By Jason Snyder
Recent Wall Street Journal and New York Times articles featured several businesses that used contests or giveaways or some other gimmick on Twitter to gain more followers and ultimately win more business. In each of the cases, followers and new business spiked, at least for a period of time.
Giveaways may be great for retailers or restaurants or many other small direct-to-consumer businesses. I would likely follow a company – any company – if the prize was right. But for organizations and companies who deal in substantive issues on a day-to-day basis, real public relations strategy is necessary to engage the audiences they need to reach.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not dismissing Twitter at all. At our agency, we fully believe in the power of social media as part of a comprehensive, integrated strategy that fosters two-way communication. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging and search engine optimization are just a few of the tools WordWrite Communications uses in its own marketing strategy as well as in public relations strategies for its clients.
A sound public relations strategy that helps a client tell its story must include the right mix of tools – social media, traditional media relations and speaking opportunities, to name a few. To effectively counsel our clients who need more than simple tactics, it is critical for us to grasp and articulate the issues that are most important to their business and to understand and identify where the opportunities lie and how to seize them. Finally, a sound PR strategy is one that uncovers the fundamentals of the client’s story to turn them into a cohesive, compelling story that is told through multiple channels.
So if it doesn’t make sense for your company to give away computers or skateboards or gift cards, how can you begin to use social media? Just as I am today: by finding channels through which you can offer content and ideas that can help educate those you’re trying to reach.
The next logical question: how do you locate those you need to reach? My answer: first find a good strategic public relations firm.
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Jason Snyder is an account supervisor for WordWrite Communications.
