Our answer is NO. While there is a growing perception that blogs or tweets, if enough people see them, are just as good as the quotes in the New York Times, nevertheless, don’t be fooled. It is true that social media can increase PR efforts and serve as an amplifier. However, the last thing you want to do is get a press release and post it on a social network, it is much better to customize your post in a humane way for any social network that your audience will care about. On Twitter you have to come up with an exciting way to tell your post in 107 characters, remember that you need to save 23 characters for your link, also find a great image related to your post to include in your posts on Instagram and Pinterest. Make a 6-second video of your Vine posting, and even on social media where you can post a lot of text, like Facebook and Tumblr, don’t post a press release, try jargon, actions and nonsensical phrases, how to tell a friend why your post is important.
Digital PR is about developing strong relationships with all the players in your social graph, and the techniques include SEO, content development, social media, network newsrooms, websites, blogs and online media coverage, while online reputation, social media and consumer-generated content can have a rapid effect on your reputation – both positive and negative.
Digital PR uses social media platforms, networks and tools to interact with people online and build connections, and the social media section is content and conversations on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and YouTube. So, while the Digital PR section is the support, functions needed to make these conversations relevant and effective – research, social auditing, identifying influencers, developing and distributing content are the motor.
The fact is that the best results are usually achieved when both media are used in tandem as part of a comprehensive Public Relations strategy, since social media is a powerful media, it is even more so when used as an amplifier for traditional press coverage that comes with a high degree of authority. But the main focus of an organization’s social media strategy should be to interact with people, respond to their concerns, gather feedback and build relationships, while at the same time, traditional media is best used to tell their story to reach as many people as possible via a credible forum.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of these powerful types of media and using them to complement each other will best enable your brand to gain a return on your PR and marketing efforts.
