How Social Media Is Transforming PR and the Consumer-Business Relationship

ClutchSocial media has changed the consumer-company relationship. Consumers want to be heard and expect businesses to acknowledge comments on social media, according to a survey of 532 U.S. social media users.Social media presents a new dimension of possibilities and challenges for public relations (PR) and businesses around the world. It rebrands the concept of community and redefines the ways consumers and brands communicate.Clutch surveyed 532 social media users to find out what consumers expect from companies on social media and how these virtual interactions may impact their view of brands.Businesses can use this report to learn what their customers want from them on social media and how social media can be an effective PR tool.

Key Findings

• Most people (76%) expect brands to respond to comments on social media, including 83% who expect brands to respond to comments within a day or less.
• About 80% of millennials expect brands to respond to comments on social media; 90% of those millennials expect brands to respond within a day or less, and 44% expect brands to respond within an hour or less.
• More men (82%) than women (72%) expect brands to respond to comments on social media, and more men (46%) than women (33%) expect companies to respond to comments on social media within an hour or less.
• Nearly half of people (45%) say they would view a brand more positively if it responded to negative comments on social media.
• More than half of people (58%) say that social media has made customer service easier for consumers.
• Most people (72%) say they are likely to recommend a company to others if they have a positive experience with that company on social media.

Read the survey here.