It’s 2020 and we have never had more ways to promote a product. With the majority of the world working from home it is a prime time to hone in on your social media and use it to its maximum potential. Social media advocates your PR team to positively promote your company/product across a variety of channels, reaching a niche and a large variety of audiences. From working with influencers to learning the power of the hashtag, let's take a few minutes to explore the way social media can be a golden ticket in your PR campaign.
1. Curate that ‘thumb stopper’ ✋
It is essential to have a strong and unique brand message which highlights your company’s values. Each social platform has distinctive qualities which allow you to distribute your brand message to a variety of audiences.
Your brand message should be:
Clear and concise: don’t overdo the fancy language and graphics- keep it simple and to the point.
Intriguing: make sure that your posts draw in the audience and give your readers something to ponder about.
A thumb stopper: this is the social media goal! 🌟 Be the PR genius who creates posts which stop people from endlessly scrolling through their social media feeds. 👍
Have a read of these thumb stopping examples and how to create a successful brand with social media.
2. Understand your audience
Social media will be an asset for your brand if you understand your audience. The important thing to remember is that it is not only who follows you that matters, but who follows your followers. 👀
Stage one: impress your direct audience.
Stage two: influence your audience to promote you to their own audience.
When corresponding with your audience you need to:
Engage. Share interactive content and create a buzz. Run FAQs and create a personal feel to your campaign.
Exert confidence. Do not be afraid to promote yourself. Share podcasts, events, and upcoming opportunities.
Emphasize the ‘why’ element of your campaign. Explain why it is important to support your brand. Make your content compelling.
Educate your audience with tips, provide training, and inspiring articles to read.
Side note: LinkedIn is a brilliant platform to share this information on. It has 675 million users a month, almost double of Twitter.
See this blog to help understand your audience
3. Be consistent
So you’ve created a thumb stopping PR campaign, how do we ensure that it’s seen?
Be conversational and engaging: respond to comments on your posts quickly. Direct your audience to relevant pages and develop relationships with your viewers.
Find your community: interact with your top connections. Twinangulate is a great tool to search, analyse, and map your connections.
Be frequent: the more you post, the more engagement you will receive. Start off with 5 posts a week and see whether that frequency aligns with your desired reach.
Timings: experiment with timings of posts until you gain an understanding of when your audience is most active.
PR Tip: if you’re trying to engage with Journalists then Monday morning is always a prime time to gain their attention. ☕🕘
Story: stories are a powerhouse feature! You can create a personal element within your campaign. Pop a story up on Instagram and Facebook 3-4 times a day and your brand will retain a steady presence on viewers timelines.
See these tips on how to ensure your content is sharable and why you need to be consistent
4. Hashtag #always
A hashtag is a PR dream! It directs readers to one place and targets specific audiences. You can create a particular hashtag for a campaign and monitor customer engagement for that topic. They allow your brand content to be easily searchable and there is also an opportunity for it to become a ‘trend’. This may be a long shot but it's good to set your sights high! 🌛
Top hashtag tips:
• Make sure they’re relevant: too many hashtags will scream marketing. Make sure they’re niche and appropriate.
• Hashtag in the comments on Instagram. By adding a comment your post will look a lot cleaner and concise.
• Hashtag on Twitter. PR professionals use it as a listening tool and to see the interaction with their campaigns.
5. Engage with influencers
By interacting with journalists, influencers, and media outlets you can extend your reach beyond your audience. It will extend your reach beyond your standard press releases and increase your chance of media coverage. Reach out to those who you believe will support your brand and engage with their social media audience. According to Sprout Social Index, 84% of customers will buy from a brand they follow on social media. Building up your social media image and continuing to connect will make your brand fly. ✈️🌍
Check out this blog about London’s tech influencers
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About the Author:
Evie is a published writer, living and working in London. She’s a PR Assistant and Copywriter at GuidedPR. She holds a BA Hons in History from Royal Holloway and has accordingly worked within the culture sector and legal industry. You’ll usually find her scribbling down words in a coffee shop with a flat white in hand.
Find Evie on LinkedIn.
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