Social Media as a Vibrant Tool for PR

Olaseeni Durojaiye

The massive upsurge in the number of Nigerian users of the Internet has made the worldwide web, especially the social media another vista of opportunity for marketing communications practitioners, especially the PR practitioners, M2 findings have reveal.
Findings show that PR practitioners in the US and the UK are not new to leveraging opportunities that the digital media has to offer by integrating it into business strategy.
In South Africa where the population of internet users is not as high as what obtains in Nigeria,  estimated to be around 16.5 million, it is agreed that the internet opens up a fast-growing channel for brands to connect with their consumers in a highly targeted way.
One of the opportunities available to the PR practitioner is online reputation management,where brand managers or custodians can post press releases, generate buzz and create positive sentiment for their brands on sites like Facebook, MySpace, and FanClubs among others.
M2 findings also reveal that the PR agency with plans to stay ahead of the competition must begin to develop competency in exploring digital media, especially the social media.
Some of the practitioners that spoke with M2 hinge their arguments on the evolution of the Internet. Before the advent of the social media, the Internet evolved to become a means of business enhancement which has led to talks about e-Business, e-Commerce, electronic libraries, up to the social media which is the vogue now.
According to Bolaji Okusaga, lead consultant and head strategist at The Quadrant Company, social media represents one of the most exciting challenges in modern marketing which PR is an arm of.
Okusaga explains that “Beyond the evolution of the digital space, PR is an arm of Marketing. We have seen the deployment of the new media for interactive advertising and viral messaging but not so much PR until the era of the social media.
“With the era of the social media, PR has become more of the focus and issue than the other forms of marketing that have been going on the Internet,” he adds.
Okusaga has an ally in Peace Chieke, head, strategy and new business at FCB Redline, who argues that the social media is a veritable platform that can be deployed for varied PR campaigns including product launches, behavioural change, and reputation management among other tasks. For Jimson Odufuye, President of the Information Association of Nigeria (ITAN), new media is a veritable tool that can be used to re-brand Nigeria.
Okusaga posits that “Even the search engines optimization is some form of PR because you build your messages and you engage your target audience.” He explains how the modern PR practitioner can leverage the social media to deliver on clients’ needs thus: “If I were on the social network, say, searching for guys who are geeks, guys who are technology savvy because I want to market a high end gadget, I have got to search for where they are and quickly join their conversation and for me to join their conversation they’ve got to give me access and having given me access, they have to accept me as one of their own.”
Gaining access to your target audience, he further explains, is not an end in itself, but a means thereto. “As they accept me as one of their own, the issue of trust comes up. How much trust do they have in me? Because, if I do not put my strategies right enough so as to enable them trust me, I could lose face with them. In fact, I could hit a brick wall, something that could hurt my brand eternally. And if it is a global brand it becomes viral.
“Beyond engagement, what are we saying? How are we saying it? How do we ensure that what we are saying reaches the right kind of target audience? Then you begin to look at some key messages, key sound bites, you begin to look at key words that can cut through that clutter,” he states.
Okusaga stresses the importance of acquiring the know-how, then knowing when to block and bridge. He expatiates thus, “For instance, in the coverage of a product like soft drink and having to deal with the issue of obesity – and when it goes on the social media it goes on and on. When it is becoming a disadvantage, you’ve got to learn how to block and bridge. You block what you have to block and bridge what you have to bridge.
“Blocking means preventing some form of adverse information from cutting through so that it doesn’t travel the clutter too far because there is no telling how far information can move in the virtual space as opposed to the real world. So a practitioner who wants to remain in business has to learn and know the tricks,” he concluded.
Bamigboye reiterates Okusaga’s position, noting that “A good crisis management plan must begin with active monitoring. Once a crisis has been detected, the brand will need to respond in a matter of hours not days. Early action will help nip a crisis in the bud before it explodes into something larger. No action or ignoring it will only worsen. A brand that is already active in social media will also carry more credibility and rally more supporters to come to the brand’s defense,” he explains.
Chieke notes that “There is a difference between an integrated marketing campaign that includes viral components or online/offline coordination and a social media program. A marketing campaign has a short life, it is singular in its desired action and is usually focused on demand generation. A PR oriented social media is a commitment to engage and communicate with consumers where the consumer wants to communicate.
“It is also important to have an exit strategy when planning a PR campaign using the social media. The worst thing a marketer could do is build a group of fans, friends or followers without a clear exit strategy after the campaign is completed,” he stresses.
He explains that “The key word in online reputation management is engagement. The goal is to have people speak about your brand in a positive sense by achieving, maintaining and improving a positive online sentiment about it. Being mentioned in social media can be a threat if not dealt with correctly, but can also generate great benefits if used the right way. It’s all about buzz and sentiment, and how you manage it.”