SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING PUBLIC RELATIONS AND PUBLIC EFFORTS: AN INTEGRATED ACADEMIC REVIEW

Abstract

Social media has fundamentally changed how organizations communicate with the public, shifting relationships, reputations, and the success of public initiatives onto digital platforms. Yet many organizations post frequently without a coherent strategy, treating social media as a broadcast channel rather than a space for dialogue. This integrated review synthesizes literature from public administration, public relations, health communication, marketing, and crisis management to identify strategies that consistently improve public engagement outcomes, including audience segmentation, platform-specific content, two-way engagement, credible messengers, social listening, community partnerships, accessibility, misinformation management, and outcome-based evaluation. Four complementary theories dialogic communication theory, uses and gratifications theory, the social amplification of risk framework, and the Excellence Theory of Public Relations explain why interactive, audience-centered, and credible communication outperforms one-way information delivery. Case analyses of four Nigerian organizations GTBank, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dangote Group, and the Independent National Electoral Commission illustrate how strategic social media use produces measurable public relations outcomes. The review concludes that social media functions best as part of a coordinated engagement system supported by clear objectives, governance, trained staff, trusted partners, and evaluation methods that extend beyond followers and likes.