Public Relations grassroots campaigns rooted in blogging, SEO, press release distribution and generation of incoming links are an amazing tool for building a groundswell of recognition and support  for your business.

So many people are in a rush to obtain magazine, radio and television coverage for their business, while neglecting the public relations benefits of online social media and online social networking. In this case I have to credit one of my public relations clients for teaching me this valuable PR lesson.

Not too long ago, I began running a public relations campaign for a new niche social networking and micro-blogging website and after some strategy meetings we collectively, if apprehensively came to the conclusion that the right approach for us would be to first build a thriving online community and a groundswell of buzz before venturing into the traditional media.

Long story short, we vigorously pursued a presence on Facebook, FriendFeed, Xanga and Twitter and then began contacting social networking, dating, relationship and other types of high profile blogs that fell into the site’s proper demographic. Well our efforts paid off, and our greatest public relations advocates became Internet users, who began linking to the site, Tweeting about the site and posting excerpts from the site and our viral reach was outstanding.

Radio soon came calling and there has been radio coverage of the site on an ongoing basis almost since launch. We are now taking all of this incredible grassroots public relations ammunition that we have accrued over the past two months and beginning to approach televison and magazines.

The definition of public relations is changing, and although glossy magazines have prestige they don’t offer groundswell public relations like the blogs do, and nothing else in our modern history does either.