These days, public relations and social media tend to go hand in hand because the role of PR is to generate positive press for a company, and social media is the place where people will see that positive press coverage. Most companies understand that the role of PR has evolved over the years to involve an increasing amount of reaching out to traditional publications and sending out press releases. With social media dominating the way that many people receive their news, it’s more important than ever to utilize it.
Employee-shared content
These days, public relations is no longer just about the company getting mentioned or featured in relevant publications, and social media is the perfect place where businesses can reach even more of the public with their PR strategies. Plenty of companies are already using LinkedIn as part of their social media strategies, where they announce news or share other industry information that relates to the company itself.
However, according to recent research, C-level employees and other people in leadership positions inside companies tend to have a lot of followers specifically on LinkedIn. That’s why companies should be utilizing that attention and pull that their employees in leadership positions have, to announce company news from the accounts from the people that are in those leadership positions. This way, the audience will see the company as a lot more human, and it’s going to get a lot more reach to a wider audience, especially compared to traditional branded posts.
Brand ambassadors
Another great way that companies can creatively utilize social media strategies in their PR campaigns is by creating an ambassador program, which basically guarantees around-the-clock social media PR for the brand. At its core, brand ambassador strategies are a lot more robust versions of influencer marketing campaigns. The ambassadors tend to be handpicked by the company, as they’re highly trusted and vetted beforehand.
In exchange for a percentage in commission fees, free products, or other types of risk, the ambassadors will talk positively about a brand and its latest product launches. Potential leads are a lot more likely to trust third-party validation and approval, and brand ambassadors can provide a form of that validation to the potential consumers, making them more likely to turn into buyers.
Social media and press releases
One of the most straightforward strategies when it comes to unifying the social media and PR efforts is using social media to boost a company’s press release strategies. Many companies these days prefer social media platforms when it comes to breaking news or announcing new products. However, those types of posts can become a lot more.
The social media posts can include some of the key points from the company’s own press release inside the caption itself. They can also provide the audience with bullet points regarding the announcement, along with a link where they can find more information. They can also be presented in the form of an infographic, or even an image depending on what works best for the company.
