Don't Pitch on Social Media

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For small and medium-sized businesses, social media can really extend the reach of the company as a low-cost tool for connecting to the world and has firmly established its place among other online and traditional ways of marketing a business. When it comes time to do a product or service launch, the temptation might be to use social media to pitch story ideas to gain additional coverage and get noticed, but according to a recent poll of public relations professionals, businesses should think twice about using social media to pitch story ideas to promote company activities.

More than 80 percent of the PR pros said they primarily use social media to develop relationships with media and influencers, build trust and maintain transparency, share current news, or solicit feedback on products and services.

Only 13 percent of those polled use social media to proactively pitch story ideas to journalists and bloggers. The preferred method for pitching is still email. Press releases and story ideas being sent to the media via this traditional medium is expected to continue into the near future, as more than 90 percent of the PR folks plan to distribute the same or greater number of news releases via email in the coming year.

If you want to connect with media on social networks and build relationships, where should your concentration lie? The survey participants recommend these as the dominant social media networks for PR purposes: Coming in first was Twitter, at 34.4 percent, then Facebook at 29.3 percent and LinkedIn at 23.3 percent. The remaining 13.1 percent opted for Google+ (4.8 percent), blogs or other social platforms as their principal vehicles.

Typically, SMB owners and employees wear many hats. When the PR hat gets put on, time should be spent working on building those social media connections. For the PR pros from the survey, 65 percent dedicate time each week to identifying influencers in their markets and social networks. How much time ranges from 12.6 percent spending four or more hours, 30.5 percent spending two to three hours, and 23.3 percent at least one hour.

The real impact of social media can be seen in the choices being made to use the medium. The emphasis on collaboration, conversing and building the relationship is aimed toward social media, while the more nuts and bolts press releases and the “how about a story on this?” is happening in email. Understanding the best tool for the job is part of the challenge these days with so many options at our feet for communicating, marketing and promotion. Putting the best that social media can offer to work for us requires time and tending, just as all good relationships do.

The survey was conducted by Cision, a provider of software, services, and tools to the public relations and marketing industry.