However much you might want to, you can’t ignore social media nowadays.
So often, I hear clients say:
Oh, I hate Twitter – it’s just celebrity gossip
or
What if people put negative stuff on our Facebook page?
or
Isn’t Linked In just for people looking for jobs?
or
I don’t have time
Well yes, all the above (except the last) are ways in which social media is used, but that’s not all it is about.
So here are four good reasons why, whatever your organisation or company, and however big or small you are, you should engage with social media:
1. It is where conversations about issues start
So if you want to know the latest thinking about a particular topic in your field, a quick search of Twitter, will throw up a whole host of articles, musings and white papers about just about anything
2. It is where journalists hang out
Nowadays, journalists and media organisations use social media as a means to source stories, footage and stills, quotes and interviewees. Very often nowadays stories are broken first on Twitter – and I for one look at Twitter before any news websites to find out what’s going on in the world.
3. It’s brilliant for sales and promotion
It’s a great place to showcase and publicise your products and your point of view
4. It’s where crises, controversies and disasters go global
If you’ve got a problem in your organisation or business, social media is where the news will spread. Fast. And so will speculation, problems, gossip, and negative publicity. And if you’re not on social media, you’ll have no means to stop this. So it’s vital that you have a social media presence you can use to counteract that negative publicity, with an accurate, honest and rapid response.
Linked in, Twitter, Facebook and Instragram are integrals part of any media relations strategy nowadays – so it’s vital to engage with social media. Dismiss it or ignore it at your peril.
We run bespoke workshops to help you create a social media strategy. Contact us on 020 8332 6200 or info@roughhouse.co.uk to find out more.
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