Information on Social media and Online PR - FAQ\'s - SGA Marketing

Social media and online PR is a whole new world - find out a little bit more in our frequently asked questions below!

First and foremost - what is Online PR?

Online PR is more than just reaching your target journalists through press releases and newsworthy items; it is also about building your brand awareness and that of your products through channels where you can reach your target audience.

This can be through the use of article sites where articles you or your offline PR consultant have written can be promoted for use by other relevant sites, on condition that a link back to your site is included.

Online press releases still have a value and that can be realised through paid for and free press release submission sites. For example, major releases can be distributed using established channels such as Source Wire and PR Web as part of a combined offline and online campaign.

Other elements of online PR that can be embraced are social media networking sites and blogging.

You lost me at social media networking sites...

Social media networking sites is part of the online marketing jargon that can confuse most of us (including those who work in the industry at times!) Social media first came about with groups of like minded people coming together online to write about subjects that were of interest, from gardening and cooking to technology and current affairs. This saw the creation of online communities, similar to clubs that we may join as part of our sports or social interests.

Such is the power of social media today that even the largest of brands have embraced such sites; these include older sites such as My Space and Facebook to Bebo and today's most influential social media tool - Twitter.

Social media sites can be used to build relationships with customers and clients as well as promoting products and services. However, caution needs to be taken when promoting products. These communities are there for a common purpose so it is important to develop relationships and to be part of your group, through regular interaction.

Finally, Twitter and Facebook have been used to undertake customer surveys and to gain general feedback - large companies such as Pepsi, Primark and Joules all spend significant time and money on their social media strategy to help understand the needs of their customers.

What is the difference between a blog and a forum?

A blog is similar to a small site that is written and owned by an individual to express their views and keep people informed of their progress (be that for commercial gain or simply as a bit of a hobby).

Visitors to such a site can comment on specific blogs if they so wish and the owner of the individual blog will then decide whether to publish comments received on a previous post (this is the previous article created by the blog owner).

Forums are more about sharing information and expressing views amongst a group of like minded people (or those with similar interests). Examples of this include K9 forum (a community of dog lovers who post their views and findings), UK Business Forum (offering advice for small and start up businesses).

Does my offsite activity need to reflect my onsite SEO?

A resounding yes to this question - without such synergy you may be losing potential sales and/or valuable customers. Before you do you anything else, consider who is your target market, what do you want visitors to your site to do and how are you different from your online competitors?

Once you have developed your strategy then you can begin to develop your social media and online marketing plan which needs to include the creation of regular content (both for the site and also to drive traffic to the site), identify relevant sites and blogs that will add value to your site - could sites that compliment yours carry your news releases with links back to your site?

Continue to read what others are saying in your industry through the relevant blogs and become a part of this by adding noteworthy comments that may affect you and new posts giving news of interest where you can. This will all help when you decide to set up your own blog - you have an established relationship with a number of people and they will be interested in what you have to say on your blog too. However, this does take time and as with any relationship you build - don't run before you can walk!

Whilst doing all of the above, think about the keywords you want people to find you for - and the ones that you are utilising on your site as part of your SEO strategy, ensure that these are included in your work off site - also, if there are links to be gained back to your site, make sure that these include keywords as your anchor text. For example, if your company name is "Joe Blogs" selling blue t-shirts - you would like the link back to your site to be "blue t-shirts" as supposed to your company name. This will all help to drive traffic to your site for specific search terms, and more importantly, gain new visitors from those who may have otherwise remained unaware of your company's online existence.

The Almighty Twitter

Twitter is the latest and most powerful social media tool to date and is being used by television shows, fans, people who share common interests and much more besides. To "tweet" a technical term for sending a message, you simply add a brief note, preferably with something more interesting than "just off to make a cup of tea" using the given number of characters available. This message will then be posted to those who have chosen to follow you. These people become your "followers" - in turn, you will be able to search people who are of interest to you and follow them in return.

In the great Twitter world the etiquette dictates that you follow those who are following you, however from a marketing perspective those who have shown an interest in you, might not be your target market!

What about Facebook?

Facebook was the prelude to Twitter and many have described Facebook as being the next generation of the Friends Reunited model. As with Twitter, you are able to find friends and also companies that you can follow as a "fan" - this also applies to bands and emerging bands, many of whom have been discovered thanks to sites such as Facebook and You Tube.

Retail sites, large companies seeking to hear what their staff want and travel and tourism sites have all used Facebook to varying to degrees of success.

To many, Facebook is a forum or club to get the latest product range or read about the latest gig, whilst reading the views and opinions of others within the community. Used as part of the social media strategy, Facebook can create a solid following but does take time.

The key is not to overtly push products or services upon your fans or friends (dependant on the size of your organisation) but to gain feedback on a new season's range, add notes on potential services and perceived benefits to others.

Larger organisations have used Facebook to keep in touch with ex-employees and partners to continue to develop personnel relationships in differing capacities.

How often do these sites need updating?

Fresh content is king - but it needs to be interesting. Followers of Twitter and Facebook have signed up to you to 1) be part of your community as they have an affinity to your brand 2) internet users are frequently seeking new information and use the web as a source to gain fresh information.

This can lead to a huge opportunity, hence the need to ensure that everything is planned beforehand. Content for the sake of adding a new post can be detrimental, consider regular news stories that can be added or relevant news that will interest those who are following you. For example, if your company is in the travel and tourism market, why not include activities and events close to you, tips for travellers to the region, seasonal food fayres as well as staffing changes or refurbishment work that may taking place.

How do I track all of this?

Google Alerts is a great (and free) way to keep on top of who is writing about you and your company as well as monitoring the fruits of your labour.

How long will all of this take to make any real difference?

As with all good things, it can take time to see real results - that can be quantified by more visitors to your site and sales. Normally we suggest that after three months of your programme being launched, you should be able to see a steady stream of new visitors from the article submission sites, Twitter, Facebook (and other relevant social media sites) as well as any blogs or forums where you have spent time developing relationships.