What Is Digital PR And Is It Different To Traditional PR?
Public relations (PR) is not a new invention. In fact, the precursor to modern PR can trace its origins back centuries to the early days of mass media in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Of course, the world has changed considerably since then and the arrival of the internet forced the PR profession, along with many others, to evolve once again. This is when digital PR entered the frame.
What is digital PR?
As its name suggests, digital PR specifically focuses on reaching your customers in their online worlds. It’s not the same as digital marketing, but digital PR activities should tie in closely with your broader marketing strategy.
Digital PR is all about starting conversations with your audience and making sure they see and hear from you in an increasingly noisy online environment.
That means it needs to be carefully targeted to ensure it not only reaches the right people but that it also delivers the right message. In this way, it is not dissimilar to traditional PR, which involves placing clients in relevant print publications or broadcast shows to widen their reach.
However, in the digital world, life works slightly differently. This means targeted campaigns are particularly important and the messaging you use needs to be adapted for different channels.
What is the aim of a digital PR strategy?
Each business will have specific goals for its digital PR, but broadly speaking the aim of a digital PR strategy is to build your online authority, influence and visibility within your sector.
It can also involve campaigns to improve your
search-engine optimisation (SEO) to help drive traffic to your website and subsequently increase the number of prospects who find you and interact with your content.
Creating and maintaining an online newsroom where you can share company updates regularly can also fall under
digital PR services. This can act as a valuable hub of information for people who want to learn more about what your company does and what you stand for.
This kind of newsroom is also valuable for journalists who are seeking background information before writing an article about you or your business.
Ultimately, whatever specific approaches you use, the aim is to grow your visibility in the online spaces where your clients are most likely to hang out.
Do I need traditional PR and digital PR?
The answer to this question will largely depend on your broader business goals, but in most cases it’s beneficial to do both. The key is not to see these as an either/or choice, but as part of a wider strategy to boost your authority and brand reach.
Each type of PR serves a different purpose and, when carried out in a targeted manner, has the ability to reach different audiences at different times. This can be valuable, especially if you want to speak to a broad demographic.
Many people think of traditional PR as media relations, but the truth is that it can encompass much more than this. Crisis communications, awareness and reputation building and protection, and even event support can all fall under the remit of a strong PR agency.
