5 Ways to Integrate Social Media with Public Relations

With the emergence of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, FastPitchNetworking and LinkedIn, businesses have almost an unlimited access to the public. Consequently, public relations is evolving beyond traditional media outlets to Web 2.0. In order to monitor all messages and raise an online buzz, social media management should be an integral piece of your public relations campaign.

Many people I have met at various networking events or meetings have been intrigued by the idea of social media and grill me with questions regarding how to utilize it for brand awareness. To help explain how social networking partners with public relations efforts, I made a list of five ways that Bolt PR integrates the two practices to create a profitable buzz for our clients.

1. Link to articles. When you come across an article about your business or industry, share it with others by posting a link on your blog, Twitter, Facebook or other social network you are involved in. It is also a great idea to bookmark the article using StumbleUpon, Delicious, Reddit and Digg.
2. Drive traffic to website. When you participate in online forums or post blog comments, include a link to your website at the bottom.
3. Be an industry expert. Rather that focus on selling, be an educator. When you come across a question relating to your area of expertise, post an answer with your name, company, website and Twitter.
4. Respond to feedback. Search for what people are saying about you and your brand using Google or Twitter search. Respond to comments by thanking those who sing your praises and try to make it right with those who had a negative experience.
5. Involve the audience. Some of the best viral marketing campaigns involve audience participation on Twitter, Facebook fan pages, YouTube and Myspace. Ask for feedback or host a contest to help get your customers involved and generate some attention to your brand or product.

For a more detailed explanation of these 5 ideas, see my article in Social Computing Magazine. Feel free to reach out to us at Bolt PR if you have questions about our services or social media in general. All of us love to be a resource to anyone, client or not.

By: Anne Carr, anne@boltpr.com