Be A Social Media Pro! "Thou Shalt Not Treat Social Media As Conventional Public Relations" - By: Alice Shown

In the recent times, Social Media has gone abuzz among entrepreneurs with its novel approach and business promotion tactics. Sound PR activities have been influential measures to reach out to the masses. The costs incurred for conventional PR are high. Modern marketers are looking for sources that lets them address the audience through innovative and cost-effective means of communications, while maintaining brand image.

Online PR and marketing, incorporating new digital techniques and informal consumer interaction, is a brand new formula to beat conventional PR. A high percentage of customers are more savvy with social media sites. Innumerable social media platforms are utilized to make the brand appear more convincing. Personal interactions have replaced conventional emails, formal invitations, faxes, etc. on Social Media sites. Customers prefer informal interaction and have well accepted the new-formed world of social media. Industry bigwigs have made note of this and have taken personal efforts to reply to customer queries or comments via blogs and tweets.

Journalists and media personalities too have resorted to social media inorder to bridge the gap between conventional media and contemporary society. NewsBasis and PRNewswire's ProfNet are a few online news publishing sites widely used for press releases. Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube are also used to promote latest announcements or offers in business. The response has been staggering.

As you can see, Social Media has had a lasting impression on users. So does this mean that Social Media can traverse the success rate of conventional PR? In today's time -Yes. Tone and approach are two vital ingredients of Social Media and the audience have accepted this whole-heartedly. With appeal and connectivity this new media for brand building and marketing seems to have magnetized its audience.

Customers take a liking to a clear-cut and down-to-earth interaction rather than a formal mode of communication. They understand and identify with the brand to a higher extent on use of informal messages. Businesses intending to spread their brand presence must take quick measures to leverage these new decorums of communication in their businesses.

Thou shalt grasp the differences between traditional PR and Social Media Marketing to fine tune your marketing strategy

Social Media may be a smart switch. But these networking platforms have their own norms and it's wise to adhere to these. Stick to guidelines and refrain from false marketing such as fake reviews or other deceptive means as they may repel potential customers. Reviews build up a brand image and manipulating these would mean infringing rules set up by the Social Media platforms. This may lead to serious charges or actions. It is therefore important to learn and comprehend the details of branding and marketing on such platforms.

Remember the following rules while implementing Social Media marketing for your business:

Unlike conventional PR, Social Media marketing cannot be based on ballyhoo. People have a different perception about Social Media and have other expectations from these platforms. So flashy, unrealistic advertsing may not work here. Moving beyond the one-way communication of traditional PR, Social Media channels have open communication between consumers and brand representatives, and hence are very result-oriented.

Conventional PR activites can cause a big hole in your pocket, besides using up a lot of your resources and time. Social Media, on the other hand, is a smart and interactive way of connecting to your audience -- at very little cost!

Marketers have a more consumer-centric approach towards selling their products or making their brand known. With traditional PR activities the information and resources are disseminated with little scope for user interaction. Social Media overcomes this shortcoming with focus and constant interaction with users. It has permanent solutions unlike conventional PR.

Many popular brands are drfiting towards new media for better marketing results as it overcomes many of the demerits of conventional PR.

About the Author

I am actively involved in Social Media marketing and also write articles based on this domain. The book - "Sales 3.0 - The New Contact Sport How To Use And Leverage Social Media Marketing For Small Business Sales Success" has helped me get a detailed insight about the growing need of social media in today's net-savvy world. This book is a must-read for people who want to win business and build concrete network through Social Media.

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