In a story this week, Ragan’s PR Daily Quotes the Ogilvy PR agency as saying word of mouth beats social media for motivating social causes
“There’s no question that people's social media circles affect their actions. Still, marketers and PR pros shouldn’t ignore some of the tried-and-true methods.
“The main source for information about causes and social issues for Americans ages 18 to 29 is word of mouth from friends and family and TV programs, according to Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Ogilvy and Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication studied cause involvement.
“The resulting Dynamics of Cause Engagement study shows that younger people are more likely to get their information about social causes from social media sites, but family (48 percent), friends (46 percent), and television (45 percent) combined outweigh sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
“Perhaps most telling in the study: ‘Nearly two-thirds of Americans (62 percent) report that being told in person is the way they are typically informed of causes and social issues in which others want them to be involved.’” People love to talk about the importance of social media, but this study points out that social media fails to reach some audiences. It also demonstrates that book publicity still needs to target specific audiences with informational rifle shots rather than scattered shotgun blasts. It also emphasizes the need to know the age range of potential book readers. For instance, it would be a waste of effort to blast social media about a book that is designed to be read by senior citizens. Conversely, concentrating on social media might be right on target in a books is for young adults or those in their 20s. It’s an old PR principle I learned decades ago, but apparently bears repeating. Hope it helps.
“There’s no question that people's social media circles affect their actions. Still, marketers and PR pros shouldn’t ignore some of the tried-and-true methods.
“The main source for information about causes and social issues for Americans ages 18 to 29 is word of mouth from friends and family and TV programs, according to Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Ogilvy and Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication studied cause involvement.
“The resulting Dynamics of Cause Engagement study shows that younger people are more likely to get their information about social causes from social media sites, but family (48 percent), friends (46 percent), and television (45 percent) combined outweigh sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
“Perhaps most telling in the study: ‘Nearly two-thirds of Americans (62 percent) report that being told in person is the way they are typically informed of causes and social issues in which others want them to be involved.’”
People love to talk about the importance of social media, but this study points out that social media fails to reach some audiences. It also demonstrates that book publicity still needs to target specific audiences with informational rifle shots rather than scattered shotgun blasts. It also emphasizes the need to know the age range of potential book readers. For instance, it would be a waste of effort to blast social media about a book that is designed to be read by senior citizens. Conversely, concentrating on social media might be right on target in a books is for young adults or those in their 20s. It’s an old PR principle I learned decades ago, but apparently bears repeating. Hope it helps.