The brand that comes along with social media is one that can attract or detour a person from being a loyal consumer. As an undergraduate I was writing and rhetoric’s major, and thought I knew I wanted to take a public relations approach and run with that. In today’s age that we live in, technology and social media are making it easier and easier for businesses to communicate to the public around them. Branding and public relations go hand in hand with the marketing of social media platforms. Public relations are essentially the communicating between a person or party to the public. This can be done via text or media. Public relations is an essential piece in all types of business whether it be medical, entertainment, or political. People can say that social media has its good, bad, and ugly side, but with social media being at the tier of technology today it has given the everyday person a new platform to voice their opinion, especially when it comes to businesses.

When it comes to one’s brand and social media, how, when, and what they put on their brand sites, will be a huge factor when it comes to consumer exposure. With that being said, it’s important to always be cognizant of the image you are portraying on social media. In terms of PR, the more exposure your business gets equally equates to how much your company is talked about, and ultimately will spread across social media faster, which should be the ultimate goal when you are progressing in a business. In this day in age, if you are not taking advantage of the exposure that social media brings, than that company should really re-evaluate their marketing strategies, and the levels that they want to take their brand.

Edelman is the world’s largest PR firm, with 67 offices and more than 4,800 employees worldwide. After doing a Google search of the firm, provided links to several of their social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Above is what their twitter account looks like as of today. The first thing that initially drew me to the site was the “cool” color scheme that they chose to use. I think this is very important, because it is almost inviting, and makes you want to stay on the page. One of the most important things Edelman utilizes through Twitter is their consistency. They tweet throughout the day with fresh and new information. A lot of their tweets have to do with what Edelman is doing in various fields. I think this is important for any brand, because actual evidence of success will help establish trust between potential business partners and attract potential employees to the company. On their Instagram account they post business-minded quotes and feature video clips and pictures form various offices. The pictures show the employees having a good time in the office, which indicates that there is a positive environment in the workplace. People love to see the personality and inner workings of a company and what really makes it run smoothly. All of these factors contribute to the idea of generating media coverage.

Eldman is able to capture this by tweeting about different groups and companies they are affiliated with, and the circumstances as to why they are working with each other. When the social media world is able to see the kinds of people a public relations agency is involved in and the work they are doing, that company will gain overall respect in the long run. There have been far too many times, where companies will just jump in the social media “river”, and get washed, because they have no idea where they want to go with it. Throughout the entire social media development process, they must have this question in the back of their head, “What am I trying to achieve?” Some social media sites are strictly about business relations and only communicate back and forth with other businesses, whereas others just use social media so they can publicize their product to consumers.

Along with a target audience, you must make sure that you are able to establish relationship with the people following your social media sites. Personally I’ve seen numerous twitter accounts that spew out pointless tweets regarding their business, but will never think twice about responding back to a tweet.

A perfect example is shown with Nike’s twitter account. Nike makes it a priority to respond back to the consumer. When a company is able to reach back to someone, who has an inquiry or interest, it establishes a relationship between the consumer and manufacturer. There “#JustDoIt” promotional tag has become popularized globally through their use of it via social media sites. Athletes endorse Nike by also using this hashtag, which helps their brand spread to their million so followers. When this connection is made, you gain a commitment from that buyer. Even outside the consumer world, your response in many instances is going to be more important than the original post. In the field of public relations, you really do have to think on your toes. With Nike’s various branches of products, they make it an effort to respond back in regards to product purchases, and will usually follow up with some form of motivational response.Even though Twitter only allows for you to input 140 characters, the ability to input links and use of hashtags opens up a whole door to see what they truly stand for. Now if you’re a company like GoPro, the use of Twitter may not be so beneficial, because it is not image prone such as sites like Instagram.

Nike also does a great job of branding when it comes to Facebook. They have made pages for each of their product categories. Depending on the page, the page will be updated with videos or graphics pertaining to the category.  Along with media such as that they make sure to include product promotions in there posts, which help generate a buzz for its followers. They really makes sure that their fans are truly engaged.

Branding is really all about opportunity and buzz. Companies are constantly looking for new ways to get their message or an idea to the public and as of right now social media is the “wave”. Nobody wants to be yesterday’s news when it comes to media, for that very these companies must strategically brand themselves on their social media platforms to make sure that they are relevant at all times. What’s important to remember is that anybody can have 1,000,000 followers, but what makes it even more significant is if you have a following who appreciates the brand that you represent.