The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Social Media as a Communication and Public Relations Tool.
The emergence of social media has created a new avenue for facilitating daily information and communication needs. As technology grows and expands our range of communication, social media is becoming a vital tool for daily interactions and connectivity amongst consumers, companies, and the overall populace. Over the past few years, the impact-fullness of social media has caused the public relations industry to have undergone dramatic changes as a discipline. Due to the advent of new innovative technologies and media channels, the public relations industry has garnered new ways to connect with consumers and companies, using social media. This phenomenon has allowed consumers and PR professionals to participate in a two-way and sometimes three-way system of interaction with businesses or through organizations to the publics quickly and easily. On the other hand, it presents both a huge challenge and opportunity for companies to cope successfully with the new forms of communication which facilitates for them a more in-depth comprehension and growth of the importance of public relations as an organizational activity.
As a PR practitioner, before deciding to use any social media platform to conduct or address matters pertaining to public relations for an organization’s publics, one should first deliberate on the advantages and disadvantages of using this medium as a communication tool for public relations.
The Disadvantages
As a public relations practitioner, managing a social networking site can be time-consuming. one must ensure that one has the information in order to have it disseminated to the respective publics in a timely fashion and ensure that it is edited appropriately. There needs to be time set aside to read and respond to comments or feedback from consumers and or respective publics. However, due to the real-time nature of mass communication, it would be nearly impossible to respond to thousands of comments per second; note that social media is immediate and needs daily monitoring. Moreover, let’s also consider the organization’s resources, a PR practitioner will need to commit resources to manage the organization’s social media presence, responding to feedback, and producing new content. This can be costly for the organization as there will be a need for hiring and training staff, investing in paid advertising, and paying for the creation of audio, video, or image content.
In the public relations industry, the maintenance of an individual or organizational image or brand is critical, social media has the power to negatively affect an individual or group reputation or business than traditional media forms. Traditional media often highlight charitable acts and the benefits of growing businesses, but there is a considerable amount of power behind it, which has increasingly become digitally-based. Heroes are made each day on the Internet when a revolutionary product is launched into viral popularity, or when a kitten is rescued by a Good Samaritan. for example. While a news story may destroy a politician’s career or a local restaurant with poor health standards, it is the unfiltered sources of Internet memes and Internet rants that cut a swath through public opinion: The harsh reviews that destroy local custom and the embarrassing photo that exposes an illicit predicament, reposted and shared millions of times over it is safe to deduce that social media can build the bridge to notoriety and just as quickly burn it into the ashes of infamy. Guiding and crafting social media opinions is an art or skill that a PR practitioner has to possess in order to effectively maintain a good relationship between an organization and its publics.
The Advantages
In the past, corporate communication was primarily a one-way street, where companies put out content, and customers had no public avenue to easily interact with or respond to distributed content. Now, there is greater engagement between an organization and its publics. A PR practitioner will find customers engaging with the organization and its content by leaving comments, sharing, and “liking. “This also helps the organization know how effective content and ads are in reaching the masses and boosting visibility, as opposed to the past where the effect of commercials and newspaper ads could only be measured in sales. Social media continues to have a strong impact on public relations and may continue to influence the ever-changing field. Additionally, Social media compelled many brands to start focusing more on their customers and building positive relationships. Customers can always go on Twitter and Facebook to sound off about bad customer experiences. This enables PR practitioners to promptly resolve issues to avoid a PR crisis. Additionally, another advantage of using social media as a Public relations tool is the ability to make announcements, word travels fast on social media platforms such as Twitter, so PR practitioners oftentimes can use the platform to announce awards, product launches, and company updates. With captivating short snippets and links, professionals can reach a much wider audience via social media than traditional forums.
Best Public relations Tips when using Social Media
As a PR practitioner, when using social media as a medium to conduct or address matters pertaining to public relations for an organization’s publics: Note that moderation is key, refrain from attempting to disseminate information on all platforms in order to go viral, weighing the appropriateness of a message on a specific social media platform aides in the regulation of public opinion. Moreover, don’t spread rumours that can negatively affect an organization’s reputation. This may also jeopardize an organization’s relationship with its publics. Viv Segal of Sefin Marketing once expressed that “PR means telling the truth and working ethically — even when all the media want is headlines and all the public wants is scapegoats. Public relations fails when there is no integrity.” Thus, produce factual information and be honest. A PR practitioner should never forget the function of public relations which is to establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its publics.
