engleski

Use of social networking sites for public relations

All companies need a well-defined PR plan. The aim of public relations (PR) is making the public perceive a company the way the company wants to be seen. Today’s marketing as well as PR have been changing with the emergence of the Internet. These days, with the number of Internet users constantly increasing, it is important and sometimes even vital for a company to be present on the Internet and, consequently, be proactive in their decision-making. In the 21st century, if a company wants to have an effective PR plan, it must include social media as a way of promotion. Companies are relying more than ever on PR, with the increasing importance of social networks. We know that PR is about building relationships between a company and its customers through media. Social networks facilitate relationship-building since they have become a very powerful communication tool between users, as well as between companies and customers. The key for companies is to find out where target customers are and which social networking site they use, and, having obtained that information, make their presence in these virtual places. In addition, social networking sites have become a new focus for many companies owing to the awareness that such sites build up customer loyalty. They are a way of increasing loyalty since they show that companies take care of their customers: They also enable for long-term relationship to be established by means of two-way communication. Customers can respond to the company's announcements and participate in creating the offer. It is very important for companies to share information via social networks regularly, sometimes several times a day, in order to keep users engaged and interested. Finally, if social networking sites are used effectively they can produce a positive image for the company which can be a competitive advantage. The aim of this paper is to find out how companies use social networking sites for public relations and how they establish long-term relationships through them. The paper also shows differences between PR in traditional marketing and that in Internet marketing, with some examples of PR usage on Facebook.

PR (public relations); SNS (social networking sites); Internet; relationship; loyalty

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