social mediaSocial media has quickly become an integral part of public relations and marketing (among other areas) over the last few years.

There are lots of observations about social’s role in public relations and marketing, but not many regarding these folks’ insights about social media.

Cision and PR News recently polled marketing and PR professionals about social media and created an infographic titled The State of Social Media for PR Pros. The goal was to “give a look into how PR and marketing pros view the social media landscape.”

The findings show the following:

  • Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the top three platforms used that businesses most actively engage with their audiences.
  • 36% polled use paid promotions in Facebook while other platforms have much paid promotions.
  • 45% have successfully pitched media contacts through social media channels.
  • The most trusted sources are online traditional and print publications.
  • The top three metrics to measure success are increased website traffic, increased engagement and increased followers.

While Facebook has the top engagement, many businesses have not been using paid promotions. Recent changes in Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm may persuade businesses to sponsor more posts for increased visibility.

PR professionals are still pitching through traditional tactics more than social media. The most trusted sources are also traditional news outlets and publications whether in print or online. While social media is an integral part of PR, the traditional methods are still important.

The top metrics are increased traffic, engagement and follower numbers. There is room for businesses to improve their metrics by looking at conversions and not just numbers. This is a more complicated process but one that will bring deeper insights to their PR and marketing strategies.

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Image courtesy of bplanet / FreeDigitalPhotos.net