Last month we discussed the change in media and where the industry is going. We also talked about certain types of media including Patch, Facebook and YouTube. This month we will continue that discussion and focus on another form of media in Twitter, and then provide tips on how to effectively use these formats to relay information to customers.

Twitter

You might be familiar with Twitter. This program lets you post messages, links and photos, but in a very small amount of space — limited to 140 characters. You can make multiple posts each day, however, each post has the same space limitations.

How can you use this to get your messages out? Since the space is limited, it is best to keep your message simple and focused on what your customers and prospects are looking for. For example, if you live in an area that is generally in the pathway of hurricanes, you might consider tweeting helpful tips on how your customers can prepare for hurricane related issues — power outages, providing water during that time, municipal boil water alerts and things of this nature.

One great value in Twitter is that it allows for real-time posts, so those who subscribe to your tweets can get immediate information. For example, if your organization is at a home show, you can cross-promote your Twitter site to tell visitors to subscribe for important information about when to visit your booth for a surprise presentation — first 10 visitors to arrive will receive a free gift, such as a logo pen set, a T-shirt or a filter for a system you are marketing. This is an easy way to get subscribers who might be interested in your products and services to opt in for communication with you.

Consider your messages to be part of your overall public relations program — use Twitter to support your organization's brand. Your brand is not necessarily just your company's logo or products — it is composed of the entirety of what you bring to the market, such as your experience, your range of services, your ability to provide help and assistance, your local presence and most especially, your role as an expert on local drinking water issues.

Opportunities with traditional media

Despite the decline of traditional media, you still may have opportunities with those organizations. The key is to find out who covers the areas where your information belongs, make contact with them, develop a relationship and use them as your conduit to the traditional media to benefit your organization. In other words — don't just send an e-mail to "editor@newspaper.com," as this is likely to end up in their spam account. Rather, call the organization and ask to speak with the person in charge of business news releases, community events or whatever section of the media you see applies to the press you are working to release. You must be familiar with the media, have read through the sections, visited their website if they have one and see if they have directions or contacts listed.

Ultimately, the people working at traditional media are aware of how their organizations are changing and often they know where your public relations information can be published. For example, many newspapers now have local calendars of events maintained on their website news pages. With just a few clicks of your mouse and a file upload here and there, you can create your own events and see them published online immediately.

Even with this capability, you should still send news and press releases to the contact you have made at traditional media. The information you send might resonate with them and they can use it for further publication. For example, perhaps Earth Day is coming up and you want to have a special open house to highlight your products that provide drinking water filtration in place of bottled water — a very "green" solution. You include information on how many plastic bottles can be kept from the waste stream and compare the advantages of your products versus alternatives. This information allows you to become an expert on the topic, the media contact may use it further in their publishing surrounding that event and you have made the contact's job easier by providing something they can use.

Although traditional media has been changing for quite some time, and there is little agreement as to what the future holds for traditional and new media, all outlets that are still in operation can be utilized to your organization's advantage. Preparing your press and news releases by answering the 5 W's of journalism (see sidebar) is the first step to effective public relations. You can take the next steps yourself by developing relationships with traditional media and familiarizing yourself with new media.

Even for new media, relationships are of great importance; the editor of your local Patch page, for instance, can be of great assistance to you and the relationships you foster at your organization's Facebook and Twitter sites can provide information and be a source for many new contacts. Remember to use new media as it has evolved — don't put a square plug into a round hole — write for your audience and tailor your messages accordingly. This will help your organization be successful in using new media.

Thomas A. Burke is associated with America's Boil Water Alert Expert Facebook page. This page was created to be a friendly, simple and helpful resource that dealers, distributors and consumers can use for information related to this issue, which will continue to grow in importance based on aging infrastructure, increased regulatory requirements and improved contamination detection methods. Often, information on this topic is not provided or is inconsistent with other sources and may lead to confusion. Average consumers may not be able to find or understand information provided through government agencies or associations. Consumers need this information, and dealers and distributors should be well-equipped to provide it for them.