Mastering social media for public relations in 2024

Sir: It could be rightly said that we have witnessed the advancement of social media from mere information exchange space to virtual communities where people showcase creativity, learn new things, interact and shop in less than one decade.
According to GlobalWebIndex, around 42 per cent of internet users worldwide use social media to purchase products online.

The social space is constantly evolving, making it a strong pillar for public relations (PR) in today’s world. Here are eight top trends that you would need to stay ahead of the curve in 2024: Algorithm-driven content is the new “brand personality.”

Being able to jump on content driven by algorithms in real-time based on user interactions prioritises engagement, relevance and user preferences. T

This allows for more dynamic and responsive brand personalities that can change and evolve with their audience’s needs. A brand’s ability to personalise “trendy sounds” is considered a top approach to public relations.

Also, SEO works for your social channels too. Being able to properly optimise your social channels is key to mastering PR. Just like with web content, using relevant keywords in your social media posts, profiles and hashtags can help increase your visibility on search engines and within the social media platform itself. In it, images, videos and other multimedia can make your posts more engaging and shareable, which can improve your social media SEO.

Besides, ephemeral content is certainly the way to increase engagement. Short-lived stories are a path to improving interactions between brands and consumers. Leveraging temporary content like Instagram stories, Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat and now, Tiktok stories creates a sense of urgency and also expands your audience reach. Social commerce is also on the rise.

According to Oberlo, the number of online buyers in 2024 rose by 70 million more than previous years, marking a 2.7 per cent year-over-year increase.

The integration of e-commerce with social media is advancing quickly, providing brands with more opportunities to generate revenue and making it more flexible for consumers, making it more convenient for brands to make money on the space and for consumers to make their purchases easily from their mobile phones. Platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook shops and WhatsApp catalogs are some of the various ways this integration is happening.

There is also Artificial Intelligence (AI) for customer service. AI can be used to increase experience and create more delightful interactions with consumers.

It can analyse consumer behaviour, interpret customer responses and detect emotions, enabling more personalised interactions. Additionally, it can automate routine tasks, freeing up human agents to handle more complex ones.
Oluwatosin Omolale sent in this piece from Lagos.

There is also authentic content across platforms. Maintaining a consistent voice, while tailoring content to fit the unique characteristics and expectations of each platform is a win in PR efforts. In 2024, real content is encouraged to build trust and enhance the overall brand experience for consumers.

This said, there are certain tools you cannot ignore in 2024, such as Canva, which is branded graphics and videos design; Capcut for video designs; Hootsuite for managing multiple accounts; Sprout Social for analytics and social listening;  Trello for organising content calendars and team projects; Asana to manage social media campaigns and track progress; Slack, to enhance team communication and collaboration as well as Mailchimp, used to send out newsletters.

Oluwatosin Omolale sent in this piece from Lagos.