Social Media in Business and Why What People Think is More Important Than What Is

Various uses of social media in business
(Picture credit to http://www.langleynewmedia.com/)

“More people have married Britney Spears and Kim Kardsahisan than died from Ebola (in America)” this is what Mark Skoda said last week.  He went on to say that despite this the media is making it seem like Ebola is going to kill us all tomorrow.  Five panelists came to American University last week to discuss the use of social media in business.  The most important take away was that public relations and the use of social media is not meant to change what is but what people think. 

Social media is not something that most businesses like to use.  Most find themselves forced to use it out of an “abundance of caution” said Peter LaMotte.   Businesses have realized that the best thing to do during a crisis is not to bury their head under the sand but to be proactive.  To do so the advice of Peter was to head off controversies before they begin through the use of social media.  His advice is to admit to everything and be honest.  However, he also recommends spinning the story so that the company comes out on top.  This is why public relation firms are hired.  They specialize in turning a bad story into something that looks good for the company.  During a crisis there is rarely more than “0.2%” (Peter) of the population actually effected by the crisis.  However, media can make it seem like an overwhelming majority are.  The public relations firms must then respond and make sure people don’t overreact. 

Social media is also becoming more important because now it is one of the easiest ways to actually get a story out.  Rather than send a story to a famous journalist, businesses are sending stories to famous bloggers instead said Geoff Living.  Bloggers are far more willing to publish stories and they can do so faster and with less oversight.  This enables companies to get the message they want out.