Ever since it came into being, social media has been a storytelling tool. As the digital age continues to evolve, brands have now started to implement social media into the PR plan as it helps connect with a larger audience.
It is no secret that today customers are using social media more than ever and they love to connect with their favourite brands. This helps the brand create buzz and impacts the reach of the brand. Today, we bring you the steps you can follow to create a social media strategy that is in sync with your traditional PR technique so that you can target the right audience. The best PR agencies in India and hubs like Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore are also doing the same thing.
Curate Your Brand Voice and Know Your Audience
For your brand to reach the target audience, you always need to ensure that you have a clear message and voice. The message needs to connect with the audience and it should be clear, precise, interesting, and recognizable.
Huge brands have become what they are because they pay so much attention to their digital presence and spend time in building an emotional connection with their audience. Also, you have to ask your PR agency to convey what your brand stands for and what you intend to do in the best possible manner.
As a PR expert, we recommend you to ask yourself the following questions if you are creating the content yourself. On the other hand, if you have a PR agency that’s doing the work for you, that is more convenient.
How can I leverage the power of social media in PR?
Who is my target audience?
Where are they located and how will my content speak with them so that I connect with them?
To align social media with PR, the answers to these questions should be clear in your head.
Always design content keeping in mind how it can help your audience, how it can provide a solution to their problem and how you can maintain a constant connection with them.
Discover What Gives Your Brand its Identity
It is very important to know the content categories that guide your action plan. When you align your content with key categories, your target audience will have a deeper understanding of the content they can expect from you.
Doing this also helps impact the types of pitches you send to the media on behalf of the brand you are representing. When the editors receive these pitches, they will pay more attention to them as they will know the research you’ve conducted. Here are examples of content categories which can be targeted:
- Inspiration/Motivation: The category in this area helps people think positively. Ex. quotes, beautiful images, influencer shout outs etc.
- Informative/ Educational: This category includes tips and tricks, FAQS etc and you can give out information that the audience can learn from.
- Interaction/Conversation: This category involves connecting with your audience through quizzes, polls, caption this, or questions. This creates a natural buzz and the engagement increases.
- Connection: The category includes product reviews, travel photos, lifestyle, events, team, etc. You will be able to build a personal, direct connection with your brand.
- Promotional: This category is a brilliant way to push promotions or discounts. It also includes webinars, podcasts, speaking opportunities, etc.
On social media, the primary focus should be to connect with the audience and post what they want to see. An effective social media strategy is very important for a PR action plan to succeed.
Do the talking
Community engagement is very crucial for brand awareness through public relations outreach. The power of social media is immense and it’s one of the largest platforms that can be used to distribute your message and connect with the audiences who will help create the buzz around your brand. Start looking out for influencer accounts that share content relevant to your brand. Start by searching with the help of @mentions, hashtags, geotags, etc. Then, make a detailed plan to comment and/or connect with them.
Keep your communications natural, casual, and clear. The goal is to become their friend and you just have the power of conversation to do that. Refrain from any type of outreach that may fall under the category of spam.
Face to face virtual talks
When we talk about the digital PR space, it’s nice to show off the faces behind any brand and/or business. Live streaming and video is an amazing way for brands to make a direct emotional connection with their target audience.
The best PR agencies in Gurgaon, and hubs like Bangalore, Hyderabad can help you curate an action plan in sync with the content. This way you can concentrate on the brand and they will do all the work for you.