Social Media and PR: Using Social Media PR for Marketing
This year has seen a
somewhat of a change in the communications strategies of some of the world’s
biggest companies. Social media has
interested an increasing number of companies as a great many potential
customers are coming (logging on) to get/find a higher quality of information
from marketers. The method of exchange
strategy and overall communication that was centered on a brand or on a product
has changed. Online marketers are now
addressing the customer, so that they will now have to consider the PR
implications and opportunities in their entirety, by changing their strategy,
and their communication with social media.
So in what ways can a
company use social media for marketing?
To address this question
we should really look at one of the most bold and cutting edge moves in online
PR which has been made by the French company “Laredoute”. They have their English, American, French
websites, etc, etc, and they also have a UK Facebook page and an Austrian
Facebook page, etc, etc. However, the
new move they made has been done (tried if you will) on the French version of
their website called http://www.laredoute.fr/.
This involves the
integration of a Facebook module right into their website. NOT just a “share”
with Facebook button, but an interactive Facebook module. At the very bottom of every browser window
(not page), you will see a black bar and one of the buttons says “Shopping
entre ami(e)s”, which translated, means
shopping with friends.
It is called Facebook
Chat, where LaRedoute has incorporated within their site an application (module
if you will) that allows the Facebook account holder to improve their online
buying experience. The Facebook Chat
from LaRedoute is a practical demonstration of several months of reflection,
and research and development from the programming team. This cutting edge method of interaction with
Facebook friends ground breaking idea is a world first. LaRedoute are offering Facebook users a new
“Chat” shopping experience giving them a brand new way to purchase, support and
advise their Facebook friends, which can be done all the way through the
purchasing process, i.e. browsing, comparing and paying. The Facebook section works in the same way
that it does on the Facebook site, so there is no extra learning involved. They have simply the reworked the Facebook
functionality into their site via a direct link to it.
You are able to talk with
your friends and even share URLs of the LaRedoute page that you are on, so they
can see what products you are looking at.
This type of innovative interaction online is letting customers who are
Facebook account holders; talk with each other more easily without having to
move from one tab to another. This way,
LaRedoute has integrated social media directly into their website.
The PR potential for this
is massive, because not only are people buying products online with their
friends, but the interaction is recorded on Facebook for all their friends to
see. It is the same as taking a tape
recorder on a shopping trip, writing down what was said, and then showing it to
your friends.
A lot of companies have
come to realize the potential of various social networks, as well as how
important it is to connect their sites to their social media networks. Facebook-Chat’s a new way of interacting and
consulting with friends and company staff.
The evolution of this PR move is limitless, such as having members of
staff privy to the online shopping experience, and making them able to chime in
with suggestions or to answer questions.
