THE RELEVANCY SPECIALIST

A Modern, Sophisticated Approach
to Improving Conversion

header image for Digital Public Relations Author Carrie Morgan
Mobile header image for Digital Public Relations Author Carrie Morgan

Social Media

Google+ Changes Reinforce Importance of Owned Media

Demise of Google PlusWater coolers all over the globe are buzzing today with news of a pending Google Plus demise.

Is anyone surprised? I’m not. The rumors started to fly as early as last April. (“Google Plus is Walking Dead,” TechCrunch, April 2014).

Time will tell what the difference is between fact and reality, since much of the editorial I’m reading today is pure speculation, but I know one thing for sure: it reinforces the importance of building OWNED MEDIA.

Google Plus iconIt doesn’t matter if G+ actually does go away or not. Last year’s incredible dwindle in Facebook reach, their purchase of Instagram, looming Twitter changes to wrap in more advertising – oh, and did we mention the Pinterest changes? – all signify one thing: while social media is still valuable, it’s more important than ever to focus on strategy first, tools second.

Even if the tsunami of social change weren’t overtaking us, it’s obvious that strategy must include a long-term vision and short-term strategies to build owned media.

Social media’s days as earned media are numbered – they are becoming paid media at a rapid pace. And more than ever before, social media is not a one-size-fits-all PR solution.

When it comes to building a community, the role of public relations professionals may be to initially create awareness using vehicles like press releases, social media platforms, editorial and other outreach methods, but at the end of the day – we need to also be advising clients on how to create those audiences on their own websites, not websites that belong to other people.

Just like the goal of editorial is typically to drive traffic back to a website, the goal of social media must be to also drive traffic back to a website – making the ability to convert that traffic more important than ever before. The goal isn’t to build an audience on the social media platform – the goal is to have that audience take action. Do you want email subscribers? Online sales? Event registration? Social media is a tool to get to your end goal, and we mustn’t lose sight of that.

Conversion often falls outside of the PR realm, belonging to the marketing department – but it’s a responsibility of PR professionals to have that conversation about PR  goals and how they fit into a conversion cycle.

Don’t talk to your clients about the platform; talk to them about what action you want that platform to acccomplish.

Read moreGoogle+ Changes Reinforce Importance of Owned Media

Is Your Twitter App Creating Negative Social Proof?

Dominoes - Twitter Apps that Cause Negative Social ProofLike dominoes falling once you tap that very first one, most people follow the actions of the majority – an unstoppable tide of chain reaction.

Especially when it involves influencers. They assume if an influencer – or what looks like the majority – are doing something, then it must be the right thing to do. Good or bad.

Called social proof, people are apt to make quick decisions based on what other people are doing… following the assumption that popularity equals valuable information.

Read moreIs Your Twitter App Creating Negative Social Proof?

Social Media Optimization Tips – SEO for Facebook

Want to optimize your Facebook page? Here’s how, in a nice little primer from gShift Labs called the “Facebook SEO Guide.”

There are a few points that I strongly disagree with though, so here goes…

1. “There’s no reason why you can’t have more than one business Facebook Page. If you have other branded or unbranded keyword phrases that you want to claim, then you should, as long as you can efficiently and consistently manage the content for those pages.”

I am totally against creating social media pages that simply cater to specific keywords. While optimizing your social media is great, your content and reason for participating should focus on meaningful conversation, not rankings.

Read moreSocial Media Optimization Tips – SEO for Facebook