Communication technology has come a long way– from telegraphs to radio to phone lines to cell phones and now the internet. Getting your message to someone has never been easier.  In 1997, the first social network site was launched. SixDegrees.com  was a website that allowed users to create profiles, list their Friends and surf their Friends lists. This quickly led to other social media websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Companies recognize how popular the social media sites were and sought to use them for getting their message through. Social media is a great way to reach the public, but some things should be considered before utilizing this tool for PR purposes.

– Target: Before deciding on what type of social media site to use, you have to ask yourself what product/service you are selling and what your target audience would be. Take into consideration of their age, demographic, interests. etc.

– Type: Depending on the type of audience you’re aiming for, you have to decide on which type of social media site you would want to use. For example, if you’re targeting a fitness crowd, Bodybuilding.com would be a good site to use. If you’re looking for professional business connections, LinkdIn.com would be best suited for you. If you’re looking for videographers, producers, etc. Vimeo.com would be the best site to find those people.

– Wording: After choosing your target audience and the social media site where you can find them,  you have to learn their language and know what key words to use in order to draw their attention. If you’re trying to sell skin care products to middle aged women, some key words to use would be,”look young”,”supple skin”, and “radiant glow”.

-Advertising: Social media sites are powerful tools, but they can not stand on their own amongst all the many social media sites that you’re competing with. In order to make sure yours stand out, you should consider investing in advertisements on websites that are related to your product/service.

-Management: Although social media sites are very interactive and helpful, it can also be detrimental to your organization if it is not managed properly. You can not please everyone in the world, so expect there to be negative comments about your organization. A successful social media site will have a team of people constantly monitoring the site and making sure that the good comments outweigh the bad (Search-Engine Optimization).

Social media sites can be used successfully or poorly depending on the decisions you make. An example of an organization using social media successfully would be Sun Microsystem’s CEO Blog. Jonathan Schwartz allows both positive and negative comments to be posted on his blog. Even the most ridiculous comments are approved. The honesty of his site is what draws the 400,000 viewers each month. An example of a poorly utilized social media is British Petroleum. After the oil spill incident, a lot of angry people started posting on their Twitter account. To avoid the negative comments, they turned their commenting section off, which only made them look as if they were trying to hide information from the public. As you can see, social media sites can work both ways. It is all a matter of how you use it. If you do your research and consider all the points listed above, you can determine whether or not your company is successful.