Social media provides a new position of power to the single individual within PR and marketing campaigns. When a company uses social media as a communication tool in their PR and marketing practice, they have to adapt themselves after the customers' needs and the new communication structure within social media. Communication in social medi is different from traditional media, which is more one-way communicative and visual in its interaction, rather than the digital media that are more two-way communicative av viral through dialogue. If a company creates PR and marketing campaigns within social media without adjusting to the new rules of communication through dialogue, and instead try to apply traditional one-way communication to their social campaigns, they put themselves and their brands in risk of public humiliation and loss of customers; the speed of the viral dialogue over social media can spread bad news fast, and with the newfound power of the single individual, the impliacations can thus be devastating for a company and its brand. If an organization does not respond and take part of the criticism that may be directed at them through the customers' comments, the negative dialogue among clients and the public within social media can quickly create a hazard enviorment for a company and its brand to be seen in. The public within these social media platforms are more independent and continuously conversing with each other on a local an global scale. They share information, opinions and experiences with both strangers and friends, and if company wants to ahve a chance of creating a dialogue with a positive outcome with their customers, they have to adapt to the conversations to be able to satisfy the customers' needs. In that meaning, they have to be prepared to talk with their customers more than they talk at them to be able to take in all the feedback and possible criticism they may receive, and then use it in a constructive way for the company's development of their productions and relationship with their customers. To succeed with PR and marketing through social media, the company and communicators need to define a communication strategy over how to maintain a viral dialogue with their customers, and how to handle and respond to comments and criticism the company may recieve. By doing so, the company can figure out how to satisfy the needs of both the organization and of their customers at the same time as they create closer and more personal bonds to their target groups. It is therefore critical for a company to research their target groups' behaviors and needs before they commence any campaign or dialogue over the social web to be able to construct well-planned campaigns thar enforces trustful and stabile relations with their target groups, the company's campaigns will probably not appeal to their customers, which can lead up to open criticism and a bad repuation for the organization over the social web. Social media is a huge field of knowledge that needs research and education to be handled correctly to be able to eliminate the risks of being social through social media. However, if PR and marketing campaigns in social media are well thought out and open for dialogue and feedback, then PR and marketing through social media is the most effective tool to enhace and develop a company's brand and its relationship with their customers. Social media is the communication of the future, and it is crucial that companies and communicators are able to understand and handle the new commnication structure of social media in their PR and marketing practices to have a chance to gain customers in our digital world. The communicators and companies that know how to use the dialogue through social media for their own benefit can use their knowledge as the new competitive weapon in the battle of gaining customers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-154312 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Lidman, Astrid |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Medier och kommunikation |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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