Some Creative Ways You Can Use Facebook for Public Relations

When it comes to business, the reputation and image of your company is incredibly important. That is why many companies flood money into their public relations campaigns in order to make a good name for themselves in the eye of the public. However, while PR was once something that needed to be done in newspapers or on television, social media, and Facebook in particular, has changed the way that companies can connect with their audience and the public. Here are some creative ways that you can use Facebook for public relations, in order to help your business while also staying relevant with the technology available.

Remain Positive

Facebook can be a pit of annoying and depressing content, or it can be a sanctuary of positive and uplifting information. If you want to increase the image of your company and what your profile represents, be sure to keep your content geared towards the latter. It has been shown on Facebook that people are less likely to share negative content and more likely to share that which is positive. If you are looking for content that is easily shared and can go viral in order to help your PR image, be sure to remain positive and keep things in a good light that interests your customers.

Offer An Open Forum

People love to express their opinions and thoughts on certain things. If you want to be a company that shows that you care and are willing to listen to what people say, allow for conversation and communication on your profile. Unlike print media or television ads, where people can directly interact, Facebook allows for companies and customers to directly interact with one another. And at the same time, it offers other people the chance to see that the business cares enough to address concerns or comments that normal people have. Be sure that you monitor your Facebook page for spam, but outside of that a great PR technique is to allow for people to say what they have to say, when they want to say it.

Avoid Quick Negative Retaliation

Social media is great because it allows customers to directly contact your company by posting on your wall. And while some companies do an excellent job of responding and writing back, other companies can easily make mistakes with all of this too. Keep in mind that not all of your Facebook comments are going to be positive or uplifting. You will be certain to hear from critics who don’t agree with your business model or tactics. But while a quick negative response or retaliation can be bad for your public image, you can use Facebook to turn that around and show how well you handle criticism and comments. A great tactic for PR while using Facebook includes answering questions that people put on you, while doing so in a diligent and professional manner. But by all means, avoid being the company that retaliates negatively because anything you do is stored on the Internet forever and can be used against you in the future.

Mix Up Your Content

There are plenty of different rules out there for how you should use news on your Facebook feed. Each company is a bit different in what will work for them, so your own route and technique may need a bit of tweaking. However, consider a general rule that your best PR campaigns will offer a variety of news from different outlets to establish your credibility. Majority of your news should come from third party links that aren’t your specific competitors, while a slightly smaller amount should come from a more personal angle from your business. When people see that a Facebook profile is personal, they can attach and connect with it easier, increasing the potential that people will think highly of your brand.

Timing Is Everything

Now that you have an idea of what kind of content works best for your PR campaigns on Facebook, the next hurdle is to find out when the best time to post this content is. It’s been shown that Facebook traffic increases in hours outside of your typical workday. After all, not everyone can search Facebook from their computer all day long while they are at work. Then again, companies should also avoid positing content in the middle of the night, when they run the risk of people not seeing it. As a company, you can find out analytical data that allows you to determine when your customers are online the most frequently. And with this set of information, you can decide when the best time to post your content is. This will increase the likelihood of your PR campaigns being successful and being viewed by more people.

Be Creative

We live in a world where technology has sped up the way that people search for and want information delivered. If it can’t be found or read quickly, it’s likely to be passed up on for the next topic. That is why it’s important that companies can use creative content that entices readers to take the time to stop and actually read the content. Posts that use emoticons or graphics are more likely to be read because they are more engaging, but also because they are easier to read than large blocks of text. You’re primary school teacher may shutter at the idea of poor grammar and abbreviated texts, but it’s likely that your viewers will read it and be more interested in what you say.

Start Small

You don’t have to be a huge Fortune 500 company to have an effective PR campaign on social media. Instead, even local small businesses can be effective with their use of Facebook. You can start with your community and do something that benefits others in the area. You can team up with other companies in order to further the potential reach for everyone involved. And you can also use the clout that you have in the community to help promote even further reach. There are plenty of excuses as to why people say Facebook doesn’t work for them. However, feeling as if your reach is incapable of generating a positive public image should not be a valid concern. Instead, you can maximize whatever you do have and make the most of it.

Have Fun

If you think that public relations is all business and no play, you may be watching too many shows based on 70’s advertising agencies. Instead, Facebook is a new-age technique that allows companies to express themselves as individuals and make the most of what they have. That means that the focus has shifted from cutthroat politics to more free-spirited techniques. PR campaigns that can be fun and lively are more likely to reach a greater number of people, while also building a more positive image for your brand.

You can have a successful public relations campaign if you know the best course of action. And while each company and industry is a bit different, you can utilize the tools presented here to maximize your efforts in a way that is best for your business.