The majority of what we learn and talk about these days comes from the same place – online.
Whether it’s breaking news, a new product launch or some local gossip that would once have been whispered over the garden fence, we see, hear and watch it unravel on a screen that rarely leaves our hand. The first thing we do in a morning before even getting out of bed is check social media. We get ready, go to work, check social media. Lunch time – check social media. You get the picture.
There is an argument that there’s been a shift too far; children are far more used to swiping and tapping than turning the pages of a book, couples sit in restaurants staring down at their phones rather than talking, while “news” – true or otherwise – travels at uncontrollable speed. But, on the up side, from a business perspective it has never been easier to speak directly to your customers.
It’s a simple fact that posting, making announcements and advertising on social media is far more effective than using print these days. It’s instant, accessible and talks directly to the person you are looking to make contact with. It also has the benefit of something that no other form of media has – the snowball effect. The power of the like and share. Used correctly, with clever, clear communication skills, your message can multiply and reach an audience much larger than you could even have imagined.
Technology has improved and attention spans have shortened. The question of whether it’s due to busier lives or laziness is up for discussion. But the end result is that people no longer read reams and reams of text. There was a shift a long time ago in print media towards the tabloid instead of a broadsheet. Take the Guernsey Press for example – the most traditional of local papers and probably one of the last to shrink in size to conform with the bite-sized nature of modern life.
Social media is the perfect way to give people a snippet of information about your product or service, leaving them wanting more. With a simple click, they’re on your website and part of the way towards becoming a customer. It’s the modern day equivalent of displaying your wares out on the street and getting them to follow you to your shop.
The shift towards digital media has been a tough one for businesses and communicators to grasp, but the shift is now in full swing. Today’s communicators have to skillfully weave together a delicate combination of PR, interactive web capabilities and social media.
We are all communicators at the end of the day. But the best communicators are those who get the right message to the right people. Digital is a sound way of creating a message and delivering it directly under the nose of your customer.
To find out how you can improve your Digital PR contact Clicksmith
Posted in: News