STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (Jan. 20, 2011) —When combined with a professional public relations initiative, social media marketing can be a powerful, cost-effective component of a business’s growth strategy.

RELEVANT PR ADVISE FOR NEW YORK AND ELSEWHERE

Relevant Public Relations, offers the following advice for business owners and executives seeking to achieve the greatest benefit from their social media efforts:

1. Create ‘branded’ online locations, and tie them to an intended destination.

2. Locate your target audience.

3. Attract their attention with USEFUL INFORMATION.

4. Direct your target audience to your intended destination (preferably, your Web site and blog)

5. Supply them with the anticipated information.

6. Reach out online to people who can affect your business in a positive way, and to whom you can return the favor.

7. Provide more benefits than those you are receiving.

8. Be cautious about how often you promote your business.

9. Create and utilize a blog on a regular basis.

10. No.1 social media rule for businesses: Don’t Be Annoying.

‘EXTREMELY IMPORTANT’

“It’s extremely important to present your business brand as a useful source of information when posting on social media sites,” said Barton Horowitz, president of Relevant Public Relations. “If all or most of your comments come across as advertisements, others in your online community will become less interested in what you have to say.

Obviously, you need to get the word out about your products and services, but try to limit your overt elevator pitches to no more than 10 or 15 percent of your postings, Horowitz advises.

“If most of the advice you provide within the remaining 85 or 90 percent is related to your field and expertise, your Internet audience will get the hint,” he said. “They will embrace the information while acquiring  an understanding of your services.”

ABOUT RELEVANT PUBLIC RELATIONS

Relevant Public Relations LLC is a New York City-based full-service multimedia public relations, marketing and commercial copy-writing company. The mission of Relevant Public Relations LLC is to strengthen your company’s bottom line by clearly defining its products and/or services, emphasizing its uniqueness, building and maintaining its public image, and fueling its growth through measurable, results-producing communications strategies. For more information, log onto www.RelevantPR.com, call Relevant at 718-682-1509, or e-mail:  [email protected].