How To Use Social Media For PR

If you are a small-medium business (SME) or even a self employed tradesman, social media should be at the forefront of your marketing. Learn how to use social media for PR and make it work for your business.

It is the best option for businesses with smaller budgets due to the organic nature of apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. Therefore, you are taking advantage of a powerful marketing tool, and best of all, its free! Of course you can take this one step further and jump head first into paid advertising, but for now we will stick to the wonderful world of organic social media marketing and how you can maximise its potential for public relations.

Support Local Business And They Will Support You

A great way to utilise social media and improve PR is to support fellow businesses. It is not only great for PR though, it is also a great way to network and open up possibilities for new opportunities and working relationships. Here you will be setting the foundations to grow your business organically and take it to the next level.

Know Your Social

The best and worst thing about social media PR is that it can be totally controlled by an individual. Here is where you as a business owner must must make a conscious decision on whether to conduct social media marketing yourself or hire an agency/consultant. Some people are naturals, others are not. Here you will need to be skilled in handling customer relations, ensuring all complaints and commendations are dealt with accordingly. Never be seen to be doing nothing. Prospective customers will see this as a clear lack of care and consideration by the business and could harm future lead generation or sales.

Use Those Features

Utilise the features your chosen applications provide. Not only will it improve your content but it will also help your profile. Facebook want you to use their app and therefore will reward you for doing so. Using new features is the best way to do this, so keep track of major updates and features.

Be Transparent

Remember, the whole point of social media is to be social! This means letting people know who you are, what you do and how you do it. Think of it as your own fly on the wall documentary, your very own behind the scenes series. You have the power to create a particular line of communication that no other form of marketing can. You have the power to engage your customers on a consistent day to day basis. Build and maintain relationships that can contribute enormously to the revenue of your business going forward.