If you work for a PR firm, then a word you hear constantly is “visibility”. There’s nothing more important than being seen-and being seen in the way that’s most beneficial to you. And if we’ve learned nothing else from the political kerfuffle of the last year, it’s just how deep and permanent an impression made digitally can be. That’s why whether you’re a private individual, putting together a start up PR firm, or already established at a Seattle PR firm, you want to take the power of the internet very seriously. And you especially don’t want to disregard the power of social media sites. Even the least technology inclined individuals have stopped dismissing these platforms as flashes in the pan. They’re no longer only places to hang out with “friends” and exchange cute cat photos. These sites are now where we share important information, conduct business, and even run political campaigns and defend subsequent administrations.

But there’s more to the art of using social media sites for PR than simply going online and opening an account. Not just any social media site will do. Since social media had its “big bang” and exploded into the universe that we all now use, many social media sites have come and gone. Remember Friendster? Orkut? Google Plus? Do you still have an account on MySpace, or have you gotten lonely and slunk on over to Facebook? As useful as social media is, and as unlikely as it is that’s going anywhere, the phenomenon of sites that are super hot one week and ice cold the next isn’t going anywhere either. They’re just too easy now to create and too potentially lucrative to ignore. But sites lacking legs are not ones that you want to kick PR campaigns from. You want a social media site that:

  • attracts viewers that are geniunely interested in your subject
  • flatters your subject
  • can be easily tailored to showcase your subject

Don’t assume that a site that has lots of viewers is a natural good starting place for you to share PR information about your client. Remember that other sites will be picking up your intriguing info in these viral times. And you can never go wrong with the “classics”. While none of these sites have entirely escaped controversy, they remain secure, stable, and well-followed, three definitely positive signs in terms of a platform for generating positive PR:

Facebook
It should be noted that this warhorse isn’t appropriate for all forms of PR. Facebook tends to attract individuals who like visual imagery. But Facebook can be a good vehicle for:

  • advertising
  • gathering demographic information
  • making contact with media and bloggers who can help promote subject

Twitter
A great way to send out short, catchy announcements and comments about a subject that will be seen by a wide audience.

Instagram
News is transmitted so quickly these days, this site will allow a SeattlePublic Relations firm to release text, videos, and pictures to respond to both good and bad PR visibility moments after a story has broken.