The worry comes from business owners hearing about a fad or a craze and how it has helped other businesses become ‘world famous’.  It’s easy to get lulled into believing that if you employ the same tools as a similar business you will have the same success.  Well it might (underline “might”) be possible.  But just because you get the same tools as the other guy, doesn’t mean you can build a great house!

Adding further to this worry is that there are truly a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing (or snakeoil salespeople) offering to help businesses set up a Blog or grab a million followers on Twitter.  These one-tool or two-tool salespeople scare me!!!  Why?  Because they aren’t necessarily selling you something you need.  Are you sure you need it?  Have you really looked into it?

Keep in mind that Blogs and Twitter accounts are merely  two tools in the communications toolkit.  So I ask: Can you safely and securely build a house with two tools?  If you can, you can probably walk on water too!

Before you buy any ‘tool-only’ services from any vendor… please please please… ask yourself these questions:

1)      Do these communications tools map to my business objectives?

2)      Do my customers/audience read Blogs?

3)      Are a million Twitter followers going to be QUALITY followers/leads/prospects?

4)      Does my audience reside primarily on Facebook?

5)      Can I contribute regularly to YouTube with compelling video?

6)      Do I have the ability to continually use the tools or will they collect dust in the toolbox?

Don’t misunderstand.  I’m not discouraging anyone from using the tools.  And you can DIY all you like if you’re confident in how and why to use them.  But most importantly, there are three things to keep in mind:  The tools work great if:

1)       you know how to use them,

2)       you have an end in mind, and

3)      you’re prepared to use them as required.

What I AM discouraging is employing tools just for the sake of it.  Employing one or two social media tools (and doing nothing else) and expecting huge and immediate results is borderline crazy.  Imagine, in a city of a million people, buying one (and only one) newspaper ad to announce a furniture sale and only 30 people show up.  Even though the subscription base of the newspaper may be 150,000 not every person read the paper that day.  And those who did may not have even seen the ad because they didn’t read every page! And even then, those who did either read about it and forgot it or had something better to do that day.

Communications means hitting an audience (the right audience) through multiple touchpoints.  A good vendor will look at the big picture with you.  They will map a plan to your business objectives… not what is currently popular.  Yes, Twitter is a very useful tool, if you’re prepared to USE it.  A Blog can help your credibility and search engine (SEO) rankings.  But don’t forget about your audience.  Who are they? Where are they?  They are multifaceted and they are found in multiple places… don’t forget that when you’re thinking about how to reach customers with the tools.   All of this takes time – just like building a house.  But more importantly don’t forget it when the wolves show up at the door.

Over the past two years, I have learned a lot in the public relations program at College. From media relations and communications planning, to fundraising and event management, the knowledge I’ve gained is immeasurable. That is why, after completing classes and moving on to co-op, I am surprised that social media seems to have taken a back burner to more traditional PR methods.

I am no expert. I feel very behind when it comes to new methods – I just started using Twitter, but I am having trouble convincing myself that people give a crap about what I’m doing. I have the same issue with blogs – who cares about my opinion? But I am (very) slowly gaining confidence.

Social media has undoubtedly changed PR, but has not yet changed the way PR is being taught, leaving even new professionals to learn for themselves. But I am hoping that the learning curve won’t be too steep.

If you have an RSS reader and you follow Social Media sites and writers in this area, you’ll be up-to-date on the latest “stuff going on”, like: Monday’s Twitter hack (a phishing attack on a handful of celebrities and other non-celebs); how Twitter will change Blog design in 2009; the relaunch of BlogTalkRadio; how WhosTalkin monitors 63 social media sites; the top 100+ Wikis available; and so on.  From controversy and scams, wild predictions for 2009, huge criticisms of others, to exciting changes coming our way, one can’t help but think….WOW! 

There is so much going on in this world and it is exciting, but it can be overwhelming for some.  Hell, there are still _many_ people that don’t even know what Twitter is!!!  And yet, it is by far one of the fastest growing trends ever.  I have a Twitter account.  Sometime I blather away using up my 140 characters many times throughout the day, and then there are times, eh…not so much.  I just wonder if my followers really care what I have to say, though sometimes I get a nice DM (direct message).  I’ve used it to talk to some media that I follow and that are following me.  Some (not all media) use it as a popularity contest.  Twitter is really not for that purpose – but I digress.   

Social media tools offer a smorgasbord of neat features and cool applications that can help improve business communications. But like any buffet, it’s wise to walk through before you fill your plate – hard for some I know.  A social media strategy should employ applications and tools based on business objectives– the strategy should not be driven by a hunger to be cool or to have the latest.  Sure you can download every widget on your Blog (I think there are about a gazillion now on each Blog platform ready to use), and you can pretend to be hip and cool.  Or you can plan it out first – map it to your business objectives and map it to who will be visiting the site.

Best advice at the buffet? Even if you’re rrrrreeeeeeally hungry…do a walk-thru (nuh uh, no testers)…decide what will satisfy you the most given your appetite, and then make your choices.   You may feel like trying everything in front of you – but at the end of the day – you (and your constituents) will be satiated by sensible choices.     

More on this later…