DM is the New Office Space

Information in an instant! Sounds great doesn’t it? Why delay gratification when you can get everything you want instantaneously, at your fingertips or arriving on your doorstep within a few hours. The culture surrounding social media is this urge for an instantaneous response, instantaneous gratification, and Instagram! There is a new world awaiting communication professionals and it’s called Social Media. This new normal is here to stay according to Ourworldindata.org. In their article, The Rise of Social Media, they found that the percentage of US adults who use social media increased to 79% in 2019. What’s even greater is the rate of diffusion seen on a global scale, which users have surged to around 30% in 2018. Although, since you’re here reading my blog, chances are you already know this. However, what you may find interesting is how communication professionals can adjust to this new normal.

Strategic communication professionals can succeed in this new culture by remaining flexible, innovative, and collaborative.  As the heading implies, direct messages (DM) have become the new office space for many communication professionals.  We practically live online and are therefore glued to some sort of mobile device and because of such, we can work from just about anywhere.  Organizations are optimizing their social media presence by replying to stakeholders and customers in real time. By doing so, communication professionals can create the narrative for their organization. They control the story and simply put, if faced with negative feedback, can always write, “please DM to continue the conversation”.  Communication professionals must adapt to the challenges that arise with an active social media presence. We must create content with regards to what’s tending on social media. Guest blogger Nadav Shoval says, in 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Media for 2020 and Beyond,  “the user is king”, and therefore communication professionals must think about user engagement. He goes on to say, “when we’re talking about online experiences, this includes authentic experiences that reflect a user’s values, and ways to interact in meaningful ways”.  Developing content to show a personal side of the organization can evoke many feelings for users. Well-developed content should deliver the organization’s mission of why they do what they do and because of that, the result is their product. Let us remember Simon Sinek said, “people don’t buy what you do, but rather why you do it”.  

Likewise, we must remain innovative and think of new ways to reach our audience. A great example of innovation at work is a Social Media Press Release (SMPR).  Sophie Chadwick notes, in How Social Mediais Shaping the Future of Public Relations, “the concept of a social media press release is that the content is easily shareable, and takes advantages of the linking, multimedia, and social media capabilities offered by a digital format”. Further, communication professionals must keep up with current social media platforms and their interfacing. Innovation is key to staying relevant on social media and by developing engaging content that utilizes the aspects of the platform. For example, Facebook has a "Live" feature; we can use that to reach our customers which gives off a feeling of authenticity. What’s more authentic then being Live? Snapchat also has a unique function where shared content disappears in a matter of seconds. Communication professionals can integrate that feature to engage customers by rewarding those who saw the “pop-up” message. User generated content is another innovative way to use social media. By utilizing user generated content, brands can benefit from hashtags, testimonials, and positive feedback. Although, an organization can also benefit from negative feedback… depending on how they handle the situation. "Responding quickly to negative feedback is the key to managing an online reputation", suggests Masha Maksimava, a vice president at Belorussian social monitoring company Awario, from the article How Social Media can Ruin your Business.

Furthermore, we must utilize collaborative efforts.  We know this from last week’s post about opinion leaders. We must collaborate with influencers in order to reach a greater audience base. Though, communication professionals must choose an influencer whose values align with those of the organizations. Without careful consideration, we could find ourselves in a real PR nightmare. However, Chadwick notes, “moving forward, the future use of influencers in social media campaigns will be geared towards the use of multiple micro-influencers and finding influencers that will generate genuine engagement between your brand and its audience”.

Strategic communication professionals are faced with a new world, one that is very much centered around social media. In order to stay relevant, we must remain adaptive and flexible. We must also not shy away from innovation. With so much information at our fingertips, we must continue to innovate new ways to reach our audience. Last, we must collaborate with our users and influencers in order to promote the brands mission and create a communal feel for our audience. By collaborating with others, we can begin to share a more personal side of the brand which gives off a most genuine feeling that is linked to authenticity.

Spring has sprung, here in South Korea. 

Pictured are beautiful blooming cherry blossoms

 taken from today's drive into post. 

Thanks for reading! Be on the lookout for next week’s post about leadership and communication with internal, external, and government groups.  Please feel free to share my blog through engagement on your own social media platform. As always, you can find my blog by clicking on the link below or by copying and paste the URL in your address bar: communicate2lead.blogspot.com

"The art of communication is the language of leadership" - James Humes