Engagement has become a buzzword in marketing and in public relations. Often, low-level interactivity metrics such as click-throughs, views, ‘likes’, ‘follows’, retweets, ‘shares’ and downloads are seen as indicators of engagement. However, social media offers much greater opportunities for interactivity through its capacity for two-way communication leading to dialogue and collaboration. Companies just need the understand the key components of engagement.
Organisations can use social media to involve their employees, customers, and other stakeholders in planning projects and even producing content. This is an important aspect because real engagement is not created by clicking a mouse or even following an organisation or person on social media. Engagement is more than thinking about someone or something. It involves a level of passion, commitment and investment of discretionary effort.
Social Media: A Tool of Engagement
There are three key components of engagement, all of which a company can foster through open and interactive use of social media. A bond based on affective commitment that goes beyond the processing of information received and experiences. A deeper level of positive emotional engagement which involves pride, passion and ‘absorption’, enthusiasm, energy. Maybe even excitement and empowerment for those we are trying to engage, which is most effectively achieved through participation.
Public relations’ ultimate aim is to build and maintain relationships, as well as two-way communication. Social media can contribute to building and maintaining these through its interactive capabilities that enable two way communication, dialogue and engagement,
Not a Replacement, but an Augment
Online communication does not replace interpersonal communication, it extends it. It maintains contact across vast distances. Furthermore, organisations and their stakeholders can interact online more frequently than physical meetings would normally allow it.
The ability for almost anyone to access social media and distribute information means that public communication is no longer flowing predominantly top-down. With social media, communication flows bottom-up and side-to-side in society, creating a peer-to-peer (P2P) network.
In addition, social media potentially gives voice to groups that are outside traditional media and political representation. This can potentially bring us closer to a more wide-spread equality.
One-to-one interpersonal communication has existed throughout more than 50,000 years of human history. Mass media gave way to one-to-many dissemination of information. The social media age has brought the opportunity for many to talk to many. Ushering in a new age of Communications in the process.
However, making distinctions about target audiences is still important, as a every company has finite resources they can spend on meaningful interactions. Count on us to talk to the many that matter.