Each week on The Thursday Three with Pushkin PR we share three news stories that captivated our attention during the week ranging from public relations and social media trend updates to relevant news in the industries we serve including healthcare, nonprofits, government and festival clients.
Social Media: The Effectiveness of Sponsored Posts
AdAge: Do Paid Endorsements Sell Product?
Influencer marketing is having a moment. Whether your brand is in the fitness, healthcare, food and beverage or lifestyle industry, it’s likely there are social media influencers who are eager to partner with your brand. But how effective are these partnerships?
This study looked at 814,000 posts to evaluate changes in engagement that resulted when content was tagged as #sponsored. The results indicated that sponsored content does not have a lower engagement rate than organic content. One challenge for sponsored posts was that they tended to receive more negative sentiment in comments. If you’re considering working with an influencer on sponsored posts, be sure to find one that is the right fit for your brand and target audience to ensure the most positive reception possible for your content.
Journalism: TV Remains the Preferred Platform for News
47 percent of Americans prefer to watch the news versus reading or listening to it. Within this group, 75 percent prefer to watch the news on a television rather than on their computers, tablets or smartphones. Younger adults are more likely to turn to the internet to consume news media content, whether through viewing, reading or listening.
For PR pros, this information has big implications. When developing public relations strategies, it is vital to include tactics that target broadcast media to ensure key messages reach target audiences. When reaching a niche audience that is defined by a particular age group, it is important to dig into the data surrounding the news consumption habits of the demographic to ensure that public relations tactics will reach them on their preferred platforms.
Healthcare Communications: Building Trustworthy Healthcare Brands
Agility PR: Weber study finds Americans don’t really trust social media for health info
As specialists in healthcare communications, we are familiar with the unique challenges healthcare organizations face when communicating with their target audiences. Earning trust is a major obstacle to be overcome with all generations reporting a distrust of medical information they find online. The study also found that millennials are more likely to trust their peers than physicians when it comes to medical information.
In order to build trust there are several tactics organizations can incorporate into their public relations strategies. Reducing jargon in communications in favor of easy to read, succinct information can help consumers weed through confusing and technical information. Working with third-party partners on campaigns can also help increase reputability in messaging campaigns. We also recommend that medical practices and physicians take proactive steps to establish themselves as thought leaders to build their profiles and position themselves as trustworthy sources of information.