Ethos Public Relations Manchester

Social media - is it worth it?

by Debbie

A recent survey says that PR agencies should not believe the hype surrounding social media, considering less than half the population uses them. Well said!

We must of course recognise social media as an important part of the communication mix but PR practioners should not get caught up in the social media hype – and we should persuade clients who have been caught up in it to regularly review what is working and what isn’t.

For example, many businesses are keen to have a Facebook page, however, Facebook may be totally irrelevant and while it can be a great business tool – it is not for ALL businesses. Unless you can really populate a Facebook page with users/friends and interesting articles your organisation will look rather sad.

I always point clients to really successful Facebook business pages and tell them if they can’t do it like that – don’t do it at all.

However, some social media applications are universal. A web site is a must for any business regardless of size or sector and the website should include some basics like a blog or twitter.

At the moment only one third of the population uses social media - your customer base could be in the two thirds that doesn’t. As with any element of the marketing mix – the golden rule is use the best medium for your customer base and don’t be carried away by hype.

Posted at 1:56pm on 2^nd August 2010