Many established organizations aren’t exactly sure how seriously they should take social media.  If your social networking activity is currently managed by a non-decisionmaker, it’s time to rethink that approach.  Because social media is the new PR. Would you ask an unpaid intern to represent your organization at a press conference?  Of course not.  Then why would you send someone armed with minimal authority to represent your organization to millions of users?

In the olden days, effective PR was largely done between your organization and traditional media: newspapers, journals, magazines, etc.  On the web, PR requires you to establish a real relationship with the millions of online users (and whenever possible, you should take those relationships offline too).  When you skip the middleman (the press) and go straight to the end audience, you’re talking to real people with names, faces and histories.  They’re not thinking about what will be interesting to the masses but what’s interesting to them.  They’re not The New York Times.  They’re Tom, Dick and Mary.  So be careful not to use your social networks for pitching news stories.  Use your social networks for meaningful interaction that results in providing value to all participants, including your organization.

1. CONVERSE
Since the beginning of the web 2.0 era, the common description for web communications was “It’s a conversation.”  Easy to say, hard to apply.  Notice the difference between these two tweets:

“State announces slashing budget by 13% - http://tinyurl.com/dummylink”

“Our constituents will be hurt by the budget cut - http://tinyurl.com/dummylink. Will host #SlashChat to find solution, join us 07/01/10 2pm EST.”

Personalize the context, impact and other relationships your organization has with a piece of news instead of only delivering the news itself.  Remember your organization brings unique value and you have a unique relationship with your supporters.  Your supporters can get the news anywhere.  But only your organization can offer a personal reaction and a personal stake in fixing the situation.  Work it.

2.  EMPOWER (your social media person)
Either empower the person who currently owns the job or fill the job with someone close enough to the top to offer meaningful responses to timely conversations without getting your organization into trouble.  This person needs to do more than update a social networking account - he/she needs to make it come to life.

3.  EXPLORE beyond your turf
The web space is becoming more and more decentralized.  Your website shouldn’t be the center of your online PR strategy.  Where’s the center, you say?  There isn’t one.  That’s the trippy thing about web communications.  Everyone is a user and a content generator.    (I read an interesting post on this a while ago that compares a website-centric mindset to ptolemy.  It makes some great points, though slightly radical, IMO.)

That means your organization is a user and it should behave like any user would on the internet.  Instead of waiting for people to develop interest in your work, start by checking out what others are doing, participate in their conversations and only then do you bring them back to your territory.  So explore the internet: read others’ blogs, leave comments, scan the tweets of your followers and respond to a few when you can, write on others’ facebook walls, etc.  You get the picture.

The rules have really changed but if you’re willing to try them on, your organization will reap huge benefits.  Do tell us what’s worked and what hasn’t by dropping us an email at info@36branding.com.