What is the difference between Social Media and Public Relations?

Open Mindedness and palpable respect and admiration for one another always sets the tone for a great meeting.  So with the right tone and a room full of marketing professionals, I was asked a question that comes up time and time again: “What’s the difference between Public Relations and Social Media?

Social media allows you to amplify your reach in ways that marketing on television, the press and the radio simply can’t.  Public Relations Firms typically send out press releases, schedule events, appearances, and primarily work within the Business to Business Community. They typically talk to the editors, journalists, producers and the planners rather than the actual public. I like to think of the PR people as “the ones who are working really hard behind the scenes to make you look good.”

Your Social Media Managers, on the other hand,  are the ones who know the inside out of your business and the people who you’re actually out in the real world talking to. They’re not there to sell or to push, they’re there to build relationships and respond to people with the stealth like awareness that every move they make represents the company. They have their eye on what’s happening in the community and what people are saying out and about town. They’re the connectors and the socially engaging individuals who understand the types of questions that your clients are asking and are prepared in a moments notice to answer them.

Like most people who thrive in marketing, your social media staff should be able to see the big picture, connect the dots, come up with unique ideas for your company and use the voice behind the company to express these ideas. There’s another misconception that just about anyone can jump on board the social media train. It goes without saying that if you truly enjoy being social, this is a career path you might want to explore. But not just anyone can do the ” creative and critical thinking” that’s required to become a strategist. Ideas and making connections with like minded, value oriented people is clearly part of the equation.

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