Is this PR? (Example 3)
This article found in the Chicago Tribune discusses how Facebook is being used as a public relations tool for many large retailers. Stores are connecting with their customer public better than they ever have before, thanks to the simple use of social media. The key? Facebook’s “fan pages.” Not only can retailers inform fans about sales, deals, and products, but they can also receive feedback in a controlled environment as well. This tool is a great arena for online monitoring. Some of the larger fan pages, such as Best Buy’s page, even staff people just to monitor and respond to the Facebook comments. A public relations practitioner makes an interesting comment in the article about how these pages were originally created to boost sales, but they are now becomes crucial branding tools. Also, this is a public relations tactic that isn’t just exclusive to large retailers. Any person or brand can have a fan page. Small businesses now have a way to get their products out into the social media realm and create a larger name for themselves. This also made me think of a friend of mine who is a musician. He created a Facebook fan page about six months ago and has been able to utilize it as a form of public relations with his fans. He can inform them about concerts and other special offers on his music, increasing fan loyalty and other publics’ interest.
December 12, 2009 @ 7:19 pm
This is a really good way of showing how PR and social media are so directly connected. With technology advancing faster than ever before, it is important that business jump on to the social media train. Social media sites now rank #4 for sites visited on the web- and that is ahead of personal email. If a company wants to stay afloat in economic times like these, they have to be able to reach out to their consumers. And what are their consumers doing? Facebooking. It is a great PR strategy to have a fan page, which can detail the store and discounts to the customers. Great job companies who have joined the trend- solid PR tactic. My only question is, how do I get hired as one of the professional facebookers?