Discover how social media and public relations can go hand in hand

Social networks and public relations should work in unison, leading to results in terms of positioning, reputation and ample opportunities for trusting relationships. 

In addition to generating communication strategies, positioning companies, writing content, editing audiovisual material and more, public relations professionals are also responsible for establishing relationships of trust with multiple audiences, and especially with journalists. 

These relationships pose a challenge of both time and consistency, and require a lot of work behind the scenes. The trick is to get the media on your side, and doing so requires a smart media relations strategy.

Strong data collection and constant phone or face-to-face communication are important actions for managing these relationships. And as social networks such as Facebook began to remind us of birthdays and event invites, they have transformed the way we relate to one another across all “front-office” roles. 

At Sherlock Communications, we believe it is important to enhance the role of public relations by strategically leveraging the quantitative and qualitative information provided by social networks.  

To begin with, it is essential to create a clear, well-presented profile and share valuable content; once this has been achieved, we can begin our data analysis. With great care, accuracy and attention to detail, the tools provided by social networks can be very useful.

It is important to determine which journalists do not use social networks, which ones do and how often, as well as which channels the latter category prefer. 

Having done so, we can add profiles of interest to our social networks and start collecting data – safely, legally and with the permission of users being contacted. Visual content should be handled correctly, as should  permissions for the use of audio and video material.

Using location tools to identify the places frequented and recommended by journalist users lets us know what kind of food they like, their schedules and work days, and whether they prefer to dine alone or with company.

This opens the door to more timely invitations, in places that are close to the places they typically frequent or prefer, in terms of menu or ambiance. This enhances face-to-face relationships and adds an element of surprise.

Similarly, this information can help us strike up an appropriate conversation via direct messaging. We can use this option in our profile too, to let people know where they can find us, while simultaneously improving the reach of our posts.

Be attentive to what kind of messages your copies convey, how they interact with users, what kind of accounts they usually tag, what their followers comment on their posts, etc. This qualitative data can give us some insight into their language, hobbies, and fashion and music tastes. We can also learn a little bit about their management of emotions, and deduce personality traits from the tone and length of their responses.

The language of social networks lets us know how communicative users are, and whether they prefer to interact publicly in comments, or receive internal messages or personalized meetings from public relations consultants.

Through an analysis of reach and interaction data, we can determine the type of language they are comfortable with, how to deliver experiences they will enjoy, and through which medium they prefer to be contacted. This helps us position brands and companies in their hearts and minds.

Several technology, entertainment, cosmetics, and health brands have acknowledged the influence of journalists on social networks. Therefore, account executives should constantly monitor what type of content they upload, from collaborations to organic publications.

This will allow us to determine which brands and companies already have paid content strategies, identify new opportunities related to journalists’ tastes and habits, and select gifts for special occasions.

Implementing paid strategies using influencers is always an option, but it calls for a trusting and close relationship with everyone involved. The clarity in the source material and instructions is key to the success of this type of activation.

Managing a corporate or business account, involves minutely adjusting a strategy designed to reach our audiences of interest, taking into account employees, managers, suppliers, journalists, influencers, customers, and active social media followers. 

Sherlock Communications recommends publishing relevant, interesting news that supplies valuable information, thus supporting social network and public relations strategies with media visibility and influencer engagement. Everything should be connected.

Likewise, usable and frequent messaging should help users make use of corporate information, and interact with it. The tone of this message should be consistent with the company’s DNA. 

Settle on an attractive visual style, which lets users identify the message without words, with the potential to become a trend. Videos should use timely language, with copyrighted sound bites or audio snippets from designated company spokespersons.

Integrating this type of analysis together with the quantitative figures offered by social network tools lets us develop arguments for the construction of a solid public relations strategy; based on trust, information management and audience profiling.