Blogs – Are you involved in the conversation?

I doubt you need this blog to tell you that social media is on the rise. If statistics are to be believed many of you are regulars on Facebook and Twitter. However, social media is not just about catching up with old school friends or watching funny videos. Simply put, it’s about people having conversations online which are powered by blogs, social networking sites, forums, message boards and content sharing sites.

The art of conversation is not new and neither is exchanging information with others.  Companies have been actively involved in word of mouth marketing for years through PR.  However, the increase in the use of social media allows consumers today to have much more choice about how they interact with your brand or service. 

More than ever, social media sites have opened the door for the general public to become columnists in their own right.  The internet has given your target audience a much bigger platform from which they can voice their opinions, share information and experiences and post recommendations. 

The breadth of conversations taking place on the internet on any given subject is immense and yes, in case you’re wondering, your brand, business and service is a topic of conversation too. 

The fact is you can’t choose not to be involved in social media.  You may not have allocated any of your marketing spend to it, but internet users are having these conversations about you whether you like it or not.  

If you have been marketing your brand or service, especially using the discipline of PR, then it doesn’t have to be a daunting prospect.  It’s a case of adapting your skills and messages to suit the medium.  Like all PR it can’t be fully controlled but it can drive trust and credibility in your brand or service. 

According to a Nielson online survey, 78 per cent of people trust the recommendation of other consumers before any other form of marketing while 68 per cent trust opinions posted online.  These are persuasive statistics that re-enforce the need for a strategically robust PR and social media campaign to be part of your overall marketing plan. 

You need to engage your consumer, help shape the dialogue and be a part of the conversation.  After all, it is about you.

Claire Rushton, Head Of Office (Leeds & Newcastle)