Social media over the Internet has rapidly claimed its place as an essential piece of a public relations campaign. It is the new form of spreading the news by word of mouth. Call it word of web.Ignore social media, and at best you miss a great opportunity for spreading the news about your company or organization. At worst, you lose control of the news about your business that skips across the Internet at a lightning pace, whether the news be good or bad, accurate or not. Social media such as Facebook or Twitter caught fire as a way for people to connect with friends and family; and maintain those connections by updating the events of their lives and spreading the word automatically to anyone interested. Yet social media quickly became an obvious channel for businesses wanting to stay connected with consumers in much the same way. The majority of businesses today have a website. But most business websites are a place to present information. Overall the websites are mostly static, focused on information about the company’s products or services, store hours, and contact info. Adding a Facebook page for the business, a Twitter account, and a blog begins a two-way conversation with current and potential customers. Don’t look at social media as something to add on once you can find the time. Rather, it should be an integral part of your public relations and marketing campaigns to broaden your company’s reach.
