I’m grateful to have my friend, Kristyn, as a guest blogger today. Kristyn leads media relations for MediaSource, a group of Columbus folks who create content and buzz for their clients. When she’s not working in the world of media, Kristyn is busy being a mom (in the world of media).

Here’s her take on Social Media Messaging and ART:

My son turns three next month. He’s my first baby and, therefore, a guinea pig of sorts. So the feeding, nurturing and rearing has been left up to our natural instincts. Oh, and the Internet. From the moment that stick turned a wonderful shade of blue, I turned to websites, blogs and social media for all things baby.

I was a marketer’s dream: a blank slate. I was someone who could be molded into a guru of Gerber, a steward of Similac, and an advocate of Avent. Names of products that had never entered my vocabulary – like Boppy, Bumbo, and Baby Bjorn – would quickly outrank other products like Coach, Corona, and Clinique. Every time I made a new mommy/baby discovery, I felt it was my job to share, link and post everything I learned (both good and bad).

My time on the web has made me a better mommy, and, as a bonus, it has also made me a better media relations consultant to my clients. When building my baby registry I turned to the opinions of mommy bloggers, their followers and my girlfriends for tips. I could relate to them. Their opinions seemed authentic and I trusted them.

Eureka! Messaging that moved me to make a purchase was Authentic, Relatable and Trustworthy. If you like acronyms, you can call it ART! As I work together with clients to develop media outreach strategies, especially for social media, I try to keep “ART” in mind. If a message fails to come across as Authentic, Relatable and Trustworthy, it’s back to the drawing board. Consumers are smart and if they can see through it, well, baby do-do.

If you really have a product that is better than all other products, offers a solution, or is truly revolutionary, it shouldn’t be difficult to incorporate the ART concept into your messaging. However, it can be tricky finding the right people to relay that messaging. I’ve worked with a number of bloggers and what I can tell you is that they’re just like you and me, except for one key different: they have a large, public audience. It’s important to identify who is who in the blogosphere or you might get burned.

The ideal blogger is someone who has a great following of people who are interested in their messaging and genuinely wants to share great tips. They’re respected by their readers for their Authentic, Relatable and Trustworthy posts. If this blogger writes a glowing recommendation for your product, it could move the needle.

ART messaging rings especially true when a company hosts its own social media pages and blogs. You know your audience wants to hear what you have to say or they wouldn’t be following you. Take that responsibility seriously. Make sure your posts have a purpose. Speak to them like people, not like purveyors of profit. Engage in conversation and earn their trust just like the best bloggers do.

Who knows? You too could turn a clueless new mommy into swaddling savant who can’t wait to share her latest new find – be it your product, service or message – via social media.

What’s your take? How do you keep your messaging Authentic, Relatable and Trustworthy?

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