To virtually any business with an online presence the PR value of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, should be pretty obvious by now.

And this is clearly reflected in the number of organisations that are now using social media in some form or another as part of a wider marketing strategy.

Yet there is evidence to suggest that some campaigns are still delivering a poor return on investment, leaving those companies affected with second thoughts about social media and wondering what exactly all the fuss is about.

However, just like any other form of marketing, whether direct mail, PR or advertising, success in social media very much comes down to knowing how to use them properly.

So where exactly do you begin if you really want worthwhile results from your online PR endeavours?

Probably the best course of action is to start making use of the many tools available at the social media marketer’s disposal.

These include reputation and conversation monitoring tools, such as Twendz and Twitter Search, which will show you what people are saying or feel about particular products, services, brands and current issues.

Equipped with this information, you’ll be able to join and influence conversations in a way that directs positive sentiment towards your own brand or company.

It is also incredible just how many companies still underestimate the importance of optimising both their main website and corporate blog. If your website is invisible to search engines or fails to target the right people in search then no-one will ever see or take notice of your marketing messages.

And finally, your web analytics can also help to point your social media campaigns in the right direction.

In particular, they give information about where your website visitors come from. So if, for example, a significant number of visitors come from a specific blog, then posting regular comments to it may foster a positive impression and encourage even more traffic.

And for visitors coming from search engines, you should investigate what search terms they regularly use, enabling you to establish their motivations for visiting your site.