The Power Social Media has Over Public Relations

Social media is a fast evolving industry and it has opened up a lot of opportunities to many businesses. The first thing I do when I wake up is check my social media accounts (which is such a bad habit, I know), but it just shows how much of an impact social media has. Social media hasn’t only made an impact on my life, but also the PR industry. 

According to smallbizdaily, “Social media is a very informal mode of communication, and has become a “voice” of the brand.” Ryan Ayers believes that the biggest impact social media has had on the PR industry is by blurring the lines of marketing, PR, and customer service. “These channels are used to promote products and services, advertise, make company announcements, engage with customers, and address customer comments.” When PR pros are able to connect with their consumers on their complaints, it allows for a positive outcome. Consumers want fast feedback when they are dissatisfied. 

When dividing deeper into social media and public relations, PR Daily explains five ways that social media has reshaped the PR industry. 

1.  The lifespan of a news story is shorter—but its reach is astronomical. Social media makes the lifespan of a news story shorter but the reach is astronomical. “While that makes social media a highly effective tool for communicating breaking news coverage, it also means the lifespan of a news story is much shorter than it used to be. This means that journalists are constantly searching for the next big thing and PR pros must keep up.”  When stories have shorter lifespans, social media is able to broadcast it farther than ever before.
2. Crisis communications has become even more crucial. “Social media has provided a whole new way for brands to mess up big time in front of their audience if they aren’t careful.” This means that the crisis communication has become even more crucial, and this is the second way social media has reshaped the PR industry. By monitoring social media, it allows for companies to respond to good and bad feedback and it lowers the chance of a crisis.
3. PR pros have increased access to journalists. The third way social media has reshaped the PR industry is by allowing PR pros to have increased access to journalists. “By following a journalist on social media, PR pros can learn about a reporter’s tone of voice, opinions on relevant topics and recent work.” Social media allows for more connections.
4. PR pros find themselves in the customer-service trenches. PR pros find themselves in the customer-service trenches. Social media users expect an immediate response when they have complaints or concerns. This makes it so that PR pros are much more customer based. 
5. Social media has introduced a new PR phenomenon: influencers. The fifth and final way social media has reshaped the PR industry is by introducing influencers. These influencers have a large following and PR companies can use them to promote their products. 

When I think of social media and public relations, what comes to my mind is social media influencers. According to ScienceDirect, “A social media influencer (SMI) is a person who, through personal branding, builds and maintains relationships with multiple followers on social media, and has the ability to inform, entertain, and potentially influence followers’ thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors.” What social media influencers do is present information about the product and promote it in ways so that the people watching it want to buy the product. I watch a lot of influencers on YouTube, and many of them are apart of brand deals. For example, if a beauty influencer that I watched was to hype up an eyeshadow palette, I would most likely purchase the palette for myself. These influencers often have people that look up to them and trust them in a way. If they are talking highly about a product, most likely other people will purchase it.

Navarro, C., Moreno, A., Molleda, J. C., Khalil, N., & Verhoeven, P. (2020). The challenge of new gatekeepers for public relations. A comparative analysis of the role of social media influencers for European and Latin American professionals. Public Relations Review, 101881. doi: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101881