In early 2005, I joined Facebook as a high school senior hoping to scope out and connect with other soon-to-be freshmen at my chosen Arizona university.  Through this then college-only social networking site, I got insider tips on classes and campus life from current students and forged relationships with fellow incoming classmates that still exist to this day.  Five years later, social media has quickly transformed into an essential business tactic.  As we now attempt to put a dollar amount on a follower or fan and their engagement with brands, it seems as though we were losing sight of why we originally became part of these online communities: to engage with and be emotionally connected to the people around us, not get hawked gourmet cupcakes or the latest iPhone model.

However, in light of recent devastating events around the world and in our local San Diego community, my faith in the very personal, emotional role of online networking as a connective tissue between human beings has been restored.  As disaster, crime, and violence rip through our world, social media uses revert back to their roots and provide us with the tools to bring us together during the times when it matters most.
Following the Haiti and Chile earthquakes, Google launched respective Person Finder websites (http://haiticrisis.appspot.com and http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com) to help locate missing persons despite power outages and down phone lines.  Individuals can register name and address information under two categories: “I’m looking for someone” or “I have information about someone”.  Between the two countries, over 125,000 records are being tracked by Person Finder, helping reunite loved ones faster than via conventional search and rescue methods.

When Poway teen Chelsea King went missing, both Twitter and Facebook played a huge role in spreading related information and helping to mobilize volunteers to join the search.  Missing-person posters went viral via tweets and status updates, as did up-to-the-minute news regarding her disappearance.   A Facebook page, set up by Chelsea’s family with over 70,000 members at the height of the search, can surely claim at least a partial role in the gathering of more than 6,000 volunteers to aid with search efforts.  Celebrities like Nick Jonas and Denise Richards even tweeted about the young girl, helping spread the word of her disappearance to their 2 million followers and offering their condolences.  In the devastating situation that a death occurs in the community, as per Chelsea, social networking sites also provide a place where locals, family, and friends can mourn, share photos and stories, and support each other as they cope with their sense of loss.

And while some unfortunate events are unforeseeable, local law enforcement officials are using social media as a tactic to get the community active in crime-fighting efforts, allowing for the prevention of and improved reaction to emergency situations.  With an extraordinary reach of millions of users and the immediate nature of status updates and their mobile distribution, alerts, photos, and videos regarding wanted or missing persons, crime scenes, and dangerous situations can be exchanged at the speed of light and lead to more efficient investigations and quicker arrests.

There have been an array of in-depth articles and blogs written on these “new uses” for social networks by PR and social media pros, but what many fail to realize is that these purposes are hardly new – they are the ideals that formed the foundation for social media years ago.  Facebook and Twitter were designed to enhance the way we interact with other members of the human race and to help us share our identity and life with the world in a modern, authentic and emotionally expressive way.

While the purpose of social media has evolved into a valuable and unrivaled commerce tool driving business forward, it is still comforting and reassuring that during the most difficult times in life – times of chaos, violence, death, sorrow – social media has not lost its original focus of uniting and bonding us, not over a favorite celebrity or brand, but over each other.

BusinessWeek took a position in 2008 and stated that organizations could “go ahead and bellyache about blogs. But you cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they’re simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they’re going to shake up just about every business—including yours. It doesn’t matter whether you’re shipping paper clips, pork bellies, or videos of Britney in a bikini, blogs are a phenomenon that you cannot ignore, postpone, or delegate. Given the changes barreling down upon us, blogs are not a business elective. They’re a prerequisite.” Now that we’ve established social media as a prerequisite, how does a team handle its varying clients with varying needs to create a successful social media campaign?

The answer lies in strategy with a purpose. As writer David Finch acknowledges, social media is more than just a buzzword. There are opportunities and results that are measured which can be extremely beneficial to businesses of all sizes. However, simply knowing how to operate social media tools is not enough to furnish a successful campaign; businesses must become immersed in strategy.

Here are a few of my best practices on creating a successful campaign for any sized business:

• Get creative: Utilize all the resources social media has to offer. Creativity, backed with the speed at which social media moves, can offer unlimited opportunities.
• Research target markets: Where are you engaging? Different demographics use different social media sites. Make the most of your opportunities by using the right channels for your target audiences.
• Be accessible: Consumers build higher trust margins with businesses they believe to be accessible and transparent.
• Provide information: Followers, friends, consumers and associates are utilizing your social media site to access information. Provide it, it will bring a consistent stream of visitors.
• Be engaging: Talk with your clients, consumers, customers let them know their social media channels are a way to connect.

The evolution of social media reminds me of my favorite quote from Hunter S. Thompson: “buy the ticket, take the ride.” Social media strategy requires commitment, but it’s definitely a ride worth taking.

Let us know what you think! How do you strategize for clients on social media relations? How is your organization using social media?

1. Professionals and Consumers are There. According to a Harris Poll in April 2009, 48% of adults have at least one social network profile.
2. Communication is Immediate. This is ideal for last minute promotions to drive traffic into particular stores, share timely news, and garner customer input/feedback.
3. Journalists Look for Stories Online. 70% of journalists use some form of social media to help with reporting, according to a Middleberg Communications survey.
4. It is Measurable. Website statistics, clicks, interaction, and online conversation are all able to be monitored and measured, to ensure a return on investment.

Why do (or don’t) you use social media?

The media landscape is changing as papers downsize and online interaction is on the rise. This affects the way PR practitioners achieve goals for their clients; but make no mistake, the objective of generating publicity and maintaining a positive public image remains constant. Social media is molding a business’ communications process and the ones that evolve with the media landscape will be the ones whose stories will be told. Social media influences two sides in a business’ external communications efforts.

The first involves media relations. Traditionally, a PR pro would send a press release and rely on established media relationships to generate press coverage for clients. With turnover and the downsizing of newspapers, along with the rise of interaction via social media, relationships don’t guarantee articles and communication must immediate. News is determined by real-time trending topics and condensed one-line pitches to grab attention in an extremely fast-paced environment. That’s not to say that traditional media relations are no more, but it is to say that PR pros must know how to effectively work with the media now more than ever. Luckily, journalists are accessible via Twitter or other networks and monitor news that businesses and PR pros post.

The other side of the story involves the blurring lines between journalist and reader. Journalists are no longer the only content creators; a business can tell its story to an unlimited audience through social networks and blogs. This not only creates exposure, but also drives Website traffic and sales when social media is used properly.

At Bolt, we created an acronym for best social networking practices: NEMI - Network, Engage, Manage/Monitor, and Inform. We advise small businesses how to utilize social media in tandem with traditional media relations to increase their exposure because of the results our agency and our clients have experienced.

Get to know our social media practices at http://twitter.com/boltbuzz108. How is the changing media landscape affecting you?