Are you using a social media company for your Twitter & Facebook? You may be opening yourself up to huge headaches...

There's no denying it, social media is having a huge impact on everyone's lives. Twitter and Facebook are setting new records for numbers of users all the time. Companies, politicians and not-for-profits are turning to social media outlets to grow their brands and better communicate with target audiences.

People tweet about their experiences and interactions with global brands. Messages and videos go viral on Facebook and YouTube. It's wise for the business world to both monitor what people are saying about them and respond/interact.

While the medium is new, the concept of communicating on behalf of a company is not. There must be a clear strategy. The organization should be presented in a professional manner with messages that are consistent with other marketing communications activities. In other words, your social media strategy must fit into your wider communications strategy.

If you have a social media company managing your online brand, you may run into problems as their efforts could contradict your overall communications strategy. In fact, things could go drastically wrong. One wrong tweet can undo everything you've been working for years to build. Just think of the example of Damian Goddard, the SportsNet reporter that was fired for tweeting his opinion on same sex marriage. Or a tweet originating from Chrysler's official Twitter account suggesting that people living in Motor City (Detroit) didn't know how to drive. Adding insult to injury, the tweet used an expletive.

When trusting communications on behalf of your brand or organization, it's best to work with communications professionals. Yes, that means even when it comes to social media, you should trust a public relations specialist. Not only will a PR professional make sure that your social media strategy is consistent with all your other marketing and communications activities, they'll ensure that your online presence stays on message.

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