Social Media's Impact on Strategic Communications

 Twenty years ago, the only advertisements I viewed from businesses were on billboards or television commercials. There was a limited audience before social media sites entered the picture. In the digital age, social media helps companies engage with a larger audience. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are important tools in the communications industry. These sites offer many resources to help companies build their online image. In today’s discussion, I will talk about how social media is beneficial for strategic communicators creating and distributing online content. 

  

Social Media Strategy

Strategic communicators must have a social media strategy for their brands. A social media strategy outlines “your social media goals, the tactics you will use to achieve them and the metrics you will track to measure your progress” (LePage & Newberry, 2021). A well-documented strategy should include social media accounts and goals tailored to each of those sites. Strategic communicators want to know how their advertisements are being seen and if their online audience is interacting with their brand. The benefit of a social media strategy is increased brand awareness and recognition. A successful social media strategy should lead to more online consumers and a wider engagement. A social media strategy is only effective when strategic communicators create purposeful content that attracts users to their brand.

Flaws in Interpretation

Social media sites like Facebook use automated technology to help keep track of content that can be deemed inappropriate and breach a user’s terms of service. The algorithms are meant to keep out only harmful information, but it also removes some unharmful information. Businesses that are mistakenly identified as displaying harmful content on Facebook must deal with consequences for rules they did not break. “If the automated system deems you guilty of breaking the rules, you can be locked out until you are successful with your appeal. And until you regain access, any ad campaigns may continue to run without oversight, which can be expensive” (Montenegro, 2021). If a business falls victim to a mistake in the algorithm, the solution would be to extend advertising to more than one site. TikTok is one of the top social media sites companies are using for advertisements because they want to attract younger generations to their brands. Having multiple company profiles creates a larger presence on social media. “Making sure to have multiple platforms to fall back on, instead of being reliant on one, means the impact of being struck with a ban from the algorithms is far lessened. It also gives people alternate ways to interact with you and allows you to reach a far larger audience” (Montenegro, 2021). Technology is not perfect. When access to an ad campaign is blocked, a strategic communicator must have multiple plans in place to keep content moving. Algorithms are just one of the ways technologies can sometimes be a hindrance to companies distributing online content.

Social Media Changing the Art of Conversation

Social media has not only changed how we promote products, but also on how we communicate. In a 2018 survey released by Common Sense, a children’s and media advocacy organization, “most teens now say their favorite mode of communication is texting (35%). Compared to 2012, much higher proportions selected social media (16%) and video chatting (10%), while less than one third said they prefer chatting with friends face-to-face” (Steinmetz, 2018). Gone are the days of having conversations at the dinner table. Many teenagers will text their parents who are in the same room. I would rather have face-to-face conversations because it is not always easy to know what a person is saying through text. Facial expressions, an essential part of communication, is obsolete in a text message. In the 2018 survey, “nearly half (44%) say they get frustrated with their friends for being on their phones when they’re hanging out together” (Steinmetz, 2018). When people have face-to-face conversations, messages do not get lost in translation. Texts can be helpful when talking with people on-the-go or in another state, but it should not be the standard. In-person conversations are just as significant as other forms of communication.

Social Media’s Role in Politics

Social media has played an active role in political elections. The 2016 and 2020 presidential elections attracted a large audience on social media platforms. “Compared to those with lower levels of political engagement, highly-engaged social media users take a fairly active role when it comes to entering into political discussions or otherwise engaging with political content. Roughly one-in-five (19%) of these highly engaged social media users “often” comment, post or discuss political or government issues with others on social media, triple the share among social media users who are less politically engaged (6%)” (Duggan & Smith, 2016). Politicians understand the advantages of using social media to attract users towards their campaigns. No longer are politicians relying on only television and print advertisements to speak to their constituents. Barack Obama was the first presidential candidate to utilize a social media platform for his campaign. In 2016, Former President Donald Trump made his thoughts known to his supporters through daily tweets on Twitter. News interviews and nationally televised political debates will still be relevant, but perhaps not occur as often because of social media. Constituents can interact with political candidates on a more personal level through social media. Political candidates are more humanized when they showcase parts of their personal life on social media.

In conclusion, strategic communicators can utilize social media to help build the reputation of their brand. Having an effective social media strategy will help gain more consumers to the product or service a strategic communicator is promoting. Social media has its flaws, but overall, it is an effective tool in the strategic communications industry. Without social media, companies could not reach as wide of an audience. The younger generations are attracted to newer platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. Strategic communicators must figure out ways to customize their brand’s advertising to each social media platform. Social media is the way of the future.

References:

Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2019, December 31). Social Media and Americans' Political Engagement. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/10/25/political-engagement-and-social-media/

LePage, E., & Newberry, C. (2021, May 14). How to Create a Social Media Strategy in 8 Steps. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-create-a-social-media-marketing-plan/

Montenegro, L. (2021, March 15). Council post: Automated Filters Gone Wrong: The Small-Business Social Media Conundrum. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/03/16/automated-filters-gone-wrong-the-small-business-social-media-conundrum/?sh=7d3e793d15cf

Steinmetz, K. (2018, September 10). Teens Are Over Face-to-Face Communication, Study Says. Time. https://time.com/5390435/teen-social-media-usage/

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