One of the main perspectives of public relations is that it is founded in the establishment of clear and long lasting relationships that are built upon trust, credibility, and two way communication. Of course, for public relations professionals and researchers that are looking specifically at social media – this is absolutely key. The days of the mass produced, impersonal, and clear cut press releases are over – more than ever, people want to be talked to individually and to have a strong and balanced relationship with people online. In many ways, social media has made people jump into making first impressions about others online faster, and it is important to have the proper etiquette and online manners when communicating on social media.
There are a few articles that have been recently published that offer some really insightful suggestions on how public relations professionals can accomplish this. First, it is all about making your mind up that you are the one that has to start the relationship and make the effort to do so. It is all about managing your online reputation accordingly, and to have an effective balanced presence online. What I mean is – those that are successful in managing their reputation in real life need to bring that same reputation online. People want to get to know the person behind the PR press release, PSA, and representative for a PR agency or corporation. Secondly, you want to be positive in your interactions online – whether it is being upbeat in your status updates, or posting happy pictures – it is all good. The world is filled with a lot of sad events and news – and people don’t want to interact with someone that is always in a bad mood.
Another key point to make is that there will be those online that will not like you – no matter what you have to say. There are just some individuals out there that will not like you based on what your political views are, what you do for the living, or just the basic fact that they may just not like anybody! But it is important to recognize that aspect of the online community. It is important to have quality relationships online – so quantity is not necessarily important. In regards to this, public relations professionals do need to be aware of how to accept criticism and other negative things said about them online – and be strategic in handling these situations in a professional and effective manner to protect their online and offline reputation.
So, in other words, the key to success in establishing effective and strong relationships with others online is to constantly think about what you post online will be perceived by others, having the proper online etiquette, and having a positive view on life. 🙂
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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