In a time of accelerated digital development and online participation, social media is becoming ever more important. The various platforms allow for completely new types of advertising and PR. A company can harness these networks to address and engage its customers and stakeholders in order to succeed. Regular contact, simplicity of use and immediate feedback are valuable benefits of social media, both for communication and for customer services.
ad publica links the digital world with brand and corporate communication. Implementing and operating an innovative presence in digital media is a part of our service offer. We have participated in shaping the net culture for many years, developing proprietary tools for digital communication and advising clients on integrating the new communications reality into their existing corporate structures.
What exactly defines social media? Basically, social media is digital media that differs from traditional (mass) media in that it allows for faster and more powerful communication streams. Social media’s main characteristic is its relative openness. Everyone with web access can participate in social media, in many cases without prior editorial supervision. Traditional media take the form of a one-to-many monologue. They lose in relevance against this new form of social dialogue. Of course, social media comes with risks as well as benefits, as witnessed by the newly coined concept of a shitstorm. The main questions are clear: How to design my presence? How to communicate with other users in the various communities? Who will handle this?
As an agency, in addition to analysis, strategy development and community management, ad publica also offers conceptual design of digital media, from micro sites via mobile and social apps and games to entire corporate websites. The single most important aspect of social media presence is surely its topicality. An outdated profile conveys only one message: ‘We are not interested. Why would you be?” It is frequently difficult to find the relevant capacities internally. ad publica provides the resources and the requisite expertise, whether for B2C or B2B communications.
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are just some of the many social networks around. Each network has a different focus, but there is one thing they all share: The desire for communication and the intention to share content. Targeted and confident orientation is of the essence here. The second step is for the company to position itself in this communications market. That is by no means easy. Unflattering videos, ill-considered comments and lack of consistency with the corporate image can cause problems. Often, the speed with which contact can be established tempts companies to publish their content too early. ‘You don’t absolutely have to present your news to a customer first thing in the morning. Customers want genuine news. Failure to be as diligent here as you would be with other media can expose you to criticism when there is actually nothing amiss,’ Jan-Philip Thie, Chief Digital Officer at ad publica, says of less-than-confident dealings with social media.
ad publica offers individual consultancy services, targeted to each client’s specific wishes and objectives. We take pride in offering quality in a timely manner: ‘Above all, we want to offer our clients comprehensive advice. We cover all social media services, from community management via social media monitoring to conception, support and execution of complete online campaigns. We do more than just define what is suitable – we find and use the exact channels that are appropriate for each client. Many other providers lack the experience or the up-to-date structures to offer such a combination of communications know-how and channel expertise,’ says Heiko Biesterfeldt, Managing Partner, ad publica, of the agency’s service offer.
In addition to strategic consultancy for social media, a main focus of our work is the implementation of campaigns and the development of digital discussion platforms. We advise you on formulating, and above all on implementing, social media guidelines, offer customized and pertinent analyses on how brands are perceived in the web, and on that basis develop social media concepts, websites or integrated multi-channel solutions. We draw on our many years of PR experience to start a dialogue and introduce appropriate content. Our clients’ target groups engage with these messages intensively and in the long term.
