Social Media from an Integrated Marketing and Compliance Perspective

       Social Media can be a very powerful tool for marketing strategies.  As of the past few years, it has almost been a necessity for any business, band, celebrity, etc. that wants to get their foot in the door of this trendy new avenue in hopes to gain the attention of its users (practically EVERYONE these days).   With any powerful tool however, there can also be downsides and risks involved.  Professional PR practitioners should be aware of how to correctly use social media to their advantage.

There are several considerations to be made when professionals are considering to begin to use social media:

Goals-

     This is a very crucial thing to consider. What are you trying to accomplish with social media? Answering this question will help tailor results to your liking.  For example, given the goal that you have set, what is the best social media outlet to carry out this goal?  The biggest social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for example) are all very unique and different in their delivery methods.  Determining which of these outlets will help complete your goals and reach your targeted audience most efficiently will help in the long run.

Strategy-

     Having a content strategy in place is important when considering how your audience will perceive your organization and react to you.  The biggest difference between traditional, static Web presence and social media, is that social media offers interaction between professionals and their audiences.  This way, an organization can better adjust to customer needs; perfect for branding and further audience analysis/targeting.  Keeping consistency in your content will keep audiences attentive for longer as well.  Avoid posting things that are less thoughtful or unimportant.  This will help cut down on over-posting.  But you also want to avoid not posting at all.

Tools-

     Think about the tools you have at your disposal.  As mentioned before,  choosing the correct avenue for your organization will give you the best results.  For example, while Facebook and Twitter are both social media outlets, they offer different things for your audience. An organization needs to tailor to their audience's needs as best they can.  Considering who uses the different outlets will help to better target an audience.

Risks-

     There can always be risks associated with using each social media.  It's possible that the audience you intended to target, was in fact not targeted at all through the outlet(s) chosen.  For example, Instagram can be a powerful social media tool, but is an outlet dedicated to image sharing the best option for every organization?  Something else to consider is your overall presence on social media.  Be sure not to associate yourself with anything on the Web that won't clash well with your intended audience.

     These considerations are important when beginning to create a social media presence for your organization.  A thoughtful process and strategy is the best way to ensure that social media is a tool for your success rather than a disaster.



Source:

Schlinke, J., & Crain, S. (2013). Social Media from an Integrated Marketing and Compliance Perspective. Journal Of Financial Service Professionals, 67(2), 85-92.