The people an educational institution is trying to reach--prospective and current students, alumni and parents, to name a few--are no longer passive recipients of press releases and newsletters. They are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and any other social media platform that comes to mind. What can sometimes get lost amid the constant creation, demise, and rebirth of social networks is a sense of why an institution is in these spaces in the first place. The author stresses that one needs to remember that social media tools are merely methods of communicating; the goal of this communication is genuine engagement with the people who are important to an institution. Keeping this in mind can help keep the institution grounded in the constantly shifting social media landscape. The author believes that building relationships through social media is a smart investment for institutions.