touch with TEAM LEWIS today.
