LCI Blog: What Social Media is Not

By Stephanie Lough from our Public Relations Global Network affiliate HMA Public Relations, in Phoenix, AZ
Social media is a lot of things, but there are a lot of things it is not.
It’s not advertising. It’s a place to share your product and receive feedback.
It’s not a one-way marketing channel. It’s a two-way (or more) communications loop.
It’s not the news. It is a place to discuss current events.
It is not made up of facts. It is based on opinions, which may or may not be supported by facts.
Social media is a unique opportunity for companies to become the audience for their consumers, not the other way around.
While we often discuss the importance of engagement on social media, it is easy for businesses to forget it is not just about pushing their product or service or even brand– especially if it’s not a public relations person behind the wheel. But that’s how it should be – it is a marketer’s job to bring their service to an industry and advertisers are needed to fill the thousands of one-way channels that are still part of consumers’ everyday lives. All teams are important and should be included in the social strategy as they all work together to create a brand.

Consider this a reminder next time you post – stop telling and selling and start relationship building.
Questions or comments? Please send them to Stephanie Lough or [email protected].