Social media can no longer be seen as niche media. Over 50 per cent of people in the UK and Ireland now use Facebook and Twitter is now used by nearly half of 18-24 year olds in the UK. So it's no surprise that many organisations and businesses are adapting their marketing communications to reach and influence social media users.
Citizens Advice
citizens advice is one such organisation using a range of digital and social media. They provide free, independent, and impartial advice to people on a range of issues including employee rights, personal finance and debt issues. Citizens advice interacts with its clients and provides information through three main channels; face to face, phone, and more recently via digital including their online advice guide and social media.
Pol Callaghan, head of information and policy at citizens advice, explains some of the advantages of using social media. "At citizens advice we use social media including Facebook and Twitter to communicate changes to benefits and to highlight a lot of the advice that appears on our advice portal"," he said. "We are noticing particularly in the past year that more people are starting to contact us via Facebook
and Twitter. While we don't provide advice directly through those media, it is a way for us to contact them and direct them to people who can help them". Citizens advice also use social media marketing to promote their advice Guide. "Every year for the past four years the amount of people who access our adviceGuide online has doubled. This year citizens advice is on track to achieve one million interactions, rising to two million next year."
MAC Belfast Social Media plays a central role in the communications activity of the Mac Belfast. As part of the recent Social Media Week activity organised by Ni Business info, Christine Bowen - media and communications officer for the Mac, explained how they use social media. "Social Media is a vital component to how we communicate with our audiences. At the Mac we have lots to share with our audience as we always have so much happening at any one time - including such a wide variety of shows, festivals, art exhibitions and projects and activities with local communities, schools and groups. It wouldn't be possible for us say everything we need to say on our website, so social media offers us the opportunity to tell people a little more about what's happening at the Mac and added extras like behind the scenes photos and videos. "One of the most important things for us on social media over the past two years has been building awareness of the Mac so people get a flavour of who we are, what we do, what's happening at the Mac, the scope of things for people to do and get involved in."
* Paul McGarrity is director of Octave Digital, a digital marketing agency helping business to benefit from online marketing www.OctaveDigital.co.uk.