Public Relations (PR) is an important aspect of any marketing strategy. In today’s hyper online world, however, unless the digital marketing aspect is combined with the world of PR it will not be possible to fully realise its potential.
Since both digital marketing and PR are integral cogs in the wheel of marketing, it makes sense to ensure that both complement each other. For instance, if there is an offline PR event, social media marketing (an aspect of digital marketing) can be used to spread word far and wide.
In this post, we look at the different ways in which digital marketing can augment your public relations (PR) strategies. We discuss this subject with the help of concrete solutions and not abstract ideas. So let’s get started.
1. Integrated Data Management
For any marketing strategy, especially PR related, data is crucial. When we talk on integrated data management in the context of digital marketing, we mean that both offline and online data collection must be streamlined in a process which is integrated.
At a practical level, this can be illustrated with an example. In any physical event, the attendees might be asked to fill up their details as a data collection exercise. However, the integrated approach would include a flyer or a form with a QR code on it which can be scanned by the attendee and the form filled on their mobile phones.
2. Use of Social Media
Whenever public relations is discussed in the modern era, the reference to the use of social media is inevitable. In fact, experts swear by the use of social media management in the augmentation of any PR strategy.
There are two main ways of using social media to further your marketing strategy. First, social media can be used for reputation management. All brands receive negative comments and feedback; the crux lies in how you manage consumer expectations. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can be used to reinforce customer centric ideas.
Second, collaborating with social media influencers to highlight your products or services works wonders for most brands. Instagram is way ahead in this aspect than any other social media site.
3. Live Streaming
One word that goes synonymous with PR is conferences. If you are wondering about the role of digital marketing in conference management, then you have come to the right place. The role starts even before the conference is finalised. The initial use of social media sites and search engine optimization can help in deciding the topic of the conference.
The digital marketing strategy can then help in creating a buzz for the conference, making sure that there are enough attendees irrespective of the mode of the conference. Going further, the pr conferences can be live streamed on various channels and tie ups can be strengthened with sponsors (both online and offline).
4. Sustainable Practices
By sustainable practices, we mean those that are environmentally sound. Sustainable development means that the needs of the present generation are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Digital marketing combined with PR can ensure that a lot of PR conferences that used to take place offline every year, now take place over the virtual modes, thus saving a lot of resources of the planet and leading to conservation of environment.
5. Develop Interesting Content
There is no doubt that content is king in the digital world. Content related to brands revolves around every tiny bit of public information available on the internet about the brand. For instance, search engine optimization can be useful here.
Further, generating positive reviews online from genuine customers and reviewers and creating quality backlinks can make a huge difference in the PR strategy of a brand. This process is also known as Digital PR. All the above ways in essence hinge on this last piece of the puzzle – developing interesting content.
While some believe in the concept of ‘any press is good press’, it is important to remember that this is not true when it comes to a brand. Once your public image is ruined, it might take years to regenerate the goodwill. Thus, preferring quality over quantity and consistency over random bursts will yield results over the long term.
A good mix of digital marketing and public relations strategy can make a significant dent in your competitor’s plans. Most brands ignore that whenever there is synergy between related operations of a business, the combination of all parts is always greater than the straight total.
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