Back in the day, public relations could do well without the digital world. Traditionally, most of the brand and company coverage we needed was in print (newspapers, trade magazines) and broadcasted over the radio and television. While the previous means of communication aren’t obsolete, they’re now facing a giant competitor: the internet. It’s safe to say that brands that aren’t online will likely not be found anywhere else.
Brands and public figures can no longer get by without a reasonable online presence, and must strive to reach their target audience with relevant content that fully resonates. Otherwise, they’re out of the game.
Companies are now bringing their public relations (PR) and digital marketing efforts together. These days, one can’t function without the other. Here’s why:
TRACKING ANALYTICS FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE
Search engine optimization (SEO) tools are jam-packed with competitive intelligence to boost any website’s rankings and revenue, if used correctly. Comprehensive analytics help users skip the guesswork and know exactly how their campaigns are performing: how many people they’ve reached, how many clicks they got, where viewers come from and more. For PR, these metrics are golden.
In case a brand’s campaign doesn’t perform as expected, they can be easily adjusted, relaunched and tested for extra precision. This strategy helps campaigns reach their perfect target audience with clickable and irresistible offers.
STORY-TELLING BASED CONTENT CREATION
Despite the undeniable power of exact numbers, content is still king. Without an experienced content strategist by your side, your PR efforts won’t see results. After all, the lack of great content often means a lack of trust or authority.
Content creation is a vital aspect of digital marketing. It skillfully blends the technical side of SEO with the creative side of writing. The result is readable, inspiring and persuasive content that slides the reader through, until they reach conversion.
DRIVING QUALIFIED TRAFFIC TO WEBSITES THROUGH POWERFUL LINKS
One great quality link can do wonders for a brand’s reputation. Now, imagine what several links could do.
Receiving backlinks from authoritative sites is a hard-earned privilege. Sites wouldn’t bother to link to a website unless it brings valuable content to their repertoire. If you want your PR campaigns to reach (and wow) high-authority sites, you must create and promote your content accordingly. A digital marketing team can help a brand stay consistent across all platforms — social media pages, websites, newsletters — while ensuring quality content.
LEVERAGING THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
When your brand is mentioned in an article, you should use social media to expand the reach and coverage. While the media gets your brand out there to the public, social media can help you build a community around it.
While media coverage helps you to build credibility, social media helps you to build reputation and customer engagement. You can also leverage the power of paid social ads to get your article in front of the right audience.
Frame your brand image to the public via PR, and push that image down to the funnel via your Facebook and LinkedIn organic posts and paid ads. Create the noise and drive the attention in ways that benefit your company.
THE TAKEAWAY
If your PR and digital marketing efforts are still operating separately form one another, you’re leaving money (and opportunities) on the table. Assess your current campaigns. Are they driving traffic? Are they attracting links from authoritative sites? If your brand remains on the same spot, you should rethink your strategies. Welcoming digital marketing expertise means reaching your target audience in an impactful way.
Adapted from: Forbes
