With all of the hoopla associated with the growth of social media, some of us in the PR firm NYC world have lost sight of who we are. However, we are public relations firms operating in the PR firm NYC environment and not technology firms as some would have it.

Whether you work for a PR firm NYC or someplace else, public relations is all about creating dialogues with a client’s target audience regardless of the medium employed. Believing a revolution is at hand and not wanting to miss the boat, companies will often grab at every social media vehicle available regardless of whether it makes sense or not. To be successful in your social media strategy and planning, you need to have the right people leading the effort and selecting those social media vehicles which are appropriate for your business and its target audience. The question for those of us at a PR firm NYC and elsewhere need to ask is what does the client want to accomplish and then determining the best media vehicles for achieving those objectives.

As opposed to being technology-driven, PR firm NYC practitioners, particularly those managing social media programs need to understand how various social media vehicles work. Of course, the PR firm NYC execs and their brethren throughout the world need to understand the value of conversation and that it functions on a two-way basis.

In today’s world – a 60-second news cycle, if you will -- information can be disseminated within seconds across Internet chat rooms, blogs and social channels. PR Firm NYC social media disciples have come to recognize that their clients no longer have the luxury of communicating the way they used to – going through legal channels and simply putting out a statement. That’s not a conversation; it is more like a monologue. This takes the right people – PR firm NYC practitioners as opposed to “gear heads” to truly understand the dialogue.

As in any campaign, whether it is orchestrated by PR firm NYC professionals or others, research is critical. To effectively use social media, you need to understand your customer’s profile which will provide some good insights into where your target audience is online, how they’re using various social media channels, and how they’re being influenced in their buying decisions. More importantly, you need to understand what the conversation is all about and that continues to be the province of PR firm NYC professionals and their counterparts throughout the world.

Kevin Waddel is a free lance writer. To get more information about Public relations, Public Relations New York, PR Firm NYC and Health Public Relations visit http://www.makovsky.com