The Role of Public Relations in Today’s Digital World
The power of public relations (PR) is real – it helps to enhance reputation, build credibility, and grow overall brand awareness. It’s the triple threat of communications! And the role of public relations in today’s digital world has been transformational because more opportunities are available than ever before for organizations. The benefits will outweigh any challenge that may be encountered along the way. Therefore, the role of public relations in today’s digital world is something that every organization must consider integrating into its communications plans.
In this blog, you will learn about the opportunities available, the challenges to navigate, and the benefits you can expect from public relations in today’s digital world.
Opportunities
Enhance storytelling. Storytelling allows us to transcend moments, temporarily escape reality, and gives us the opportunity to learn about and engage in new things. And with the use of multimedia as part of digital PR, we can connect and tell these stories in various, exciting ways. Video, social media, email marketing, websites, and search engine optimization (SEO) act as vessels for PR that allow for more storytelling opportunities to enhance reputation, build credibility, and grow overall brand awareness.
Improve SEO. Public relations also is a strategic SEO tactic. For example, securing media interviews can help improve how an organization ranks in relevant Google searches. This is done by building a network of backlinks, or third-party websites that direct people back to your website. Google views backlinks as strong signals that your website is credible, and therefore, can help you rank higher in searches. So next time you secure a media interview, ask if a link to your website can be included in the online story.
Amplify branding. With the intersection of social media and public relations, we can interact with a bigger audience. This can be done through influencer collaborations, like this clever campaign from Solo Stove, in addition to engaging directly with audiences in the comment section of social posts.
Challenges
Competition. Despite the plethora of opportunities to reach more targeted audiences, competition for share of voice can be a challenge. So, focus on frequency – develop a regular cadence of PR activity so your voice can be heard more often. Consistency is key to cut through all the noise in digital PR.
Pay to play. Especially true for social media, there are PR opportunities that can cost an organization dollars. For example, many social influencers and bloggers charge a fee to promote a product or talk about how much they like something. This is referred to “pay to play.”
Reactive. Reputation management (responding to social media comments, addressing positive and negative online reviews, etc.) and media relations both require quick response time. Being able to respond to a media interview request due to a timely news story or addressing a negative Google review, all require the ability to monitor and proactively respond so an opportunity to build credibility and improve brand awareness does not go to the wayside.
Benefits
Analytics. With digital PR, analytics can be reviewed to evaluate ROI. For example, you will know how many listeners tuned into the podcast you were featured in, the number of visitors referred to your website from social media, the blogger that brought engaged people to your site, and much more. Since analytics can show what is performing best and generating ROI, you can use that data as a guide to help best utilize your time and dollars with future PR opportunities.
Audience. Digital public relations efforts can reach a more targeted audience. For example, utilizing social influencers, bloggers, and journalists for one initiative can catapult your outreach by targeting the specific industry you are trying to reach, like healthcare, finance, education, economic development, and more. A targeted audience that receives your message is more likely to visit your website, become a lead, and drive more business, compared to someone who has no interest in your product or service.
Touch points. Digital public relations provides more touchpoints to connect with your audience. We can talk all day about how great we are but when someone else touts your brand it can build credibility. That third-party perspective can do wonders. When digital PR is part of your integrated communications plan, you will significantly increase the frequency of touch points. This is especially important to remain relevant and outshine your competitors.
The role of public relations in today’s digital world is essential if your organization is looking for more opportunities to enhance reputation, build credibility, and grow overall brand awareness. At Chartwell Agency, public relations is a key service we provide to our clients. Our team of experts are strategic, yet tactical. We have the capability to develop highly strategic public relations plans on your behalf, but we also have the experience and ability to implement and help drive business growth. Contact us today for more information or to get started.
