PR managers and directors may think that a robust social media strategy means having brand presence on every last social channel. Yet they may want to maximize their social strategy by being more selective.
“It’s important to understand the differences between the platforms; what purposes they serve and the demographics of their user base,” said Erin Allsman, VP of public relations and social media director at Brownstein Group (see chart below). Allsman spoke at PR News’ Digital PR Conference earlier this month in Miami.
For example, Facebook, the mother of all social networks with one billion-plus users, has evolved into a “pay-for-play” platform. Photo-sharing site Instagram is an inspirational vehicle, where users are more likely to seek users/brands they already know, Allsman said. Twitter has evolved into a news service. “Budgeting should always start by identifying the goals and objectives for a campaign, and then aligning” them with the spending requirements and specific characteristics of the chosen social media platform(s). “PR managers should anticipate that any Facebook campaign will require advertising spending, along with the resources to create content.”
(Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will take center stage at PR News’ Big 4 Conference, August 6 in San Francisco. Snapchat will be the fourth social media network featured at the event. To register, please go to big4conference.com.)
Source: Leverage LLC
This article originally appeared in the June 22, 2015 issue of PR News. Read more subscriber-only content by becoming a PR News subscriber today.