By Shellie J. Edge
That’s the very question I asked myself when I started a new job where many of my clients are actively involved in various social media networks. Although I’ve been in the public relations industry for more than 10 years, I still consider myself young and hip… or at least I’d like to think so. I have a Facebook page, subscribe to the hottest RSS feeds and even know a little about Twitter. I was even inspired by what President Obama’s team was able to do with social media during his campaign last fall.
So what’s all the buzz about? Why should we care about social networking? And why should we encourage our clients to take advantage of the potential of social networking? I think we should care for several reasons.
First, social networks are here to stay. We may not always have the same platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace, but social media is not going anywhere. David Haase, senior consultant & director of editorial services at Verilion, remarks that interactive online technologies “have made themselves indispensable, and the features offered by social media sites are firmly entrenched as the primary method for online dialogue for organizations and people of all ages.”
Secondly, in today’s 24/7 news cycle, getting your message in front of the right audience at the right time is more important than ever. Social networking allows for an inexpensive, effective way to quickly dispense messages to your target audiences. At the time of this post, Facebook boasts more than 250 million active users and Twitter is quickly approaching three-billion tweets. So why not take advantage of these users of social networks to increase visibility and build the brand of your client?
Lastly, social networking allows you to engage your audience, laying the groundwork for calls to action and grassroots advocacy. One great example is the Obama campaign and how they were able to harness the power of social networking.
On top of all of that, Mayor Bloomberg announced a new set of initiatives earlier this month to encourage new media companies to set up shop in New York. Look out, Silcon Valley.
That said, social networking is definitely here to stay. I am now a believer and my advice is to go ahead — jump on board the social networking train — or get left at the station!
