Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

I admit to the fact that I ignored the potential that social networking sites like MySpace had to offer me from a networking point of view for quite some time. I only really knew MySpace due to NBC’s “To Catch A Predator” and my local school district holding meetings for parents to monitor their children on the popular website. How could a social networking teen hangout benefit me in any way? What I didn’t realize was the “business networking” potential it held and that it would soon lead me to sites like IQONS, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Benefits to Social Networking:

* It allows you to connect with like-minded industry professionals
* It allows for networking beyond your current circle of contacts
* It gives your business a presence online beyond the typical corporate website
* It allows potential business contacts and clients to learn more about you
* It gives you the capacity to interact with others on a more “personal yet professional” level
* It generates referral-based contacts
* It allows for building professional relationships

What began as mere curiosity has now rendered me several contacts in the beauty and fashion industry. As a Blogger, it has helped me generate content for Pierce Mattie’s Fashion, Beauty and Jewelry blogs, as well as, content for my own personal blogs by making connections beyond adding someone to my “friends” list. While MySpace and IQONS have given me contacts such as Billy B. and Boaz David, LinkedIn has given me a connection to those professionals “behind the scenes” such as several owners of various beauty brands, the professionals of Glam Media and b5media and even venture capitalist, Deepu John.

The one mistake many make with their social network profile is to let it sit and think it will do all the work for them. You need to log in at least once a week and interact with others. It lends credibility and respect that you are there not just to “take,” but also to put forth an effort of sincerity into the relationships that you build there.

That’s really the main benefit of social networking—building solid relationships with those in our industry. Since Public Relations is a relationship-based industry, where better to utilize those skills than through social networking?

What do you feel are the benefits of social networking for business and public relations?