Friday 12 September 2014

Why Social Media Marketing Represents the New Face of PR

Google’s approach towards updating its algorithms has become increasingly aggressive in recent times, as the brand have introduced a higher volume of radical changes that target spam-laden websites and farmed content. This has hit webmasters hard, while it has also courted controversy thanks to its stringent and unflinching nature.

There is method behind such madness, however, as Google remain committed to improving the online experience and driving higher levels of customer engagement. As a result of this, content marketing has now emerged as the single most effective method for promoting products, sharing information and driving brand recognition.

Blurring the Lines: Why Social Media represents the new Face of PR

Content marketing is a diverse and fluid entity, however, and one which continues to blur the previously distinguished lines between disciplines such as PR and social media. With Google taking an increasingly dim view of paid content or earned media such as PR, for example, social media is becoming a more viable medium for sharing material, engaging the interest of customers’ and driving traffic to a commercial website. With this in mind, let’s consider the benefits of owned media such as social media and the advantages that it offers content marketers: -
  1. Compliance with Google’s Current and Future Algorithms
While complying with Google’s current algorithms is important, it means little unless you can pre-empt future changes and tailor your strategy accordingly. Although this is not easy to do with any authority, it is clear that Google will continue to crack-down on paid content and article syndication, meaning that rehashing the same content across traditional PR distribution networks is unlikely to benefit your online brand. With this in mind, social media offers a clear advantage as it is entirely free to access and enables you to actively share and promote your content in a natural and organic manner. You can also reach a far larger audience through an integrated social media platform, while it also lets’ you tailor your message and generate real-time interaction with customers.

Related Resources from B2C

  1. Networking with Industry Contacts and Potential Customers with Real-time
Whenever you publish a piece of content on a PR or earned media site, you usually have the opportunity to share contact details including telephone number, email address, website URL and social media home pages. While it is possible to share comprehensive contact information, however, earned media sites do not have the capacity to host social conversations or build real-time business relationships. Social media does have this capacity; however, as industry contracts, clients and consumers can instantaneously share your content, add you to their network or send you’re a direct message. This is a huge boon for business owners, sole traders and creative entrepreneurs, who can build a productive network of followers and communicate with them in a convenient and real-time manner.
  1. Create and Maintain a Consistent Online Brand

The worlds of business and commerce are extremely fast paced, and brands are often pressed for time when competing in a busy marketplace. This can impact on the quality of their messaging, however, and create inconsistencies that undermine an entire campaign. The use of an integrated social media network makes it far easier to review your previous output, however, while also providing a real-time forum for customers’ to share their feedback on the quality of the brand and their perception of its positioning. This is in stark contrast to earned media sites and high-profile article directories, which would require you to locate and read every single piece of content in order to create a consistent message. These resources also fail to provide any form of direct link with your customers, meaning that it is almost impossible to measure the impact of your campaign and the exact perception of the brand.






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