Social Media And Relationships

INTEGRATING SOCIAL MEDIA INTO PUBLIC RELATIONS USING SM TO HELP BUILD RELATIONSHIPS By Dr. Mike Posey, Ph.D. @drmikeposey

LIFE IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS! PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS. . .

communicated with other people

gotten together in groups

formed communities

developed relationships with like-minded folk

shared their passions

PUBLIC RELATIONS IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE! It’s in our name! It’s who we are! It’s what we do!

SOCIAL MEDIA IS AN AVENUE FOR RELATIONSHIP BUILDING! It is a relationship builder on steroids! - Individuals & The Masses - Scalable to any size

DO YOU WANT A ONE-SIDED RELATIONSHIP?

PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT JUST ABOUT “BEING OUT THERE” It’s about engagement It’s about being unique It’s about adding value It’s about contributing It’s about communicating It’s about connecting It’s about listening

IT’S ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS!

RELATIONSHIPS Everything we do stems from a relationship with someone or some thing!

RELATIONSHIPS Knowing ourselves… helps us to know our message… which helps us to know our publics… which helps us to develop relationships.

RELATIONSHIPS The key to a good relationship is knowing what makes a person tick! - Who are they? - What gets their juices flowing? - Why they do what they do? - Why they don’t do what they don’t do?

OBVIOUSLY RELATIONSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS SCOPE IT OUT . . .

Spend time finding out what exists

Discover possible connections

Learn the space

Find people streams

Determine what people are using SM for

Listen, Listen, Listen

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS BE STRATEGIC YET FLEXIBLE . . .

Know who you are

Know who the influencers & thought leaders are

Choose wisely

Take some chances

Look long-term

Dedicate resources

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS TAKE THE PLUNGE . . .

Don’t be a crazy, unorganized joiner

Don’t be a closed-minded joiner either

Make it manageable

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS DO IT . . .

Engage people & communities

Participate in discussions

Add value/content to communities & discussions

Be an influencer and thought leader

Know when NOT to be a thought leader

Use same voice

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS BE EQUALLY HUMAN . . .

Remember you are human and “they” are human

Be passionate

Be willing to say “thank you” “I’m sorry” and “How can I help you?”

Be creative

Be yourself

Find your voice

Give what you would like to get

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING . . .

Develop vertical relationships

Talk with your customers

Develop horizontal relationships

Get your customers talking to other customers

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS EVALUATE . . .

Re-evaluate regularly

Re-Think your connections regularly

Examine the impact on a the bottom line

Balance quantitative with qualitative

DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA WILL HELP FOSTER GOODWILL OVER THE LONG TERM. R.O.G. Return on Goodwill

THE HARD STUFF IS EASY. THE SOFT STUFF IS HARD. IT’S THE SOFT STUFF THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. The soft stuff results in. . . -customer loyalty -increased interaction -deeper relationship with brand -better interactions with publics

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP BUILD RELATIONSHIPS