December 2007
There are few who would argue that the future of public relations is online. With the industry already starting to make this shift, PR Professionals need to understand where their audiences are getting news and information from and how an online public relations strategy can increase campaign and business success.
For many in the industry though there is still the perception that offline coverage is more valuable and more creditable then online - this in time will inevitably switch.
Geared towards influencing media, communities and audiences, OPR is an intelligent and efficient way to distribute content, manage conversations, and monitor media outlets.
No longer do you communicate solely with a third party, the journalist, you now communicate directly to your target audience.
Confirming criticism that the PR industry has been lethargic in their adaptation to online, the medium is currently used predominantly for defensive and reactive purposes rather then as a proactive means of communicating.
This should now be the focus of every PR practitioner. Online is the way of the future with Outsell Market Research 2007 finding press releases are becoming more popular than reported news and are taking over from trade journals as the reading of choice for audiences who are seeking quality business information.
At evolution media we also see the added value OPR can offer to our clients, easily measured results. A quick review of web analytics, search rankings, news placements, link building, and buzz trends immediately reveals the impact made online.
As a specialist digital and PR agency, we believe there are two clear ways that PR can progress online; search engine optimisation and the utilisation of social media.
Often referred to as “keyword” or “keyphrase selection,"search engine optimisation (SEO) improves the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via organic search results.
This process is one we all need to come to understand in order to fight for online budgets as well as cross the divide between the booming search marketing industry and PR. The easiest way to utilise this tool is by pulling traffic to your site through text links in online press releases.
An important weapon in SEO, they are effortlessly effective, as search engines consider text links a good indication of a site’s usefulness, resulting in a higher organic rating.
Although this appears a simple concept, showing up on the first lines of an internet search result will always increase the number of visits to your site, as consumers will consistently click on the top, non sponsored page results first.
In conjunction with SEO, social media utilisation should also play a significant factor in your online PR strategy. The rise of Facebook and other social networking sites provides a clear indication to our industry that there are a great number of online locations that while we don’t own them can still be valuable to us.
With user generated content often read and trusted more then traditional sources, word of mouth through networking, online communities, online publications, and image sharing websites should be incorporated into any online strategy. An important point to remember is social media is not just blogging and authors are often sceptical and don’t like to be contacted directly.
Although the notion of social media is often vague the simplest way is to approach this method with the same attitude you would give to traditional media; who reads what, what forums do your consumers read, relevant community sites, specialist, and online publications.
This is not to say that online media will be the death of traditional media. The print industry alone will survive on the very grounds of being a more portable medium and the lines between broadcast and online may very well blur further down the track. The point to remember is online is the way of the future, internet search engines are now the journalists first point of call and the PR industry must move into this space.